Welcome to our list of what we rate as the top 50 cars in Britain.
The rules for inclusion are very simple insofar as there are no rules. We didn’t divide the cars into categories or price points or make sure that every major manufacturer was represented.
Instead, we wrote down every possible candidate based simply on the cars that the senior editorial staff and road test team liked most, and we’ll say now that if this had been a list of our top 87 cars, we’d have saved ourselves a whole lot of time and effort.
What actually happened is that we disappeared into a large room with big chairs, poured ourselves a lot of coffee and discussed, debated, argued and just occasionally shouted at each other until we’d whittled it down to 50 cars.
We then all named our individual top fives to find the cars that would take part in our final shootout and placed the remaining 45 in order of preference. Then all we had to do was decamp to Wales for two days of driving with our five favourite cars to find the best of the best.
The list: our top 50 cars
Lucky for Volvo that we’re listing our favourite cars rather than the most technically accomplished, because on paper the V60’s case is easy to deconstruct. But as an iconoclast in a conformist world, its desire to be different is enough to sneak it on to this list.
As English, eccentric, entertaining and practical as the Ministry of Silly Walks. Morgan’s cheapest car is, for fans of the marque’s intrepid charm, also its best.
48 - Audi A3 2.0 TDI Sportback
Stifle that yawn. A school swot on wheels, were the excellent A3 not such infuriatingly good company you’d hate it. But you can’t, and neither can we.
The Mk2 TT would have stood as much chance of making this list as Nigel Farage receiving a Christmas card from the PM. So the Mk3’s inclusion is progress.
About as subtle as a Mitchell Johnson inswinger and no less effective. This Aussie muscle car is fast, brutal and not troubled by bedside manner.
An MG based on a kit of Chinese parts may not sound promising, but the 3 is cheap, attractive, effective and fun. Just like an MG should be, in other words.
Join the debate
Add your comment
What ever happened to Honda
rilanda wrote:Is AC on
Sorry pal but I can't agree with you on this. The Golf outsells the Civic massively and a lot of this is down to how the public perceive the latest Civic. The Mk7 took everyone by surprise and was great to drive and especially in Type R form. The Mk8 wasn't quite as good in Type R form but a lot of people appreciated the futuristic dash and general looks and it was still good to drive. The Mk9 albeit a good car doesn't look as nice this time around and doesn't stand out (which unfortunately is the primary concern for a lot of people these days) and sums up how Honda's been doing in more recent times - gone off the boil the bit. Just to compound things as well, I've taken a quick look at Autocar's very own 2014 new car figures from earlier this year....Golf came in 4th with nearly 74,000 sold, and unfortunately the Civic didn't even show in the top 10. I hope Honda can resolve things and turn it around, because in other markets they are market leaders in certain areas, eg America.
BTW
VW/Porsche/BMW Autocars top
Btw, that "new" mini is absolutley hideous. Horrid looking thing...It's the size of the Landcrab. And the Duster is one of the "best cars" on sale in the UK? Hmmmyeh Ill pass.