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Jaguar XJ220: Has this 90s supercar been badly treated?

Sat, 23 May 2026 21:06:23 +0100

The XJ220 was big, fast and criticised. Over 30 years on, does that criticism stack up?

Over 30 years ago, Jaguar unveiled a groundbreaking car: the production version of the XJ220.

A machine whose sensuous looks were only exceeded by thumping twin-turbo performance. But the car is controversial, not least due to appalling bad timing and luck. But was all this unfair? Andrew Frankel investigates...

Thrill

Say what you like about it (and plenty have), just looking at a Jaguar XJ220 provides a thrill you’d struggle to match driving most sports cars. A McLaren F1 is discreet to the point of invisibility, a Ferrari F40 a wasp next to a hornet. A Lamborghini Aventador is visually madder but that was never what let the XJ220 pull jaws south on every pavement it passed. The Jaguar’s still stronger draw is that to its sheer, shocking size, Keith Helfet’s design adds almost indescribable beauty.

Rarity

Now mix in colossal power, success at Le Mans as great as any Aston Martin’s of the last half century, and astonishing rarity. Just 283 were made, making it only fractionally less scarce than that legendarily endangered species, the 272-strong Ferrari 288GTO.

And yet despite its looks, power, pedigree and scarcity, despite even an engine that came straight from a Group C car just like the GTO, the XJ220 has spent most of the decades it has so far existed unloved by the public and something closer to an embarrassment to its creators.

Beginnings

Now is not the time to twist knives into old wounds but, briefly, Jaguar showed a concept of a car called XJ220 at the 1988 Birmingham motor show (pictured). It was necessarily massive, to accommodate its four-cam V12 engine and four wheel drive system. In the crazy final thrashings of Margaret Thatcher’s bull market, the world went wild for it.

Jaguar asked Tom Walkinshaw (1946-2010) to see if it could be produced, who duly came up with the specification of the car we know today: a rear drive car with a bonded, riveted aluminium tub powered by an engine that had started life in the Metro 6R4 rally car, but developed by TWR into a formidable racing weapon used to win IMSA and Group C races in the back of the Jaguar XJR-10 and XJR-11 respectively.

Recession

A run of 350 cars was commissioned, for which 350 £50,000 deposits were not hard to find. But by the time the car was developed and ready to be delivered, the global economy had caught a very heavy cold. Some of the 350 turned out to be speculators and tried to flee their commitment, while others were sincere customers who nevertheless found themselves lacking either the will or the way to pay for their new car.

Rather than take the hit, Jaguar sought to ensure its customers made good on their commitment, eventually winning in court.

The shadows

But victories were rarely more Pyrrhic than this: Jaguar had forced its investors to either to take their car or buy their way out of it, but not before dragging its name through the mud. And, in the meantime the attention of those who could afford to spend such sums on a mere car was being drawn inexorably south from the Midlands to a Surrey town called Woking, where an intriguing little project from McLaren was rapidly taking shape.

The Don

Today none of this matters. As Don Law throws open the shuttered doors of his Staffordshire business, the sight of 14 XJ220s including two racers and one 680bhp XJ220S, literally makes you gasp. Don is Mr XJ220 and looks after far more than everyone else in the world put together.

Today he’s lending us one of his own cars, the fourth of nine pre-production prototypes. This car did much of the original tyre development work (including running being driven at 213mph by Andy Wallace at Fort Stockton), then spent several seasons as a race car before being turned back to bog standard road car spec. Which still means 542bhp and 476lb ft of torque.

Size

Sitting there in the watery morning sunshine, it seems altogether too outlandish for use on the public road. Comparing its dimensions to large Ferraris is fascinating: the 599GTB is a little less than two metres wide, the Jaguar rather more. The Jaguar is over 11cm longer and a barely believable 20cm lower. It is utterly intimidating.

Inside

Then you sit in it. The windscreen seems almost horizontal, its leading edge as far away as that of a Renault Espace. The driving position is actually very comfortable and the seats nothing less than outstanding, but in every direction it seems to carry on half as far again as most normal cars. And visibility behind and over the shoulder is not just limited, it’s almost non-existent.

Start-up

But you can’t turn back now so you still turn the key, thumb the button and hear the V6, it all its chain-drive camshaft, turbo-whooshing, angry, ugly glory. The memory of sights and sounds two decades gone come back as if they’d left only last week.

Pure

Tentatively I prod the nose out onto roads made damp and greasy by light but steady rain. XJ220s have a reputation for being vicious in the wet and provide nothing – not even ABS – to help you. It is an entirely analogue car: Don’s race driver son Justin recalls a car that swapped ends on its owner in a straight line as he changed from fourth to fifth at 170mph in a straight line. Happily XJ220s are also so strong you can destroy everything up to the A-pillars and the windscreen won’t even crack.

Civil

At first it feels wide, sluggish and cumbersome. Everything from the steering to the brakes, clutch and gearshift is heavy. The ride is stiff but not the disaster I’d feared and while the engine and massive tyres mean noise levels in the cabin are quite high, this is not an uncivilised car. To this day the odd European eccentric still uses an XJ220 as a high speed, intercontinental daily driver and you can almost see why.

They need a seven grand service every other year, but if you look after them XJ220s are also exceptionally reliable.

On the road

So now it must be driven fast. Pick your moment, select third gear to minimise wheelspin and go. At 2500rpm it’s not interested at all, but by 3000rpm you are absolutely flying. That is all the warning you get. Big turbos and fuel injection with all the sophistication of a pressurised watering can compared to modern systems see to that.

And it goes without ceasing to 7200rpm. Thirty years ago this car hit 60mph in 3.6sec, without four-wheel drive, traction control, launch control, flappy paddles or sticky tyres. So equipped there’s no question it would have ducked under 3sec.

True grip

And suddenly you are in another world. I’ve been doing this job for a while now, but cannot recall another road car whose personality changes more with speed. As loads start to penetrate the suspension, this once truculent and clumsy car comes alive in your hands. The steering is a miracle, the precision with which this vast car can be guided something quite beyond your imaginings.

Grip in fast corners seems beyond anything mere tyres could muster and probably is: XJ220s have proper downforce. Horrible cliché though it is, this car really does shrink around you.

Twitchy

Only once does it bite. Accelerating hard away from a tight corner I change into third and jump back on the gas just a little too eagerly. The turbos spool, ripping the grip of its massive 345-section rear Bridgestones from the soggy tarmac, jinking the car sideways. There’s a moment, little more than enough to raise the eyebrows of one occupant and twist the wrists of the other, before normal service is resumed.

But it is a reminder that this is a car from another age: in a modern supercar if it had happened at all, one electronic saviour or another would have checked it before you’d even noticed.

Injustice?

Back at Don’s, many hours and a couple of hundred miles later, it was impossible not to ponder the fate of the XJ220.

Innocent

And it seems to me that whatever the rights and wrongs of the spat between Jaguar and its customers 30 years ago, the one innocent party standing in the middle was the XJ220. In the right conditions it remains a superlative driving tool, a total sensory experience you’d need a McLaren F1 costing ten or twenty times more to substantially better or, at the very least, the relatively common F40.

Righting wrongs

One thing is at least clear: 30 years is enough for the wounds to heal. It is time the XJ220 took up its position as one of the great supercars of its or any era. For any other fate to befall it would be to perpetuate a travesty of justice that should never have occurred in the first place.

Tech specs

Prices in 2023: £425,000 upwards in the UK

Price new in 1992: £403,000

Dates produced: 1992-1994

0-62mph: 3.6sec

Top speed: 213mph

Kerb weight: 1470kg

Engine layout: V6, 3498cc, twin-turbo, petrol

Installation: Mid, longitudinal, RWD

Power: 542bhp at 7000rpm

Torque: 476lb ft at 4500rpm

Power to weight: 367bhp per tonne

Gearbox: 5-spd manual

Tech specs 2

Length: 4860mm

Width: 2007mm

Height: 1150mm

Wheelbase: 2640mm

Fuel tank: 90 litres (24 US gallons)

Front suspension: Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar

Rear suspension: Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar

Brakes: 330mm ventilated discs (f), 304mm ventilated discs (r)

Wheels: 9Jx17in (f), 14Jx18in (r)

Tyres: 245/40 ZR17 (f), 345/35 ZR18 (r)

Scroll through to see more pictures of the XJ220 from our exclusive photoshoot.

Snapping from a scoop

Interior

Dials-in-the-door

On the road

It’s quite fond of this stuff

On the road

Cleaning up

On the road

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Confirmed: Cupra Tindaya to enter production as BMW iX3 rival

Sat, 23 May 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Autocar rendering shows what the production-ready Tindaya could look like

Striking crossover will enter production – but is unlikely to use the same range-extender powertrain as the concept

Cupra will put its radical Tindaya sports SUV concept into production in the coming years as a new flagship EV which will go toe to toe with the BMW iX3 and Volvo EX60.

The Tindaya was revealed at the Munich motor show last year as a futuristic, rakish SUV that previewed the next evolution of Cupra’s design language and emphasised the brand’s focus on driver engagement, while hinting at a potential new range-topping model to sit above the Tavascan and Terramar.

Cupra had previously not confirmed plans to put the 4.72m-long Tindaya into showrooms, instead touting the show car as primarily a technology and design showcase, but now Seat-Cupra CEO Markus Haupt has revealed to Autocar that designers and engineers are working on the final car ahead of a launch in the coming years.

“It looks fantastic - why should we not build the Tindaya?” he said. “We are indeed looking at our plans for when we could build the Tindaya, but it’s something I can promise: this car will see the streets in some years.”

The new model, sitting above the Tavascan and Formentor crossovers, will give Cupra an entrant into Europe’s crucial premium SUV segment, which is currently dominated by the likes of the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes GLC – and rapidly electrifying as those cars and many of their main rivals receive new electric sibling models based on advanced EV architectures.

Based on the prices of Cupra’s current models, the Tindaya is expected to be priced at around the £60,000 mark, which will line it up neatly against the German stalwarts' new EVs, as well as the likes of the Genesis GV70 and Lexus RZ.

However, while the Tindaya will still use the VW Group’s new SSP platform for EVs – due to be used first by Audi – it may go without the radical 489bhp range-extender powertrain that was said to propel the concept.

Asked about the viability of offering REx power, Haupt said: “All this discussion is changing by the day, very fast. It will be, of course, on a new platform of the group – this is decided already.

“But which powertrains will we have in the end? It’s a decision we have not taken now, and we want to stay flexible as long as possible, because when the car hits the streets, we need to ensure that it has the right powertrains for our markets, for our customers.”

“But we are lucky: as part of the Volkswagen Group, we have the technology and so we can decide quite late which technology we bet on for this car.”

Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer, who also leads the volume-oriented ‘core’ brand division of the VW Group – including Seat and Cupra – has previously argued that such systems make more sense in bigger cars for the US and in China. “The questionable area is in the smaller space. While you have PHEVs, do you really need range-extenders?” he said to Autocar last year.

The Tindaya concept’s REx powertrain gave the first indication that SSP was being engineered to accommodate powertrains with a combustion element – unlike today’s electric-only MEB skateboard which it replaces. Skoda has also said that its own debut SSP model, evolved from last year’s striking Vision O estate concept, could use a mix of powertrains if market demand dictates.

Audi will now be the first VW Group brand to use SSP, after Schäfer confirmed earlier this month that the electric Mk9 VW Golf, previously tipped to launch in 2028, has now been delayed. Porsche will be the second brand to take the platform.

While the Tindaya will enter a busy segment and play a significant role in broadening Cupra’s market coverage – as part of the wider Seat-Cupra company’s aim to achieve a 3% global market share by 2030 – it will not dilute the brand’s sporty, premium positioning, Haupt emphasised, saying the marque will continue to leverage its edgy, disruptive character well into the future.

“We don’t want to be mainstream. I think the success formula of Cupra is being different, addressing customers that want to have something different, not a traditional car. This is the challenge we have: how to keep the brand as a challenger, as something that can still address customers looking for something different over the next years.”

Revealed: Autocar names UK's 50 best cars – in all categories

Sat, 23 May 2026 05:00:00 +0100

We've put our best road testers' heads together to nail down the best cars for every occassion

Attachment is a phenomenon that Autocar road testers habitually have to keep at arm's length.

Because cars that are objectively good — that show careful consideration in design and execution, have strengths in all the right areas and are therefore easy to recognise and recommend — aren't always the cars that appeal to one personally. Because there's an important difference between rating a car and simply liking it. We're all human, but we reviewers have to be careful to keep tabs on our own preferences and prioritise those of the particular target customer in question.

Not for the next few pages, though. The Autocar Top 50 is where this magazine's regular reviewers drop their guard and simply let the praise flow for the cars we just happen to like. Those we feel inclined towards, for no reason necessarily other than just because. Those we might even spend our own hard-earned on.

Editor-at-large Matt Prior, contributor James Disdale and road test denizens Richard Lane, Matt Saunders and Illya Verpraet have each picked his own favourite new car to answer a particular brief, and each has explained why he has chosen it over the coming pages. From the best car you've never heard of to the best daily driver to the best Oscars-night luxury grand tourer, these categories challenge them to identify cars for a wide range of roles and requirements, but their reasons for picking them are entirely their own.

So if you've ever wondered what new car an Autocar road tester would pick for themselves in 2026 for this job or that, read on to find out. Or to jump to a specific class of car, click one of the links below:

Best sports cars

Best family cars

Best load hauliers

Best luxury GTs

B est all-rounders

Best new entrants

Best off-roaders

Best electric execs

Best small cars

Best supercars

Best sports cars

Porsche 718 Boxster: Still the best chassis in the small sports car business

The 718, in both Boxster and Cayman (right) forms, is such a dying breed that they've had to keep it alive. Porsche intended to replace the Boxster with a pure-electric model, but such is the continued demand for petrol Porsches (even though cooking versions of the Boxster and Cayman have the under-loved four-cylinder engines) that the company has had to spend a massive amount of money on a total rethink on the combustion-powered sports car. No shock: the 718s are the best of them, with steering and chassis capability that's the equal of anything. They're among the most fun cars in the world, at any price.

Spec highlights Porsche 718 Boxster, £55,800, 296bhp, 280lb ft, 0-62mph 4.9sec, top speed 171mph, 31.7mpg

Mazda MX-5: Light, small, rear-driven, manual the definitive sports car - and reasonably priced

Every time I've driven an MX-5, it's been a highlight of the year, as a reset from overcomplicated, numb cars that are too big and have boring automatic gearboxes. It's a permanent fixture that brings joy to life, a bit like David Attenborough. There should be a day of mourning if it ever goes away.

The MX-5 is the essence of a sports car. It's just right in every way. You can tell in everything it does that it was engineered and designed by enthusiasts who wanted to own one themselves. You can potter about in it and have a great time. Dropping or raising the roof takes only 10 seconds, because no motors are involved. The super-mechanical manual gearbox is possibly the best there is and the pedals are weighted just so that you never wish for an automatic, even when stuck in traffic. It's not just some convertible cruiser (although it can be if you want it to be): it has steering to die for and rear-driven balance for days. No matter your skill level, the MX-5 never fails to entertain.

Spec highlights Mazda MX-5 2.0 Skyactiv-G Exclusive-Line, £33,565, 181bhp, 151lb ft, 0-62mph 6.5sec, top speed 136mph, 41.5mpg

Caterham Seven: Classic front-engined handling without the touring-related ballast. Just perfection

All sports cars leave a synaptic memory, a kind of sensory after-image, but I don't believe any of them leaves one as defined as that of the Caterham Seven. It doesn't especially matter which version you drive. Once you've experienced the feeling of a Seven's de Dion back axle seemingly fused to your coccyx, the notchy, short throw of the gearlever and the impossible lack of inertia as you pull off the mark, you'll never forget it. It's a more recognisable and frankly thrilling sensation than that which any zillion-pound hypercar can impart, and I'd suggest that this applies as much to the limit handling as to pootling.

In the coming years, Caterham will have commercial complications to work through, just like everybody else. A reliable supply of engines and regulatory pressures are just two of the concerns. But for now its model range is healthy, and my pick is the Seven 360, with its 180bhp 2.0-litre Ford Duratec four, 560kg kerb weight and sub-£40,000 asking price (yes, Caterhams have become more expensive in recent years, just like everything else). Add the R Pack for the lightweight flywheel and limited-slip differential and you'll get perhaps the Platonic ideal of a driver's car: everything you need and nothing you don't.

What makes these cars so unbelievably fun is their balance of razor-sharp response and forgiving handling. You'd think that a flyweight roadster with narrow tracks would be snappy (and in the wet I would indeed advise caution in a fruitier Seven), but the perfection of the long- leg, short-arm driving position and the ability of the chassis to communicate what's unfolding underwheel essentially to the millisecond mean liberties can be taken and handling larks had in relative security. For a sports car that truly allows you to feel part of the machine, just as Colin Chapman intended, I'd look no further than a Seven.

Spec highlights Caterham Seven 360R, £39,490, 180bhp, 143lb ft, 0-62mph 4.8sec, top speed 130mph

Porsche 718 Cayman: As a do-everything sports car, the Cayman is about as good as it gets

There's no doubt that Porsche is in a bit of a pickle right now, with profit warnings and product delays. Flip-flopping legislation is partly to blame, forcing Weissach's bigwigs to put a number of electric cars on, ahem, ICE. Yet whatever path the company takes next, there's one certainty: we're unlikely to see cars like the 718 Cayman again. Even now, as Porsche prepares to pull the plug, the beautifully balanced, 10-year-old coupé still sets the standard for driving engagement, dynamic excellence and everyday civility. In 4.0-litre six-cylinder GTS form, it might just be one of the greatest driver's cars of all time. Get one now, before it's too late. JD

Spec highlights Porsche 718 Cayman 4.0 GTS, £80,205, 395bhp, 310lb ft, 0-62mph 4.5sec, top speed 182mph, 25.9mpg

Lotus Emira: Has enough noise, attitude, involvement and purity to shade a supercar, so who cares if it's not quite supercar-fast?

Great sports cars are inseparable from the places and roads that thinking of them takes you to. Because they're for driving: made for it, defined by it, entirely for its own sake. Thinking of the Lotus Emira V6 takes me to the wiggling moorland road across the North Pennines where, when it arrived on the market in 2022, we twin tested it against the 4.0-litre Porsche Cayman GTS. There was a clinically perfect poise and an all but flawless completeness about the 718 that day that demanded ultimate recognition, which is why it won the test, but the Lotus had the rawer, purer, more vivid and exciting drive. It lost the test but ruled that road - and, in my mind, it still does.

Spec highlights Lotus Emira V6, £96,500, 400bhp, 310lb ft, 0-62mph 4.3sec, top speed 180mph, 25.2mpg

Best family cars

Peugeot 308: A finely resolved ride and handling balance gives it real Gallic charm

There's nothing glamorous about the 308. It doesn't try to project an image of exotic and exhilarating lifestyle pursuits, all raised ride height and tough body cladding. No, it simply goes about its business of being a sensible five-door family hatchback without any pomp or pretence. And it's all the better for it. More to the point, it serves as a welcome reminder of why C-segment hatchbacks used to be the lifeblood of UK sales charts. They're cars that offer just about enough of everything that most people actually need in terms of space, performance, comfort and refinement while remaining affordable to buy, run and maintain.

If that sounds dull, then so be it: most of the time, most people just want a car to be a car. Yet what makes the 308 truly stand out is that it does all the sensible stuff almost as effortlessly as any of its rivals while throwing in an extra dollop of driver appeal. It acts as a reminder that Peugeot still knows its stuff when it comes to delivering dynamic poise and panache.

Like the firm's best efforts from the past, the 308 drives with a welcome fluidity, the suspension managing that rare trick of soaking up imperfections while also offering finely controlled support when carving through bends. It's a magical ride and handling balance that the French always used so well, and it's a delight to find that at least one of the country's brands has rediscovered the recipe.

The 308 is at its best in hybrid form, where the lower kerb weight plays to the chassis' crisp agility, but the same traits can be felt in the diesel, plug-in hybrid and electric forms. Whichever model you choose, I'd recommend going for the base trim, Allure, for its relatively modest, smoother-riding 17in rims.

As an outright class champion, the 308's slightly cramped rear and fussy infotainment system count against it. But if you're willing to compromise on a little practicality, it will reward you with a chassis that reminds you that humble hatchbacks needn't be humdrum.

Spec highlights Peugeot 308 Hybrid 145 Allure, £29,995, 143bhp, 170lb ft, 0-62mph 9.3sec, top speed 130mph, 57.7mpg

Mazda 3: An enthusiast's car hiding in the mainstream

You just have to love a company that makes a mainstream hatchback but, instead of going with the usual downsized turbo engines, gives you a choice of a 2.5-litre atmo petrol or a 2.0-litre petrol with compression ignition. Mazda likes to be a bit contrarian, which doesn't always make its life easy, but in the 3 it all comes together. Those large-capacity engines can do 50mpg and, while many modern units are clearly optimised to be paired with an automatic, they thrive when mated to the delightfully mechanical manual gearbox. It's engaging like few other mainstream cars.

Engagement is a hallmark of the chassis, too. The 3 is on the sportier end of the class - but achieves that in a very Mazda way. With 2.9 turns lock to lock, the steering lets you savour every degree of input instead of darting into a corner, and there's just enough roll to let you know what's going on. In many ways, the 3 manages to be a better BMW 1 Series. It's stylish, it's effortlessly sporty without being uncomfortable and its interior is premium and classy. Thing is, it's really good value as well.

Spec highlights Mazda 3 e-Skyactiv G Prime-Line, £25,300, 138bhp, 176lb ft, 0-62mph 9.5sec, top speed 128mph, 47.9mpg

Honda Civic: Well rounded, of course, but we just love that sense of competent anonymity

People forget how well Honda does ergonomics and stress-free motoring. The regular Civic Hybrid - overshadowed by its hot Type R sibling - has the soporific credentials to match a Swedish massage, and I mean that in a good way. It's grown-up in feel, hugely economical and quicker than you'd expect, and it has a decent handling balance and pleasant controls. If you can live with the slightly ropey infotainment, there's a lot to like here.

Spec highlights Honda Civic 2.0 i-MMD Elegance, £33,575, 181bhp, 232lb ft, 0-62mph 7.8sec, top speed 112mph, 56.5mpg

Toyota Corolla: One of the most straightforward cars to drive and own

Honestly, what more do you want? The latest Corolla couldn't be more medium-sized if it tried. At £30,000 and a bit, it's incredibly medium-priced. And the fact that the Corolla wasn't chosen to lead this spread obviously demonstrates that it's underrated, because it deserves top billing. The Corolla, swamped by crossovers and funkier models even in Toyota's range, let alone the mass market, is an absolute star: surprisingly decent to drive and incredibly easy to own too, if customer satisfaction surveys are anything to go by. Maybe the most underrated car on sale.

Spec highlights Toyota Corolla 1.8 Hybrid Icon, £30,845, 138bhp, 105lb ft, 0-62mph 9.1sec, top speed 111mph, 64.1mpg

Skoda Karoq: It's bland, sure, but it could be every car you never knew you needed

Reviewers don't always do right by every car they have to pronounce on, and I don't think I did by the Karoq. It came along almost a decade ago now, in 2017, and honestly it just wasn't the car I wanted. It replaced the much-loved Yeti, a compact family car with an unusually cheery aspect by Skoda's standards and an overnight hit with the Autocar road test desk, and its want of character was as plain as the Yeti's surfeit of it. It came at a time when there was another new MQB-based Volkswagen Group SUV every six weeks, and it seemed symptomatic of every regrettable trend of that period.

Then I simply lived with a Karoq for a week - and its understated everyday brilliance slowly percolated through. It's an ideal size: big enough to be more comfortable, more convenient and more useful than a family hatchback or estate but still with a flavour of right-sized compactness. It still has a broad range of conventional engines: modest, simple and refined turbo petrols but also diesels and four-wheel drive, if you want it.

But it's the little things that I love about the Karoq: the picnic tables for the kids in the back; the tablet holders hung from the front seatbacks; the sliding, configurable bag-hook rails in the boot, ideal for keeping your shopping from escaping its bags. Order the Varioflex rear seats and you can even remove the back row completely for those ultimate cargo-carrying missions.

Spec highlights Skoda Karoq 2.0 TDI 4x4 SE L Edition DSG, £41,135, 148bhp, 266lb ft, 0-62mph 8.7sec, top speed 126mph, 49.5mpg

Best load hauliers

Ineos Grenadier: Gives up some creature comforts for rugged off-road ability and versatility

I ran a Grenadier as my daily for several months last winter, so I'm extremely aware of what a supremely practical holdall it is. It also has the advantage that it can go just about anywhere. But even if you don't want to make full use of its two-range gearbox and locking differentials, this is a superbly versatile family wagon.

For one, your family can all get comfortable, and because it's tall and has a generous glass area, everyone gets a decent view out. This is an underrated virtue in a family car, in my, er, view. Everyone gets some oddment stowage, too, and doors that aren't too long to open in tight car parks, and the driver gets very flat sides and big mirrors to make manoeuvring into smaller spaces easy.

And then once a child legs it around to the back of the car to pull out their sports kit, they have to open only half of the tailgate, which swings open sideways rather than being top-mounted. It therefore takes up less space and means they can keep hold of the door while it opens, so it doesn't belt a car behind/low ceiling/whatever.

And if you happen to have a trailer or caravan attached (the Grenadier can tow 3.5 tonnes, after all), the split tailgate allows boot access without the door impeding the tow mechanism or jockey wheel handle, as can be the case with conventional tailgates. This is all very detailed practical minutiae, it's true, but it's this stuff that makes a difference day to day. If it helps, I also enjoy the driving.

Spec highlights Ineos Grenadier Station Wagon 3.0L Petrol, £62,495, 282bhp, 332lb ft, 0-62mph 8.6sec, top speed 99mph, 20.0mpg

Skoda Superb Estate: Cavernous, comfortable and cost-effective, it's the ultimate family car

In a rational world free of marketing-led lifestyle posturing, estate cars would be dominating the sales charts. And sitting at the very top of the tree would be the Skoda Superb Estate. I really wanted to avoid the cliché about its name, but this capacious Czech's moniker is proof that nominative determinism is a thing. Its 690-litre boot is removal van-vast, while those in the rear have limo levels of leg room. It even has the premium chops to embarrass supposedly superior stablemate Audi. The Superb drives well too, with a nicely judged ride and handling balance, a hushed refinement and a wide range of engines. There's a reason it's a five-star Autocar road test car, you know.

Spec highlights Skoda Superb 1.5 TSI e-TEC SE Technology Estate, £38,135, 148bhp, 184lb ft, 0-62mph 9.3sec, top speed 137mph, 54.3mpg

Land Rover Discovery: It's the big, spacious, versatile modern Land Rover that people don't judge you for driving

A grand reimagining is in the works for Land Rover's Discovery sub-brand. The problem is that it has been cannibalised by the super-successful reborn Defender, which means the next one might be quite different to this functional, spacious, comfortable and unimposing large SUV.

I hope not too different. The Discovery has a wonderfully unambiguous agenda. The way it fits into everyday life just attracts a bit less attention than the bluff Defender would, it feels more understated and real-world-focused, and yet it lacks none of JLR's now-customary sophistication, capability, refinement and technology.

Spec highlights Land Rover Discovery D350 Dynamic SE, £70,410, 345bhp, 516lb ft, 0-62mph 6.3sec, top speed 130mph, 34.3mpg

BMW iX3: Possibly the most complete car you can buy in 2026

What the 330d Touring was in 2006 the iX3 is in 2026: the sort of desirable family car that combines practicality and economy with a bit of fun and premium sheen. This electric SUV blows its competitors away in pretty much every metric you care to mention. And how much boot do you really need? 520 litres, plus a 58-litre frunk, is pretty capacious.

Spec highlights BMW iX3 50 xDrive, £58,755, 462bhp, 476lb ft, 0-62mph 4.9sec, top speed 130mph, 4.1mpkWh

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate: Handsome, rapid, comfy and gets you to Verbier in one hit, even at 80mph

An E-Class Estate needs no introduction and, truly, you can't go far wrong with any variant of the current W214 generation: all are lavish company. What makes the E450d special is its mild-hybrid straight-six diesel, which has enough shove to shrug off overtakes even when fully loaded yet will still cruise at 45mpg. It also rides fabulously on its air springs. It is, in so many ways, the last car you'd ever need - which is just as well because, at more than £80,000, it's also the last car you'll be able to afford. Old-world family motoring in a modern package.

Spec highlights Mercedes-Benz E450d Exclusive Premium Estate, £83,895, 367bhp, 553lb ft, 0-62mph 5.0sec, top speed 155mph, 45.6mpg

Best luxury GTs

Maserati Granturismo Folgore: Quirky but capable and staggeringly handsome while still understated

It's ludicrously easy to malign the electric version of the latest Granturismo. Even in our road test it earned only three and a half stars, for pity's sake. Blame the near-£200,000 asking price or the fact that even if you're trying to be efficient (which shouldn't really be part of the Maserati equation), you'll still be lucky to eke only 250 miles of range from this supposed grand tourer. Or indeed blame the fact that this is a performance coupé weighing 2.4 tonnes, or that it sounds nothing like as special as its gargling V8-fired ancestors, because it mostly sounds of, well, wind roar.

Do all that, though, and you might just overlook the magic of the Granturismo Folgore. It has a fabulous, materially opulent cabin that hits new heights of quality for Maserati. It has an expertly calibrated EV powertrain, which allows you to progressively and securely ramp up monumental propulsive shove in a way that feels natural. This powertrain is also clever enough to seem to know when you want maximum traction and when you want a mischievous slither of oversteer. And the steering is intuitive enough to make the latter enjoyably controllable. To top it all off, it rides better than any comparable GT, with perhaps the exception of the Bentley Continental. A futuristic Ferrari 612 Scaglietti?

So it's an immensely appealing package, the Folgore, if you're willing to overlook the obvious drawbacks, which would be no hardship if you're only en route to see Turandot. Maserati won't sell many and the depreciation will be ugly. But to me this car is a flawed gem with a cachet that's hard to quantify but that certainly exists. Classic status beckons, and if somebody one day retrofits this car with a battery that can deliver a genuine 500 miles of real-world range what a thing it would be. A true, 202mph electric super-GT.

Spec highlights Maserati Granturismo Folgore, £178,330, 751bhp, 996lb ft, 0-62mph 2.7sec, top speed 202mph, 2.8mpkWh

Bentley Flying Spur: Drive or be driven. Nothing else combines dynamism, desirability and sybaritic luxury quite like it

Having just one Bentley at your disposal makes you feel good about life, but late last year I was given the chance to test the latest, 671bhp plug-in hybrid versions of both the Continental GT coupé and Flying Spur limousine back to back, in matching Azure trim.

To drive, I expected to prefer the smaller GT, but no: the Spur was simply more Bentley. It had a more settled ride, better rolling isolation and just as much elegance and desirability, while being equally as enticing to engage with at the wheel. The Spur used to be the poorer cousin, no doubt, but for me it's now a better luxury operator than the Conti.

And anyway, wouldn't you want the option to be driven, now and again, in a car this lavish and special? It's got to be a big saloon with properly enticing back seats, surely, and this has to be among the very best.

Spec highlights Bentley Flying Spur V8 Hybrid Azure, £229,000, 671bhp, 686lb ft, 0-62mph 3.9sec, top speed 177mph, 64.2mpg

Ferrari Amalfi: Comfortable, elegant and a proper driver's car, the Amalfi never stops surprising

"It's really comfy, actually." This always seems to come up when I talk about a Ferrari to someone who hasn't driven one. Which is weird, because being very liveable isn't a new thing for Maranello: reviewers have been singing the praises of the bumpy road mode for a long time now.

But Ferrari has this image of ultimate performance (after all, it's still the Formula 1 brand), so it's always slightly surprising when I get into a Ferrari, particularly a GT like the Amalfi, how well it rides, how comfortable the seats are and how quiet it is when I just have miles to destroy. This underlines what a great all-rounder the Amalfi is, because Aston Martins and Porsches don't have this duality of purpose. It also feels light and agile on a good road. It doesn't seem to have to compromise.

I love Ferrari's styling at the moment, too. With the 296 and the Amalfi, it has found an elegance that's missing from most sports cars and GTs. This is one of the few cars in which you could genuinely arrive at a black-tie event or a track day with equal credibility, then depart for your holiday in the south of France.

Spec highlights Ferrari Amalfi, £202,459, 631bhp, 561lb ft, 0-62mph 3.3sec, top speed 199mph, 25.2mpg

Aston Martin Vanquish: A brilliantly bombastic old-school GT that's shot through with genuine star appeal

The Vanquish isn't the best V12 GT: the Ferrari 12Cilindri just pips it for my money. But when it comes to upstaging your fellow A-listers before the red carpet, the big Brit takes some beating. Its twin-turbo 5.2-litre motor makes all the right theatrically thoroughbred noises, while every paparazzo's lens will be magnetically drawn to its elegantly muscular exterior. And on the way home, statuette safely stashed in the glovebox, its gorgeously finished cabin, earth-shattering turn of speed and slightly rough-edged rear-drive swagger will prove that it's about as good to be in as it is to look at.

Spec highlights Aston Martin Vanquish, £335,545, 824bhp, 738lb ft, 0-62mph 3.3sec, top speed 214mph, 20.7mpg

Rolls-Royce Spectre: Does everything a true luxury car is meant to do. Just lovely

The only reason I can imagine you wouldn't pick the Spectre as your luxury car for Oscars night is that coupés aren't really meant for those who like sitting in the back. If you think you'd look ungraceful or would stand on your dress getting out of it, then fine, it's not for you. But if you're going to be sitting in the front, the seminal electric Roller is the best car to drive to a big, posh gig. Its throttle response is perfectly metered for crawling traffic, it creeps along near silently inside and it looks a million dollars, despite costing a fair bit less than that. It's the nicest luxury car on sale.

Spec highlights Rolls-Royce Spectre, £333,175, 577bhp, 664lb ft, 0-62mph 4.5sec, top speed 155mph, 2.8mpkWh

Best all-rounders

Audi S5 Avant: Comfy, fun, fast, practical and not another BMW, the S5 will do all the jobs

Audi is in a weird place right now, struggling with the modern issues of electrification, digital tech and staying relevant. Perhaps in reaction to this, it has gone very heavy on more old-school values, like engines and driving dynamics. The S5 is the best example of this. While its S4 predecessors usually played second fiddle to the warm BMW 3 Series of the time, due to slightly leaden handling and less exciting powertrains, the latest version poses an actual challenge to the M340i.

It doesn't try to reinvent the sporty saloon/estate formula, it just executes it well. Comfy daily? No problem. You expect the worst from 20in wheels but, with its adaptive dampers and surprisingly relaxed spring rates, this is one of the suppler cars around. As you'd expect, Audi has nailed seat comfort and cruising noise too.

Where the S5 represents a step-change over its forebears is handling. The V6 sits farther back in the chassis and it has traded the safe and steady Torsen diff for a clutch pack that can send much more power rearward. This has turned it into a very neutral car that still defaults to safe and steady behaviour but has much more depth to it. The steering has actual feel and, with a bit of provocation, it will properly light up its rear tyres. I love how it uses hybridisation for good, rather than as a crutch. It's a strong hybrid rather than a plug-in one, so you can treat it like a normal ICE car, letting that V6 sing its song.

The battery and motor just work behind the scenes to boost MPG and provide some low-speed electric running. It ticks the practicality boxes too. It's no Skoda Superb but, in both its liftback and estate forms, the S5 has enough space for four people and their luggage without feeling like a big car. To top it all off, it has a subtle elegance that's missing from many modern performance cars.

Spec highlights Audi S5 TFSI Quattro Black Edition Avant, £67,805, 362bhp, 406lb ft, 0-62mph 4.5sec, top speed 155mph, 36.0mpg

BMW 3 Series Touring: The traditional BMW made extra versatile. Useful, desirable and great to drive

Let's get real: you can't go on the school run in an M3 Touring. Not with those seats. Your kids will grow to despise you. As will all their friends, their friends' parents etc. The M340i winds down the conspicuous attitude a bit, winds up the dynamic versatility and probably makes you about 50% less likely to be judged, wherever you happen to be. Point being that this needs to be a car in which you could go anywhere, run any errand, complete any necessary task.

This particular 3 Series model gives you xDrive four-wheel drive and a little more than 1500 litres of carrying space with the seats down. Empty it, return the seats to their take-off positions and you will find it fast, poised and rewarding on a cross-country blast as well. It's a proper BMW with a punchy petrol straight six, lots of desirability and loads of usability with it.

Spec highlights BMW M340i xDrive Touring, £64,265, 387bhp, 398lb ft, 0-62mph 4.5sec, top speed 155mph, Economy 38.7mpg

Audi RS3 Sportback: Last of the five-pot Audis is one of the best. My recommended all-season daily

What do you want from a daily? Effortless performance with an engaging soundtrack? Enough sure-footed security for year-round use? A decent, nicely built interior with enough space for you, some friends and your kit? If so, I present to you the five-door RS3, which is all of those things and more. It's also really pleasing to drive, comfortable when you want it to be and engaging when you don't, with incisive handling and very little of the old-school Audi front-end push and inertness. It's also, we reckon, the last beneficiary of Audi's charming five-cylinder engine. If that's not reason to pick one, I don't know what is. MP

Spec highlights Audi RS3 TFSI Quattro Sportback, £62,570, 396bhp, 369lb ft, 0-62mph 3.8sec, top speed 155mph, 30.1mpg

BMW M3 Touring: The kick I get driving M3s is up there with that from any dedicated sports car

Right now the 3 Series spectrum is freakishly broad. At one end sits the 320d saloon, which remains, one could easily argue, the best car in the world (although sadly not in the UK any more). At the other end is the absurd M3 Touring-based GT3 racer that BMW is taking to the Nürburgring 24 Hours, in perhaps the greatest Rickard Rydell tribute imaginable. And it's the road-going M3 Touring I'll focus on here, because a car with a broader skillset - 'one tool for every job' - is difficult to find.

The magic of the M3 Touring stems from the fact that it is a proper performance car with deep sporting DNA. You don't have to pop the driveline into RWD mode to discover that this M car loves to be steered on the throttle or that it has a degree of handling dexterity not far off what you would enjoy in something as pedigree as a Porsche 911 Carrera. Add to all this the estate bodywork, which has little to no discernible ill effects on the saloon's raw dynamism, and the result is the world's first

tip-run car that's equally adept at Silverstone. All you need to do is choose your seats. So which will it be: comfy chairs or brutally bolstered, carbonfibre-backed buckets?

Spec highlights BMW M3 Competition M xDrive Touring, £89,635, 523bhp, 479lb ft, 0-62mph 3.6sec, top speed 155mph, 28.0mpg

Skoda Octavia vRS Estate: Effortless blend of pace, poise and practicality gives the vRS proper Q-car kudos

Few cars can muster the multi-tool versatility of the Octavia vRS. First off, it's as practical as they come. There's space galore inside, and if you go for the estate version you will get a boot that can hold more kitchen sinks than a branch of B&Q. The cabin looks and feels the part too, with rich materials and features galore. And it combines this easy-going everyday demeanour with a genuine dose of driver delight. The Volkswagen Group's venerable turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol four serves up all the performance you'll ever need (and will do 40mpg into the bargain), while the chassis delivers just enough dynamic sparkle to keep things interesting.

Spec highlights Skoda Octavia 2.0 TSI vRS Estate, £41,715, 261bhp, 273lb ft, 0-62mph 6.5sec, top speed 155mph, 40.4mpg

Best new entrants

Changan Deepal S07: The answer to a question that I'm asked every week: 'What's the best Chinese car?'

Changan is one of China's founding car makers. It was also one of the first to set up design and development institutions in Europe - the former in Turin in 2006, the latter in Birmingham in 2010. From that alone, you can tell that there's an air of real ambition and seriousness to the company's approach to European exports that some other Chinese brands don't show.

In the same vein, it didn't rush to get just any product onto the European market, allowing several key rivals to steal a bit of a march on it, preferring instead to keep polishing and sharpening in the background and launch only when the time and the product were right. As you would expect, then, the Deepal S07 seems like a good place for Changan's expansion to begin. A mid-sized crossover with plenty of style and an unconventional silhouette, it

has a design with notes of sophistication about it. It clearly isn't some cookie-cutter copycat. Inside, its preference for digital technology over physical switchgear is a little more likely to make you roll your eyes, but even here it smacks of a carefully considered execution. The button controls on its steering wheel spokes can each be mapped for almost any function you like, on distinct short-press and long-press bases. Its central touchscreen has a fully customisable, permanently displayed lower navigation bar, into which you can put one-touch shortcuts for whatever you feel you need top-level access to.

To drive, this is a single-motor, natively rear- driven EV with a broadly unremarkable but perfectly acceptable amount of performance and range, but it has a combination of good close body control, ride comfort and well-matched steering precision and control weights that makes it feel like something developed with skill and care and for discerning customers.

Best of all, it has advanced ADAS that, almost to the last function, can be switched off, will remain off if you want and won't intrude on what feels like a really mature driving experience. The Deepal S07 is what the European car brands have been fearing, years before many probably expected: Chinese competition that's as sophisticated as it is appealingly priced.

Spec highlights Changan Deepal S07, £39,990, 215bhp, 236lb ft, 0-62mph 7.9sec, top speed 112mph, 3.3mpkWh

Hyundai Inster: A fresh look at the small car. In many ways a better small car

At 3.8m long, the Hyundai Inster is ostensibly a city car - an electric equivalent of the petrol i10. But it's derived from the Casper, which fits into the 'gyeongcha' class, Korea's kei car equivalent, which means it does things a little differently.

The Inster is incredibly narrow, for a start. That makes it more like small cars of old, which you can aim at a gap in traffic and trust they will fit. But it looks cute and fashionable, rather than cheap and frail like most of them.

Its interior is really clever as well. Up front there's what looks like a bench seat (although the left and right parts do adjust separately), which subjectively widens the interior. In combination with the use of some actual colours, it doesn't feel confined. Meanwhile, the rear seats slide individually, so you can choose between a big boot and having enough leg room for adults to sit comfortably.

The way the Inster drives is secondary. It's fine: being electric gives it decent punch, it feels planted enough in the corners and its range and charging capability make it pretty usable. It doesn't make a point of being an EV, but electric power really suits a car like this.

Spec highlights Hyundai Inster Standard Range 01, £23,755, 95bhp, 108lb ft, 0-62mph 11.7sec, top speed 87mph, 4.4mpkWh

Kia PV5 Passenger: Properly practical. Combines form and function to brilliant effect

All of the entries in this category will stop the car-curious in their tracks, but I reckon none will bring them to a halt faster than the PV5. I mean, just look at it. Kia's answer to the 'post-SUV' world that its designers believe we will soon enter is like nothing else on the road. Yet beneath the futuristic styling is a coolly utilitarian vehicle - and that's a good thing. There are vast windows that give a great view out and practical sliding side doors that open to reveal a cavernous interior. Brilliant. Oh, and it's also good value and decent to drive.

Spec highlights Kia PV5 Passenger Long Range Essential, £35,995, 161bhp, 184lb ft, 0-62mph 10.6sec, top speed 84mph, Economy 3.2mpkWh

Honda Super-N: We need more kei options in the UK, and this looks like a fun one

We don't get our fair share of Japanese oddities in the UK, but the electric Super-N - all 3.4m of it - will help address that when it arrives this year. Pitched as an upmarket alternative to the Dacia Spring, it's a hot hatchy take on the N-One E kei car that Honda sells in its home market. Which is why it has an imitation gearbox, a synthetic exhaust sound and a Boost mode. It could be crass or tremendous fun - our prototype drive in Japan suggests the latter - but it's guaranteed to be an interesting take on cut-price, pint-sized, everyday motoring.

Spec highlights Honda Super-N, £22,000 (est), 90bhp (est), 0-62mph 9.5sec (est), top speed 80mph (est)

Wells Vertige: Light, modestly powered and engaging

A brief glance at the numbers is enough to tell you why I love the Vertige. Just 225bhp yet it will hit 62mph in 4.8sec, because it doesn't weigh much. A top speed of 140mph implies that hasn't been terribly prioritised. And a max torque figure of 148lb ft means that it's not all about low-end torque. It is, then, a lightweight car with a sense of agility and engagement that you find all too rarely these days. The fact that most people haven't heard of it only adds to my sense of intrigue and excitement about Wells.

Spec highlights Wells Vertige, £85,000, 225bhp, 148lb ft, 0-62mph 4.8sec, top speed 140mph

Best off-roaders

Mercedes G-Class: History and incredible capability all wrapped in one charismatic package

In 2018, the G-Class was on the receiving end of a comprehensive mechanical update, mostly masterminded by AMG. It did away with the recirculating-ball steering and solid front axle but kept the ladder-frame construction and legendary robustness. The result was nothing short of a transformation in on-road drivability, but with no real compromises in its ability to claw itself up the Schöckl or through quagmires and the like.

At the same time, Mercedes upped the luxury quotient of the cabin, and in the years since it has quietly evolved the engine range too. This brings us to the G450d, which lobs a smooth and economical mild-hybrid straight-six diesel into the equation - and to pretty dazzling effect, if you're looking for something that will go toe to toe with a Defender in terms of off-road credibility but equally feels urbane and special enough to function as something of a weekend car. That it will also return better than 30mpg at a cruise is the icing on the cake. It's an esoteric cake, and an expensive one, but one that feels shot through with engineering pedigree and is literally ready for anything you throw at it.

Spec highlights Mercedes-Benz G450d AMG Line Premium Plus, £142,635, 362bhp, 5531b ft, 0-62mph 5.8sec, top speed 130mph, 31.8mpg

Toyota Land Cruiser: Feels and drives exactly like the car you expect. Just about the toughest thing on four wheels

You shouldn't judge an off-roader on its ground clearance and clearance angle statistics. In fact, appearances in general can be quite misleading about these sorts of vehicles. Some of the ones that look truly rugged turn out to be heavy, unwieldy and a bit underpowered. And some you might dismiss at first glance can actually climb, crawl and rock-hop very well indeed. The latest Land Cruiser, however, proves every bit as tough as it looks. It has a diesel engine that feels torquey enough to drag it out of any predicament, an unpretentious interior that you won't mind making muddy, and all the locking differentials and other hardware it needs to deal with any task appearing in front of it.

Spec highlights Toyota Land Cruiser 2.8 Diesel 48V, £80,740, 203bhp, 369lb ft, 0-62mph 10.9sec, top speed 105mph, 26.4mpg

Land Rover Defender Octa: Brutal. Not necessarily a car for our times but definitely one for the end times

What's an acceptable level of qualification to be able to claim that a car is 'ready for anything'? Well, dominating the Dakar Rally on your debut attempt ought to be enough. Sure, the rally raid-prepped Defender Octas aren't exactly showroom standard, but they share enough DNA with the road-going version to suggest it's a 4x4 that will have your back when the going gets rough. Its trick suspension makes mincemeat of any rugged terrain yet also delivers surprising agility and engagement on the road.

Then there's the performance, which is simply outrageous for something that punches such a big hole in the air. More remarkable is that the Octa achieves this without affecting the standard Defender's comfort, utility and everyday malleability.

Spec highlights Land Rover Defender 110 P635 Octa, £148,245, 626bhp, 590lb ft, 0-62mph 3.8sec, top speed 155mph, 21.4mpg

Toyota Hilux: A pick-up is the best vehicle in which to do everything. The Hilux is the best pick-up. Ergo it's the best here by default

Some of my colleagues here might bang on about breakover angles and adventure and yada yada yada, but the excellent thing about a pick-up truck-and the Hilux is routinely the best of them - is the fact that whatever you put in the load bay, you aren't also bringing into the inside at the same time. So if it's a wet bike or a dead sheep or filthy construction equipment, it doesn't matter. And it's as good off-road as anything.

Spec highlights Toyota Hilux 2.8 Diesel 48V Invincible X, £48,553 (including VAT), 203bhp, 369lb ft, 0-62mph 10.0sec, top speed 109mph, 27.9mpg

Dacia Duster: Will go down green lanes just as well as to the shops

It's all well and good being able to cross the Darién Gap, but in the UK you're much more likely to encounter a narrow green lane or an awkward gate into a field. Enter the Dacia Duster. Its four-wheel drive system is surprisingly capable and its light weight and relatively small size let it go places that the 'serious' off-roaders can't. It's also one of the only genuinely affordable off-roaders left on sale. Bang for buck, the Duster is unbeatable.

Spec highlights Dacia Duster TCe 130 4x4 Extreme, £26,595, 129bhp, 170lb ft, 0-62mph 11.0sec, top speed 112mph, 46.3mpg

Best electric execs

Mercedes-Benz CLA: Forget the S-Class, Mercedes' tech showcase is now its smallest EV

Every criticism that car bores aim at EVs, the electric CLA answers. It's not an SUV and it's not some huge, wasteful tank: instead it's distinctly European-sized to fit down our roads and in our parking spaces. There's even an estate version. Nor is it technologically inferior to Chinese EVs or mechanically the same as its competitors, because Mercedes went back to the drawing board to come up with stuff like a disconnect clutch and a two-speed gearbox, which add a bit of texture to the driving experience and make the drivetrain super-efficient.

As a result, the CLA can use a relatively small battery (which is lighter and needs fewer resources than a big one) to still achieve a class-leading range of well over 400 miles. On the right charger, it can be topped back up in minutes too. For those more into digital tech, it has all of that as well. There are screens for days, running all the connected apps you could dream of, and Al-enhanced voice control that actually works.

Perhaps most significantly of all, it's great to drive - not through any kind of gimmicks, just by way of fundamentally good engineering. The driving position feels like that of a proper sports saloon, the steering has the right sort of weight and feel, and the rear-wheel-drive version has a nicely playful balance. And because Mercedes has done it properly, it still rides well. In fact, the CLA's relaxing nature may just be its best attribute. It's pretty quick if you need it to be, but it prefers to mooch. Its long-travel accelerator, easily configurable regenerative braking and progressive brake pedal make it a supremely easy car to drive smoothly. All of the ADAS work well and the long range means you generally don't really have to think about charging.

Spec highlights Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with EQ Technology Sport Edition, £45,615, 268bhp, 247lb ft, 0-62mph 6.7sec, top speed 130mph, 5.0mpkWh

Volvo ES90: Brings a much-needed element of elegance to the class

As the S90 was put out to pasture and the V90 grew ever older, Volvo found itself in the executive car doldrums, dropping further off the back of the German pack. The new electric ES90 has the potential to address that, and in pretty spectacular, uniquely Volvo style. The new notchback bloods 800V electricals for the company, meaning it has the potential for 350kW charging and nearly 700bhp, and looks slicker than the opposition - especially now it has lost that taxi-style sensor array on the roof.

Crucially, this is also a car that seems to know what it is: an electric lounge on wheels with an easy manner, strong practicality and a calming interior ambience. You won't find any off-kilter, overly sporty pretences or digital overload here, which is how it should be for a modern Volvo flagship. Key to the ES90's appeal is something you won't read on the spec sheet: it seems to have cured Volvo's habit of having an excellent long-wave gait underpinned by a jittery secondary ride. This is key when it comes to challenging for class honours, which we absolutely expect the ES90 to do when the time comes for the inevitable group test.

Spec highlights Volvo ES90 Single Motor Extended Range Plus, £67,560, 329bhp, 354lb ft, 0-62mph 6.6sec, top speed 112mph, 4.0mpkWh

Tesla Model 3: Original executive EV is still one of the best and drives better than you might believe

So ubiquitous is the Model 3 and so loud is the negative noise that surrounds Tesla's CEO that it's all too easy to overlook its abilities and qualities as an electric compact executive exemplar. In its most recent 'Highland' iteration, it ticks all the boxes for user-choosers who want a stylish saloon that will save them a chunk on BIK tax. For starters, it drives with real class, its poised handling being more than a match for Europe's best. It's also comfortable, spacious and, thanks to a recent round of price cuts, great value. It still takes some beating for efficiency, too, while Tesla's Supercharger network remains a compelling selling point.

Spec highlights Tesla Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive Premium, £44,990, 315bhp, 0-62mph 4.9sec, top speed 125mph, 4.6mpkWh

BMW i5: Feels and drives like a BMW, just with zero emissions

The thing about the i5 is that it's a BMW 5 Series, which means it's just the benchmark executive car but made electric - simple as that. It has a solid-feeling, spacious interior, with high-quality materials and plentiful standard equipment. It has a composed and balanced combination of ride and handling, with a sufficiently low level of noise and enough isolation that it makes a very long journey feel very short. And long journeys are possible because BMW is aware that's how its executive cars are used so fits big batteries. A 5, then, but clean at the tailpipe. All you want.

Spec highlights BMW i5 eDrive40 Sport Edition, £67,796, 335bhp, 295lb ft, 0-62mph 6.0sec, top speed 120mph, 4.1mpkWh

Best small cars

Seat Ibiza: A reminder of a time when superminis were almost all this much fun, before they got overly responsible and sensible

Seat defied convention when it extended the life of the fifth-generation Ibiza supermini last year. So many manufacturers have either hybridised or fully electrified their small cars in expectation of the market for ICE superminis drying up when new emissions legislation makes them even more expensive in 2027. But the Spanish firm is forging on, making fun little runarounds pretty much as it always has. The Ibiza now has a slightly truncated engine range, but the familiar 114bhp turbo triple still provides just enough performance to make it worth driving keenly, with a six-speed manual gearbox that makes whizzing around in it that bit more engaging.

The Ibiza's chassis tuning is also very much enthusiast-centred, prioritising grip, response and tenacity over ride comfort and allowing you to carry much more speed into corners than you would expect a car like this to be capable of. Sure, there isn't the last word in power or feedback here, but there's plenty of fun to be had, from a car that has a directness of character and a zesty charm that's now unlike the class norm.

Spec highlights Seat Ibiza 1.0 TSI 115 FR, £24,910, 114bhp, 148lb ft, 0-62mph 9.7sec, top speed 123mph, 53.3mpg

Renault Clio: A real old-school supermini, with engaging handling, minimal weight and good economy

Now this car is one of a dying breed: a supermini with just a little electrification to keep it honest and frugal and a price well under £20,000. What a shame it will be when cars like this are no longer available and, honestly, that fateful day seems to be drawing closer and closer. Fair play to Renault, then, for keeping a manual petrol supermini that's enjoyable to drive, whether you're going slow or fast, nice to look at and comfortable to sit in on sale for as long as it can.

Spec highlights Renault Clio TCe 90 Generation, £17,995, 90bhp, 118lb ft, 0-62mph 12.3sec, top speed 112mph, 54.3mpg

Toyota Yaris: Grown-up generally, enjoyable if you ask it to be

I'll happily keep banging this drum for as long as I'm asked to: the current Yaris has really nice handling, just like most cars built on Toyota's TNGA platform. With the exception of the Swift, nothing else here will tolerate being backed into a corner on a lifted throttle - a ridiculous criterion, I know, but we're talking fun superminis here. Throw in a decently punchy and responsive hybrid powertrain, with which momentum can easily be topped up as necessary, and you've got a surprisingly enjoyable package - which also costs peanuts to run and will never break. What's not to like?

Spec highlights Toyota Yaris 1.5 Hybrid Icon, £23,995, 114bhp, 0-62mph 9.7sec, top speed 108mph, 70.6mpg

Suzuki Swift: Like a supermini of 20 years ago in all the good ways but none of the bad ways

Suzuki isn't having the easiest time at the moment, trying to keep up with electrification and digital tech, but it can still be relied on to do the basics well, in its own inimitable way. The Swift remains the supermini stripped down to its essentials - and is all the better for it. Not enough is made of the fact that this car will carry four people, five at a push, and meets all the latest safety and emissions regulations yet costs less than £20,000 and weighs under a tonne. That 949kg figure is key to the Swift's magic, because it lets it do more with less.

With only a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated engine, it's not exactly fast, but there's real delight in revving the willing three-cylinder, working the snappy five-speed manual and carrying as much momentum through corners as you can. Even when you drive it like you stole it (and you'll want to), it will return 60mpg. The Swift doesn't need super-sophisticated suspension to handle well, because its light body doesn't particularly tax the springs and dampers like heavier cars do. As a result, it flows through corners and over bumps with an ease that's rare in modern cars.

Elsewhere, too, it covers the basics and covers them well. The simple infotainment system is easy to understand and needn't do much more than display your chosen flavour of smartphone mirroring, which it duly does. The cloth seats are surprisingly ergonomic, the rear seats and boot space are decent, and the adaptive cruise control is cleverer than on some cars with grand promises of semi-autonomy. Some will find the Swift old-fashioned, with its manual gearbox, revvy engine and analogue dials. For us, that simplicity is what makes the Swift so compelling.

Spec highlights Suzuki Swift Mild Hybrid Motion, £19,999, 81bhp, 83lb ft, 0-62mph 12.5sec, top speed 105mph, 64.2mpg

Hyundai i10: Like a big car, only smaller. A brilliant reminder of why we need city cars

Small cars currently present manufacturers quite the conundrum. Using fewer resources to both build and run than almost any other four-wheeled vehicle, they should be perfect for our times, when environmental issues and an inflated cost of living regularly make headlines. Yet wafer-thin profit margins are increasingly forcing these pocket-sized marvels off price lists and future model plans. Happily, Hyundai hasn't lost faith. Even better, its i10 isn't just on this list by default because it's one of the few remaining city cars but because it's actually a tiddler with towering talent.

Clever packaging means you'll fit more into it than you'd believe, plus it feels far more grown-up than a car of this size and price has any right to, with genuine refinement and comfort. Then there are those sharp looks and a kit list lengthy enough to shame machines three or four classes above. It's not the most involving to drive and its 1.2-litre engine is merely functional, but the fun of the i10 doesn't come from the intimate connection between human and machine (although the five-speed manual gearbox's action is one of the very best). No, the real joy is being able to wring every ounce of performance on every journey without making a nuisance of yourself. Good, clean fun.

Spec highlights Hyundai i10 1.2 79 Advance, £19,815, 78bhp, 83lb ft, 0-62mph 13.2sec, top speed 98mph, 52.3mpg

Best supercars

GMA T50: The four-wheeled embodiment of a single-minded pursuit of perfection

I haven't driven a T50 and it's entirely possible I never will. Even so, I know without a shadow of a doubt that it's the supercar for those of us who love driving-and I mean really love driving. Of course it does the big numbers you expect of a car like this (there's 664bhp, a 200mph-plus top speed and a 0-60mph time starting with a two), but in designer Gordon Murray's eyes these figures are just a happy by-product of the car's real purpose, which is to place the person behind the wheel (literally) front and centre.

Like that other Murray masterpiece, the McLaren F1, this is a car that prioritises good times over lap times. From the ultra-responsive, operatic-sounding naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 through to the six-speed manual gearbox and unassisted steering, the T50 is a car that has been honed to stir the soul and stimulate the senses. I get the feeling that the GMA so intimately connects car and driver that even parallel parking it would result in a significant dump of dopamine.

Then there's the engineering purity of the thing, which makes the current crop of vast, hybridised heavyweight supercars with unusable 1000bhp-plus outputs seem bloated, boorish and beyond contempt. No rival to the T50 can carry three adults while also tipping the scales at under 1000kg and taking up no more room on the road than a Porsche Boxster. As a packaging marvel, it's up there with the original Mini. There is a catch, however. At £2.8 million the T50 is outlandishly priced, even by the standards of this rarefied market sector.

Even the more - cough - affordable T33 will leave a £1.6m-sized hole in a hedge fund manager's wallet. Of course, this is a lottery-winning, money-no-object category, so these things don't matter. That said, it doesn't stop me hoping that Murray will take inspiration from his beloved personal Lotus Elan, Smart Roadster and Midas Gold (remember those?) and apply some of the T50 magic to a truly affordable driver's car. If my numbers come up, then I'll happily provide some development capital.

Spec highlights GMA T50, £2,800,000, 664bhp, 353lb ft, 0-62mph Less than 3.0sec (est), top speed 226mph

Ferrari 296 Speciale: Takes the 296 GTB and makes it better in every respect - no mean feat

The sheer exuberance of the 296 Speciale, when driven with almost childish abandon on an empty race track, is enough for any hybrid-supercar sceptic to see the light. There is something of the invisible hand guiding you as you squeeze the throttle for theatrical yaw on the exit of fourth-gear bends. A car with 550bhp per tonne and what is, say the engineers, a psychotically small polar moment of inertia shouldn't be this friendly and easy to manipulate. The fact that it is - and we should be honest about the presence of world-class electronics working away behind the scenes, whatever mode you're in - makes the 296 Speciale one of the most scintillating driving machines of the past 20 years.

The other side of the coin is on-road appeal. And boy oh boy has Ferrari dropped the ball here. Only joking. One thing that makes the 296 Speciale's controllability at the limit of its handling envelope so breathtaking is the fact that it also rides beautifully for a 'hardcore special'. This is true to the extent that 911 GT3 owners, if offered a go in one of these Ferraris, would find it an enlightening experience, I'm sure. It's an absurdly, gloriously complete supercar.

Spec highlights Ferrari 296 Speciale, £359,779, 868bhp, 0-62mph 2.8sec, top speed 206mph, 31.7mpg

Porsche 911 GT3: Simply does it all while feeling incredibly special - particularly in Touring form with the manual gearbox

Some say the 911 can't be a supercar: it's too usable and you see too many of them. But it has won Autocar's yearly Britain's Best Driver's Car competition more than any other car. The current GT3 version also has the most exciting engine-gearbox combination this side of the GMA T50 and a chassis that can play the engaging road car before setting a blistering lap time or holding incredible angles of oversteer. Its relative ubiquity just shows that Porsche has made a better supercar.

Spec highlights Porsche 911 GT3, £185,200, 503bhp, 332lb ft, 0-62mph 3.9sec, top speed 194mph, 20.6mpg

Ferrari 849 Testarossa: Looks and drives like nothing else

Ferrari likes a distinction between complexity and complication. The 849 Testarossa, with a plug-in hybrid powertrain and three electric motors alongside its turbocharged V8 engine, is very complex. But it doesn't feel it to drive, because its breathtaking performance is extremely accessible, as is its handling. It's a great road car as well as a great track car, with communicative steering and a brilliantly composed chassis that engages and enthrals in equal measure. One of Ferrari's best.

Spec highlights Ferrari 849 Testarossa, £407,617, 1036bhp, 842lb ft, 0-62mph 2.3sec, top speed 205mph, 30.4mpg

Chevrolet Corvette Z06: A late-20th-century supercar in an electrified 21st-century market, full of drama, noise and feel

It has become quite hard to find supercars that look, sound, drive and feel like supercars used to. In 2026, even the mid-engined exotics from Ferrari and Lamborghini employ turbochargers and hybrid powertrains. Does that make them lesser driving machines? Clearly, plenty of people habitually claim that to be the case (although few of those people would say the same after a proper, flat-out test drive in a 296 GTB or Temerario, I can assure you).

The Corvette Z06 is where you look if you want the 20th-century option. It's a long way from antediluvian: carbonfibre-rich bodywork and spaceframe construction see to that. But power comes from a 5.5-litre V8 with a cross-plane crank that, even in European-market trim, revs to the far side of 8500rpm and produces well in excess of 600bhp - without a hint of forced induction or an electric motor in sight. This isn't the kind of burbling V8 you might expect to find in an American sports car but instead one with razor-sharp throttle response and a rapacious appetite for speed and revs.

Keep your foot in beyond 6000rpm and you'll discover a car with a Hyde side to rival anything built in Italy. Because it's a Corvette, you also get plenty of cargo space for touring too, and a removable roof panel that makes the car both coupé and convertible all in one. The Z06 is effusive, alternative and sensational but usable and versatile as well.

Spec highlights Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Coupé, £183,175, 637bhp, 439lb ft, 0-62mph 3.1sec, top speed 195mph, 17.1mpg

The cars transformed by a new engine

Fri, 22 May 2026 22:12:38 +0100

We look at the cars whose nature and abilities were dramatically altered by the arrival of a new powerplant

We all know of cars which were fitted with an outstanding engine right from the start.

If you can’t immediately bring one to mind, the Bugatti Chiron is a good example. There are also many cars which were more or less ordinary in their original forms but became more desirable in one way or another because a new engine was added to the range, or because an existing engine became available in a significantly altered form.

Here are 28 models which we believe are part of the second category, listed in alphabetical order.

AC Ace

The AC Ace roadster was introduced in 1953 and was fitted with several engines during its production run, the most powerful being a 2.6-litre Ford straight-six. Its handling made it an effective road-legal competition car, but over in Texas Carroll Shelby (1923-2012) reckoned it would be better if it had a lot more power.

Rather than dismissing this thought and moving on to something else, he created the Cobra, a reworked Ace with a Ford Windsor V8 engine initially measuring 4.3 litres and later 4.7. The Cobra proved to be a mighty car in racing, even more so when it went into a new generation with a 7.0-litre Ford FE V8 under the bonnet.

Alpine A110

The original A110 (not the current model launched in 2017) was initially powered by Renault’s little Cléon-Fonte engine. This was later replaced by the larger Cléon-Alu, which had made its debut in the Renault 16.

It’s difficult to imagine the 16 being an effective competition car, but its engine turned the A110 into a world-beater. In 1973, Alpine thrashed the opposition in the inaugural World Rally Championship, winning six rounds and finishing the season with 147 points to Fiat’s 84 and Ford’s 76.

Audi A4

Audi has a lot of history in this area. Most of its models have high-performance S and – more excitingly – RS derivatives whose engines are far more powerful than those in the regular versions.

The A4 is a case in point. Its RS 4 equivalents have always had splendid engines. Perhaps the finest, and certainly the best-sounding, was the screaming 4.2-litre V8 also used in the Audi R8. It produced over 400bhp, well in advance of what could be expected from any other A4.

Audi Q7

Every Q7 is an imposing beast no matter what powers it, but Audi went to new and unexpected levels when it fitted the large SUV with a 5.9-litre diesel V12. This engine, which has never been used in any other production car, produced 493bhp, which was enough to push the 2635kg Q7 from 0-62mph in an astonishing 5.5 seconds.

Fortunately, the brakes and suspension were up to the task, but acceleration like this was still exhilarating or – depending on your mood – alarming. And it didn’t come cheap. Priced just short of £100,000 in the UK, the 6.0 V12 TDI, as it was branded, cost around £40,000 more than the next most expensive Q7. Data suggests that 21 reside on British roads today.

BMW M3

Almost by definition, every M3 has had an engine which transforms it into something quite different from the regular BMW 3 Series. This was particularly true of the generation sold between 2007 and 2013, which was powered by the 4.0-litre (and, for the GTS variant, 4.4-litre) S65 V8.

A multiple award winner, the S65 made this M3 the first to produce over 400bhp in standard form. It wasn’t the only V8 used in an M3, because a tiny number of earlier cars were fitted with one too, but it was the only engine of this type used for every example in any generation.

Cadillac CT6

In most forms, the CT6 was a full-size luxury saloon. The CT6-V was that too, but it was also a very impressive performer thanks to its 550bhp 4.2-litre V8 engine, commonly known as the Blackwing. It was also available in the CT6 Platinum, producing 500bhp.

These cars were sold only in the 2019 model year. The entire CT6 range was discontinued shortly afterwards, partly due to poor sales and partly because the Detroit-Hamtramck plant where every version was built was retooled to produce electric vehicles instead. The Blackwing name has been used again for the most powerful versions of the CT4 and CT5, but neither of these is fitted with the Blackwing engine.

Chevrolet Corvette

Since the Corvette is one of the most popular sports cars in history, it seems strange now that the first-generation version did not sell at all well when it was introduced in 1953 with a straight-six engine. Two years later, it became available with the new Chevy Small Block V8, originally in 4.3-litre form but later extended first to 4.6 and later to 5.4 litres.

It was almost as if this was what the American public had been waiting for. Corvette sales rose dramatically, and a car which might have been abandoned at an early stage remained in production until 1962. Six decades later, its latest descendant is still doing well, and still powered by a V8 engine.

Dodge Challenger

The current Challenger (the third distinct model to bear that name in over half a century) has been sold in several quite startling forms, with enormous power outputs. Even in that context, the SRT Demon variant, sold only in the 2018 model year, is outstanding.

Its 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engine is the most powerful ever fitted to any road-legal Dodge, or indeed any Chrysler. On regular 91-octane petrol it produced 808bhp, but with the optional Demon Crate package and running 100-octane race fuel its output reached 840bhp. The lower figure has more or less been equalled by the current Challenger SRT Super Stock, but that car has slightly less torque.

Fiat 500

The 500 was originally available with a variety of four-cylinder petrol engines. Three years after its launch in 2007, Fiat added the two-cylinder TwinAir, the first engine designed from the start to use the remarkable MultiAir technology which had previously been added to existing units.

Getting anywhere near the official fuel consumption figures was quite a challenge, and there was a lot of vibration until Fiat decided to add a dual-mass flywheel. But the popularity of the 500 has always been due to its cuteness more than anything else, and with the TwinAir purring away it sounded as cute as it looked.

Ford Cortina

Most first-generation Cortinas were powered by either 1.2- or 1.5-litre versions of the pre-crossflow Ford Kent engine. In 1963, a year after production began, the car was transformed by a new power source, resulting in the epoch-making Lotus Cortina.

In its nether regions, this engine was basically the same as a Kent, but it had a completely different cylinder head. Known as the Lotus Twin Cam, it had made its debut the previous year in the Elan sports car. For the first time, here was a Cortina with a power output of over 100bhp. Further modifications brought great success in racing and rallying, in addition to the standard car’s appeal as the 1960s equivalent of a hot hatch.

Ford Escort

As with the Cortina, the Lotus Twin Cam engine turned the mainstream first-generation Escort into something altogether more special, but the bar was raised much higher when Ford launched the Cosworth BDA-powered RS1600 in 1970.

Like the Twin Cam, it was based on the Kent engine, and in standard form it wasn’t much more powerful. However, with four valves per cylinder it was far more responsive to tuning, with the result that the Mk1 Escort became one of the great rally cars of the early to mid 70s. Even today, hearing a fully tuned RS1600 screaming through a forest stage is a memorable experience.

Ford Sierra

The mid-sized European Ford between the Cortina and the Mondeo was available in its earlier days with a variety of engines, none of them particularly dramatic with the possible exception of a large V6. The game-changer was the 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit which powered the Sierra RS Cosworth from 1986 onwards.

At its heart, it was quite humble, being based on the well-established Pinto engine. A turbocharger and a 16-valve cylinder head made quite a difference, though. Even in its least potent form it produced over 200bhp, which no other Sierra engine could even approach. Further modified for competition use, it could reach outputs on the far side of 600bhp.

Honda Civic Type R

Honda has been producing Type R variants of its Civic since 1997, and since 2001 they have all been powered by a 2.0-litre engine. For 15 years, these were known for their remarkable power, their ability to rev well beyond 8000rpm and a certain lack of oomph before the VTEC variable valve timing switched from tea-with-the-vicar to the-zombies-are-coming mode.

Honda changed the game entirely in 2015 when it added a turbocharger. The engine was now limited to a relatively modest 7000rpm, but suddenly there was plenty of mid-range power, and the peak figure shot up to 306bhp. After some mild tweaking, it was raised further to 316bhp.

Lancia Thema

The Thema was a luxury saloon based on the same platform also used for the Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma and Saab 9000. Two years after it was launched, Lancia added an outstanding version called the 8.32, named after the number of cylinders and valves in its engine.

At 2.9 litres, this wasn’t quite the largest unit fitted to the Thema, but it was by far the most powerful. Derived from the Ferrari Dino V8, it produced 215bhp, a full 40bhp more than the 3.0-litre Alfa Romeo V6 which it demoted to second place in the range.

Lotus Europa

Launched in 1965, the Europa was a very early example – though by no means the first – of a mid-engined road-going sports car. To begin with, it was powered by the Cléon-Alu engine from the Renault 16, and also used that car’s transaxle which, unlike any transmission available from usual supplier Ford, could easily be adapted to suit the mid-engined layout.

Lotus continued using the transaxle through the Europa’s production life, but it eventually swapped the engine for its own Ford-based Twin Cam. Power outputs accordingly shot up, initially to 105bhp and later to 126bhp, giving the Europa far more straightline performance than it had started out with.

Mazda CX-7

Replacing a powerful petrol engine with a much less powerful diesel may seem like a backward step, but in this case it was the right thing to do. The CX-7 SUV was initially available only in the UK with the 256bhp 2.3-litre petrol engine also found in the high-performance Mazda3 MPS and Mazda6 MPS. Everyone knew this was a bad idea – including, they would quietly admit, Mazda’s British representatives.

Two years later, in 2009, that engine was dropped in favour of a 2.5-litre diesel. The price went up, and the power output dropped by a startling 85bhp, but the CX-7 was now subject to £190 less Vehicle Excise Duty each year and was, according to the official fuel economy figures, 10mpg less thirsty. A previously almost unsellable vehicle had now been transformed into something that suited its target customers.

Mercedes A-Class

The third-generation A-Class was mostly available with a variety of engines with power outputs in the 100-210bhp range. One year after launch, though, Mercedes introduced the four-wheel drive A 45 AMG variant (subsequently renamed Mercedes-AMG A 45).

The difference this made to the car’s straightline performance was phenomenal. The highest power output in the range had now shot up by 70% to 355bhp, and that was only the start. Following a revision, it rose still further to 376bhp. Today’s fastest A-Class has a different but conceptually similar engine which produces 416bhp.

Mercedes R-Class

In a spectacular example of what we called “Mercedes’ every-engine-in-everything product planning,” the R-Class became available with a 503bhp 6.2-litre V8 engine a year after its launch.

As a large luxury MPV, it was well suited to powerful engines, but this was a whole new ball game. The big V8 produced 503bhp, which was far more than anyone needed – or, apparently, wanted. Sales were minimal, and the R 63 AMG, as it was called, disappeared from the price lists very quickly.

MGB

The MGB roadster was launched in 1962, and a coupe version called the MGB GT came along three years later. In an attempt to create a high-performance variant, MG first fitted a 2.9-litre straight-six engine and called the result MGC, but this was unsatisfactory and was abandoned after just two years.

A second attempt followed in 1973. This time, MG created the MGB GT V8 by fitting the 3.5-litre Buick-derived Rover engine into the coupe. It didn’t last much longer than the MGC had, but by general consent it was a far superior car.

Renault 6

This was a very mild but still valid example of the principle we’re discussing. The 6 was designed as an upmarket alternative to the Renault 4 which was fitted at its launch in 1968 with the same immediate post-War Billancourt engine, even though the larger and more powerful Cléon-Fonte had been available for six years.

In 1970, Renault did the right thing and added the Cléon-Fonte to the range. With this engine, the 6 still wasn’t especially quick – and didn’t really need to be – but it was at least acceptably so. As we said in a 1974 road test, there was “no doubt that Renault’s engineers got their sums exactly right” at the second attempt.

Renault Clio Renaultsport

The first few versions of Renault’s hottest Clio were all powered by a high-revving, naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre engine. This policy changed dramatically in 2013, when Renault switched to a 1.6-litre turbo co-developed with Alliance partner Nissan and producing similar power (197bhp).

There was no doubt that the Clio’s character had been transformed. The question was whether this was a positive or a negative move. There were those who felt the superior mid-range performance was a major improvement, but we reckoned that “all the previous car’s impish zip has been sucked mercilessly from the bone”.

Saab 96

Saab fitted nothing but two-stroke engines to its cars all the way from the launch of the 92 in 1949 until nearly halfway through the production life of the 96 (the 92’s second successor) 18 years later. At this point, it switched to a four-stoke V4 developed by Ford of Germany.

It wasn’t one of the world’s great engines, but it was more powerful than anything Saab had used in the past. Crucially, it also didn’t sound like a wasp trapped in a tin can or emit clouds of smelly blue smoke. The 96 lasted until 1980, which it certainly wouldn’t have done if Saab had persevered with the two-stroke.

Sunbeam Alpine

The story of the Sunbeam Tiger almost exactly mirrors that of the slightly earlier AC Cobra. Both cars were suggested by Carroll Shelby, who (in the case of the Tiger) thought there was nothing wrong with Sunbeam’s Alpine sports car that couldn’t be fixed by giving it more power.

As with the Cobra, the Alpine was converted to accept the Ford Windsor engine (4.3 litres at first, later 4.7) and given a suitably aggressive name. This time, though, there would be no progression to a larger Ford V8.

Vanden Plas Princess

Of the several cars known as Vanden Plas Princess, the one we’re interested in here was the large, Farina-designed saloon which was almost identical to models produced by Austin and Wolseley. All were powered by a 2.9-litre straight-six engine, but only the Princess was taken a stage further.

In 1964, it was given a new name – Princess R – following several revisions, the most dramatic being the fitment of a 3.9-litre engine developed by Rolls-Royce. The power output jumped from around 120bhp to 175bhp, which made the Princess far quicker than before, though given the nature of the car it’s likely that more effortless high-speed cruising was considered more important than sharper acceleration.

Vauxhall Carlton

The Carlton GSi was a fine car with excellent handling and a strong 3.0-litre 24-valve engine. It was also the basis of that Wagner opera on wheels, the Lotus Carlton. Despite claims to the contrary elsewhere on the internet, every example of this model came off the Opel production line in Rüsselsheim as a standard GSi before being shipped to Lotus in Hethel for a conversion which lasted 150 hours.

The alterations included raising the capacity of the six-cylinder engine from 3.0 litres to 3.6 and fitting two Garrett turbochargers. Power output accordingly shot up from the original 204bhp to 377bhp (if the engines was fed with sufficiently high-octane petrol), and the straightline performance improved to such an extent that there were calls for the car to be banned.

Volkswagen Golf R

The first two generations of Golf R were known as R32, a reference to their 3.2-litre V6 engines. They were quick and sounded fabulous, but that engine was very heavy and mounted almost entirely ahead of the front axle, which created major handling problems in the original version. The next one was better, but still occasionally troublesome, especially over a series of closely-spaced crests.

For the generation after that, Volkswagen ditched the 32 part of the name and fitted a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder. This was more powerful, but crucially it was also lighter. The handling issues disappeared completely, and the R became the splendid hot hatch it should have been in the first place.

Volkswagen Passat

The Passat introduced in 1997 was (a former owner writes) a worthy but not particularly exciting car available with engines which could mostly be described as straightforward – except one. This was a 4.0-litre W8, essentially two 2.0-litre V4s mounted on a common crankcase, the only engine of that type ever fitted to a production car.

Available from 2001, it produced 271bhp, making it the most powerful engine used in a Passat of that generation by over 80bhp. Despite its outstanding features, it sold very badly, and the project was soon abandoned, which may have been what VW expected to happen.

Volkswagen Touareg

In another piece of extravagant engine policy, Volkswagen added a 6.0-litre W12 to the Touareg two years after the big SUV was launched. This engine was nearly as rare as the W8 fitted to the Passat, but was also used in the Audi A8, the Bentley Continental and the VW Phaeton.

Once again, this engine blitzed all the others in the range in terms of performance, with a maximum output of 444bhp. VW initially planned to build only 500 examples of this particular Touareg, but continued production when it proved to be surprisingly popular.

Morris Minor

At the time of its launch in 1948, the Minor was fitted with a 918cc engine based on a Wolseley design which was already 20 years old. It was extremely unlikely that this unit would last, as the car did, until as late as 1971. In fact, the change happened very early in the Minor’s career. In 1952, Morris was brought together with its former arch-rival Austin in the British Motor Corporation.

This gave Morris access to the new BMC A-Series engine, which had just been introduced in the Austin A30. Despite being smaller, at 803cc, the A-Series had similar power to the engine it replaced, and far more scope for development. By the end of Minor production, it was being used in 1098cc form, and still had nearly three decades more life left in it.

Talbot Sunbeam

Most Sunbeams were fitted with either 1.3- or 1.6-litre versions of the engine used in the Hillman Avenger or a 928cc unit derived from that of the Hillman Imp. The outlier was a 2.2-litre 16-valve Lotus motor, part of a range which was used both in the Jensen-Healey sports car and several models produced by Lotus itself.

With a power output of 150bhp, the Sunbeam Lotus was a formidable road car, but that wasn’t its main purpose. The idea had been to attract publicity for the brand through motorsport, and it worked. Just before four-wheel drive turned the whole scene upside-down, the Sunbeam Lotus was competitive enough to earn Talbot the Manufacturers’ title in the 1981 World Rally Championship.

Vauxhall Chevette

The Chevette was initially a small hatchback (though saloons and an estate followed) based on the Opel Kadett. Nearly every version was fitted with a 1256cc engine, but Vauxhall, like Talbot with the Sunbeam, decided that a more powerful version intended for rallying would be good for publicity.

There was no way that the original engine would be suitable for this, so Vauxhall took its 2.3-litre Slant-4 engine, added a 16-valve cylinder head and put it under the bonnet to create the Chevette HS (pictured). (Early rally cars were fitted with a similar head developed by Lotus, but this was soon banned.) The same mechanical arrangement was used for the later HSR, which had several fibreglass panels, including wide front and rear wings which gave the car a very dramatic appearance.

How heavy traffic could hinder the autonomous cars of tomorrow

Fri, 22 May 2026 11:00:00 +0100

Researchers created a virtual road to test how traffic affects 5G signals and responses

Wireless communication will play a major part in transport systems generally and on the roads 5G will be important in enabling future intelligent transport systems.

But one potential issue is that even 5G, the world's fifth-generation wireless technology, can be blocked for a moment by anything from pedestrians and vehicles, according to research by the University of Glasgow and Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

Their study was carried out for TransiT, a UK-based collaboration of eight universities and around 70 industry partners working on the decarbonisation of transport using digital twins. Digital twinning replicates the physical world using data collected from real-life situations in real time. The digital twin can then analyse that data and send back its solution for an improved outcome in the real-world situation.

Major advantages of 5G over previous methods of data transfer like 4G and even wi-fi originally used in V2X (vehicle to vehicle or infrastructure) are greater reliability and low latency – a substantially shorter time between a command being given and a response being received.

Six years on from the rollout of 5G beginning, the development of driverless vehicles is evolving rapidly and the data transmission they will to some extent rely on needs to be robust.

To investigate how traffic affects 5G's performance, researchers created a virtual 160m stretch of urban dual carriageway. Their detailed simulation included CAVs (connected and autonomous vehicles), which send a continuous flow of high-resolution data from sensors such as cameras and radar to their control centres using high-speed, two-directional communication links.

The team also modelled conventional cars, vans, trucks and buses driving at speeds of between 10mph and 70mph to see how the 5G performance would be affected in low, medium and high levels of traffic congestion. In addition, they investigated how increasing the number and height of 5G radio units attached to lamp-posts would affect signal quality.

The results showed that when congestion was high, the main 5G signal link dropped by around 20% compared with light traffic. The researchers think this could cause delays in sending sensor data or even force vehicles to fall back on slower 4G networks.

The good news is that raising the height of the roadside units in the simulation reduced signal blockages and at 11m all blockages disappeared from the test results. Raising them too high weakens the signal, though, so striking the right balance is crucial.

Increasing the number of roadside units helped in some cases but not others, suggesting that smart planning and coordination is needed due to the sensitivity of 5G signals.

The researchers hope their work will provide valuable insights for network operators and designers building the next generation of intelligent low-carbon transport networks and that the use of AI may help to predict 5G signal disruption.

The most important concept cars ever created

Fri, 22 May 2026 09:17:34 +0100

Some go nowhere, but other concept cars really point to the future. We take stock of the most interesting and influential ones ever made

Too often, the term ‘concept car’ is now used to describe a thinly veiled production model that’s about to hit showrooms.

But it wasn’t always like that; there was a time when the description was reserved for the most cutting-edge designs that showed just how fertile an imagination could be.

Here we take a look at more than eight decades of some of the most forward-thinking, influential concept cars ever created, but even with 10 times as many entries we could only ever hope to scratch the surface. Enjoy the ride:

Buick Y-Job (1939)

General Motors’ Y-Job is now considered to be the world’s first concept car; it wasn’t, as that title going to the Volvo Venus Bilo of 1933. But the Y-Job did make GM’s design boss Harley Earl famous.

Undeniably forward-thinking, the Y-Job featured hidden headlights, electric windows and a powered roof, concealed under a hard tonneau, and setting out overall design cues for American cars that would emerge after World War Two.

Buick LeSabre (1951)

For an encore to his Y-Job, Harley Earl (pictured) came up with the LeSabre, which perfectly captured the optimism of the jet age and America’s long post-war boom. Sitting a foot lower than contemporary production cars, the 335bhp V8-equipped LeSabre came with a wrap-around windscreen, hidden headlights and huge tailfins that set a trend for America’s Big Three throughout the 1950s.

It also incorporated a powered roof that could be activated automatically in the event of rain. It also brought in a fashion for jet-age American concepts - and production cars - that would last for over a decade. So strap yourself in for the next few cars in this story:

Ford XL500 (1953)

With push-button automatic transmission the XL-500 was supposed to provide effortless driving. The goldfish bowl problem presented by all that glass would be resolved by the then emerging technology of air conditioning that it featured.

Standard equipment also included a telephone and built-in jacks in the event of a puncture.

Alfa Romeo BAT 5 (1953)

America didn’t have the concept car monopoly. Italian design house Bertone produced a range of groundbreaking concept cars during the 1950s, of which this is perhaps the most striking. The concept pursued extreme aerodynamics – it had a Cd drag coefficient of just 0.23 - and light weight to move the envelope of the possible.

It succeeded; despite a modest 100bhp engine, this 1100kg car could deliver a 120mph top speed. The BAT 7 the next year had a drag co-efficient of just 0.19.

Buick Wildcat II (1954)

With its ‘flying-wing’ front end and glassfibre construction the Wildcat II was definitely a car of the future when it appeared in 1953 – the same year as the original Corvette. Focus on the centre section of this concept and you can see how similar it is to the earliest ‘Vettes.

De Soto Adventurer II Coupé (1954)

The brief with this one was to come up with something super-slippery rather than ostentatious. As a result the Adventurer’s clean lines are very understated but those afterburner-inspired tail lights give a hint of what was to come with later Chrysler concepts.

Ford FX Atmos (1954)

The FX stood for Future Experimental, those spears on the front were aerials to help control the car to stop it running into vehicles in front, and the ‘Atmos’ was taken from atmosphere, which Ford said “came from free and unlimited creative thinking”.

With a glass canopy, seating for three and a pair of aircraft-style fins, this was truly a jet-age - or even space-age - design.

GM Firebird I (1954)

The first of three General Motors Firebird concepts, this one featured a single-stick control system which dispensed with the steering wheel, accelerator and brake.

Because it was located in the middle of the car either the driver or passenger could operate it; power came from a gas turbine which could be used to power a house via a built-in generator. And just look at it…

Ford Mystere (1955)

You wouldn’t want to have to fit a new windscreen to this beauty as it stretched right the way round the car from behind each door. To get in and out the whole vehicle tilted up as a canopy.

The cabin was air conditioned and power came from a rear-mounted gas turbine.

Lincoln Futura (1955)

Best known for its starring role in the original Batman TV series, the Futura deserves a place in this story for looking like nothing else thanks to its twin Plexiglass domes along with fins front and rear.

Ford spent $250,000 (around $2.5 million in today’s money) building this 300bhp V8-powered running concept which also featured a push-button automatic transmission.

Buick Centurion (1956)

The rear end of this car was clearly inspired by a jet fighter, with all of its lines converging on a single spot.

This deserves special mention here as instead of rear-view mirrors there was a camera in the tail which beamed pictures to a TV screen on the dash – a technology that only now is making its way into production cars. The whole of the top of the car was made of glass, with just a few thin pillars to aid rigidity.

GM Firebird II (1956) & III (1958)

GM was in the market for a follow up to the Firebird 1 (pictured left). Constructed from titanium, Firebird II (centre) was designed to be run on guided roadways – so it was something of a forerunner to today’s autonomous cars.

Two years later, GM followed it with the Firebird III (right). This time Harley Earl (pictured) sought to move the inspiration on from jet planes to space rockets. As such it was even more extreme than its predecessors and featured automatic guidance, a 225bhp turbine, climate-control and automatic lighting.

It was Earl’s swansong – he retired the same year, after an extraordinary 30 years running the design operation of GM, a period when the company came to dominate the American car world and become the world’s largest company into the bargain.

Oldsmobile Golden Rocket (1956)

With much of the rest of the industrialised world focusing on rebuilding cities destroyed during the war, nobody could keep up with the Americans in the 1950s, with one futuristic concept appearing after another. The Golden Rocket packed a 275bhp punch from its 3.2-litre V8, and it introduced us to powered steering column adjustment.

Its party piece though was the seats rose up and swivelled outwards when the doors were opened. All these features made it into production cars shortly afterwards. One feature that did not were the roof panels that hinged upwards so it was easier to get in and out.

Ford X-1000 (1957)

The X-1000 was designed by Alex Tremulis so that the engine could be mounted either in the nose or the tail. The luxurious cabin featured a TV and hi-fi system while there was a retractable canopy for the two seats, which allowed the car to be driven as a convertible or bubble-topped coupé.

XP-700 Corvette (1958)

Effectively a rebodied Corvette, the XP-700 featured a distinctive nose design design and a bubble-top canopy that had a space-age feel about it.

Purely a design study, the XP-700 also ditched a conventional rear-view mirror and instead featured a periscope for an unobstructed view of the road behind.

Cadillac Cyclone (1959)

Cadillac had to look on as its corporate cousins got all the concept car glory, but in 1959 it too joined the great futuristic party with its Cyclone.

Those black cones in the nose were equipped with radar to help the Cyclone’s driver avoid anything in the way, a precursor to what we know today as adaptive cruise control. The cockpit meanwhile was protected by a single-piece plastic canopy coated with vapourised silver to deflect the sun’s rays.

Chrysler Turboflite (1961)

The Turboflite was certainly an innovative car, but it wasn’t without its shortcomings. The Turboflite’s regenerative turbine weighed half as much as an equivalent V8 internal combustion engine.

As soon as one of the doors was opened the glass canopy was raised electrically and an air brake popped up as soon as the hydraulic brake was applied, in a bid to help out the mechanical braking system. Today, air brakes are extremely rare – one of the few to have them is the McLaren 675LT.

GM Runabout (1964)

Charming in its simplicity, the Runabout was a three-wheeled city car with the aerodynamics of an arrow. In the boot were two integral shopping trolleys so you could load up on cheap beer.

Inside there was seating for five; two up front and three in the back. Shopping cars still don’t look like this, unfortunately.

Lamborghini Marzal (1967)

Few sixties concepts were as glassy as this one; the Marzal featured 48.4 square feet of the stuff, but exploited the relatively new wonder of air conditioning to ensure it wouldn’t be a problem in warm climates.

Designed by Bertone and clearly leading to the Lamborghini Espada, the Marzal featured an abundance of hexagons in its design. Power came from half a Lamborghini V12; a 175bhp six-cylinder unit mounted over the rear axle.

Alfa Romeo Carabo (1968)

Penned by Marcello Gandini, the Carabo (Italian for Beetle) was based on the mid-engined V8-powered Alfa Romeo Tipo 33. This was essentially an updated Lamborghini Miura, another Gandini design.

The Lambo suffered front-end lift at speed so this car fixed that. It also introduced the world to beetle-wing doors, later put into production on the Countach.

Mercedes-Benz C-111 (1969)

We call it a concept car, though Mercedes would term it a research vehicle. First unveiled in 1969, the gull-winged wonder sported a 280bhp three-rotor Wankel engine. In 1970 a refreshed car was wheeled out with a four-rotor powerplant then in 1978 an all-new car emerged, with diesel power, as pictured.

Extremely aerodynamic, as a diesel it broke a speed record for that fuel of 200mph in 1978, and a year later with a 4.8-litre petrol V8 it achieved the extraordinary average lap speed of 251mph. A total of 16 cars were produced.

Buick Century Cruiser (1969)

Designed originally as the Firebird IV in 1964, this high-performance car was designed as an autonomous car with all of the comforts of a living room. As such the seats could recline and swivel, there was a TV and pull-out table and even a built-in fridge. Looking at the picture it’s hard to see how they fitted that lot in; it must have been very cosy inside...

But it was certainly very forward thinking – many concept cars of today are looking forward to the idea of a living space on wheels as autonomy changes the way we think about personal transport, but 50 years ago the idea must have seemed unearthly.

Lancia Stratos Zero (1970)

The seventies was the decade of The Wedge and this was one of the wedgiest concepts ever dreamed up. It was also one of the lowest at just 83cm.

Another Marcello Gandini confection, the Stratos Zero featured a 115bhp 1.6-litre V4 from the Lancia Fulvia, so was rather slower than it looked. But it ushered in a design theme that was to dominate supercar design for the next 15 years or so.

Maserati Boomerang (1971)

Taking the styling themes set down by the Carabo and Stratos Zero, the Boomerang showed how a wedge-shaped car could be packaged for real-world use.

It led directly to cars such as the Lotus Esprit and DeLorean DMC-12. The 4.7-litre V8 drivetrain was borrowed from the Maserati Bora.

Ford Probe (1979-1985)

Over a six year period, Ford dreamed up a series of five concepts that tested aerodynamics to the limit. Some were more inspiring than others; the third iteration led directly to the introduction of the ‘jellymould’ Sierra while the 1985 Probe V (pictured) still looks ultra-modern, with its drag co-efficient of just 0.137 – the same as an F-16 fighter jet.

Ford Ghia Cockpit (1981)

Revisiting the microcar formula of the 1950s, the Cockpit could seat two in tandem and it was designed as an economy car for urban streets.

Small, easy to park and ultra-frugal, power came from a 200cc single-cylinder motorcycle engine that peaked at 12bhp, and which could deliver 75mpg around town. A forward-look into future personal mobility.

Italdesign Capsula (1982)

It may have looked more than just a bit weird but the Capsula really pushed the boundaries when it came to packaging. Here was a car that could be a car, van or just about any other type of vehicle, just by plonking a different bodyshell onto the chassis that contained all of the Alfasud boxer engine and running gear.

MG E-XE (1985)

Perennially broke British Leyland/Austin Rover/MG Rover rarely created pricey concept cars, but this E-XE proved they could pull it off when they tried.

It clearly influences the MGF sports car that arrived a decade after the E-XE made its first appearance, complete with Metro 6R4 running gear. We reckon it still looks great today, not bad for an eighties concept aged 34.

GM CERV III (1990)

GM showed its first CERV (Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle) concept in 1962 and followed it up two years later. The third iteration was a very different beast and while it was a looker, it was the engineering that set it apart.

The car’s raison d’etre was to be capable of being driven at massive speeds - 200mph - without the need for super-human skills – even if driven on tricky or slippery surfaces. Its design language can clearly be seen in the Corvette C5 that arrived in 1997.

BMW E1 (1991)

The smallest cars are often the most innovative, and so it was here with a concept first seen in 1991 then reimagined for 1993. While the first iteration came with electric propulsion only, a redesign two years later led to three powertrains being engineered: petrol, electric and petrol-electric hybrid, and a lightweight aluminium bodyshell to cut weight.

This concept was important as it showed the world what a small BMW could look like, at a time when the company – like its main German rivals – were associated with conventional saloons.

It’s said that this car might have been made production had the company not instead bought Rover, and concluded it could do BMW’s small cars instead; that didn’t end well, but BMW did at least get Mini from its misadventure, which has flown the small car flag for the company since. We finally got a small BMW-badged car with the first 1 Series of 2004.

Volvo ECC (1992)

When the first-generation Volvo S80 went out of production in 2006 it didn’t look especially dated – yet it aped the ECC (Environmental Concept Car) that had first been seen as far back as 1992.

Designed to save the planet in use and its occupants in a crash, the ECC was light, slippery, strong and frugal; motive power was courtesy of a gas turbine combined with an electric motor.

Dodge ESX3 (2000)

For a 21st century car the Dodge ESX3 may not have looked cutting-edge, but underneath that sober skin was something rather interesting – a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain. Honda and Toyota hadn’t long introduced their Insight and Prius respectively, yet as far back as 1996 Dodge had shown its first ESX hybrid concept – with the sequel following in 1998.

Jaguar F-Type (2000)

Jaguar has done a pretty magnificent job with the production F-Type that arrived in 2013. But this is what the F-Type could have looked like; this speedster concept made its debut at the Detroit motor show in 2000 and looked utterly sensational, though not exactly production-ready with its lack of weather gear and an almost complete lack of practicality.

Jaguar’s then-owner Ford however decided to spend its money on an ill-starred Formula One campaign instead, so the F-Type idea was canned for another decade or so. The 200 concept is now displayed at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon.

BMW X Coupé (2001)

BMW came in for a lot of stick at the start of the 21st century thanks to design chief Chris Bangle and his radical styling ideas. One of the most obvious was the ‘flame surfacing’ that played tricks with the light down the car’s flanks.

The X Coupé also featured swivelling headlights, directed by GPS and a 3.0-litre diesel engine – a form of propulsion almost unheard of in a sporting coupé. Controversial or not, Bangle’s themes were certainly influential and made him one of the world’s most famous car designers.

Cadillac Sixteen (2003)

GM has come up with some outlandish concepts over the years, but few can top the Cadillac Sixteen, with its 13.6-litre V16 that was reputedly good for 1000bhp.

Nothing like it was ever going to enter production, but it did introduce a new design language for Cadillac that’s still current; take a look at a 2019 Escalade if you don’t believe us.

GM Hy-wire (2003)

One day all cars will be like this. Thanks to everything being controlled through drive-by-wire tech there were no mechanical linkages in the cabin, allowing it to be completely opened up.

The fuel cell tech was all enclosed in the sandwich chassis; the three-phase motor provided 126bhp when running continuously, but 173bhp could be summoned for short bursts.

Holden Efijy (2005)

Concept cars usually look forward, not back. But the Holden Efijy from GM’s Australian arm looked so fabulous that it didn’t really matter.

A tribute to its legendary FJ from the ‘50s (hence the name), the Efijy was based on a C6 Corvette and utilised that car’s supercharged 6.0-litre LS2 V8.

BMW EfficientDynamics (2009)

It led directly to the introduction of the i8 but the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is much more than that. It pioneered a new type of performance car that mixed high-tech lightweight materials with a hybrid powertrain – and the best part is that now, if your pockets are deep enough, you can buy one of your own in the BMW i8.

BMW were loudly stating that if the future was electric, it could also be alluring.

Renault Dezir (2010)

You’ll have to look long and hard to find a concept car that looks as beautiful as this one. First shown at the 2010 Paris motor show, the Renault Dezir was a pure-electric concept that offered a glimpse into an eco-friendly future where you could have beauty and brains in one compact package.

Nine years on, the Dezir still looks stunning.

Jaguar C-X75 (2010)

We got so close to being able to buy one of these gorgeous 778bhp hybrid supercars, but in the end the business case just didn’t stack up. Built in conjunction with Williams Advanced Engineering, the plan was to build up to 250 examples at around £1m apiece, but it wasn’t to be – although a villain got to drive one in the film Spectre, chasing James Bond in his Aston Martin DB10 round the streets of Rome.

When its designer Ian Callum retired from Jaguar in June 2019, one of his biggest regrets was that this car didn’t make production.

BMW Next 100 (2016)

Launched to mark its centenary, BMW pulled out all the stops with this one. The self-driving Next 100 pioneered new design and construction techniques that incorporated carbonfibre structures for lightness and strength.

It was super-slippery too, with a drag co-efficient of just 0.18 Cd.

DS E-Tense (2016)

So far, the DS brand has brought us mainly reheated Citroëns, but this all-electric concept that made its debut at the Geneva salon in 2016 showed just what the PSA brand was capable of.

Looking like a mid-engined supercar, the 400bhp luxury coupé was the car of the show for many – so it’s a shame there are no plans for production.

Volkswagen ID.3 (2016)

Take a close look at this car, as the chances are you’ll be seeing an awful lot of them in the future. This concept was unveiled at the Paris motor show, and previews a range of small all-electric cars from Volkswagen. So far, so unradical.

The difference is that the car promises a range of up to 340 miles, and a sale price starting at £25,000 – more or less what you’ll pay for a conventionally-powered high-end Golf today. First deliveries will begin in early 2020.

Lagonda All-Terrain Concept (2019)

We credit this car from Aston Martin for the way it reimagines personal transport. Instead of a car, it seeks to deliver a private jet-like travelling experience, shuttling its well-heeled occupants from one place to the next in silence, oblivious to the outside world and its occasional tiresomeness.

All-electric power promised a range of 400 miles; sadly new management arrived at Aston and cancelled plans for production.

Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric

Fri, 22 May 2026 08:30:00 +0100

Familiar styling conceals total transformation for brand's best-seller as it turns electric to face the new BMW iX3 Could the new Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric be parachuting into one of the most crowded corners of the UK car market? Take a look at its list of potential rivals and you would certainly have to conclude that, given the huge array of options, medium-sized electrically powered SUVs with a premium badge have struck a chord with buyers. Old hands such as Audi, BMW, Porsche and Volvo all have highly credible contenders on their books, while relative upstarts such as Genesis and Polestar have models that are more than capable of muscling in on the upmarket action. Basically, if you’ve got upwards of £60,000 to spend on a high-riding, upper-class EV, the world is your lobster.Moreover, some of the GLC’s potential rivals are genuinely standout machines. The new BMW iX3 recently received a glowing 4.5-star road test review, while we've hailed the new Volvo EX60 as potentially even better than our newly crowned Bavarian standard bearer. As a result, Mercedes' latest addition will have to be on top form if it wants to stand out among a sea of competitive offerings.Like its closest rival, the GLC Electric is technically unrelated to its hugely popular, combustion-engined namesake, instead being based on a new-generation, electric-native platform that promises huge advances in performance, utility and packaging compared with the structures its manufacturer used for its first-generation EVs.

The end of bings and bongs? Euro NCAP overhauls ADAS testing

Fri, 22 May 2026 07:00:00 +0100

Changes to testing regime include using systems in the real world, while pushing for adaptive technology

New safety features that adapt to individual drivers are expected to make their way into cars by the end of the decade – and it is hoped this will increase motorists' acceptance of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) anid growing scepticism of the tech, Europe's main vehicle safety body, Euro NCAP, has told Autocar.

In 2019, the EU introduced General Safety Regulations 2 (GSR2), which mandate the fitment of ADAS on all new models launched from 2022 and all cars registered from 2024 onwards. Technologies that became compulsory include intelligent speed assistance (ISA), emergency lane keeping (ELK) and autonomous emergency braking (AEB).

However, driver acceptance of the systems has been mixed. A survey commissioned by automotive risk analyst Thatcham Research found that 82% of drivers in the UK reported feeling safer with ADAS fitted to their car but almost a quarter regarded the features as distracting, irritating or intrusive, leading some to turn them off entirely (even though this must be done each time the vehicle is started).

In order to counter this scepticism, a key feature that ADAS must deliver next is the ability to adapt to each driver, because current systems can be too intrusive, leading to distrust, explained Adriano Palao, ADAS technical manager at Euro NCAP.

The organisation not only crash tests and safety rates new cars but also works with the industry to create new safety tech. "We only want to make ADAS better," he said. "I am on a mission to achieve this. It's a fundamental turning point in the technology, and we want to encourage OEMS to take this approach."

More intelligence required

One thing that must change, said Palao, is the ability of systems to "understand what condition the driver is in". He explained: "This is important. If you understand that, you can make your ADAS better."

As an example, he cited lane keeping assistance, a system that attempts to keep the car in the centre of a lane by using a camera to monitor road markings and then takes over the steering to adjust the car's position as necessary.

"I consider lane keeping assist absolutely useless when i am in control," he said. "At such times, I don't want it to correct my trajectory at all. A good driver monitoring system will know if the driver is paying attention so that ADAS will intervene only when required."

Palao also criticised driver monitoring systems that don't distinguish between different levels of driver distraction - something that "can cause issues of acceptance among drivers and feelings that the system is patronising them".

He continued: "We need to understand that drivers will for legitimate reasons engage in distracting activities, such as turning off the radio or changing the temperature. We don't want the system to warn for this."

Tailored seatbelts and airbags; more cameras

Euro NCAP is pushing for restraint systems to become smarter too. Palao explained that sensors capable of detecting the dimensions and shapes of the driver and front passenger will ensure the load limiter on the restraint system is tuned to deliver the best interventions.

The system will also manage the inflation area and deployment of the airbags so that their explosive force is dissipated in a less potentially harmful way, again depending on the occupant.

In-cabin cameras will also be installed to detect seatbelt misuse. Palao said: "Some taxi drivers, for example, who find the seatbelt uncomfortable, bypass the alarm system with fake buckles, but a camera will detect this and trigger an audible warning.

"Using a camera, it will also be possible to detect If a passenger has their feet on the dashboard and how close individuals are sitting to the airbags."

What about hands-off driving?

Semi-autonomous car technology is expected to become more widely available in the next decade - but some firms already offer it today.

Last month, the Netherlands Vehicle Authority gave Tesla permission to deploy its optional Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised system an Model 3 and Model Y cars on Dutch roads. The system, which went live in the US several years ago, enables the car to drive itself from point to point, albeit with the driver's eyes fixed on the road.

Other car makers offer systems that are similar but more limited. Ford's BlueCruise, for example, has the same semi-autonomy as FSD but is regulated for use in designated 'Blue Zones' only, which are mostly motorways.

Mercedes-Benz's level-three Drive Pilot system an option for the S-Class and EQS saloons - can be used only on specific roads in Germany, California and Nevada, only in traffic, only at up to 40mph and only where the weather is clear and road markings are visible.

Palao didn't criticise FSD but questioned aspects of its implementation. especially given Tesla's lack of participation in Europe's safety programmes.

"It's a breakthrough system, but what is Euro NCAP's role?" he asked. "We liaise with Tesla but the company is planning its own roadmap without collaborating with us, and we need to understand if it is doing so in a safe manner."

Palao said Euro NCAP's ignorance of Tesla's methods extended to FSD's driver monitoring technology: "What does it mean for the driver to have their eyes on the road with this system? They could be watching a film on their phone mounted on the steering wheel, fooling the system they are looking at the road. We don't have enough information to say whether it is good or bad."

He added: "We mustn't forget that if you crash using Tesla's FSD system, you, the driver, are liable."

Euro NCAP to start road testing ADAS

Euro NCAP will, for the first time, test vehicles on public roads to find out how reliable and accurate current ADAS features are amid growing scepticism among motorists of the safety technologies.

Euro NCAP's new 'on-road driving evaluation programme aims to understand these and other criticisms of ADAS.

Starting this year, every vehicle that it tests will be equipped with a suite of additional exterior and interior 'ground truth' sensors to accurately monitor speed limits and record how the vehicle responds to them. It will be driven a total of around 1200 miles in at least three European countries, with every reaction logged.

"We have worked on ADAS for years and now we want to make sure the technologies are delivering not only on the test track but on the road," said Palao. "For example, is (the lane keeping assist annoying and aggressive? What is the accuracy of the speed limit information? Were there any false braking events? This is the first time we have sought to find out what is the experience of the end consumer."

Strange, obscure & often forgotten badge-engineered cars

Fri, 22 May 2026 06:10:22 +0100

Which of these cars do you remember?

Why go to the trouble and expense of creating two or more cars when you can simply create one and sell it with different names?

That process is called badge engineering, and it has been used many times over the years, usually for brands owned by the same manufacturer but occasionally by collaborating manufacturers. Such as this Fiat Fullback, sister to the Mitsubishi Triton/L200, and built in Thailand.

From hundreds of possible examples, we’ve picked a representative 41 to describe here, listed in alphabetical order. Cars which differed from the originals in specification, styling details and in some cases drivetrain are considered are acceptable, but we’re going no further than that.

Acadian Beaumont

Acadian was a General Motors brand which, from 1962 to 1971, marketed very slightly adjusted Chevrolets on the Canadian market and sold by Pontiac-Buick dealers. The first Beaumont was a version of the Chevy II, while the second (pictured) was a rebadged and otherwise mildly altered Chevelle.

During the lifetime of the later car, Beaumont became a brand in its own right (GM always did like another brand), and only the Chevy II-based model remained known as an Acadian.

Alpheon

Alpheon was a single-model General Motors brand which operated briefly in South Korea. The single model in question was a locally-built second-generation Buick LaCrosse (itself a close sibling to the Opel Insignia), but Buick had no presence in the country, and there were no plans to create one. Renaming it as a Chevrolet seemed inappropriate, and the Daewoo brand was about to be discontinued.

Alpheon was created in 2010 simply as a name under which to sell this specific car. Both were discontinued five years later when GM Korea began importing the Detroit-built tenth-generation Chevrolet Impala.

Aston Martin Cygnet

For almost the first century of its existence, the suggestion that Aston Martin might put a badge-engineered Japanese city car on the market would have inspired hard stares and rude retorts. Nevertheless, it actually happened in 2011.

The Cygnet was a Toyota iQ with a higher level of equipment, some cosmetic restyling and a startlingly higher price tag. It sold very poorly, and Aston has never attempted anything similar since. Only 300 were made however, and that rarity has meant they retain their value very well; they are a surprisingly common sight in posh parts of London.

Asüna Sunrunner

Like Acadian, Asüna was a General Motors brand dedicated to the Canadian market. During its very brief period of operation in the early 1990s, it sold three models which GM had very little to do with, other than importing them from Japan and South Korea.

They were the Sunrunner, the Sunfire and a sedan known either as the SE or the GT. The first of these was one of the most badge-engineered vehicles on the planet, being sold around the world as the Suzuki Escudo, Suzuki Vitara and Chevrolet Tracker, among many other names.

Audi 50

Still to this day the smallest car Audi has ever put on sale, the 50 was almost exactly the same thing as the first-generation Volkswagen Polo. Since Audi got there first in 1974, and had built what the company reports (with devastating precision) to have been 43,002 50s by the time Polo production began on 31 March 1975, it would be correct to say that the Polo was a badge-engineered 50.

However, Audi persevered with the 50 until 1978, while the Polo, now in its sixth generation, is still with us, so it’s easier, if less accurate, to think of them as being the other way round.

BMW 3/15

BMW entered the motor industry in 1928 through its purchase of Fahreugfabrik Eisenach. That now largely forgotten company was at the time producing a car called the Dixi, which was an Austin Seven built under licence in Germany.

The car, known as the 3/15 was steadily updated by its new owner, but it was only when this was replaced in 1932 by the 3/20 that BMW could no longer truly be said to be building badge-engineered Austins.

Citroën C-Crosser

When you speak of the C-Crosser, you also speak of the Peugeot 4007, which was exactly the same thing. Both were badge-engineered versions of the Mitsubishi Outlander SUV, the first of the three to be launched in 2005.

It would be wrong to describe the Mitsubishi as a badge-engineered Citroën or Peugeot, since it was almost entirely the Japanese company’s work, though the French did supply engines (as did Volkswagen). The co-operation wasn’t a great success, and did not survive into the next generation of the Outlander.

Daewoo G2X

The General Motors Kappa platform was used for several concepts and four production sports cars. Of the latter, the Pontiac Solstice had its own distinctive styling, but the Saturn Sky and Opel GT were virtually identical apart from their badging.

Less familiar to western motorists was the Daewoo G2X, essentially the same car as the Sky and GT but, like the Opel, only ever available with a turbocharged engine as fitted to the Red Line version of the Saturn. It wasn’t a big hit, with only 179 examples reported as having been sold from 2007 to 2009.

Daewoo Royale

During the very complicated early history of GM’s presence in South Korea, the Daewoo Royale was introduced in 1978 as the replacement for a car called the Saehan Rekord.

Other than its name and a few styling changes, the Royale was essentially an Opel Rekord E, and therefore also more or less the same thing as the contemporary Vauxhall Carlton and Holden Commodore.

Dodge Brisa

Quite unlike anything else marketed by the brand, the Brisa was sold as a Dodge only because of an arrangement between companies which otherwise rarely worked together. It was in fact a first-generation Hyundai Accent (pictured) manufactured in Venezuela from 2002 to 2006.

The Brisa name was also used for a completely unrelated Kia of the 1970s, which was a variant of the second-generation Mazda Familia.

Fiat Fullback

Usually, if you think you’re looking at a fifth-generation Mitsubishi L200 truck (also known as the Triton or Strada), you’re quite correct, but sometimes you’re not. If it was built between 2015 and 2019, it could actually be a Fiat Fullback, unless you’re in the Middle East, in which case it’s far more likely to be a Ram 1200. Badging and very minor details apart, they are all the same.

Since 2020, a similar situation has pertained to the Fullback’s successor, the Fiat Titano, which is actually a Peugeot Landtrek.

Fiat Sedici

The Sedici, a compact SUV available with front- or four-wheel drive, was a rebadged Suzuki SX4, and built in the Suzuki factory in Hungary. We were reasonably impressed by it, saying, “Certainly there is no notable reason to avoid it.”

It was revised in 2009 (as pictured here), but there was no Fiat equivalent of the Suzuki’s successor, the SX4 S-Cross, which arrived in 2013. Fiat’s current model of this type is the 500X, related to, but not a badge-engineered version of, the Jeep Renegade.

Fiat Viaggio

Fiat’s investment in Chrysler’s after Chrysler went bankrupt during the global financial crisis led, among other things, to the creation of the most recent model known as Dodge Dart, which was itself based on a larger version of the platform used for the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

Fiat then converted the Dart (though the changes were minimal) into the Viaggio, which was sold in China. It then went a step further and created the Ottimo – basically the same car, except that it was a five-door hatchback rather than a four-door sedan.

Hindustan Ambassador

The big-selling Ambassador was developed considerably over its very long production life from 1957 to 2014, but it was at first – and at heart remained – a rebadged Series III Morris Oxford.

There has been talk of Hindustan Motors introducing a new Ambassador in the near future, but if this happens it’s unlikely to have much relationship to the old one.

Holden Jackaroo

Both the first and the second (pictured) generation of the Isuzu Trooper were sold by GM’s Australian division with the model name Jackaroo. The earlier model was the first four-wheel drive vehicle in Holden’s history.

Used since the 19th century, the word jackaroo refers to a young man working on a sheep or cattle station.

Honda Crossroad

Honda has marketed two SUVs called Crossroad. The second was all in its own work. The first, dating from the 1990s, was a rebadged Land Rover Discovery, a situation made possible by the fact that Honda had a business arrangement with Rover at the time.

Its 3.9-litre engine is still to this day the largest ever fitted to a road-going Honda production vehicle, and Honda’s only production car V8.

Isuzu Hombre

Isuzu is famous for, among other things, its pickup trucks. Who has never heard of the Rodeo, the D-MAX or the Hombre? Well, perhaps the Hombre might not have registered with you.

It was a mildly restyled version of the Chevrolet S-10 sold briefly in the late 1990s. Its successor, the i-series, bore a similar relationship to the S-10’s successor, the Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon.

Lancia Flavia

The Flavia we’re looking at here had nothing to do with the one sold throughout the 1960s and later renamed 2000. This one was hardly a Lancia at all, but a very slightly altered Chrysler 200 convertible (itself a reworked Chrysler Sebring) sold in left-hand drive European markets.

It was introduced in 2012 and abandoned two years later due to the introduction of the new 200, which had no Lancia equivalent.

Mazda 121

Mazda used the 121 name for several of its models from the mid 1970s until the early 21st century. The one of interest here was, except on the closest inspection, almost indistinguishable from the fourth-generation Ford Fiesta – the one which resembled a fish until it was facelifted in 1999.

Both cars were produced until 2002. There has been no Mazda 121 of any kind since then.

Nissan NMC

NMC stood for New Mobility Concept. That name was used – or at least its initials were – for a rebadged Renault Twizy, which Nissan said had been “developed in response to rising numbers of senior citizens and single-member households, along with increasing use of automobiles for short-distance trips by up to two people”.

It sold in very small numbers in Japan, and was also known as the Scoot Quad for the purposes of a car-sharing scheme in San Francisco. Contemporary reports revealed that both Renault and Nissan badges were visible.

Oldsmobile Firenza

The Firenza is today perhaps the least remembered of the many General Motors J platform cars. Sold in the 1982 to 1988 model years, it was made of largely the same stuff as the Buick Skyhawk, Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunbird of the same period, and as the much more expensive and much less successful Cadillac Cimarron.

Each brand applied its own styling to some extent, but at first glance it was difficult for a non-expert to tell which was which.

Opel Ampera-e

The recently discontinued Chevrolet Bolt EV was not sold under its own name in Europe, but in some countries it was available as the Opel Ampera-e. Both were built in the GM Orion Assembly Plant in Michigan, though Ampera-e production was not enough even to satisfy the small number of orders Opel dealers received.

The Ampera-e was already off the market by the time the Bolt EV was discontinued at the end of the 2023 model year. A replacement is due in 2026, but the chances of there being an Opel version are infinitesimal, since the German brand is now owned by GM rival Stellantis.

Opel Karl

Before General Motors sold Opel and Vauxhall to the PSA Group in 2017, it was quite reasonable that they would both sell a slightly altered version of a Chevrolet. The Chevrolet in question was the Spark, which was designed and built by GM Korea.

Within our definition, the Karl was a badge-engineered Spark, since the styling changes were fairly minor. The Vauxhall Viva (pictured), sold only in the UK, was more precisely a badge-engineered Karl.

Peugeot Pars

Iran Khodro, or IKCO, has both developed its own cars and manufactured ones designed by other companies. One of the most famous examples of the latter is the Peugeot Pars, which still looks very much the Peugeot 405 it really is, even though it has had several updates.

IKCO also builds produces its own versions of the Peugeot 207 and the much more recent Peugeot 2008.

Plymouth Cricket

During the short existence of Chrysler Europe, the car normally known as the Hillman Avenger was rebadged as the Plymouth Cricket for North America, where the Hillman nameplate meant nothing. Despite winning the 1971 Press On Regardless rally, it proved to be very unpopular, and was discontinued in 1973, eight years before Avenger production came to an end.

It was followed almost immediately by a new Plymouth Cricket which was once again a badge-engineered car, this time based on the second-generation Dodge Colt.

Pontiac Torrent

Although both ends were slightly restyled, only a few seconds’ study would make it evident that the Torrent, a mid-size crossover SUV launched in 2006, was neither more nor less than the first-generation Chevrolet Equinox introduced the previous year.

While the Equinox is heading into its fourth generation, there was only ever one Torrent. Any chance that there might have been more evaporated when General Motors closed Pontiac in 2010, 74 years after its creation.

Proton Pert

Some generations of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution were rebranded as Protons and given the name Pert, an acronym of Petronas EON Racing Team (EON being Edaran Otomobil Nasional, a company established in 1984 as a Proton distributor).

The Pert is most famous internationally for having won the 2002 Production World Rally Championship in the hands of Malaysian driver Karamjit Singh (born 1962), who beat Lancer Evo VIIs into second and third place over the course of the season.

Proton Tiara

Protons built and sold in the 20th century were usually based on Mitsubishis in one way or another, but the Tiara was a unique case of one which was in fact a Citroën.

Specifically, it was a Citroën AX, that very light small car which was coming to the end of its production life when the Tiara arrived in the late 1990s. The Proton lasted slightly longer, but not beyond 2000.

Renault Alaskan

Like the discontinued Mercedes X-Class, the Alaskan is, barring some minor alterations to the design, a third-generation Nissan Navara.

Introduced in 2016, it became the longest-ever Renault (or at least Renault-badged) toad-going production vehicle, taking over from the 40CV luxury car which had been discontinued 88 years before.

Roewe 750

The 750 was the first model produced by Chinese manufacturer SAIC Motor after it bought the rights to the Rover 25 hatchback and the much larger Rover 75, but not to their names; the Rover name was owned by BMW, then sold to Ford, and then sold on to Tata Motors when it bought Jaguar Land Rover.

The 75 is the more important of the two in this context, since that’s basically what the 750 was, though there are just enough styling differences to make it clear that it was not precisely the same. Introduced in 2006, it remained in production for a full decade, until November 2016.

Rover CityRover

Except in the tiniest details, the CityRover introduced in 2003 was a Tata Indica designed and built by Tata Motors, which subsequently became – and is still – the owner of Jaguar Land Rover.

Motorists in different countries have different requirements. While the Indica was a success in India, it was robustly criticised in the UK as a poor attempt to keep MG Rover in business. As we wrote after it had gone, “A low price wasn’t enough to save the company.”

Saab-Lancia 600

Once described as “the black, unexplored terrain of Saab history”, the 600 was unusual in that it wasn’t a Saab at all but an almost entirely unmodified Lancia Delta, even retaining a Lancia badge on the front grille.

Launched in Sweden, Finland and Norway in 1980, it quickly developed a reputation for being adversely affected by the salt spread liberally on the roads of those countries when they became icy, and was withdrawn after just two years.

Saturn Relay

Towards the end of Saturn’s 25-year history, GM’s ‘different kind of car company’ brand produced a minivan called the Relay. It made its debut in the 2005 model year, the same time as the Buick Terraza, the Chevrolet Uplander and the second-generation Pontiac Montana, all of which were the same vehicle, though with very slightly different front-end treatments.

Like the Buick, the Saturn did not survive beyond 2007, though the Chevrolet and the Pontiac lasted slightly longer. Saturn itself was closed down in 2010.

Subaru Justy

The second-generation Justy was almost identical to the second-generation Suzuki Swift. Oddly, for two cars marketed by Japanese companies, they were both built in Suzuki’s factory in Hungary.

The major difference between the two lay under the skin. By the 1990s, Subaru was globally famous for its four-wheel drive cars. The Justy accordingly came with 4WD as standard.

Subaru Pleo

Subaru began making kei cars in 1958, and continued doing so until 2009, when its first-generation Pleo was discontinued. By now Toyota, a majority shareholder in Daihatsu, had a significant investment in Subaru too, and decided that there was no point in two brands it partly owned developing kei cars separately.

The second Pleo, therefore, was simply a Daihatsu Mira with Subaru branding. Both versions remained on the market until 2018.

Subaru Solterra

The partnership between Subaru and Toyota has led, among other things, to the creation of the Solterra, an all-electric crossover which amounts to a rebadged and very mildly redesigned Toyota bZ4X.

While the derivation of the name bZ4X isn’t immediately obvious, ‘Solterra’ comes from the Latin words for ‘sun’ and ‘earth’, emphasising Subaru’s ambitious claim that this is its “first global EV that aims to co-exist with nature”.

Suzuki Cara

The Autozam AZ-1 was a kei sports car with gullwing doors, developed by Mazda. The Cara was the same thing, but with Suzuki badging.

However, there’s more to it than that. The history of the AZ-1 in fact begins with a Suzuki prototype which was dropped in favour of the less radical Cappuccino and picked up by Mazda. The production version was also powered by the same turbocharged 657cc three-cylinder engine used in the Cappuccino.

Toyota Glanza

The Suzuki Baleno went on sale in India in 2015, and four years later gained a rival in the form of the Toyota Glanza, which was actually the same car. Both models moved into their second generation (pictured) in 2022.

Glanza is derived from the German word Glanz, which can be translated into English as ‘brightness’, ‘radiance’, ‘sparkle’ and various synonyms thereof. Toyota previously used it in Japan for a sporty version of the fifth-generation Starlet.

Vanden Plas Princess

The British Motor Corporation car codenamed ADO16, always powered by a 1.1- or 1.3-litre A-Series engine, was one of the most popular models in the UK during the 1960s. It was also an extreme example of badge engineering, being marketed by the Austin, Innocenti, MG, Morris, Riley, Vanden Plas and Wolseley brands.

Today, Vanden Plas is perhaps the least well remembered of these. Its version of the car was notable, though not unique, for having an extravagant chrome front grille, but was structurally and mechanically the same as all the others. It had a delightful interior full of polished wood, with picnic tables on the back of the front seats.

Vauxhall VXR8

VXR8 was the name used for two generations of Vauxhall which weren’t really Vauxhalls at all. In fact, they were Holdens powered by Chevrolet V8 engines and imported from half a world away in Australia.

General Motors cancelled all Holden production in 2017, and that spelled the end for the VXR8.

Wolseley 6/99

The Austin A99 Westminster introduced in 1959 was quickly joined by Wolseley’s badge-engineered equivalent. The mechanicals (including a 2.9-litre straight six engine) and Pininfarina-designed bodies were identical, but since Wolseley was a far more upmarket brand than Austin the 6/99 was made to look much grander.

A similar tactic was employed in 1961, when the cars were lengthened and became the Austin A110 Westminster and Wolseley 6/110 respectively.

Best £20k electric car showdown: Renault 5 vs Fiat Grande Panda

Fri, 22 May 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Fiat's new Grande Panda spreads cheer wherever it goes — but it will take more than just vibes to beat the Renault 5

Don't panic. Yes, you are looking at a Fiat Panda and a Renault 5, but no, you haven't fallen down a wormhole and been dumped into the early 1980s.

The names may be those of familiar old stagers, but this pair of bang-up-to-date EVs represent Europe's most convincing fightback yet against the wave of ever-hotter, low-cost competition from China.

Yet there's more to this duo than eye-catching price tags and wallet-friendly finance deals. Much, much more. You see, both the 5 and the Panda were designed by teams who reckoned that if the established European brands are to have a future, they need to look to the past. In fact, it's no surprise that both cars feature the creative input of François Leboine, current design boss at Fiat and previously part of Renault's advanced vehicle design team at the time the reborn 5 was being formed.

And the parallels don't end there, because each of these contenders is aimed at a similar audience, takes up roughly the same space on the road, travels a similar distance on a charge and in entry-level guise, as tested here, is priced within a biscuit of the other. Yet after spending time with our new-wave nostalgics, we have also found some crucial differences, both in design intent and driving dynamics. Which approach is better? Well, that's where it gets complicated.

We're already very familiar with the reborn 5, which has become a firm favourite here at Autocar. Even now, a year or so after its launch, the retro-infused Renault has the power to stop traffic and start conversations. It's not just the car's futuristic yet familiar lines: it's also the neat details such as the illuminated '5' in the bonnet that doubles as a battery charge indicator and the subtly flared wheel arches that evoke the wild, mid-engined, Group B rallying 5 Turbo.

And yet today, when the minty fresh (both in its newness and its eye-catching hue) Panda rolls up to our road test rendezvous, the Renault's power to distract is instantly sapped. The new Fiat is a bigger car than its predecessor (it's a Grande Panda now - geddit?), graduating from the city car class to the supermini sector, but the square-rigged influence of the Giorgetto Giugiaro-penned original is clear to see.

That 1980 icon's looks were the result of an obsessively rational pursuit of low production costs, the car's simple panel pressings and flat glass helping to make it easier and cheaper to build than contemporary rivals. This new Panda was also conceived with a beady eye on the bottom line, but the cost savings have been achieved through the modern-day expedient of hardware sharing: it sits on Stellantis's Smart Car platform, which also underpins the new Citroën C3, Citroën C3 Aircross and Vauxhall Frontera.

While the 5 aims for a certain suave sophistication, the Panda is out-and-out fun in its approach. Everywhere you look there's a design flourish that captivates or an Easter egg ready to be found, from the large 'PANDA' script stamped into its flanks through to numerous appearances of Fiat's old diagonal four-bar logo and our entry-level Pop version's steel wheels.

Highlights include the holographic badges in the C-pillars, the pixelated LED headlamps and the 3D tail-lights that appear to be housed in a Perspex display case. Or how about the neat, retractable charging cable hidden in the front grille? Whichever way you look at it, the Panda effortlessly mixes the clever and the cool.

Fiat's designers have kept the creativity coming inside, where the Panda melds form and function to excellent effect. Jump behind the wheel and you're greeted by a neat digital instrument display and infotainment touchscreen that are framed within an evocation of the old Lingotto factory's rooftop test track. Finished in a translucent yellow plastic, it glows pleasingly when backlit by the sun. Embossed 'Panda' badges are everywhere, while the word 'ciao' is stamped on the inside of the tailgate.

It's colourful too, from the blue plastic trim for the dashboard and doors (made from recycled drinks containers) to the natty fabric covering the glovebox. Combined with the large windows, this creates a bright and cheery ambience.

What it can't match is the 5's premium feel and sense of solidity - although it feels robust enough. It's all so easy to use, too, with physical controls for frequently used functions and straightforward infotainment that syncs seamlessly with your phone.

Stick your head into the 5 and it all seems a little sombre at first, but even in entry-level Evolution guise its richer materials and a more expensive-looking digital display give it a classier atmosphere. This is a cooler and more cosseting environment - an upmarket counterpoint to the Panda's airy feel and funky charm. There are some nods to its ancestor (the stitched dashtop matching the ribbed moulding of the original), but the 5, slathered in soft-touch materials, feels a more grown-up proposition.

Whichever way you cut it, the Panda is the more practical machine. For starters, there's more space for those sitting in the back. The 5's more cramped rear compartment is compounded by smaller side windows and dark trim that combine to create a sense of claustrophobia. Fiat's designers have also put more thought into storage, dotting handy cubbies, trays and compartments around the Panda's cabin; Renault's lot force you to leave more of your stuff in trouser pockets.

The Panda's 361-litre load area sticks the boot into the 5 for carrying capacity, holding a handy 35-litre advantage. Both benefit from a 60/40-split folding rear bench but are also hobbled by high load lips. Yet in the final reckoning, the Panda is the more roomy and versatile option overall. This is a car that could just about pass muster as your only set of family wheels.

Settle yourself behind the wheel and prepare to go for a drive and the tables turn. You sit lower in the 5 and it's easier to find the perfect seating position; the Panda's driver is a little more perched, its smattering of rugged SUV exterior cues carrying over to a raised driving position. The 5 isn't without its flaws, though: if you manage to operate the column-mounted gear selector without setting the wipers flailing, then kudos to you.

The 5's more upmarket visual and tactile vibe translates to the initial driving experience. With its multi-link rear axle and greater use of sound- deadening, it has a greater sense of plushness from the get-go.

In truth, there's little in it for outright ride quality between the pair, each dealing with bigger long-wave undulations with a nicely damped waft yet exhibiting some brittleness over more challenging torn and twisted surfaces, of which there are many here in the Malvern Hills. Yet in the 5, nastier impacts are more muted, while it rounds the edges of the sharper impacts better than the Panda. The 5 is a more hushed cruiser overall, insulating its occupants more effectively from wind and road noise. But while the Panda is a more obtrusive companion, it's far from wearing and, range aside, neither car should dissuade you from embarking on long-haul excursions.

It's in more dynamic situations that the 5 gets to put some distance - literally - between itself and the Fiat. While its 118bhp motor is just 7bhp up on the Panda's, the fractionally lighter and much torquier 5 responds more crisply to its accelerator (the Panda is a little sluggish when first moving away), while ramping up through the driver modes to Sport results in ever-increasing urgency to the requests of your right foot. It's no surprise to find the 5's claimed 0-62mph time of 9.0sec is a couple of seconds faster than the Panda's, even if both have more than enough urge for everyday use.

The Panda's less racy remit is highlighted by its shortage of adjustable drive settings (there's just a Comfort button that adds a syrupy response to the accelerator) and lack of adjustment for the regenerative braking. On the plus side, the default set-up offers such a natural off-throttle retardation calibration that you rarely miss the 5's scope for manual fine-tuning.

The 5 also feels fleeter of foot through the corners, even if its light steering's sensitivity away from the straight-ahead means delicacy is needed for smooth progress (the brake pedal requires an equally soft touch).

Of course, the upshot is that the 5 feels alive when pushing on, darting towards the apex with greater alacrity and proving keener to subtly tighten its line with a lift of the throttle. There's real warm-hatch energy to the French car and, in many respects, it's a more satisfying steer than its hotter sibling, the Alpine A290.

Yet the Panda isn't without driver appeal. Its steering is more naturally paced and has greater reassuring heft, while its wider tyres (205-section, compared with 195-section on the 5) means it actually clings on harder and corners with the same even-keeled poise. It's not quite as biddable or nimble but, like all the best small Italian and French machinery, it can cover ground deceptively quickly, resulting in surprising point-to-point pace.

Totting up the scores at the end of a hard day's evaluation it quickly becomes clear that this pair are pretty much tied on points. Yet despite being so closely matched, the 5 and Panda actually have quite different characters.

The 5 is a more engaging driver's car, faster and more agile, and for people like us that counts for rather a lot. Yet for all its style, verve and upmarket allure, it's a less versatile small car - one that, like the original BMW Mini of 2000, is an object of desire as much as one of utility. For many that will be just fine, but the Panda proves that it's possible to be both charming and useful.

No, it's not quite as clear-sighted in its logic as some of Fiat's greatest pint-sized hits, and some of the design flourishes are just a little try-hard, but the Panda is a car that makes you grin just by being in its presence, while its thoughtful packaging allows it to just about fulfil the role of a larger car, much like the Uno did in the 1980s and first-generation Punto did in the 1990s.

Ultimately, each of our contenders oozes the sort of star quality that makes them difficult to resist. Yet in the final reckoning, the Panda's panache, purposefulness and price give it the win by the width of a single strand of spaghetto. Forza, Fiat - bravissimo!

	FIAT GRANDE PANDA ELECTRIC POP	RENAULT 5 E-TECH URBAN RANGE EVOLUTION
Rating	4.5 stars	4.5 stars
Price	£20,995	£21,495
Engine	Permanent magnet synchronous motor	Permanent magnet synchronous motor
Power	111bhp	118bhp
Torque	90lb ft	166lb ft
Kerb weight	1532kg	1463kg
0-62mph	11.0sec	9.0sec
Top speed	82mph	93mph
Battery	43.8kWh (usable)	40.0kWh (usable)
Range (WLTP)	199 miles	192 miles
Economy (test)	3.8mpkWh	4.0mpkWh

Plug and play

Both of these cars favour a relatively small battery (40kWh for the 5 and 44kWh for the Panda), which result in similar WLTP ranges (the Panda's 199 miles pipping the 5's by seven miles). On a relatively mild spring day, each car reckoned somewhere around 185 miles was possible on a nearly full charge. We also saw economy figures that hovered around the 4.0mpkWh mark when they were driven swiftly but sensibly (the 5 earns efficiency bonus points for its standard heat pump).

The Panda's novel retractable charging lead is limited to battery replenishment at 7kW, but there's also a standard charging port at the rear of the car capable of 100kW. By contrast, the Renault maxes out at 80kW, but its smaller battery means that a 20-80% charge likewise takes around 30 minutes.

Land Rover Discovery

Fri, 22 May 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Long-lived SUV arrives with a new six-pot and extremely luxurious trim The fifth-generation Land Rover Discovery is a seven-seat premium SUV with apparent staying power. First announced in 2016, and hitting UK roads in early 2017, it will shortly celebrate its 10th anniversary, with no confirmed plan for a replacement model as yet.Its 10-year life cycle has brought major powertrain changes and plenty of interior and exterior design tweaks. Not to mention one almost unheard of rarity among modern passenger cars: a wholesale relocation of its production base. The Discovery 5 was built in Solihull, alongside the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, for the first couple of years of its life. Then, in 2018, production was relocated to Nitra, Slovenia, where the Defender would later be built alongside it.But not since the car’s arrival in spring 2017 has the Autocar road test lavished any more attention on this long-serving, versatile and slightly unassuming big Land Rover. That is a situation we will now rectify, as we focus on a powertrain that the car inherited only relatively recently, and a new flagship trim level that, Land Rover claims, makes for the most luxurious Discovery yet.

First look: New Fiat Grizzly SUV is Panda's affordable big brother

Thu, 21 May 2026 15:29:19 +0100

Autocar used official Grizzly teaser to digitally recreate Fiat's Duster rival in full

Dacia Duster rival brings coupé and SUV body options; comes alongside four-seat microcar and Panda city car

Fiat has given a first look at its new Grizzly crossovers - larger versions of the Grande Panda that are aimed to give the brand a footing in Europe's crucial C-segment.

To be sold in both fastback and straighter-edged SUV form, the Grizzly is an affordable family SUV "designed for the three regions" Fiat sells in, according to CEO Olivier François: Europe, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa.

"It completes the Panda and Grande Panda families," he said, previewing the duo at Fiat parent company Stellantis's investor day presentation in Michigan.

"It has the same DNA and is built on the same car, but it's a different animal. It will not just elevate the market share, it will elevate everything: the revenue, the margins and the brand."

The Grizzly – expected to be officially revealed at the Paris motor show in October – will be built on Stellantis's value-oriented Smart Car platform, as used for the Grande Panda, Citroën C3 and Vauxhall Frontera.

Sized and priced to rival the likes of the Dacia Duster and Skoda Kamiq, the Grizzly will be offered with the same choice of petrol, hybrid and electric powertrains as its little brother.

It forms part of a wave of new Fiat products aimed at bolstering the brand's coverage of the affordable car market and attracting new buyers.

Also in the pipeline is a new four-seat microcar (pictured below in green) to sit above the Citroën Ami-based Topolino and a new electric city car inspired by the original 1980s Panda (in orange).

This new sub-£15k entry EV will be produced at Stellantis's Pomigliano plant in Italy alongside a Citroën twin, which today was confirmed to revive the 2CV name and be designed with heavy influence from its 1940s forebear.

Unlike Citroën, Fiat didn't go so far as to preview the design of its new model, but François promised that "the real design is not the revival of an icon, it is literally the next icon".

Official: Citroen confirms 2CV name and styling for £15k city car

Thu, 21 May 2026 14:51:10 +0100

Official teaser (right) gives clues to retro design of reborn 2CV

Iconic French people's car will be reborn in 2028 as a £15,000 urban EV with familiar snail shape

Citroën has confirmed the revival of the storied 2CV name for its upcoming £15,000 electric city car - and previewed its design ahead of a reveal at the Paris motor show in October.

Taking to the stage at parent company Stellantis's investor day presentation in Michigan, Citroën CEO Xavier Chardon gave a first look at the firm's new entry-level EV and confirmed: "The 2CV is back."

The long-awaited confirmation that Citroën will redeploy the iconic name for its new E-car – to be built alongside a reborn Fiat Panda in Italy from 2028 – comes alongside the first hint that the 1940s car's styling will be reinterpreted for a new era too.

Autocar exclusively broke the news that Citroën was plotting a revival of the 2CV in January 2025, as part of a bid to tap into opportunities in Europe's affordable car segment as rival manufacturers exited en masse.

Speaking to Autocar last month, Chardon said the new model would have "exactly the same purpose as the 2CV did in the late 1940s" in reigniting buyer demand in a stagnant European car market" and added that the company's priority was to give "buying power" back to European motorists.

The first teaser of the new city car reveals that it will adopt the same snail-shaped silhouette as its era-defining forebear, but with a more modern look influenced by Citroën's recent ELO concept, which set the tone for the brand's design going forward.

The preview comes just days after Stellantis confirmed it would begin building affordable electric city cars – with a target price under £15,000 – at its Pomigliano plant in Italy from 2028.

Fiat will similarly channel the styling – and likely the name – of its own historic 'people's car', the original Panda of 1980, for its take on the formula.

Chardon said the new 2CV will be one of seven new models launching by 2030. Five of these will be renewals of existing models, while the 2CV and one other – expected to be a slightly larger electric supermini – will take Citroën into "new profit pools".

Confirming the name of the firm's new entry model, which effectively replaces the old petrol-powered C1, Chardon said: "Products alone do not create icons. Icons create emotion. Icons connect brands with people. And today, one icon is about to return. Yes, the Deux Chevaux is back."

He then showed the darkened silhouette of the new EV and said: "If you want to see it in full light, you are invited in person to the [Paris motor] show in October."

He referenced the importance of the original 2CV in giving "freedom of mobility to millions" in the wake of World War II and said: "Eighty years later, the new 2CV will democratise electric mobility."

It will be "a true people's car designed for real life", Chardon pledged. "For me, the future of mobility will not be won by the most complex cars but by the simplest and the most intuitive ones.

"What truly matters is to be relevant."

Wild Mercedes-AMG CLE 63 Mythos heralds return to V8s

Thu, 21 May 2026 10:06:44 +0100

Wide-tracked and bewinged performance coupé will spearhead performance division's return to its signature

Mercedes-AMG is making a decisive return to V8 power, heralded by the incoming CLE 63 Mythos coupé.

AMG’s variant of the CLE has thus far been available with only a turbocharged straight six, but the Mythos will bring a new V8 derived from that introduced by the facelifted S-Class.

The twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre engine has a flat-plane crank – typically reserved for supercars – and in the S-Class it produces 530bhp and 553lb ft. That's sufficient to propel the two-tonne saloon from rest to 62mph in 4.4sec.

AMG is expected to turn up the wick on the powerplant for the new CLE 63 Mythos, which is the second car in its exclusive Mythos range, following the SL Purespeed roadster. That car cost £664,000 and just 250 examples were made.

It's possible that the CLE’s version of the V8 could tip over 600bhp, giving it a 0-62mph sprint time of less than 4.0sec.

The coupé’s chassis will undergo significant modification to cope with the extra power. A new prototype has been caught testing at the Nüburgring sitting notably lower and wider than the existing CLE 53. It also wears different bodywork to previous test mules, with a more cohesive, motorsport-inspired look lying beneath the camouflage.

Indeed, it bears a strong resemblance to AMG’s previous Black Series models, yet it appears even more extreme.

AMG’s return to V8s comes after its attempt to downsize engines and make up for the power deficit with hybridisation was panned.

An AMG insider previously told Autocar that the four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain used in the C63 and GLC 63 “failed to resonate with our traditional customers”.

What's more, the cost of re-engineering that four-cylinder engine (also used in the SL 43 and A45) to meet the incoming Euro 7 emissions standards was “very high”, said Autocar’s source, prompting the rethink.

5 ways Renault 5 E-Tech electric is the ultimate city car

Thu, 21 May 2026 10:00:00 +0100

Renault 5 E-Tech electric combines standout style, everyday usability and real EV value in a package that’s perfectly suited to urban life...

“Ultimately, that’s why it works so well as a city car. It has the design to make you want it, the compact size to make urban driving easier, the value to make switching to electric feel realistic and the technology to smooth out the rough edges of daily use. Add in sensible practicality, and it becomes clear that Renault 5 is much more than a stylish revival of a famous name. It’s a small EV that feels perfectly judged for modern urban life – and that’s exactly what makes it so appealing.”

City cars have always had a simple brief. They need to be compact, easy to drive and affordable to run, while still offering enough practicality for the rigours of everyday life. But that doesn’t mean they have to be dull.

That’s what makes Renault 5 such a standout option. With its compact dimensions, liberating real-life range, clever tech and eye-catching design, it feels like a car built around the way people really drive today. Add in the fact that eligible versions qualify for a discount of up to £3,750 through the Electric Car Grant, and it makes an even stronger case as an electric vehicle that’s not only attainable, but genuinely desirable.

Here are five ways Renault 5 makes a convincing claim to be the ultimate urban icon.

Find out more about Renault 5 E-Tech electric

#1 Character most city cars can only dream of

Small cars are often sold on practicality and price, not personality. Renault 5 E-Tech electric manages to offer all three.

It doubles down on character with its confident, retro-futuristic styling. Those neat, visual references to the original Renault 5 give it some old-school appeal without making it feel overly retro. The result is a car that looks fun, distinctive and full of flair, and is guaranteed to turn heads.

That matters in a city car, because this is likely to be the car many owners use most often: for the commute, the school run, the trip to the shops or the countless short journeys that fill everyday life. Driving something that looks good and feels special makes those trips more enjoyable.

It also gives Renault 5 wider appeal. Plenty of buyers want a small EV because it makes practical sense, but they don’t want a car that feels like a compromise. Renault 5 doesn’t feel apologetic or purely rational. It feels as though it has been designed to be wanted.

And it clearly has substance to back up that showroom appeal. Renault 5 is the current What Car? Small Electric Car of the Year for 2026 – and it was crowned our Overall Car of the Year in 2025 – which underlines just how convincing it is as an overall package.

In a market where many small electric cars still feel worthy rather than exciting, the striking Renault 5 has a clear advantage.

#2 Its size makes urban driving easy

Anyone who drives regularly in town knows that larger cars can quickly become tiring. Narrow roads, crowded car parks and tight parking bays are rarely enjoyable when you’re driving something wide, tall and cumbersome.

Renault 5 E-Tech electric thrives in this environment. Its compact dimensions make it easy to place on the road, easy to manoeuvre and much less stressful to park than a larger hatchback or SUV. In fact, it makes it outright fun to drive and own. In a city, that’s not a minor benefit; it can shape the whole ownership experience. Renault also quotes a tight 10.3-metre turning circle, which is especially useful when making U-turns or squeezing into awkward spaces.

Yet while Renault 5 is small enough to suit urban life, it never feels compromised. It still has five doors, five seats and a useful boot, so your friends – and their stuff – can come along for the ride.

That’s what makes the packaging so appealing. The best city cars aren’t simply tiny; they’re cleverly judged. They need to be compact enough to make life easier in town, but still versatile enough to serve as a proper everyday car. Renault 5’s designers clearly understood that brief very well.

Its nippy electric powertrain only reinforces the point. Urban traffic is one place where driving can feel genuinely easier in an EV than in an equivalent petrol car. There’s no need to change gears, no engine noise humming away in the background and no sense that the car is being used outside its comfort zone. Instead, stop-start traffic feels smoother and calmer, which is exactly what many drivers want from a city car. And, there’s plenty of instant zip on-tap when you need it. Darting into a gap at a busy junction is satisfyingly effortless.

#3 Technology that makes city driving easier

Renault 5’s infotainment solution is so effortlessly intuitive you’ll be wondering why other manufacturers haven’t taken the same approach.

The OpenR Link system features built-in Google [2], which means it includes Google Maps, Google Assistant and Google Play right out of the box – so it feels instantly familiar. But what’s really impressive is how those apps are properly built into the fabric of the car, which makes the experience feel much more seamless than relying entirely on your phone. In fact, it’s arguably one of Renault 5’s biggest selling points.

For example, when plotting a route in Google Maps, the system will predict your battery level at the end of the journey. If you’re going on a particularly long trip, it can add a charging stop at a convenient location. And, because the system is so ingrained within Renault 5, it’ll automatically precondition the battery as you near your charging destination to help maximise your charging speed.

Driving in towns and cities is a breeze thanks to real-time traffic updates and intelligent rerouting – a dream for avoiding rush hour jams and unexpected delays. Having a built-in navigation system that responds intelligently to motoring curveballs can make a real difference to how stressful a journey feels.

Voice control is similarly brilliant. Renault 5 uses built-in Google Assistant to deal with voice commands, and as with Google Maps, it’s properly baked into the car. That means you can simply ask Google to adjust the cabin temperature or turn on the heated seats. You can also ask Google to switch driving modes, check your remaining electric range, set a route and much more. That’s helpful on a busy drive when there’s a lot going on outside the car. It means you can make a request without taking your eyes off the road. A genuinely helpful convenience.

Because you have access to the Google Play Store, you can also download some of your favourite apps to Renault 5. Netflix or Prime Video can keep you entertained while you’re parked and waiting, and music streaming apps like Spotify mean you can take your favourite tunes and podcasts with you.

The cabin itself adds to the appeal. Renault 5’s modern digital setup makes it feel like the contemporary EV it is, but without making the car seem intimidating or overcomplicated. In fact, it's incredibly intuitive to use. That balance matters, especially for buyers stepping into an electric car for the first time.

#4 It offers exceptional value and plentiful range

For many people, price remains one of the biggest barriers to switching to an EV. That’s why Renault 5 E-Tech electric’s value proposition matters so much.

This is a car that makes electric motoring feel far more attainable than many buyers might expect. Crucially, versions of Renault 5 qualify for the Band 1 Electric Car Grant, with eligible models attracting up to £3,750 off the purchase price. In a class where affordability matters hugely, that’s a significant advantage and one that helps strengthen Renault 5’s case as a genuinely accessible electric car rather than an aspirational one.

That matters because one of the biggest misconceptions around EV ownership is that it inevitably involves spending a lot more money up front. Renault 5 pushes back against that idea. It combines the style, cabin appeal and modern technology people now expect from an EV with a pricing structure that feels much more grounded in real-world budgets.

Just as importantly, that sense of value doesn’t come with an obvious usability penalty. Renault 5 also offers the kind of range that copes comfortably with typical day-to-day driving tasks. For commuting, shopping, school runs and general day-to-day use, even the entry-level 120 Urban Range with up to 193 miles[1] between charges promises the sort of coverage that allows drivers to get on with life without constantly thinking about the next charge.

And that’s really the sweet spot for a car like this. Most buyers don’t need an enormous range from a compact electric hatchback; they need enough. Enough to use the car naturally through the week, enough to cope with the odd longer trip, and enough to make electric ownership feel straightforward rather than inconvenient. For those travelling further afield the 150 Comfort Range offers up to 252 miles[1] between charging stops.

For urban and suburban drivers in particular, that should make a huge difference. Rather than feeling as though you’re paying extra for less, Renault 5 makes a strong case that you’re getting a stylish, modern EV at a highly competitive price, with a range that suits everyday life perfectly well.

In that sense, its value is about more than just a list price or a grant figure. It’s about the total proposition. Renault 5 is a car that gives buyers what they actually want from a small EV, while keeping the financial side of the equation reassuringly sensible.

#5 A city car designed for how people really live

Urban driving can be stressful. You’re dealing with parked cars, cyclists, buses, pedestrians, delivery vans and endless low-speed manoeuvres, often all within the same few minutes. A good city car needs to reduce that strain, not add to it.

That’s another reason Renault 5 E-Tech electric is so convincing. Beyond the standout styling and accessible price, it offers the kind of reassuring, everyday usability buyers increasingly expect. Renault 5 is available with up to 25 advanced driver-assistance systems[3], while features such as front and rear parking aids should be particularly welcome in town. It all comes together to offer that extra peace of mind when behind the wheel.

That reassurance is important because it broadens Renault 5’s appeal. This isn’t a car that relies solely on charm or nostalgia to win people over. Underneath the eye-catching design is a thoroughly modern hatchback built to slot neatly into the routines of contemporary life.

And that, ultimately, is why it works so well as a city car. It has the design to make you want it, the compact size to make urban driving easier, the value to make switching to electric feel realistic and the technology to smooth out the rough edges of daily use. Add in sensible practicality, and it becomes clear that Renault 5 is much more than a stylish revival of a famous name.

It’s a small EV that feels perfectly judged for modern urban life – and that’s exactly what makes it so appealing.

Find out more about Renault 5 E-Tech electric

[1] WLTP figures shown are for comparability purposes only. Actual real-world driving results may vary depending on factors including the starting charge of the battery, accessories fitted after registration, weather conditions, driving styles and vehicle load.

[2] Google, Google Maps and Google Play are trademarks of Google LLC.

[3] Always follow road safety regulations. It is your responsibility to stay alert, drive safely, remain alert of immediate surroundings and be in control of the vehicle at all times. Driver assistance features have speed and other limitations and should not be solely relied on. For more information, please refer to the owner’s manual or visit renault.co.uk/safety.

The greatest German engines ever made

Thu, 21 May 2026 08:13:30 +0100

Germany has given birth to some amazing engines over the years – we reckon these are the best

Germany has been producing engines from the dawn of motoring until the present day.

In nearly 140 years, the country's portfolio of engines has developed into something quite remarkable. It includes simple but effective motors for everyday transport, as well as gigantic units of awesome power, and almost everything in between.

Restricting this list to just 20 engines inevitably means that many worthy contenders have had to be left out, so our apologies in advance:

Audi R10 TDI

Audi developed a twin-turbocharged, 5.5-litre V12 diesel engine which made its debut in the R10 TDI sports racing car in 2006. The R10 was wildly successful, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Sebring 12 Hours and the LMP1 class in the American Le Mans Series that year. No diesel-powered car had ever done any of these things before.

Audi repeated its Le Mans and ALMS victories in 2007 and 2008 before the R10 was replaced by another diesel racer, the 5.5-litre V10 R15 TDI. This engine did much to demonstrate the prowess of the Volkswagen Group in producing diesel engines, but it proved to be a somewhat problematic legacy… It’s fair to say you’re unlikely to see the letters TDI emblazoned on any race cars ever again.

Audi R5

R5 was a family of five-cylinder engines used in many Audis and some Volkswagens. The most famous member was the 2.1-litre turbocharged unit fitted to the Audi Quattro from 1980 onwards, first with two valves per cylinder and later with four.

The engine helped Audi to dominate international rallying in the early 1980s, partly because it was very powerful. This did not cause traction problems on gravel roads because Audi was also the first manufacturer in the sport to take the idea of four-wheel drive seriously.

Auto Union V16

All of the frighteningly fast Grand Prix and record cars built by Mercedes and Auto Union from 1934 to 1939 had formidable engines, but the Auto Union V16 was perhaps the most glorious of them all. Designed by Porsche, it was not a high revver (no version was ever taken as far as 6000rpm), but it produced thundering torque and correspondingly enormous power.

The ultimate version, built only for record-breaking, measured 6.3 litres and had a peak output of 545bhp. In 1938, a rule change obliged Auto Union to develop a 3.0-litre V12 for Grand Prix racing.

Benz Patent Motorwagen

On paper, the single-cylinder engine built by Karl Benz (1844-1929) in 1885 does not seem impressive from a 21st-century standpoint. Although it had a capacity of 954cc, similar to that of many small units found today, it was unable to produce as much as 1bhp.

However, it is one of the most significant engines ever made in Germany, or anywhere else, because it was fitted to Benz's Patent Motorwagen, widely regarded as the world's first car. For later versions, Benz designed and built stronger engines with power outputs of up to 2bhp – the power of two horses, with a heck of a lot less ‘maintenance’.

Blitzen Benz

The Benz cars which finished second and third in the 1908 French Grand Prix were both fitted with four-cylinder engines of at least 12 litres. Free from the restrictions of Grand Prix rules, Benz then developed a monstrous 21.5-litre version for a car nicknamed the Blitzen ('thunder') Benz, of which six examples were built.

The 200km/h (124mph) target speed was beaten during a successful Land Speed Record attempt in 1909. A later 142mph run did not take place under LSR regulations, but driver Bob Burman (1884-1916) had unofficially reached the highest speed achieved to date by any vehicle, including aeroplanes.

BMW M20

BMW is renowned for its smooth-running straight-six engines. A classic example of the type is the M20, introduced to the 3 Series and 5 Series ranges in 1977 as a 2.0-litre. It subsequently appeared with capacities of up to 2.7 litres before being discontinued in the early 1990s.The M20 was mostly fitted to saloon cars, but also powered the radical BMW M1 roadster in 2.5-litre form. In 2.0-litre form, it was noticeably smoother than four-cylinder rivals, as this famous advert from the ‘80s emphasises.

BMW S14

The S14 was a high-revving four-cylinder engine used in the first-generation BMW M3. For road cars, it appeared first in 2.3-litre form and was later expanded to 2.5 litres. For motorsport, it was often reduced to 2.0 litres to meet championship regulations.

The scream of a tuned S14 made the M3 a very dramatic rally car, but it was even more successful in circuit racing, winning the Australian, British, German, Italian, European and World Touring Car Championships.

BMW N74

The N74 is a twin-turbo V12 which has been available in various capacities from 6.0 to 6.75 litres. Power outputs have ranged from nearly 540bhp to over 620bhp, but the engine is not intended for use in sporting cars.

The only BMWs fitted with it have been upscale members of the 7 Series family like the M760Li xDrive pictured. Since 2010, it has also been used in models produced by Rolls-Royce, which BMW currently owns.

Bugatti W16

Although Bugatti is a French brand, it is owned by Volkswagen, and uses a great deal of German technology. This includes a formidable quad-turbo 8.0-litre W16 engine, whose unique layout was created (more or less) by mounting two narrow-angle 4.0-litre V8s on a shared crankcase.

The engine had already appeared in the Audi Rosemeyer and Bentley Hunaudieres concept cars before reaching production in the 2005 Bugatti Veyron (pictured). In most Veyrons, the W16 produced 987bhp, but its output was raised to 1479bhp for the Bugatti Chiron, which replaced the Veyron in 2016.

Daimler DB603

The DB603 was one of the most remarkable engines developed in Germany or anywhere else for use in a car. The car in question was the Mercedes T80, which was designed for an attempt on the Land Speed Record. The 44.5-litre V12 produced around 3000bhp, which seemed like enough when the project began in the mid 1930s.

The Second World War diverted everyone's attention from record breaking. By the time Mercedes was in a position to think about it again, the record had been raised to 394mph. Since that was 21mph above the target speed for the T80, the project was abandoned.

DKW two-stroke

By acquiring a patent for a system called loop scavenging, using it well and setting the lawyers on anyone who came close to it, DKW became the world's leading manufacturer of two-stroke cars and motorcycles. It was so successful that it could afford to buy Audi in 1928.

DKW finally developed the four-stroke F103 in the 1960s. Its then owner, Volkswagen, resurrected the by now long-dormant Audi name rather then persevere with one associated with noisy, smelly engines. Audi would therefore now be almost forgotten if it hadn’t been for the two-strokes which killed the brand that made them.

MAN B&W 11G95ME-C9.5

Although this article is mostly about cars, we can't write about German engines without mentioning the incredible marine unit produced by MAN (part of Volkswagen) and used in the gigantic 400-metre long, 19,000 container-carrying MSC Jade.

The 11-cylinder two-stroke produces around 103,000bhp at a positively relaxed 80rpm. Its 26,977-litre capacity is approximately 1677 litres greater than that of the Finnish Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C, which is often (but wrongly) described as the world's largest internal combustion engine.

Mercedes M139

The M139 is a two-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine fitted to the Mercedes-AMG A 45 hatchback, the CLA 45 fastback and the GLA 45 crossover. It's available with outputs of either 382bhp or 416bhp. In the latter form, it’s said to be the most powerful four-cylinder engine fitted to a production car.

In fact, Mitsubishi developed a 440bhp engine of similar size and layout for a version of the Evo X sold in the UK, but only 40 examples were ever built. Depending on your definition of a production car, the Evo might therefore not qualify, whereas the Mercedes models unquestionably do.

Mercedes M156

The M156 is historically significant because it was the first engine designed from scratch by Mercedes subsidiary AMG, rather than by Mercedes itself. Although the V8 unit measures almost exactly 6.2 litres, the various models fitted with it all had 63 in their titles, including the E 63 AMG (pictured) and, rather improbably, the high-performance version of the R-Class MPV.

The M156 was produced from 2006 to 2011, with outputs of up to 518bhp. The even more powerful M159 derivative was used in the Mercedes SLS AMG sports car.

Mercedes M196

Mercedes created the 2.5-litre straight-eight M196 engine for its W196 Grand Prix car, and enlarged it to 2.9 litres for the 300 SLR sports racer. Technical highlights included direct fuel injection and desmodromic valves, which were pushed shut rather than allowed to return to their closed position by the release of a spring.

In the two years before Mercedes made one of its periodic withdrawals from motorsport, Juan Manuel Fangio (1911-1995) became F1 World Champion in both 1954 and 1955 driving the W196, while Stirling Moss (1929-2020, pictured at the wheel) famously won the 1955 Mille Miglia in the 300 SLR.

Opel CIH

The Opel Cam In Head engine's name is derived from the fact that its camshaft was mounted in the cylinder head rather than the block, but between the valves rather than above them as in a conventional overhead-camshaft layout.

Remarkable for its longevity, the CIH was first used exclusively in Opel models, and later in equivalent vehicles sold by Vauxhall. It made its debut in the Opel Rekord of 1965, and was still being used three decades later in the Isuzu off-roader sold in Europe as the Frontera.

Porsche flat-six

Porsche designed air-cooled flat-four engines for the original Volkswagen, and for its own 356 and 912 models. For the 911, the company added two more cylinders to the design, and thereby created what is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest engines.

Although there were many detail changes - including turbocharging - over the years, the most significant development was the introduction of water cooling in 1997, 30 years after the 911 first went on sale.

Volkswagen EA827

Although the EA827 is now regarded as a Volkswagen Group engine, it actually made its debut in the 1972 Audi 80. It was available for several decades in sizes ranging from 1.3 to 2.0 litres, and used in a great many VWs and Audis, and later SEATs and Skodas.

Most significantly, it powered the first-generation VW Golf GTI (pictured), regarded by some (probably wrongly) as the first hot hatch. Later developments included supercharging (for models wearing the G60 badge) and the fitment of a 16-valve cylinder head.

Volkswagen Type 1

The Type 1 was used for the entire life of the original Volkswagen (nicknamed, but never officially called, the Beetle) from 1938 to 2003, and is one of the world's longest-lived production engines. As well as the Beetle, it was fitted to the Type 2 commercial vehicles (including the Transporter), the Type 3 saloon, the Karmann Ghia sports car and a great many light aircraft.

In those models, its capacity ranged from 985cc to 1.6 litres. A larger derivative, ranging in size from 1.7 to 2.0 litres, was used in the Volkswagen 411 and 412 and the Porsche 914.

Volkswagen W8

The W16 engine used by Bugatti is not the only example of a layout attempted by Volkswagen and no other company. The same applies to the 4.0-litre W8, which amounts to two narrow-angle 2.0-litre V4 engine sharing a single crankshaft.

Producing up to 271bhp, it was the only W8 engine ever to be fitted in a vehicle sold to the public. It made its debut in the Volkswagen Passat in 2001 and was discontinued three years later. There is still no sign of a successor.

Strange, obscure & often forgotten badge-engineered cars

Thu, 21 May 2026 08:11:59 +0100

Which of these cars do you remember?

Why go to the trouble and expense of creating two or more cars when you can simply create one and sell it with different names?

Acadian Beaumont

During the lifetime of the later car, Beaumont became a brand in its own right (GM always did like another brand), and only the Chevy II-based model remained known as an Acadian.

Alpheon

Aston Martin Cygnet

Asüna Sunrunner

Audi 50

However, Audi persevered with the 50 until 1978, while the Polo, now in its sixth generation, is still with us, so it’s easier, if less accurate, to think of them as being the other way round.

BMW 3/15

Citroën C-Crosser

Daewoo G2X

Daewoo Royale

During the very complicated early history of GM’s presence in South Korea, the Daewoo Royale was introduced in 1978 as the replacement for a car called the Saehan Rekord.

Dodge Brisa

The Brisa name was also used for a completely unrelated Kia of the 1970s, which was a variant of the second-generation Mazda Familia.

Fiat Fullback

Since 2020, a similar situation has pertained to the Fullback’s successor, the Fiat Titano, which is actually a Peugeot Landtrek.

Fiat Sedici

Fiat Viaggio

Hindustan Ambassador

The big-selling Ambassador was developed considerably over its very long production life from 1957 to 2014, but it was at first – and at heart remained – a rebadged Series III Morris Oxford.

There has been talk of Hindustan Motors introducing a new Ambassador in the near future, but if this happens it’s unlikely to have much relationship to the old one.

Holden Jackaroo

Used since the 19th century, the word jackaroo refers to a young man working on a sheep or cattle station.

Honda Crossroad

Its 3.9-litre engine is still to this day the largest ever fitted to a road-going Honda production vehicle, and Honda’s only production car V8.

Isuzu Hombre

Isuzu is famous for, among other things, its pickup trucks. Who has never heard of the Rodeo, the D-MAX or the Hombre? Well, perhaps the Hombre might not have registered with you.

Lancia Flavia

It was introduced in 2012 and abandoned two years later due to the introduction of the new 200, which had no Lancia equivalent.

Mazda 121

Both cars were produced until 2002. There has been no Mazda 121 of any kind since then.

Nissan NMC

Oldsmobile Firenza

Each brand applied its own styling to some extent, but at first glance it was difficult for a non-expert to tell which was which.

Opel Ampera-e

Opel Karl

Peugeot Pars

IKCO also builds produces its own versions of the Peugeot 207 and the much more recent Peugeot 2008.

Plymouth Cricket

It was followed almost immediately by a new Plymouth Cricket which was once again a badge-engineered car, this time based on the second-generation Dodge Colt.

Pontiac Torrent

Proton Pert

Proton Tiara

Protons built and sold in the 20th century were usually based on Mitsubishis in one way or another, but the Tiara was a unique case of one which was in fact a Citroën.

Renault Alaskan

Like the discontinued Mercedes X-Class, the Alaskan is, barring some minor alterations to the design, a third-generation Nissan Navara.

Roewe 750

Rover CityRover

Except in the tiniest details, the CityRover introduced in 2003 was a Tata Indica designed and built by Tata Motors, which subsequently became – and is still – the owner of Jaguar Land Rover.

Saab-Lancia 600

Saturn Relay

Like the Buick, the Saturn did not survive beyond 2007, though the Chevrolet and the Pontiac lasted slightly longer. Saturn itself was closed down in 2010.

Subaru Justy

The second-generation Justy was almost identical to the second-generation Suzuki Swift. Oddly, for two cars marketed by Japanese companies, they were both built in Suzuki’s factory in Hungary.

The major difference between the two lay under the skin. By the 1990s, Subaru was globally famous for its four-wheel drive cars. The Justy accordingly came with 4WD as standard.

Subaru Pleo

The second Pleo, therefore, was simply a Daihatsu Mira with Subaru branding. Both versions remained on the market until 2018.

Subaru Solterra

Suzuki Cara

The Autozam AZ-1 was a kei sports car with gullwing doors, developed by Mazda. The Cara was the same thing, but with Suzuki badging.

Toyota Glanza

Vanden Plas Princess

Vauxhall VXR8

General Motors cancelled all Holden production in 2017, and that spelled the end for the VXR8.

Wolseley 6/99

A similar tactic was employed in 1961, when the cars were lengthened and became the Austin A110 Westminster and Wolseley 6/110 respectively.

The cars transformed by a new engine

Thu, 21 May 2026 08:11:42 +0100

We look at the cars whose nature and abilities were dramatically altered by the arrival of a new powerplant

We all know of cars which were fitted with an outstanding engine right from the start.

Here are 28 models which we believe are part of the second category, listed in alphabetical order.

AC Ace

Alpine A110

Audi A4

Audi has a lot of history in this area. Most of its models have high-performance S and – more excitingly – RS derivatives whose engines are far more powerful than those in the regular versions.

Audi Q7

BMW M3

Cadillac CT6

Chevrolet Corvette

Dodge Challenger

Fiat 500

Ford Cortina

Ford Escort

Ford Sierra

Honda Civic Type R

Lancia Thema

Lotus Europa

Mazda CX-7

Mercedes A-Class

Mercedes R-Class

In a spectacular example of what we called “Mercedes’ every-engine-in-everything product planning,” the R-Class became available with a 503bhp 6.2-litre V8 engine a year after its launch.

MGB

Renault 6

Renault Clio Renaultsport

Saab 96

Sunbeam Alpine

Vanden Plas Princess

Vauxhall Carlton

Volkswagen Golf R

Volkswagen Passat

Volkswagen Touareg

Morris Minor

Talbot Sunbeam

Vauxhall Chevette

"Sensory overload": How wild track car made 400bhp feel slow

Thu, 21 May 2026 08:00:00 +0100

After experiencing the most extreme machine I've ever driven, a normal performance coupé felt like a doddle

I shouldn't say too much about the specifics of the track test I was doing recently, because we haven't written the story yet (we've found a generic enough picture for this piece to disguise it), but the short of it is that it involved one fast car and another that happened to be one of the quickest, most urgently responsive cars I've ever driven.

Usually on track tests of multiple vehicles like this, testers like to start the day driving a slower car, to get a feel for the conditions, handling and circuit. Getting one's eye in, so to speak. Like pitching a few chips down the driving range before getting one of the big sticks out of one's golf bag, I imagine.

For logistical reasons, I couldn't do that and had to start with the equivalent of using the big driver to try to whack a ball 300 yards, or face a Curtly Ambrose bouncer, or meet an end-of-level baddie for my first in-game scrap. Pick your own analogy, really, but first thing I had to drive an impossibly quick car around a very fast circuit that I don't know well.

It's not a frightening thing to do, because the throttle is always a lever not a switch and there's no obligation to use all of the available performance, but the people who made this car were looking on and there's an expectation that you will at least have a go.

Fair to say I didn't exactly set the world alight during my first attempt, but it still pretty well frazzled me. When I came back to the pit lane, the car's keeper gave me a questioning thumbs-up with raised eyebrow, to make sure I and the car were okay. With my helmet off and him suitably reassured, another industry friend, who I know is prone to very dry humour, asked if I would like a drink. As I vaguely explained that I was fine, thanks, having missed his witty intonation entirely, he said he had meant "of gin".

I had a cup of tea and tried again, because I'm told that during a few minutes of downtime, one's mind can subconsciously process what sensory overload it has just experienced and will prepare itself for the next one. Which is what happened.

It was perhaps the most urgent car I've ever tried that wears numberplates, and I enjoyed it very much. I still didn't extract every bit of performance out of it, but I ran to the rev limiter often, used full throttle far more comfortably often and got a decent feel for its chassis balance.

There's a school of thought, and it's one with which I broadly agree, that you will enjoy driving a car more if it matches your own level of performance, in the same way that you would get a better game of sport against someone who is about as good as you rather than, say, playing Shaun Murphy at snooker.

Modern fast cars are much more approachable than they used to be, which makes them easier to enjoy, but still, I certainly think I've been closer to extracting the full performance of something like a Citroën C1 race car than I have any big-winged single-seater I've tried and, as a result, found racing it more enjoyable in the moment.

But it's what happened after that surprised me more. I got into the slower car, which was still a fast coupé with more than 400bhp and only rear-driven wheels, thus capable of taking most of the circuit's corners at something approaching three figures. Had I got into it first, it might have taken me a few laps to get a feel for it. Instead, after the second corner I was reaching to disable the stability control and wondering why the throttle didn't have more travel.

I don't know why I should have been taken aback. I know that after a game of snooker on a full-size table, playing pool again seems very much easier. What I had kind of forgotten about is the ability of an extraordinarily fast car to sharpen or reset one's expectations.

So when does a car have too much power? Perhaps never; just drive something with even more first.

Polestar "will do buttons" as it tunes into owner feedback

Thu, 21 May 2026 07:00:00 +0100

"Very close contact" with drivers leads Swedish brand to design more intuitive interiors for its next cars

Polestar is moving to rapidly respond to customer feedback and address software glitches in its cars, better configure its ADAS and rethink its approach to interior controls.

The Swedish brand is poised to launch four new cars in the next two years – the 5 GT, 4 estate, 7 crossover and next-generation 2 saloon – but is also investing heavily in ensuring its existing models are optimised according to customer feedback, which is playing a significant role in key decisions the brand takes.

Speaking exclusively to Autocar last week, CEO Michael Lohscheller said Polestar has “very close contact” with its customers and is using their feedback to quickly address shortcomings with its current cars and design the next generation according to their views.

“We do listen to customers,” he said. “This community is really interesting: 60,000 people – I couldn’t believe it when I joined – and they write about lots of things.

“We have very close contact to customers. We have an agency [retail] model, so we go directly to customers, and we have a very big community who tell us their views, so we are very, very close to them.”

One of the more significant changes adopted by Polestar in response to buyer feedback is its move to include more physical controls in its cars, in a break from the touch-centric arrangement that has been common to all models since the 2 arrived in 2020.

Asked if Polestar would follow brands like Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari in replacing touchscreen icons and haptic pads with physical controls for key functions, Lohscheller said: “Absolutely. Customers are very outspoken about that. They say ‘we want more buttons’. It’s that simple. And yes, we will do buttons.”

Polestar will take its first step in this endeavour next year when it introduces clearer buttons to the steering wheel of the 3 SUV, which currently features four unmarked touch-sensitive pads for the cruise control and display screens, as part of a control suite that has been generally criticised for being difficult to navigate and use while driving.

Polestar’s upcoming cars are expected to follow suit as part of a drive to boost on-the-move utility and reduce the amount of time drivers need to spend tapping the touchscreen.

Asked whether the introduction of new buttons and switches was at odds with Polestar’s characteristically minimalist tendencies, Lohscheller said it was important to ensure any design decisions have the end user in mind.

“We’re very open-minded," he explained. 'We’re not religious here in terms of saying ‘this is how it has to be’. Customer feedback is overwhelmingly clear: they want buttons back. So we will bring buttons back.”

This approach extends to rapidly identifying and addressing shortcomings and glitches in Polestar’s cars, such as the well-documented issues with the digital key’s proximity function on early 3s.

Lohscheller claimed the company’s constant dialogue with owners enables it to quickly devise a fix for affected cars and ensure it won’t be a problem on models that follow.

“In terms of Polestar 3, we really took those things very much on board, very seriously, and integrated it in the model-year 2026 car," he said. "This will be a major, major improvement.

“We have many over-the-air updates to fix things as quickly as possible, because quality is the highest priority.

“We have a car parc of 240,000, so our customers are super close to us and they tell us the good and the bad things. And of course both matter a lot, and we want to react as quickly as we can.”

As with many other brands, Polestar is also working to ensure its ADAS are as intuitive as possible to operate and helpful rather than inhibitive - another area in which real-world feedback is aiding development.

“People are super-interested in that. It doesn’t go away,” Lohscheller said about the evolution of ADAS in Polestar’s cars.

He said customers are telling Polestar to "give us some features to use which do help" and that he believes all ADAS “should work flawlessly”.

The company is thus prioritising the optimal operation of existing systems before looking ahead to more advanced self-driving technology.

“I don’t think we have people saying ‘we want level-four [autonomy] tomorrow’,” Lohscheller noted.

12,000 miles in the new Ford Capri: Enjoyable, yet overpriced

Thu, 21 May 2026 06:00:00 +0100

There's much to like about Ford's big coupé-crossover, but is that enough to live up to the name?

It's really nice to be back in a Ford. The marque used to provide a motoring bedrock for me and millions like me in the UK but, despite the success of the Puma, that has faded largely away. It's the lack of a full model line that has done it. New Fords used to be a common sight; now they aren't.

Of course, this new Capri I'm driving is a very different kind of Ford - it's a Volkswagen ID 4 underneath - and Ford's European model range has changed almost out of recognition. But it's still nice to reinstate one of the givens of a motoring lifetime.

It's still amazing to me that the Fiesta, for most of its 47 years the UK's best-seller, has been dead since 2023 and that the Focus, once as ubiquitous as the Volkswagen Golf, has joined it in the cemetery.

As a way of healing the gap, Ford did a deal with Wolfsburg to use its MEB platform for the blocky Explorer and slightly sleeker Capri. Even though that doesn't sound a very convincing scenario, this pair are fairly convincing as Fords, even if they are expensive.

My new Capri RWD Extended Range Premium (£4000 cheaper than the top-spec AWD version) still runs to £53,235, even after a £4000 'contribution' from Ford to make the prices look a little better.

There are five options, totalling £5050: vivid blue paint, the Driver Assistance Pack (whose only real asset to me is a head-up display), a heat pump (which I'd have thought an essential in an EV of this price), a retractable towbar and a set of rather shouty 21in alloy wheels.

This modern Capri isn't exactly handsome - being rather too high and too snub-nosed for that rear quarter window to really recall the much-loved old coupé - but has nevertheless grown on me, as any car does when it performs well.About the whys and wherefores of Ford's use of this famous name I will pass over: too much nonsense has been voiced about that already.

I think Mondeo when I drive my Capri. Since the 1990s, when mainstream Fords were reborn as cars with class-leading dynamics, these have been models with very good steering, excellent cornering and impressively effective dampers, and the Capri seems all of that.

With caveats: it's quite tall, so I wouldn't call it chuckable. But it does grip and turn in nicely and its grip limit is too high to explore on the road (perhaps helped by 235/45 tyres). It understeers a bit when pressed beyond comfortable levels and, despite the traction control, you can spin the rear wheels on rapid departures (it does have 282bhp and 402lb ft of torque), but it's mostly a stable, enjoyable, easy-driving platform anyone can handle - like Mondeos always were.

The ride can occasionally be choppy (like on previous Fords), but the advantage is a feeling of tautness and an absence of 'echo' when a wheel hits a bump. You just get a nice, clean thump.

Fords claims a range of 370 miles for this RWD car, from its 77kWh battery, or 289 miles on the motorway. Both figures, as we have come to expect, are wrong in practice, at least at this time of year. Charge the Capri to 100% (you have to request this via the central touchscreen, else it will stop at 80%) and you will be offered 290-310 miles.

Keep off motorways and you will get a creditable 3.6-3.9mpkWh and all the mileage initially offered. I cruise on motorways at 65-70mph, depending on gradient, and feel I can depend on 260-280 miles (at 3.2mpkWh), which isn't bad at all.If I can find a fast enough charger, the Capri will accept 185kW and go from 10% to 80% in less than half an hour - but again, as we have come to expect, these are fantasy figures.

Inside, the trim is of universally good quality and the front buckets especially have won plaudits from all comers for comfort. The interior seems vast: why a five-seater would need a bigger cabin I can't think.

Capri's boot is 102 litres bigger than that of the squarer Explorer. The boot is wide and long but not very deep, but there's a permanently fitted cover that rises with the tailgate and causes less trouble than any I can remember. So far, I'm having a good time with the Capri. I appreciate its Ford-like steering, excellent seats, near-silence and pace. Its touchscreen works well and is easy to fathom.

I'm far less impressed by the poor design and ergonomics of the steering wheel switches and the crude instrument layout: it makes me yearn for a Focus's handy and sensible layout. But it's not a major fault - the functions are all there - and I suppose I'll get used to it.

An unnecessary journey didn’t go to waste

It was the closest thing I can remember to a completely wasted journey. I set off in my Ford Capri from home in Gloucestershire midway through a Sunday afternoon – when I could instead have been watching an absorbing Six Nations game on TV – in order to position myself in good time for an early Monday morning meeting in London.

Just outside London I learned the crucial meeting had been cancelled. The only sensible thing to do was to pull a U-turn and spend another 2 hours getting home – but this gave me the ideal opportunity to test the Capri’s touring credentials.

Read the full feature here

More range, more praise

The good times are rolling again. The arrival of early spring weather has brought a handy, if variable, improvement in the already-decent range that our Ford Capri offers when you charge it to 100%.

Ford promises 370 miles on the WLTP scale, and I suspect our car will get close to that when the temperature rises into the 15-20deg C range, but at present, with the ambient around 10deg C, I'm usually offered 320-340 miles-which is plenty for my kind of usage.

I'm contemplating a trip to Cornwall in a few days to view progress with the revival of my 1990 Peugeot 205 GTi rally car, and the 400-mile round trip from Gloucestershire will require only one half-hour charging session, probably at Exeter, which is a decent place for a restorative breakfast (I'll be leaving early).

The Capri's improving range also means I can start doing what's best for the battery and limiting charge to 80%, which is the car's default setting. If you want to charge it fully, you have to select 100% every time on the central touchscreen. But 80% gives you 260-270 miles, which is plenty for all but the longest journeys.

Talking about long journeys, the Capri is good at them. If you stick to around 70mph and avoid the unnecessary acceleration up hills that drivers of similarly sized (and rather less powerful) ICE cars seem to specialise in, you can depend on 250 cruising miles, which is a decent performance, since you're in a speed range where aerodynamic drag severely saps on-board energy. Go 5-10mph slower and you will get an extra 20 miles: it's a game of chess.

The Capri is spacious and comfortable for cruising. The seats feel large, supportive and firmly comfortable, yet they leave plenty of room for large rear passengers' knees and feet. Only the driver's seat gets electric adjustability and lumbar support, whereas the front passenger misses out, which seems a distinctly old-school Ford-style cost-saver: back in the day, certain boggo Blue Oval models used to save money by leaving out the passenger's sunvisor and the glovebox lid...

Two other criticisms. First, this Ford is a Volkswagen ID 4 underneath and, like many German cars brought up to spend their lives on finely surfaced roads, it generates more tyre noise than others in the class. British road surfaces are slowly getting quieter, but there are still plenty of places where you have to turn up the radio volume to hear any detail over the roar.

Second, visibility: the cowl is high and the pillars are thick, so you have to steer accurately so as not to nerf kerbs and keep a special lookout for cyclists hiding behind pillars. You get used to it but, on your way to familiarity, you may have the odd 'close one'. Not ideal.

The generosity of space extends to the boot, which is big and flat-bottomed, and there's a further deep compartment (ideal for the charging lead) under a false floor, which makes up for the fact that this big and tall car doesn't have a frunk, unlike so many of its peers.

Praise is also due to the fabric luggage cover, which is cleverly attached to the tailgate such that it moves out of the way when you open up. It's the only such cover I can remember that doesn't require regular wrestling to get it out of the way.

Looking back through this, I seem to have carped quite a bit, but the truth is I've found my usual 2000 miles a month really easy to do in this car, because it's simple and enjoyable to drive, I don't need to stop much away from home to charge it, it has all the power I could possibly need and I can detect the input of Ford's dynamics experts, at least in the steering.

I'll be sorry when it goes.

Sunshine boosts range for more spirited driving

Good news to start. After a shade under 10,000 miles of driving, the Capri's average energy consumption has just edged up a notch to 3.6 miles per kWh from the perfectly decent 3.5 that has ruled for at least the past 5000 miles. At first I sought to pat myself on the back for continuing to learn to drive the car better - until some office spark pointed out that the weather is getting warmer and batteries work better in those conditions.

Whatever, the Capri continues to impress with its practicality, having a dependable 300-mile range, provided my driving isn't all motorway (260 miles if it is), and showing a toughness and tautness that lifts it away from many EVS of similar size and weight, whose suspensions show an inability to cope with mass by allowing regular wheel wind-up on bumpy sections and by allowing too much bounce and too little composure.

I started life with the Capri complaining (not too vehemently) about its tendency to lumpiness, and that is still a minor foible, but I cheerfully accept it for the car's built-in tautness and its ability to deal with big bumps in one rubber-footed impact, rather than with echoes in the structure, which dog quite a few of the less capable, often Chinese rivals.

The energy consumption improvement might have been even better had I not realised that I had dropped into the habit of stroking this car about without much elan, rarely making use of its very decent acceleration and firm, accurate, Ford-specified steering (in a predominantly VW chassis).

One afternoon recently, when nothing much was happening at home or in the office, I set off on a half-serious sprint on a secret test track I have near home, which takes in enough motorway to connect two junctions, a couple of tightly packed villages, about 15 miles of sinuous roads along which you can usually see the apex after next and some adverse surfaces. The idea was to feel the performance in this car, of which there is plenty.

It's a big car and fairly fat, and you sit quite low in it, sighting just over the steering wheel and along the bonnet, so it takes time to clip apices yet avoid wheel damage. But after doing quite a bit of this, I'd put steering as the Capri's top virtue. Second is its wet grip. You start life with this car being conscious of its 2.1-tonne kerb weight and wary in the wet, but it soon demonstrates an ability to hold on strongly and never slide.

It will understeer a bit if seriously provoked, and in a slippery high-speed corner I did once get its rear wheels to step sideways a foot under power, but mostly it's on rails. There's only a hint of body roll and the supportive seats hold you in place well.

Two beefs: the optional 21in Continental tyres (unusually, a shade wider at the rear than the front) are quite noisy on the UK's frequently coarse road surfaces - although I'll bet this comment would never arise in France or Germany, where they know more about surfacing modern roads.

More serious is the feel of the brake pedal, which delivers good retardation when you begin to stop but feels oddly less responsive in the meat of a brisk application. Push harder and the car stops effectively but the pleasure of linear, easily modulated braking definitely isn't present.

That hasn't spoiled the Capri for me, though. I like it.

VW base and name are forgiven – but the price?

After 12,000 miles of driving a new-era Ford Capri, all of my doubts except one faded away. At the outset there were several: the size, the price, the fact that this Ford was actually a Volkswagen underneath and the use of the hallowed Capri name, which bothered so many people.

My bottom line, delivered here rather than later, is that even though the car departed a month ago and has been replaced by an interesting parade of rivals, I still think about it quite a lot and wish it were still around. It was a good car, but not the price.

When the Capri first hit the UK market 18 months ago, four or five months after its Explorer sibling, Ford was taking bucketloads of criticism for its distinctly ropey grip on the affordable car market that it had previously commanded. It had scuppered the Fiesta and Focus (by announcing their demise) as part of an apparent frenzy to close European factories; and while rivals launched well-planned EV model ranges, its only electric offering was the American Mustang Mach-E, a decent car whose face has never quite fitted here.

The Explorer and Capri were rushed into service during 2024 using underbits from VW's decent ID 4 and ID 5 to save time and cost, but that move meant the new Fords would have to abide by VW's prior conclusions about size, weight, cost and mechanical make-up, whereas we Ford watchers had become used to the Blue Oval making its own, usually wise, decisions about such vital stuff for its everyman buyers.

Ford's strategy collided particularly heavily with the heady days of the Focus that some of us remembered, when that seminal Escort replacement lifted the standard of family hatchbacks so comprehensively across the board that every other competitor, including VW, had to respond in a hurry. Small wonder that the Explorer and Capri were seen as, well, a hit me-too.

However, when we started driving the Explorer and then the Capri, they seemed quite decent Fords, as long as you had never seen an ID 4's dashboard. They also brought a lot of latest-generation EV virtues: principally decent battery ranges and excellent interior space.

Lots of critics emerged from the woodwork when they divined that the fastback version of the Explorer had been christened Capri, as part of a decision made in the US to utilise famous Ford names for new cars that needed a profile. Both sides were at fault, I reckon: Ford for its naivety in not recognising people's emotional attachment with the Capri name (used for 18 years on the Cortina coupé that "you always promised yourself") and the critics who never realised that this was the fourth time that the Capri name had been used on a Ford family product: their favourite had been the third.

When my RWD Extended Range Capri arrived, resplendent in an £800 optional Blue My Mind paint job, it looked very big - very tall. That Capri-like curved rear window and its fastback hatch was a very long way off the floor. With its SUV-ish roof height, high bonnet and short overhangs, in profile the car looked a bit more like a house brick than a coupé. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was certainly different.

When I drove it first, it seemed very wide too, although that was probably exaggerated by the fact that my previous daily had been a Renault 5. First impressions were of great seat comfort - an impression that persisted for the life of the Capri with us - but a certain lumpiness in the ride.

However, this was overtaken by an appreciation of its pretty good damper control, which made this 2.2-tonne machine feel taut and controllable in corners.

As I've written before, the steering is a particularly good feature of the Capri, taking me back a decade or two to the golden age of European Fords. Every time I returned to this car after time in something else, I was glad of those messages through the thick-rimmed wheel. This was a relatively quiet-cruising car, too, despite its big tyres.

The dependable 260-280-mile cruising range at 70mph helped too. I'd definitely recommend the 77kWh battery to any prospective buyer. At lower speeds, 300-310 miles is practical, although you're unlikely to achieve the 389 miles claimed in the brochures.

The only dynamic bit I didn't much like was the brake feel. The Capri can stop absolutely as briskly as it needs to, but the pedal isn't as easy to modulate as many (and those Fords of the good old days). Pulling off a smooth halt at a stop sign requires unusual care and the brakes' behaviour amid a stop isn't great. The initial retardation is good but you have to press harder to keep stopping at the same intensity. Not dangerous, just weird.

I soon became used to the Capri's size (especially the width), helped by the precise steering and at least not hindered too much by its high sides and indifferent visibility. In 12,000 miles I managed never to kerb a wheel (although the clever protruding rubber collars on the front tyres helped once or twice).

My main bugbear was the price: now just over £50k with an option pack like mine, after two apparent reductions that had it starting at an eye-watering £57,000. In this age of burgeoning, low-priced Chinese competition, I suspect the price is still a reason you don't see many Explorers or Capris about. On vehicle merit alone, that's a shame.

Ford Capri RWD Extended Range Premium

Prices: List price new £52,095 List price now £51,735 Price as tested £57,235

Options: Driver Assistance Pack £1300, heat pump £1050, 21in alloy wheels £1000, retractable towbar £900, Blue My Mind paint £800

Economy and range: Claimed range 389 miles Battery 77kWh (usable) Test average 3.5mpkWh Test best 4.2mpkWh Test worst 2.2mpkWh Real-world range 270 miles Max charge rate 135kW

Tech highlights: 0-62mph 6.4sec Top speed 111mph Engine Permanent magnet synchronous motor Max power 282bhp Max torque 402 lb ft Gearbox 1-spd reduction gear, RWD Boot 572/1505litres Wheels 8.5Jx21 (front), 9.0Jx21 (rear) Tyres 235/45 R21 (front) 255/40 R21 (rear) Continental Ecocontact Kerb weight 2114kg

Service and running costs: Contract hire rate £447ppm CO2 0g/km Service costs None Other costs Front and rear tyre, £520 Fuel costs £1890 (est) Running costs including fuel £2410 (est) Cost per mile 19 pence Faults None

Fuel duty frozen until at least end of 2026

Wed, 20 May 2026 12:21:33 +0100

Decision follows government review as UK pump prices surge due to the ongoing war in Iran

The UK government has frozen a planned fuel duty rise until the end of the year, in a bid to “protect” drivers from rising pump prices.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves had planned to scrap the 5p cut in fuel duty that was introduced in 2022, resulting in the current rate of 52.95p. Fuel duty was due to rise by 1p this September, with the full 5p rise happening over the course of the following six months.

But the government now says the full 5p cut will be extended until the end of this year, as part of what it called a “targeted package” to keep taxes down in response to rising fuel costs due to the Iran war.

The government had announced a review of the planned fuel duty rise back in March, shortly after the war began.

Prime minister Keir Starmer said: “I know many are feeling the pressure of energy and fuel costs, and are worried about how the conflict in Iran will affect their finances. Because when global events drive up prices, it’s working people who feel it first.

“That’s why this government is stepping in to keep fuel costs down for millions of drivers and putting money back in the pockets of working people.”

The original 5p cut was introduced in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the government announced plans to remove it in its Autumn Budget last November.

The plan was that once the 5p cut had been removed, fuel duty would then rise in line with inflation.

The government has also introduced a 12-month road tax holiday for hauliers, who will pay £1 at renewal time instead of up to £912.

"Not a real Mini..." How BMW's reinvented icon overcame early furore

Wed, 20 May 2026 11:00:00 +0100

The controversial reinvention of the Mini was blamed on BMW - but it turned out to be a winner

When BMC launched the original Mini in 1959, it was both highly innovative in its packaging and widely affordable, being priced from just £496 - and of course it was wildly successful.

Come the early 1990s, its new custodian, Rover, began exploring a replacement - but when BMW bought the British company in January 1994, it was clear that they had very different ideas about what a new Mini should look like.

Development quickly became a tug of war. Rover proposals favoured a compact, innovatively packaged successor, while BMW proposals leaned towards a retro-styled sporting car. Fifteen different designers from across Europe and the US were tasked with designing the new car in just six months, ultimately presenting various competing visions - creating real tension.

BMW eventually settled on a strategy of repositioning the Mini from a budget car into a premium car, choosing a design proposal by its own Frank Stephenson.

It would target two distinct demographics: affluent young "thrusters" between the ages of 20 and 34 and those aged 35-50 who had fond memories of the original Mini. And it would be 20 times more expensive: the One ultimately started at £10,000 and the sporty Cooper at £11,600.

Our first glimpse of this direction came at the Frankfurt motor show in 1997, three years before the car's release, as BMW wanted to gauge public reaction. There were risks in exposing the design so early, but chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder dismissed those worries, insisting that "nobody will copy the Mini; it will be a unique car".

Reaction was anything but unified. One Autocar reader complained: "As a long-standing Mini owner and admirer, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that BMW planned to give the world a sneak preview. Until I saw it. This is not a Mini; everything that the Mini stands for has been bastardised into a pointless marketing gimmick." Another snapped back: "New Mini? Honey, I shrunk the Citroën DS."

Even Alex Moulton, the engineer responsible for the original Mini's suspension, expressed disapproval, telling Autocar: "I don't know what it is. It's got the word Mini on it, and details such as the grille and lights are right, but the car is too large. It looks like it has lost its proportions. I don't think it's a real Mini."

Accusations of BMW ruining the Mini's classic look also rolled in, with one reader writing: "Those lights, that grille - especially if spun round the other way. Yes, old frog eyes is back! One of the ugliest faces to deface a car (last seen in the Ford Scorpio) makes a return." Another struggled to believe that the prototype unveiled at Frankfurt was a new Mini in spirit and not "a cynical attempt to market what appears to be just another small hatch by trading on the name, reputation and styling cues of the greatest car of all time".

Not all responses were hostile, though, as this letter demonstrates: "I'm smitten. The new Mini has shot to the top of my new car shopping list. It combines the need for extra space and safety, with just the right mix of retro styling cues and modern layout."

When the new Mini finally went on sale in 2001, our road testers found it "great to look at and sit in" but felt that wasn't enough to offset such a "mediocre engine and disappointing package". Like the earlier public reaction, this was a verdict of contrasts: eager and engaging to drive yet lumbered with an engine that felt coarse and gruff.

To buy such a car also meant stepping into a BMW dealership, which one reader described as an "intimidating experience". This highlighted a deeper tension: Mini was no longer accessible and classless but a carefully curated premium product, and not everyone was comfortable with that shift.

Enjoy full access to the complete Autocar archive at the magazineshop.com

In reinventing the Mini, BMW had taken a risk by trading simplicity for sophistication and affordability for aspiration. Predictably, not everyone liked this idea, but plenty more bought into it: 800,000 examples of the Mk1 were sold globally, and today Stephenson's design is widely regarded as a modern classic.

Furthermore, the Mini grew into a thriving brand with a broad model range - in stark contrast to Rover, which died in 2005.

Alice Pewter

Global car makers lean on China in fight to stay competitive

Wed, 20 May 2026 10:28:55 +0100

Stellantis deal to build Dongfeng EVs in Europe is latest in series of partnerships between Western and Chinese firms

China built its automotive expertise on enforced partnerships with foreign brands. The reward for global car makers was market access and billions in profits. But it came at a long-term price: those once humble manufacturing partners have become some of their toughest competitors globally.

Now global car makers are seeking help from the same Chinese partners as they scrabble to reduce costs and lift technology to the new Chinese standard. There’s one key difference, though: today’s partnerships have a lighter touch than the old industrial tie-ups mandated all those years ago in China.

“If you have a partnership with China and a good connection to Chinese suppliers, I think that is really one of the key things which will make you stronger,” Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson told the recent Financial Times Future of the Car conference.

Car makers operating at the volume end of the European market are suffering a doom spiral. A higher cost base in Europe is being pushed even higher as they lose manufacturing scale for one key reason: the Chinese are eating their market share.

“We're competing with OEMs from China, but they have a very clear advantage around massive scale, as they export product into Europe,” Ford of Europe boss Jim Baumbick told the Financial Times conference. “We have to find our own way in Europe to generate competitive scale. We believe doing that through partnerships is a way to compete.”

Ford is reportedly talking to Geely about building cars at its underutilised Kuga plant in Valencia, Spain, as it looks to lower its industrial costs.

Ford hasn't confirmed this report but has ramped up speculation that it will leverage Geely electrified platforms with the announcement that it will launch two new ‘multi-energy’ crossovers in Europe by 2029.

“We talk to tons of different companies all the time,” Baumbick told Autocar in response to our question.

A possible future Geely link-up would increase the number of partnerships Ford has on car development in Europe to three, after leveraging the Volkswagen Group's MEB platform for the Explorer and Capri and now Renault for two small electric cars on the Renault 5 platform, due in 2028.

This kind of cherry-picking approach to partnerships is very different from the massive tie-ups of old, such as the Renault-Nissan Alliance or DaimlerChrysler. “We look for opportunities where we can both win and share,” Baumbick said.

Chats with potential partners can give a useful insight into where your company sits in terms of tech and cost, said Baumbick: “We can test [our] own internal hypothesis around the competitiveness of choices we're making internally versus maybe leveraging partner technologies or assets for scale."

There was some surprise in the industry when Ford went with Renault to develop and build its small EVs, rather than develop its existing relationship with Volkswagen. Baumbick’s boss, CEO Jim Farley, said we shouldn’t have been: among other benefits, Renault’s solution was cheaper.

One of the furthest down the road in terms of incorporating knowhow from a Chinese partner is Stellantis, which has quickly leveraged its investment in EV specialist Leapmotor not just to fill its underutilised European factories but also use its tech for new models, starting with a new Vauxhall/Opel SUV, due in 2028.

Stellantis has also signed a similar deal with its long-time joint-venture partner Dongfeng, setting up a Stellantis-controlled European arm to import the Chinese company's upmarket Voyah EVs and tap into its engineering expertise.

Stellantis has moved fast to seek Chinese help in filling its European plants, estimated by the bank Jefferies to be suffering from spare capacity totalling around a million units a year.

Leapmotor will build its B10 and C10 EVs at the Stellantis facility in Zaragoza, Spain, starting this year, while the Dongfeng deal creates “potential” for production of Dongfeng EVs in Rennes, France.

A rash of similar reports linking Chinese production in existing European plants – including Chery and Dongfeng at Nissan’s Sunderland plant - has yet to translate to solid contracts, bar Leapmotor's Zaragoza deal.

“With the exception of Chery's early deal with Nissan in Spain, Chinese OEMs seem reluctant to rely on older, less efficient and unionised facilities,” Philippe Houchois, automotive analyst at Jefferies, wrote in a note to investors.

For Leapmotor, however, the broader link-up with Stellantis is a money-saver as it fights to grow share in Europe. “This, in my opinion, is another kind of profitability,” CFO Tengfei Li said on a recent earnings call. “Without this kind of partnership, we may have to invest 10 times higher than we have and may not reach the same results.”

For some established manufacturers, Europe has become so difficult that they can no longer develop models specifically for the region, and China is the preferred source for the electrified platforms and technology needed to keep pace with the tech and cost upheavals of the past five years or so.

Nissan is one example: CEO Ivan Espinosa has said the Japanese company will drop its long-term policy of creating products in Europe for Europe. Instead it will lean on models developed for its three core markets of China, the US and Japan.

“The competition is getting more and more severe with Chinese players,” Espinosa told the Financial Times conference. “Traditionally we were investing a lot on specific products for Europe. With the scale that we have, it has proven not sustainable.”

Asked by Autocar whether its Chinese partnerships might provide the next platform for its European models, Espinosa said Nissan “could consider doing something with what we're creating in China”.

Another possibility is leaning further on its Alliance partner Renault, which is developing a new EV platform with range-extender options due to land in 2028 and already builds the Nissan Micra on the Renault 5 platform.

“It's a very good win-win case, because Nissan doesn't have to invest on its own on creating a product. With a fraction of the investment, we can get access to a competitive product,”

Honda is another Japanese company turning to Chinese partners to develop models, rather than just manufacturing them.

Global car makers operating in China are already increasingly using electrified platforms and associated technology from their Chinese partners, among them Audi, Mazda, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

“Special products for China would be almost impossible for us to develop by ourselves,” Volvo’s Samuelsson said.

Geely, Volvo's Chinese parent company, supplies the platform for the new XC70 long-range plug-in hybrid SUV, which is capable of travelling on 125 miles on electric power alone.

Partnerships are often difficult, former Nissan executive Andy Palmer told Autocar: “It's hard to get to big corporate cultures to work together when you don't have financial interests [in each other], where it's purely a commercial contract. You try and name a collaboration that has really worked very well and it's really hard to think of one.”

The key is to be humble going in, believes Samuelsson: “You first need to identify what you can learn from others, and then you need to be open and curious. I think the Chinese culture has always been a learning culture, and that is something we should really pick up.”

There are undoubtedly culture clashes, however. The speed at which the Chinese make decisions is both refreshing and frustrating for Westerners. New information can result in 180deg tacks on projects that aren’t properly communicated. The Chinese are also willing to bend rules, for example ignoring local employment regulation to carry on working the insane hours they do at home.

But the penalty for ignoring the Chinese way of working is even worse: death by unsustainable discounts.

Volvo EX60

Wed, 20 May 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Volvo takes aim at the BMW iX3 and Mercedes GLC with its own 400-plus-mile SUV One all-important new car on a brand-new platform from a major European manufacturer is big news; three of them is a sign of a generational shift.At the start of the year, the BMW iX3 made all of its rivals look like amateurs, but instead of having the premium medium-sized corner of the electric SUV market to itself for the foreseeable future, it’s now facing two fierce opponents. First there came the Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric with very competitive specs, now Volvo is staking its claim with the Volvo EX60, for the makings of the group test of 2026.The importance of these cars is not to be understated. The small executive saloon (aka BMW 3 Series rival) has had a good run, but the circa-4.8m-long electric SUV is quickly taking its place.To the EX60, then. Let’s run through the vital stats before we get into the details. There will be a version with more than 500 miles of WLTP range, and the platform is a dedicated EV one with 800V electricals and 370kW charging. Power is between 369bhp and 671bhp. There’s 523 litres of boot space, plus a decent-size frunk. It’s £56,860 for the basic single-motor EX60, £59,860 for the dual-motor one that most people are going to buy and £70,360 for the top-flight car. Like-for-like, that’s more than for the iX3, but the finance deals look to even things out, so on paper the EX60 has all the attributes to tempt you away from Munich or Stuttgart.

"A new level of EV feedback": I drove wild 1169bhp AMG GT

Wed, 20 May 2026 07:39:00 +0100

Super-saloon goes electric with new 800V platform, axial-flux motors and V8 simulation

For something with well over 1000bhp, there's no obvious drama to it at first.

With its stability control system in Sport, the new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé prototype goes about its business with calm, measured composure. Exactly what you would expect of a large, fast, electric saloon at moderate pace. There's a deliberate margin of safety in the handling balance, the front end delivering strong grip while the electronics keep everything neat and controlled. It feels fluid and encouragingly agile, the steering cleanly weighted and precise, building confidence quickly.

Out on the tight, technical inner handling circuit at the ATP testing site in Papenburg, that composure proves to be only part of the story.

Back in 2022, AMG first signalled its intention to reinvent its bespoke four-door with an EV successor through a full-sized design study. Since then, the GT XX engineering mule has demonstrated not only the drivetrain's performance but its ability to sustain it too, covering 24,901 miles in just over seven days at an average of more than 186mph. Now I'm behind the wheel of a pre-production prototype for the first time.

Lean on it more assertively in Sport+ mode and its character starts to change. Not so much in a straight line, where it's unquestionably quick, gathering speed in one long, uninterrupted surge, but in the way it responds. It feels less dictated by mass than by how precisely its systems manage the clearly substantial performance.

Select Race, ease back the stability systems and work through AMG's Race Engineer function via three rotary dials on the centre tunnel and the transformation is immediate. Throttle response sharpens, the rear axle becomes more active and the initial layer of restraint falls away. There are nine settings for response, agility and traction. The effect is less about outright capability than delivery. As well as presenting a fixed set of handling characteristics across individual drive modes, the car lets you fine-tune its dynamic character through an additional 729 combinations.

A low centre of gravity and well-judged suspension give it impressive body control. Turn in expecting roll and it stays flat, settling quickly into a composed stance with a precision that belies its size.

The underlying character makes more sense once you understand what this car is. The Mk2 (C590) GT 4-Door Coupé marks a new start for AMG. It isn't the firm's first EV, but it is the first based on the AMG.EA, a platform developed from scratch specifically for performance.

Its drivetrain comprises three axial-flux motors, two at the rear and one up front, working through a single-speed transmission to all four wheels. Drive is managed by AMG's 4Matic+ system, with fully variable torque distribution between each axle, while rear-wheel steering aids agility at lower speeds and stability at higher ones. Developed with British firm Yasa, those compact, disc-shaped motors are smaller and lighter yet also more power-dense and faster-responding than conventional radial-flux units.

Each rear motor is controlled independently, allowing torque to be varied not just front to rear but also across the rear axle, creating a yaw response that you feel directly through the chassis.

Electrical energy comes from a large lithium ion battery mounted within the floor and centre tunnel, with direct liquid cooling at cell level. The system runs on an 800V architecture and so is capable of charging at over 500kW, but more significant is its ability to maintain stable output under sustained load.

It's not just the way it builds speed but how the new GT 4-Door Coupé communicates what it's doing that makes it so impressive. A synthesised sound and feedback system draws on the character of the original GT coupé, adapted for electric drive. As speed builds, the car feeds back through the seat as much as through the controls, a transducer delivering vibrations that rise and fall with throttle load, in the manner of a V8. So it's not simply an acoustic overlay: it recreates the rhythm of an engine in both sound and sensation, linking your inputs more closely to the car's responses.

A synthetic sequential shift function adds another layer of character. Operated via steering wheel-mounted paddles, it mimics shifting through a conventional gearbox. It's artificial but effective, adding a sense of cadence. The effect is reinforced by a centrally mounted rev counter, its needle sweeping in step with the rising and falling vibrations. You don't have to use it: the car can be driven in near-silence. But when engaged, it draws you further into the process.

Only once you begin to explore the chassis more fully does the broader depth of the GT 4-Door Coupé become clear. Through a tightening left-hander, come back onto the throttle and the rear axle sharpens your line, taking some of the load away from the front. Add a little more and its rear end moves progressively, without any sudden breakaway. It's easy to hold and just as easy to gather up again, the car settling quickly and cleanly as you unwind the steering.

On subsequent runs, that adjustability becomes a defining trait. The rear works with you, rather than simply following the front, allowing you to shape the car's attitude with small inputs. It never feels exaggerated; it's usable and engaging.

That sense of control extends to the suspension. The standard Active Ride Control air springs with hydraulically linked dampers provide semi-active roll stabilisation by varying roll stiffness. The result is that strong body control evidence earlier without excessive stiffness.

Even beneath camouflage, the car's proportions reflect the shift to electric power. Lower, wider and longer than the current V8 model, it adopts a drawn silhouette with a long nose section, heavily curved roofline and long tail ending in a subtle, Kamm-style cut-off with active aerodynamic elements.

Inside, the impression is equally strong. The driving position is largely unchanged, retaining the same low, stretched stance, but the environment has evolved. The centre console rises higher between driver and passenger, creating a more defined cockpit, with three rotary controls sitting prominently atop it. There's a tangible analogue feel to many of the controls, the rotary dials providing precise mechanical feedback.

Ahead, a single panel integrates the 10.2in instrument display and 14.0in touchscreen, angled towards the driver, with clear separation of functions - and the passenger's touchscreen doesn't intrude. Rear space is more usable than the roofline suggests, with individual seats and recessed footwells allowing a natural seating position, while a glass roof floods the interior with light.

What emerges here isn't an electric reinterpretation of the original GT 4-Door Coupé but a fundamentally different car - one that places greater emphasis on control, interaction and consistency, while still delivering the sense of occasion expected of an AMG.

Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door Coupé prototype: verdict

A decisive reset for AMG, combining extreme pace with adjustability, involvement and a new level of feedback for a performance EV.


Price	£150,000
Engine	Three axial-flux electric motors
Power	1169bhp
Torque	1475lb ft
Gearbox	1-spd reduction gear, 4WD
Kerb weight	2200kg (est)
0-62mph	2.4sec
Top speed	186mph
Battery	106kWh
Range, economy	na
Rivals	Lotus Emeya 900, Polestar 5 Performance, Porsche Taycan Turbo GT

Are plug-in hybrids reaching the end of the road?

Wed, 20 May 2026 05:00:00 +0100

Chinese cars have played a big role in boosting UK PHEV sales but they are falling back home

China pulled incentives for PHEVs and EVs this year and the former's sales dipped – but the latter actually grow

Are we seeing the beginning of the end of plug-in hybrids?

China has been leading the world in PHEV production and sales, accounting for 76% of the global total in 2025. But this year something weird has been happening.

The overall car market in China has been slowing, with retail sales down 20% in April. The local China Passenger Car Association attributed the fall to rising oil prices as buyers gave petrol cars a swerve.

But also hit hard are PHEVs and range-extender EVs, down 22% on the same month last year, reducing their share to 19%. Meanwhile, sales of pure EVs were up 2.4%, raising their share to 40%.

Is this the canary in the coal mine for PHEVs?

China has pioneered the use of bigger batteries and smaller engines to allow what are essentially EVs to travel further. Buyers of more premium cars especially have bought into the concept, led by the likes of Li Auto. Meanwhile, BYD pivoted its entire ICE strategy into PHEVs.

So-called new energy vehicles in China were always forecast to do badly this year as the country ended purchase tax exemption on PHEVs and EVs from January. But that doesn't explain why PHEVs have been hit while EVs have been unscathed. European premium makers have failed to translate their success at selling PHEVs to European buyers over to China.

In a market that should be ripe for buyers seeking the same premium combustion experience with lower taxes, their offerings have been even less well accepted than their EVs. For example, of the 144,000 cars BMW sold in China in the first three months of the year, just 0.1% were PHEVs, and Mercedes-Benz has said it's phasing out PHEV sales there.

You wouldn't think there was a problem from looking at UK sales. In less than a year, Chinese brands have gone from zero to absolutely dominating mainstream PHEV sales here, grabbing a 44% share in the first three months. In April, they took the top six slots in the PHEV chart, led by the Jaecoo 7.

Of course, PHEVs here have a shelf life ending in 2035 if the government's current plan persists. In the EU, a recent tweak to rules will allow a certain percentage after 2035. But the surprise slump in China might foreshadow a future in which EVs are good enough to dump the inherent compromises in doubling up drivetrains.

Revealed: Mercedes-AMG GT goes EV with 1169bhp and V8 rumble

Wed, 20 May 2026 04:30:00 +0100

Electric GT 4-Door Coupé majors on driver engagement with mega power, engine note and simulated gearbox

The new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé is the performance brand's first dedicated EV – and its most powerful model to date.

Due on sale in the UK in September from around £150,000, the new electric performance saloon line-up will be led by the GT 63, which can sprint from 0-62mph in just 2.4sec and hit a top speed of 186mph, thanks to 1169bhp and 1475lb ft of torque.

What's it like to drive? Find out here

The low-slung Porsche Taycan and Lotus Emeya rival was previewed by two concepts, 2022's Vision AMG and 2025's GT XX, and its design has clearly been evolved from those.

It's the first model to be underpinned by the new electric AMG.EA platform, also set to be adopted by a super-SUV currently in development at the firm's Affalterbach HQ.

At 5.09m long, 1.96m wide and 1.41m tall with a 3.0m wheelbase, the new GT 4-Door Coupé is slightly longer and taller but narrower than the Taycan.

Kerb weight is quoted at 2460kg, although AMG claims the low mounting position and compact electric motors combine for a significantly lower centre of gravity than the original petrol-engined GT 4-Door Coupé of 2018 had.

Next-gen motors

The new car's powertrain features three axial-flux motors developed with Yasa, the Oxford-based motor specialist owned by Mercedes-Benz, alongside the AMG High Performance Powertrain division in Brixworth. They are manufactured at a dedicated facility in Berlin.

Their adoption represents a major departure from the radial-flux motors used in existing Mercedes EVs. Instead of electromagnetic flow running perpendicular to the motor shaft, it runs parallel, allowing a flatter, disc-like construction.

This allows for more compact packaging. Each rear motor measures around 80mm wide, while the front motor is slightly larger, at around 90mm wide.

Two motors are mounted within the car's rear axle assembly and one at the front, providing fully variable four-wheel drive with torque vectoring across the rear axle.

The rear motors rev to 13,000rpm, while the front motor is capable of extending to 15,000rpm.

The two rear motors are paired with a compact single-speed planetary gearbox, while silicon-carbide inverters manage energy flow under high load.

The front motor operates as a boost unit, engaging only when required and disconnecting under lighter loads to reduce drag.

In the entry-level GT 55, the trio combine to produce 816bhp and 1328lb ft, while the GT 63 raises output to 1169bhp and 1475lb ft. That's significantly more than direct rivals such as the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (1093bhp and 9881b ft) and Lotus Emeya 900 Sport (905bhp and 726lb ft).

It also eclipses the punchiest version of the original GT 4-Door Coupé, the GT 63 S E Performance, which delivered 831bhp and 1084lb ft from a V8-engined plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Beyond peak figures, AMG has emphasised sustained output, claiming the GT 63 delivers maximum power for up to 63 seconds without thermal derating and never has less than 721bhp to use.

Energy is supplied by a newly developed 106kWh battery pack that features directly cooled cylindrical cells, each individually surrounded by a dielectric coolant to maintain stable operating temperatures.

This gives a range of up to 432 miles (in the car's most efficient GT 55 form) – 10 more than the Taycan with Performance Battery Plus.

Its 800V electrical system supports peak DC rapid-charging rates of more than 600kW, meaning around 286 miles of range can be added in 10 minutes.

The production model follows the GT XX concept, which completed almost 25,000 miles of running at the Nardò test track in Italy, setting multiple EV endurance and speed records in the process.

Driver engagement in an EV

AMG claims to have addressed the issue of driver engagement in EVs via a series of innovations.

Its new AMGForce system introduces a synthesised driving sound derived from the original GT 4-Door Coupé's V8, paired with haptic feedback through the seat structure.

There's also a simulated gearbox that's designed to replicate the characteristic of an AMG engine.

Control of the powertrain and chassis is handled by the AMG Race Engineer system, which links motor, braking and suspension functions.

Three rotary controllers on the centre console allow adjustment of the car's response, agility and traction by altering throttle behaviour, yaw characteristics and slip thresholds across a total of 729 settings.

As with other recent AMG models, the chassis adopts an AMG Active Ride Control suspension system combining three-chamber air springs with semi-active roll stabilisation.

Hydraulically interconnected dampers replace conventional anti-roll bars, continuously varying the roll stiffness within parameters set by the five drive modes, which include Race and Drift.

The four-link front and five-link rear suspension arrangements use forged aluminium components to reduce unsprung mass.

Meanwhile, rear-axle steering of up to six degrees aims to balance between low-speed agility and high-speed stability.

Braking is handled by carbon-ceramic discs at the front and steel discs at the rear, integrated with a energy recuperation system that can be adjusted via steering wheel paddles.

The cabin is covered in carbonfibre, metal and leather dominated by a 10.2in digital instrument cluster, a 14.0in infotainment touchscreen and a 14.0in passenger touchscreen.

Production of the new GT 4-Door Coupé will start in Sindelfingen this July.

Skoda Octavia confirmed to gain full-hybrid power

Tue, 19 May 2026 15:05:11 +0100

Volkswagen Golf and T-Roc will share their new powertrain with Czech family hatchback and estate

The Skoda Octavia will gain hybrid power as the Czech brand looks to offer buyers of the family hatchback and estate a full gamut of powertrain options.

“What you can expect for the Octavia is that you will get pure-hybrid and plug-in hybrid solutions in future,” technical chief Johannes Neft told Autocar.

The full-hybrid powertrian is expected to be that which will make its debut in the technically related Volkswagen Golf and T-Roc later this year.

This matches the Volkswagen Group’s familiar 1.5-litre turbo petrol four and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox with an electric motor and a 1.6kWh battery.

The motor is used to drive the wheels at slower speeds, with the engine kicking in under higher loads.

In the Golf and T-Roc, the system will offer a combined output of either 136bhp or 170bhp. Both configurations are expected to be available in the Octavia.

A new plug-in hybrid Octavia, meanwhile, is expected to use the same powertrain as the current Golf eHybrid.

This uses the same 1.5-litre engine but a six-speed dual-clutch 'box, while its battery is upsized to 19.7kWh to offer an electric-only range of 88 miles.

Although EV range is likely to be slightly shorter in the larger Octavia, such a figure would place the model in the competitive 7% benefit-in-kind tax band for company car users.

Diesel is also expected to remain in the Octavia line-up for the foreseeable future, as Neft committed to offering a “complete range of combustion versions”.

An electric Octavia was previewed by the Vision O concept at last year’s Munich motor show, but this isn't due to manifest as a production car until the turn of the decade.

Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer previously told Autocar that the firm “wanted to keep all avenues open in terms of what is feasible” in offering an ICE Octavia in the long term.

Kia Seltos

Tue, 19 May 2026 14:00:00 +0100

Kia's popular Sportage SUV gets a kid brother, combining hybrid power with more affordable prices You will probably know the name of Kia’s best-selling car globally: the Sportage. You’ve probably seen four or five of them today. But you almost certainly haven’t heard of the Korean brand's second best-seller, the Kia Seltos, despite the fact that it sold 300,000 of them in 2025. It seems strange that a car so successful should not yet have been sold in Europe, doesn’t it? But Kia is about to change that with the second-generation version, setting its sights on stealing market share from the Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen T-Roc.

Skoda's Renault 4 rival is here: Epiq undercuts petrol Kamiq at £25k

Tue, 19 May 2026 13:45:00 +0100

Skoda's baby EV arrives with 190-272 miles of range and fresh styling, plus plenty of physical buttons inside

The new Skoda Epiq has been unveiled as the electric equivalent to the Kamiq – and it will be cheaper than its combustion-engined counterpart, with prices starting from £24,950.

Twinned with the forthcoming Volkswagen ID Cross, it is based on parent Volkswagen Group's MEB+ architecture. Designed specifically for small EVs, the MEB+ places the motor up front and battery under the floor between both axles.

The Epiq is the second Skoda designed from the outset in accordance with the brand's 'Modern Solid' design language, following the larger Elroq.

But it moves the style on with new T-shaped lights at each end, plus a more prominent rear shoulder line both key signatures that will be present on the seven-seat Peaq, which will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Inside, it majors on physical switchgear, with climate control buttons mounted on the dashboard and a pair of scroll wheels on its two-spoke steering wheel.

Boot space measures 475 litres and under the bonnet there is a further 25-litre compartment, meant for stowing the charging cable.

Two versions of the Epiq will be available in the UK: the entry-level Epiq 40 gets a 133bhp motor and a 37kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery that yields a range of around 190 miles.

The Epiq 55, priced from £27,700, gets 208bhp, a more energy-dense 52kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery and a range of 272 miles.

The 55 has a peak charging speed of 105kW, just above the 40's 90kW, though Skoda claims both variants are capable of a 10-80% recharge in less than 25 minutes.

The Epiq's top-end range places it in the middle of its key rivals: the Renault 4 delivers 250 miles while the long-range Kia EV2 manages 281 miles, thanks to its larger, 61kWh battery.

The Epiq's battery can also be used to power external devices - including returning energy to the electrical grid. In addition, the car gets a 'B' gear that ramps up the strength of the regenerative braking for one-pedal driving.

Deliveries of the Epiq will begin early next year.

Reborn Itala brand taps ex-Ferrari tech chief to adapt Chinese SUVs

Tue, 19 May 2026 11:35:37 +0100

New Itala 35 crossover is a revised GAC Trumpchi GS3

Historic Italian brand returns with revised GAC petrol crossover; will coexist with revived sports car maker Osca

Historic Italian luxury car brand Itala has been revived after 92 years, with its engineering overseen by ex-Ferrari technical director Roberto Fedeli.

This is part of an expansion by Italian company DR Automobiles, which has been rebadging Chinese cars for the past 20 years and is now a significant emerging force in western Europe.

With its six current brands, DR last year sold some 34,000 cars across Italy and a few other nations, and it now plans to enter the larger markets of France and Germany.

Itala is planned to share showrooms with another revived brand, Osca, which was founded by the Maserati brothers for racing and existed from 1947 to 1967.

The first modern Itala, unveiled this week at the Turin motor show, is a 4.4m-long, petrol-engined crossover called the 35 – based on GAC's Trumpchi GS3. It will cost from around €35,000 (£30k).

Italian media reports that Fedeli has overseen refinement of the suspension; other Italian firms have redesigned the interior, notably upholstering it in red leather and Alcantara; and Italdesign tweaked the external appearance.

No plans for Osca have yet been announced, but Italian media reported late last year that a 'proper sports car' with a 'Lotus-sourced 2.0-litre engine' was planned – possibly referring to the Emira's current Mercedes-AMG four-pot.

Under its 'Historic Italian Brands' plan, DR intends to open two new 'production facilities' at its plant in Macchia d'Isernia, where it assembles Chinese cars from knocked-down kits, later this year.

This €50 million (£43m) investment is expected to create some 500 local jobs.

DR plans to open 50 Itala-Osca dealerships, the first of which is in Itala's original home city of Turin.

BYD to challenge Defender with new seven-seat hybrid SUV

Tue, 19 May 2026 10:00:00 +0100

Rugged-looking Ti7 is due in the UK later this year as Chinese brand's new flagship

BYD will add a seven-seat plug-in-hybrid SUV to its line-up later this year to challenge the big-selling Land Rover Defender.

Sized between the 110 and 130 variants of the Defender, the Ti7 will be the first UK-bound car to use the Chinese brand’s new performance-focused ‘DM-p’ powertrain.

This comprises a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine, two electric motors (one per axle) and a 35.6kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack.

Technical details for UK-bound cars have yet to be confirmed in full, but BYD claims a 0-62mph time of 4.8sec and it has an official electric-only range of 79 miles.

The Ti7's chunky styling evokes classical 4x4s such as the Defender and Toyota Land Cruiser, with bluff edges and a spare wheel carrier mounted on the boot.

Although it will be sold in the UK under the BYD brand, it's effectively a larger sibling of the Denza B5 that's also due to arrive here later this year.

In their native China, both the B5 and Ti7 are sold by BYD’s upmarket, youth-focused Fangchengbao brand.

Asked why the Ti7 isn't being sold as a Denza, a spokesperson for BYD UK told Autocar that the differentiation is because the body-on-frame B5 was concevied as an off-roader, while the monocoque Ti7 is meant for buyers who would like rugged styling but may not need off-road capabilities.

In China, the Ti7 can also be had with a battery-electric powertrain compatible with BYD’s ‘Flash’ chargers, which are capable of delivering up to 1500kW.

A network of 300 such chargers is due to be built in the UK this year to support the launch of the Denza Z9 GT, but it remains to be seen whether the fully electric Ti7 will also come here.

Prices for the Ti7 are due to be confirmed in the coming weeks, but it will most likely be positioned as BYD's flagship – above the Sealion 7 electric SUV, which tops out at £59,025.

It's possible that the Ti7 will make its UK debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, given that the event is just weeks away and BYD has had a significant presence there in the past two years.

The best 4x4s and off-road cars – driven, rated and ranked

Tue, 19 May 2026 09:00:00 +0100

Where we're going, we don't need roads: these high-riders are capable on just about any surface

The SUV continues to top sales charts as Britain's most popular car class, but few of these are able to offer the go-anywhere ability of a proper off-roader.

Despite their raised ride heights and typically chunky styling, SUVs are more at home in a town centre than fording a river. If you really want to adventure into the wilderness, an off-roader is the only machine that will take you there.

Off-roaders are designed from the very outset to tackle rough terrain and would have no trouble taking on the green lanes of the Strata Florida.

And while most of the off-road market features square-set 4x4s with an array of go-anywhere modes, you can also have a rugged pick-up truck, jacked-up estate or even an electric 4x4 with oodles of torque.

We think the Land Rover Defender Octa is the most capable off-roader you can buy today. This pseudo-rally car is a hoon to drive on loose gravel, but thanks to its adjustable ride height and clever terrain response, it can crawl and climb over just about anything.

But which other off-roaders should you buy, how much should you spend, and is it worth buying something more rugged and analogue over a high-tech luxury offering?

Whatever your off-roading wants or needs, there's something in our top 10 topography-tamers that should suit your requirements and budget.

Ruf is the antidote to today's clean-cut supercar firms

Tue, 19 May 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Stained mugs, cheery engineers and questionable calendars: Ruf's workshop is a living monument to going fast

On my first visit to Ruf's terracotta-tiled workshop in Pfaffenhausen, I was greeted by a half-dressed Porsche 550 Spyder being loaded with one of the company's 4.1-litre Mezger engines. The technicians, in forest green overalls, said it was a silly and possibly dangerous idea, but the client insisted, and deep down these men were happy to oblige. That machine is out there somewhere, terrifying people with 900bhp per tonne.

In an adjacent bay was an original Yellowbird, casually. I remember Rafael Riethmüller, a warm and fastidious test engineer, saying something along the lines of "imagine doing 212mph when a Mk2 Golf GTI was a fast car", from his wheelchair. Riethmüller is a paraplegic who races an E46 BMW M3 with hand controls, owns a W221 Mercedes S65 and can rattle off the camber settings of any Ruf, although he now commutes to Affalterbach to work on AMGs. His love of the 1987 Yellowbird will be undimmed.

At the back of the workshop floor was a 993-era convertible 911, restored and customised for a scion of the Piëch family, who planned to give the car to his girlfriend on her birthday. How the other half live, eh? In a side room is an ancient dyno that BMW sold to Ruf in the 1980s. It can take only 550lb ft, which is why BMW and the 1.5-litre turbocharged monster it developed for Formula 1 had no use for it. Ruf uses it for the old engines, a great many of which it still makes and reconditions today with total authenticity.

The light-filled workshop, punctuated with dollops of prime colour, has a Kodachrome warmth and richness about it. It is neat but also littered with finished flat sixes on pallets, shelves of differentials, lathes and tools everywhere, with the smell of paint infusing the comforting, dominant oil aroma. Cars are suspended off the workshop floor on slick jacks, almost displayed like artworks, which feels appropriate.

It's a homely atmosphere, which is an unforgettable anachronism in a world of car factories in which carrier robots shuffle along in silence and assembly line workers reach for and fit colour-coded components under pressure of an unrelenting takt time. There you won't see a coffee mug perched on a stickered toolbox or a faded, inappropriate calendar on the wall - and you certainly won't see potted plants.

Neither will you see Stefan Roser, star of the 1989 promotional film Faszination auf dem Nürburgring at the wheel of an original Yellowbird, sauntering through, as I did on that first visit. If the existence of this short film is news to you, pop the kettle on and get to YouTube - you won't regret it.

By far the best thing about the Ruf workshop, though, is that it isn't a museum. Even the CTR Anniversary and its naturally aspirated SCR sibling - monocoque supercars both - are built there. It is a busy place. So busy with service and restoration, in fact, that Ruf won't thank me for suggesting you try to pin down a visit. But do so and it will be among the most memorable petrolhead excursions you ever make.

Reborn 2CV and Panda in frame as Stellantis confirms new affordable EVs for 2028

Tue, 19 May 2026 07:25:31 +0100

Citroën and Fiat have recently hinted at plans for entry-level affordable EVs

Multinational company launches new 'E-car project to develop and build small, affordable EVs for Europe

Stellantis has confirmed plans to begin production of a new line of "small and affordable" electric city cars in Italy from 2028 - likely including spiritual revivals of the original Fiat Panda and Citroën 2CV.

The multinational company has announced the launch of a new programme to develop A-segment EVs for the European market, in accordance with the European Commission's new 'E-car' framework - which aims to make the production of such vehicles more viable for manufacturers.

Working similarly to Japan's kei car rules, the EU's new E-car rules will create a new category for sub-4.2m, EU-built EVs dubbed 'M1E', which will be eligible for 'super-credits' against manufacturers' CO2 targets in the region.

Precise requirements for the M1E category have yet to be officially detailed, but the Commission previously said it aimed to freeze regulation in the class for 10 years to give manufacturers certainty and limit the amount of ongoing investment needed.

Confirming its plans to participate in the category today, Stellantis called it a "high-potential segment" that will play "a vital role in supporting the wider adoption of full-electric vehicles for convenient, everyday, city-centric mobility".

Stellantis said: "The E-car is a small, innovative, affordable and fully electric vehicle that is being developed in the true tradition of European 'people's mobility' - addressing the unprecedented contraction of the small affordable car segment in Europe in recent years."

CEO Antonio Filosa last week cited the lack of affordable cars on the market today as "one of the major causes of the automotive industry in Europe, just because cars below €15,000 don't exist".

Speaking at the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit in London, he said that "affordability is possible, the project of E-car is possible" and "there is an acknowledgement that electric small cars pollute less, so they deserve special framework".

Stellantis E-cars are expected to be enter production in 2028 at the company's Pomigliano plant in the south of Italy, which currently produces the Fiat Panda (no longer on sale in the UK, having been replaced by the Grande Panda) and the Alfa Romeo Tonale.

It said it chose the factory – capable of building nearly 300,000 cars per year currently – on the basis of the "potential of significant production volumes" with the new E-car programme.

It also highlights the site's "long history of producing some of Europe’s most iconic and affordable cars, including the much-loved Fiat Panda" - an electric revival of which is tipped to be one of its new M1E models, alongside a similarly conceived Citroën.

Autocar previously reported that Fiat was planning to launch a new entry-level Panda model (imagined below) to sit beneath the high-riding Grande Panda, riding on the STLA City platform that underpins the Fiat 500 and built at Pomigliano.

Fiat boss Olivier François told Autocar he expected "the design of the replacement Panda to be a bit closer to the original Panda of the '80s" and described it as the "baby bear" to the Grande Panda's "mama bear".

Citroën is also working on its own plans for a spiritual revival of a legendary 'people's car' for the new M1E class, channeling the ethos of the 2CV for a new entry-level EV to sit beneath the C3 supermini.

Speaking to Autocar recently, Citroën boss Xavier Chardon echoed Filosa's sentiment that the European car market was declining because of the erosion of the cheap car segment and pledged to give "buying power" back to motorists in the region - just as the 2CV did in France in the wake of World War II.

"The European market is the only one that has not recovered after Covid," Chardon said. "The United States is back, China is back, even South America is back, and we are still missing three million people buying new cars each year in Europe. And I would say 60% of that is driven by the simple fact that you don't have any cars any more below €15,000 or £15,000.

"It's quite a sad story that the average age of cars has increased by more than two years in the last five years. We are above 12 years now in average in Europe. So that's why you need to motivate people to buy new cars and to be affordable."

Stellantis hasn't yet confirmed, however, whether the mooted Fiat and Citroën models are among the M1E models it will build at Pomigliano; Filosa said only that the company plans to "answer the call" for more affordable cars with "exciting new models for multiple brands".

This is the latest in a string of high-profile Stellantis announcements made in the run up to its annual investor day presentation this Thursday, during which bosses will give details on the company's future strategy.

Details of the E-car programme are expected to feature, but one main focus is expected to be on the increasing importance of Stellantis's partnerships with other car makers - which Filosa touted last week as a central pillar of its plans going forward - in all key regions.

Stellantis recently expanded its partnership with Leapmotor to include the development of a new Vauxhall SUV based the Chinese firm's EV platform and last week announced a new deal with Dongfeng to produce a pair of new Jeeps and a pair of Peugeots at its Wuhan plant in China for local and global sale.

Road safety charity: More AI cameras needed to combat speeders

Tue, 19 May 2026 07:00:00 +0100

Deterrents – such as bright yellow cameras or traffic police – could be a more effective measure

Executive director of Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety suggests drivers are becoming complacent

Fines for driving offences should be increased to fund a rollout of Al-powered traffic cameras across the UK, the head of a leading transport safety charity has told Autocar.

Jamie Hassall, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, claimed this will quash a belief among a growing number of drivers that they are unlikely to be caught speeding or driving dangerously.

The latest generation of Al traffic cameras feature high-resolution imaging and ultra-fast processors that can detect if a driver is speeding, using their phone or not wearing a seatbelt. They can also automatically check all UK police and DVLA databases to check whether a vehicle is taxed and insured.

Around 200,000 drivers are found guilty of speed limit offences each year. Last year, almost five million penalty points were issued for driving offences, more than three-quarters of those for speeding.

To address this, Hassall recommends that fines are increased to help fund more speed cameras and Al cameras.

"Penalty points are a useful tool, but we need to increase the probability of bad drivers being caught," he said.

"One way would be to increase fines for moving traffic offences from £100 to £500, using the money raised to fund more cameras and Al technology, in addition to police patrols and improved intelligence around drivers such as serial parking offenders, who are often dangerous drivers.

"You can get fined £150 for dropping litter, but no one dies. Speed awareness courses are useful, but second-time offenders deserve a much higher penalty."

Meanwhile, a new survey of drivers has found that fewer than half of motorists believe penalty points discourage dangerous driving.

However, the survey, by USwitch, also found that among those drivers who had been given points, four out of five changed their driving behaviour to avoid accumulating more.

Commenting on the findings, James Gibson, executive director of charity Road Safety GB, said: "Penalty points are useful but not sufficient on their own. Evidence around deterrence of offending highlights increased visibility of enforcement to be important. This is based on research that shows the perceived likelihood of getting caught is a stronger deterrent than the severity of consequence if caught."

Plan for overhaul of penalty points

While the government has yet to announce plans to raise driving fines, it is looking to deter law-breaking motorists in other ways.

In a bid to lower road death numbers, which have plateaued since 2010, it wants to increase and more effectively use penalty points, as well as to introduce new offences.

A spokesperson said: "We know that the majority of motorists are responsible and law-abiding, but they and other road users want to see law-breaking dealt with, to make all our communities safer."

Further revisions are also being weighed up, with the proposed key changes as follows:

Seatbelts: Non-compliance to go from a £100 on-the-spot fine to accruing three penalty points.

Registration: Points for driving a car with no registered keeper, no MOT or an incorrect numberplate.

Impaired driving: Combining drink-and drug-driving offences, with lower limits.

Driving uninsured: An increase from the current six penalty points if caught driving without or with improper insurance.

Finally, a proper EV hot hatch? My winter fling with the Alpine A290

Tue, 19 May 2026 06:00:00 +0100

We named the A290 our favourite fun EV of 2025: this is what it's like to live with one for 2000 miles

This will be interesting: what happens when you take a highly acclaimed new car and turn up the wick at the expense of its utility credentials?

There's almost no point outlining the commendable attributes of the Renault 5 by now, so many column inches have we (justifiably) given over to them in recent months, but suffice to say that it's a very well-liked little car: it looks great, it has a decent range, its interior tech all works nicely and it's pretty fun to punt around.

So surely a quicker and more engaging take on the formula can only be a winner? Certainly, our experience of the Alpine A290 so far suggests that it successfully adds spice to the 5 recipe without doing too much to dent its mass appeal and in so doing provides a useful template for a new generation of electric hot hatchbacks – a class that has so far lacked any real star or benchmark.

We have had half-cooked early propositions like the over-endowed, under-engineered MG 4 XPower and Smart #1 Brabus and cheeky but highly compromised playthings like the Abarth 500e and Mini Cooper JCW Electric.

Now let's spend a bit of time with a car that has the potential to properly demonstrate the viability – and, importantly, the appeal – of a hot hatch without a combustion engine. To achieve that, the A290 must be more than a mere laugh on the right road: it needs to raise and sustain a smile every day in every weather.

The bones are there: the 5 is already a sweet steer, as capable of eliciting a grin on a fast, flowing country lane as it is enjoyably manoeuvrable and nippy around town, so the A290's extra poke and keener chassis settings should only enhance those characteristics, and turn this from an EV that you like to drive into an EV that you actively want to drive.

The elephant in the room, though, is the inevitable impact the power boost has had on range and efficiency. Whereas the standard car can officially squeeze up to 252 miles out of its 52kWh battery, its more potent relation slashes that figure to just 226 miles.

And having taken delivery a couple of weeks ago, I'm quickly learning that the real-world figure is some way off the WLTP fantasy – but more on that later.

My car is a top-of-the-line GTS, meaning it has the more powerful of the two available motors (making 217bhp), all the bells and whistles and a pricey two-tone paint scheme, which has already proved plenty loud enough to compensate for the lack of any engine sound, judging by the stares it attracts.

All in, it cost £38,600, which is roughly where prices start for the similarly conceived but larger Abarth 600e and a couple of grand less than the Volkswagen Golf GTI, which is probably its closest petrol-powered equivalent.

Since it arrived, though, the A290 has become eligible for the maximum £3750 discount under the UK government's Electric Car Grant scheme and Alpine has fettled the price list slightly, so you would now pay a slightly more reasonable £34,245 for the same spec. (The blue-and-black livery is now standard, along with a new one-pedal mode.)

It still seems a punchy outlay for a car that counts a scarcely usable back seat among its fairly glaring utility shortcomings, but let's see if it can compensate for that with some scintillating dynamics and dazzling pace. I should have a good giggle finding out, either way, but two things are giving me particular cause for concern.

One is that we're amid the coldest period of the year, and all evidence suggests I will be lucky to go much farther than 110 miles on the motorway when the mercury hits zero.

Having just spent a few very relaxing months behind the wheel of a big-battery Skoda Elroq, capable of nearly 300 miles on a charge, I've become a bit complacent about EV route planning and need to adjust my mindset again to ensure I'm not caught short with a flat battery.

Especially as the A290 can't charge particularly quickly, so there's not much scope for an emergency zap-and-dash if I'm ever running short on time and juice. The second – and more aggravating – issue is that I recently obtained the coffee machine of my dreams: it's the size of my living room, looks like something you might see in a Formula 1 pit garage and makes the creamiest, smoothest Americano you ever did see.

I'm thrilled at the prospect of having a piping hot, freshly roasted home brew to hand on my regular motorway schleps, and I can't wait to use it. But I will have to wait a few months, because for some strange reason Alpine saw fit to remove the 5's cupholders in the name of creating a more driver-focused environment.

So until I learn to drive completely one handed, there's no way of enjoying a hot drink in here – expensive Guatemalan beans or not. I've got plenty of time lingering about at service stations to come, mind you, so I should be able to pick up a coffee fairly regularly and finish it while the A290 charges.

Still, I'm hoping the car has a few of its own tricks in store for waking me up and getting my pulse racing once I start throwing it down some proper roads, because I never sleep properly if I've had caffeine after midday.

Warmer weather can't come soon enough

There’s an amusing – if inconvenient – irony to the A290's affinity for warmer climes.

The Alpine name, chosen as it was to commemorate company founder Jean Rédélé's success in the formidable Alpine Rally throughout the 1940s, conjures images of icy, frost-covered passes and hardy mountain types chuffing steamy breath through clenched, chapped fists as they wait for their snowmobiles to warm up.

Basically, it's a wintry word that's at odds with the cold-weather performance of the electric hatchback on which it is now prominently emblazoned. The A290 is no endurance champion, and I had expected its real-world range to fall well short of the WLTP-certified 224 miles once the temperature dropped – but not this much.

Back in milder times, I was aggravated when a journey from south London to Coventry (124 miles) took the battery from full down to about 20%, but as I write it's 2deg C outside and I wouldn't be confident of doing even that trifling two-hour journey without stopping for a charge - at least not without cruising at 60mph and turning the heater off. No thanks.

I'm having to really think about every journey and plan charging stops or slower routes for even relatively short-distance jaunts. One frigid day in early January, I had to make an emergency stop at an expensive public charger after unexpectedly using 4% of the battery just pootling from my place to a shop four miles away.

The next day, I opted to use our decrepit old Ford Fiesta for a run into Kent and back rather than risk being marooned on a Sunday evening in my charger-less home town.

The whole thing is making it quite difficult to enjoy the A290's performance and probe the limits of its dynamic character. I find myself reverting to fun-sapping Save mode more often than not and being exceedingly judicious with my throttle inputs to minimise energy usage. It all feels a bit 2018.

Naturally, the situation would be easier to manage if I were able to install a charger at home, but all the same, I can't help feeling pretty short-changed and frustrated. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can start properly driving the A290 as intended.

Thirsty work

The A290’s lack of a cupholder has quickly become one of my main bugbears about this electric hot hatch, and long journeys were starting to feel like a bit of a chore without a hot cup of tea to make them less arduous.

But after a bit of searching I might have found a 3D-printed solution.

Read the full feature here

How is the Alpine coping as our roads go to pot?

Not to labour the bleeding obvious, but good golly, aren't the roads bad? There's a pothole roughly the size of Ullswater a few doors from my house, there's a trench on the high street that has claimed many a Continental and the next street over has been bodged back together so many times that it looks more like my nan's patchwork quilt than a road.

It's depressing to look at and makes for uncomfortable commuting whatever I'm driving. I had worried that the A290's stiffened suspension and chunky 19in wheels would exacerbate the sub-par surfacing to the extent that it became nigh-on unbearable to drive.

The similarly conceived Cupra Leon I ran last year had a fairly exhausting low-speed secondary ride, while the Alpine's Abarth 500e rival – which I had a couple of years ago – often felt like it had leaf springs at each corner.

But good news: it's proving far more adept at rounding out these imperfections than I had feared. I average 13mph commuting through the 'burbs so I'm rarely going quick enough to snap a suspension link or tear a tyre, but I've been impressed by the A290's quiet composure over even the most battered roads.

It is still passively suspended, over-wheeled and heavy for its size, so it's all relative, but the shock waves sent via the seat base and steering column are generally nicely muffled by the time they get to me, and the suspension doesn't thunk and clunk in the stomach-somersaulting manner of some performance cars when you do fall into a council canyon.

There's some juddering and vibration over coarser ground, and I do tend to slam on the anchors when a speed bump jumps out at me for fear of banging my head on the ceiling, but broadly this is proving to be a highly competent city slicker. It's heartening that Alpine has been able to inject some extra poise and responsiveness into this chassis without sacrificing too much of the 'big-car' composure that makes the Renault 5 one of the best-rounded electric superminis available.

There's only so much it can iron out, though: I found myself with a spare couple of hours last Sunday and hopped in the A290 for a free-spirited tear around the local lanes, but it wasn't long before I'd had enough of the absolutely dire roads and cut my losses in favour of a more sedate crawl to a local pub for a roast. I'll take pork crackling over cracked alloys any day.

It's a shame, because when you get it on smoother ground (and providing you have enough juice in the battery for a bit of fun), the A290 is a riot. I've previously mentioned that it can feel unexpectedly hefty in a tight car park, but let loose on more open roads it nips and darts with the cheeky frivolity of the very best hot hatchbacks – and with the added bonus of being seriously, seriously quick when you give it the beans from rest.

I just hope we get a long enough dry spell for some of the worst roads in my area to get patched up before the A290 is returned to Alpine – I want the chance to get some flat-out blasts under my belt before sending it back on a high note. And ideally with all four tyres intact.

There's hope for hot hatch fans

At last: a break in the clouds, a break in my calendar and – happily – surprisingly few breaks in the Tarmac of the enticingly twisty B-road that I can see snaking away in front of me and up through the Berkshire Downs. Let's burn some electrons.

Winter provided scant few opportunities to drive the A290 in the frivolous, care-free manner that I knew would show this EV hot hatch in its best light. But here we go: spring has sprung, I've got a full battery, my phone's on Airplane Mode and the sun is shining, so it's the perfect time to drive the Alpine as I would a petrol hot hatch in the same circumstances, to see how easily I can spot the differences – and how much I care about them.

First things first: it's fast and it feels it. The proliferation of instant-power EV powertrains means that its on-paper 0-62mph time of 6.4sec doesn't sound as exciting as it might have done a few years ago, even if it is objectively pretty rapid. Indeed, it's slower than a Volkswagen Golf GTI (not to mention a good few humdrum family haulers these days), but Alpine has done a fine job of making an occasion of acceleration.

There's a cheeky, semi-convincing whoosh noise piped into the cabin that serves to boost sensory appeal, which is so often sorely lacking in quick EVs, and when you floor it or press the enticing red 'overtake' button on the steering wheel, a jazzy, space-themed graphic takes over the driver's display to make you feel like you're hurtling at the speed of light between galaxies.

It's all a bit gamified, but the A290 isn't a serious sort of car, so you can excuse a bit of contrivance. The A290 is already one up on early one-trick-pony electric hot hatches like the MG 4 XPower in the engagement stakes, then, and it keeps edging ahead as it shows off some real dynamic nous in the bendier bits.

I won't pretend it has the balletic malleability of a Honda Civic Type R or the unflappably planted composure of a hot four-wheel-drive Mercedes A-Class, but there's still impressive poise and genuine dynamic character to enjoy here.

With its decently weighted steering and keenly obedient front end, the A290 encourages you to hurtle into corners without bleeding off too much of the pace you've easily won on the straights, then keeps roll in check remarkably well as you pivot neatly around the apex and floor it out the other side, feeling far lighter and more compact than its baby crossover dimensions would have you believe.

I can't help wondering whether it might turn that little bit more tightly and grip slightly more sweetly with the aid of an electronic limited-slip differential (like that fitted to the similarly conceived Abarth 600e and upcoming Peugeot e-208 GTi), although the trick torque-vectoring system (which works by braking the front wheels individually) does a nice job of helping the front axle hook up on corner exit and ensuring consistent power delivery if either wheel becomes unloaded.

I've noticed that the slightly overbearing traction control system does tend to interfere whenever you give it the beans from rest, giving the effect of throttling back, and only liberating the A290's full reserves once you're well under way.

It's frustrating when you really just want to get up to speed, but I've convinced myself to think of it as a subtle, purposeful nod to the turbo lag that defined the accelerative characteristics of the original Renault 5 Turbo. It just needs a little bit of synthesised wastegate flutter piped into the cabin for the full effect.

Rewarding to drive, but it makes you pay

It should be noted first and foremost that my stewardship of the Alpine A290 coincided neatly with the coldest and most miserable part of the year, so my relationship with it was blighted by the need to charge it more often than I would have in summer and the grimmer experience of doing so.

That's not to say we had a bad time together. Indeed, I'll miss this funky electric hot hatch dearly for many reasons, which I'll come on to shortly. But straight off the bat I can tell you that it's decidedly not the car for you if you regularly do long trips. It just hasn't got the legs for it.

It's not entirely the A290's fault: I can't charge at home, so I'm largely dependent on Ubitricity lamp-posts that are only semi-local, shockingly expensive public fast chargers and very occasionally 7kW slow chargers.

This arrangement is eminently workable with an efficient, big-battery EV that I can juice up and forget about for a few weeks, but when just a few suburban commutes or a lap of the M25 will drain the battery, it adds a layer of stress to proceedings, which overshadowed the A290's more likeable attributes.

On average, a full charge would afford 164 miles of running, which was pretty unimpressive against an official 224-and that would drop as low as 125 with sustained high-speed cruising or particularly frigid temperatures (despite the A290 getting a heat pump as standard).

It's difficult for electric cars to be both small and long-legged, of course, with the inherent packaging constraints, but there are plenty of similarly powered and sized options on the market that go much farther on a charge. Our testers found the A290's Mini Cooper SE rival (with an almost identical size, battery and motor), for example, would manage more than 200 miles in mixed use.

If I were buying an A290, I'd strongly consider going for the GT version, which is more efficient than this GTS so goes farther and doesn't really have less grunt in the real world, yet is £4000 cheaper. Stamina concerns aside, though, the A290 is a thoroughly enjoyable little thing to scoot around in.

It has all the pep and urgency you could ask of a hot hatch, with the advantage over like-minded rivals that it delivers its reserves and handles with a distinct sense of character, rather than the sort of quick-but-clinical, disengaged vibe that afflicts many performance EVs.

The steering is satisfyingly weighty and amusingly, confidence-inspiringly responsive, while the impressive vertical body control helps to mask the A290's heft in corners – but without inflicting the bone-shattering secondary ride that's usually the trade-off for keen dynamics.

It's seriously fast off the mark, too, but the accelerator isn't too jabby and it doesn't tend to scrabble and squirm away from rest on full throttle, as can sometimes be the case with generously endowed front-wheelers – the meaty Michelin Pilot Sport tyres helping to make up for the lack of a clever limited-slip differential, such as that fitted to the Abarth 600e and Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce.

It's a good reminder that electric cars really can be fun and go some way to compensating for their lack of an engine note and gearbox with truly entertaining performance characteristics.

Without wanting to lay it on too thick, though, the A290 is still tricky to drive flat out just for the hell of it, simply because of the exacerbated range anxiety that comes from taking it to the limit. I chided myself on more than one occasion for letting loose on an appealing back road when I simply couldn't afford the time to stop later on and replace the wasted electrons, and there were days when I had nothing better to do but chose not to go for a blast because I would use half the charge just getting to a decent road.

On the other hand, though, it's exactly the sort of performance car that makes a lot of sense for nipping about town. It's not as small as it might seem in pictures (it's not far off the Ford Puma crossover in terms of overall dimensions) but is extremely easy to manoeuvre in tight environments, with a decent turning circle and good visibility all around (even if the rear-view camera is all but useless in the dark or rain).

It's composed when the going gets rough – as it often did during those grim few months of road-wrecking rain and frost – and the cockpit technology is all broadly intuitive and reliable in everyday use, avoiding most of the frustrating bings, bongs and blackouts that can really aggravate over the course of a few thousand miles.

Bonus points for the healthy smattering of physical controls - but marks lost for a boot that's too small for anything more than my weekly shopping and a cramped back seat that I'd think twice about sticking even a young child in for a long drive.

I promised myself I wouldn't mention the lack of a cupholder again, but here I am doing just that. You could argue that it's a trivial gripe, but the number of owners on the forums hunting for aftermarket solutions suggests it's a real annoyance. Certainly I felt a lot warmer towards the A290 once I'd installed a 3D-printed cupholder.

A nuanced car, then, one with plenty of rational and emotional appeal but also some quirks and shortcomings that can make it tricky to live with. I think it makes most sense as a household's second car that can nip around doing all the boring school run and supermarket bits but be capable of stepping in on a Sunday morning for a bit of fun in the hills. But I'd steer clear completely if you don't have a home charger.

Alpine A290 GTS

Prices: List price new £37,500 List price now £34,245 Price as tested £38,600

Options: Vision Blue paint with black roof £1100

Economy and range: Claimed range 226 miles Battery 52.0kWh (usable) Test average 3.2mpkWh Test best 3.7mpkWh Test worst 2.4mpkWh Real-world range 164 miles Max charge rate 100kW

Tech highlights: 0-62mph 6.4sec Top speed 106mph Engine Permanent magnet synchronous motor Max power 217bhp Max torque 221lb ft Gearbox 1-spd reduction gear, FWD Boot 326 litres Wheels 19in, alloy Tyres 225/40 R19, Michelin Pilot Sport EV Kerb weight 1479kg

Service and running costs: Contract hire rate £399 pcm CO₂ Og/km Service costs None Other costs None Fuel costs £256.81 Running costs including fuel £256.81 Cost per mile 13 pence Faults None

Lotus: its biggest sellers, and its smallest

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:23:49 +0100

Just add lightness - and sales

The British sports car specialist Lotus has made many fine cars over the years since its foundation in 1952.

Here we take a look at its greatest hits, and its rather more exclusive models. Some were deliberately so, others just because the market proved less than receptive - time to find out why. We start with the biggest sellers..

BIGGEST - 10: Lotus Seven (1957-73) – 2,477 sold

The 10th biggest selling Lotus was a simple two-seater open top-sports car. The car created by Lotus founder Colin Chapman was popular because you could use it as a road car during the week and qualify for racing at the weekend. If you were feeling brave, you could also assemble from ‘complete knock down’ yourself to avoid tax.

9: Lotus Esprit (1976-90) – 2,919 sold

One day in 1976, Lotus accidentally-on-purpose parked its new Esprit outside the London offices of one Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli - and its worldwide movie stardom in James Bond's The Spy Who Loved Me was assured. A combination of fine handling, cutting edge Ital design and nearly-free publicity revived Lotus. A missile-launcher was not an option though.

8: Lotus Exige 2 S (2006–11) – 3,306 sold

Born from the Lotus racing series and powered by a supercharged Toyota engine, the Exige was favourably compared to more expensive rivals. A favourite with track-day enthusiasts because of its razor-sharp handling and a more powerful engine over the regular Elise; many examples have received performance upgrades to cope with extended circuit work.

7: Lotus Elise 2 (2000-06) – 4,535 sold

Building on the success of the original Elise and helped along by GM investment - which also saw the creation of sister car Vauxhall VX220 (called Opel Speedster in Europe) - the Elise 2 had an improved interior, better refinement and a revised 1.8-litre K-series engine. The styling was more aggressive, using cues from the 2000 M250 concept car.

6: Lotus Elan & Elan S2 (1989-92, 1994-95) – 4,655 sold

The M100 Elan was the first, and last, front-wheel-drive Lotus. GM money funded the car, which featured the reliability of a 1.6-litre Isuzu engine, with or without a turbo. Unable to make it profitable, the design was sold to Kia who continued to make it for three years.

5: Lotus Elan + 2 (1967-74) – 5,168 sold

How do you expand on a winning formula? Add a foot. The Elan + 2 features the practicality of rear seats and the twin-cam engine had more power to cope with the extra weight. It was also the first Lotus not to be sold in kit form, which improved reliability.

4: Lotus Elise (1996-01) – 8,613 sold

The car that saved Lotus from going bust. The roof was fiddlier to erect than a tent in a storm and the high door sill was an obstacle, but a combination of low weight and perfect steering won it many fans.

3: Lotus Elise 2 111R (2003-11) – 8,628 sold

The 111R was not the first Lotus to use a Japanese engine, but with a useful 189bhp, Toyota power boosted performance over the 111S and customers also gained an extra ratio. It was the Elise that Lotus were finally able to sell in America as the previous K-series engine never met US emission standards.

2: Lotus Europa (1967-75) – 9,887 sold

The Europa’s ambition was to use a mid-engined layout, which had firmly become a mainstay of Grand Prix cars, and applying it to volume sports car production. Originally bonded to the chassis for maximum structural stiffness, the lightweight fibreglass body helped make the most of the Renault-sourced engine’s rather modest 82bhp.

1: Lotus Elan (1962-72) - 12,224 sold

Initially available in kit form, the cute little Elan was the first Lotus to use a steel backbone chassis with a lightweight fibreglass body. A compliant ride was assured with independent suspension all round, backed up by four-wheel disc brakes. Its starring role in the Avengers TV series cemented its iconic status, and helped it become the best-selling Lotus ever.

SMALLEST - 10: Lotus Excel (1982–92) – 1,327 sold

The 10th smallest-selling Lotus was the Excel. The car did benefit from parts sharing with Toyota, but this heavily revised version of the earlier Éclat still featured odd styling and simply wasn’t as well built or reliable as its Porsche 944 rival. The major changes were underneath with the five-speed gearbox and brakes taken from the Supra.

9: Lotus Elite (1957-63) – 1,078 sold

The Elite featured an innovative fibre-glass monocoque body and was remarkably aerodynamic for its time. The star of the 1957 London motor show, it featured a 1.2-litre Coventry Climax engine with 75bhp. Poor build quality (it was available in kit form), lack of cabin ventilation, and excessive vibration didn’t help sales however.

8: Any Lotus Evora with 2+0 seating (2009-present) – 614 sold

It seems strange given that the back seats in an Evora are borderline impossible for human use, but customers don’t like the 2+0, despite it being 10kg (22 lbs) lighter and cheaper by £1,455 (US$2300). The worst seller is the 410 Auto 2+0 with a mere five sold since it was introduced in 2016.

7: Lotus Exige (2000-02) – 583 sold

The Exige was aimed at serious track-day goers who could afford to splash out on this stripped-out road-going racer. Trouble was the Exige sported the face of the old Elise and when customers saw what the new one was going to look like, they weren’t going to pay nearly £33,000 (around $60,000 at the time) for something that looked like the old model.

6: Lotus Europa (2006-10) – 458 sold

Guess what? It’s another ‘new’ Lotus based on the Elise. Except this one is a grand tourer. No, we weren’t convinced and neither were you. When you consider that the more capable Porsche Cayman (launched around the same time) didn’t cost much more, it is easy to see why this was never a sales hit.

5: Lotus 2-Eleven (2007-11) – 358 sold

Yet another Elise spin off, this time with the Toyota 2ZZ-GE supercharged engine with 252bhp. The car was stripped of all unnecessary weight to create, in road-going form, a 670kg (1477 lbs) track-day weapon that could do 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds and the potential of 150mph.Read the Autocar review of the Lotus 2-Eleven

4: Lotus 340R (2000) – 340 sold

An Elise-based special edition which featured no doors, no roof and could only be bought in a silver and black colour scheme. Yokohama developed the tyres especially and it could in fact be made road legal. The engine was a development of the K-series called VHPD (Very High Power Derivative) with 177bhp.

3: Lotus Esprit Sport 350 (1999-2001) – 48 sold

A limited edition, Lotus only ever planned to make 50 of these. The Sport 350 was a development of the V8 model to create the ultimate track-day car. It featured improved AP racing brakes, stiffer suspension, OZ Racing alloys and a massive carbonfibre rear wing.

2: Lotus Evora Motor Sports GT4 Racing (2011-15) – 21 sold

At a cost of £125,000 (US$200,000), the racing GT4 had significant alterations to make it a racer including bigger brakes with four pot calipers all around, a Cosworth-tweaked 4.0-litre engine which put out 355bhp and an X-trac 6-speed sequential gearbox. The GT4 also had its interior stripped out making the car just 1,200kg (2,646 lbs).

1: Lotus Elise 2 SPS (2011) – 5 sold

And the most exclusive Lotus ever is... the Lotus Elise 2 SPS. Hailed as a clever way of increasing the pure driving experience by using lightweight technology, the Serial Precision Shift Elise featured fashionable paddle shifters connected to a robotised manual transmission. It seems customers saw it as a £1,500 ($2,400) overcomplication incongruous with the Lotus philosophy and didn't exactly queue up to buy one.

Lotus: its biggest sellers, and its smallest

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:23:48 +0100

Just add lightness - and sales

The British sports car specialist Lotus has made many fine cars over the years since its foundation in 1952.

BIGGEST - 10: Lotus Seven (1957-73) – 2,477 sold

9: Lotus Esprit (1976-90) – 2,919 sold

8: Lotus Exige 2 S (2006–11) – 3,306 sold

7: Lotus Elise 2 (2000-06) – 4,535 sold

6: Lotus Elan & Elan S2 (1989-92, 1994-95) – 4,655 sold

5: Lotus Elan + 2 (1967-74) – 5,168 sold

4: Lotus Elise (1996-01) – 8,613 sold

3: Lotus Elise 2 111R (2003-11) – 8,628 sold

2: Lotus Europa (1967-75) – 9,887 sold

1: Lotus Elan (1962-72) - 12,224 sold

SMALLEST - 10: Lotus Excel (1982–92) – 1,327 sold

9: Lotus Elite (1957-63) – 1,078 sold

8: Any Lotus Evora with 2+0 seating (2009-present) – 614 sold

7: Lotus Exige (2000-02) – 583 sold

6: Lotus Europa (2006-10) – 458 sold

5: Lotus 2-Eleven (2007-11) – 358 sold

4: Lotus 340R (2000) – 340 sold

3: Lotus Esprit Sport 350 (1999-2001) – 48 sold

2: Lotus Evora Motor Sports GT4 Racing (2011-15) – 21 sold

1: Lotus Elise 2 SPS (2011) – 5 sold

Lotus: its biggest sellers, and its smallest

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:23:45 +0100

Just add lightness - and sales

The British sports car specialist Lotus has made many fine cars over the years since its foundation in 1952.

BIGGEST - 10: Lotus Seven (1957-73) – 2,477 sold

9: Lotus Esprit (1976-90) – 2,919 sold

8: Lotus Exige 2 S (2006–11) – 3,306 sold

7: Lotus Elise 2 (2000-06) – 4,535 sold

6: Lotus Elan & Elan S2 (1989-92, 1994-95) – 4,655 sold

5: Lotus Elan + 2 (1967-74) – 5,168 sold

4: Lotus Elise (1996-01) – 8,613 sold

3: Lotus Elise 2 111R (2003-11) – 8,628 sold

2: Lotus Europa (1967-75) – 9,887 sold

1: Lotus Elan (1962-72) - 12,224 sold

SMALLEST - 10: Lotus Excel (1982–92) – 1,327 sold

9: Lotus Elite (1957-63) – 1,078 sold

8: Any Lotus Evora with 2+0 seating (2009-present) – 614 sold

7: Lotus Exige (2000-02) – 583 sold

6: Lotus Europa (2006-10) – 458 sold

5: Lotus 2-Eleven (2007-11) – 358 sold

4: Lotus 340R (2000) – 340 sold

3: Lotus Esprit Sport 350 (1999-2001) – 48 sold

2: Lotus Evora Motor Sports GT4 Racing (2011-15) – 21 sold

1: Lotus Elise 2 SPS (2011) – 5 sold

Lotus: its biggest sellers, and its smallest

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:23:43 +0100

Just add lightness - and sales

The British sports car specialist Lotus has made many fine cars over the years since its foundation in 1952.

BIGGEST - 10: Lotus Seven (1957-73) – 2,477 sold

9: Lotus Esprit (1976-90) – 2,919 sold

8: Lotus Exige 2 S (2006–11) – 3,306 sold

7: Lotus Elise 2 (2000-06) – 4,535 sold

6: Lotus Elan & Elan S2 (1989-92, 1994-95) – 4,655 sold

5: Lotus Elan + 2 (1967-74) – 5,168 sold

4: Lotus Elise (1996-01) – 8,613 sold

3: Lotus Elise 2 111R (2003-11) – 8,628 sold

2: Lotus Europa (1967-75) – 9,887 sold

1: Lotus Elan (1962-72) - 12,224 sold

SMALLEST - 10: Lotus Excel (1982–92) – 1,327 sold

9: Lotus Elite (1957-63) – 1,078 sold

8: Any Lotus Evora with 2+0 seating (2009-present) – 614 sold

7: Lotus Exige (2000-02) – 583 sold

6: Lotus Europa (2006-10) – 458 sold

5: Lotus 2-Eleven (2007-11) – 358 sold

4: Lotus 340R (2000) – 340 sold

3: Lotus Esprit Sport 350 (1999-2001) – 48 sold

2: Lotus Evora Motor Sports GT4 Racing (2011-15) – 21 sold

1: Lotus Elise 2 SPS (2011) – 5 sold

Lotus: its biggest sellers, and its smallest

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:23:42 +0100

Just add lightness - and sales

The British sports car specialist Lotus has made many fine cars over the years since its foundation in 1952.

BIGGEST - 10: Lotus Seven (1957-73) – 2,477 sold

9: Lotus Esprit (1976-90) – 2,919 sold

8: Lotus Exige 2 S (2006–11) – 3,306 sold

7: Lotus Elise 2 (2000-06) – 4,535 sold

6: Lotus Elan & Elan S2 (1989-92, 1994-95) – 4,655 sold

5: Lotus Elan + 2 (1967-74) – 5,168 sold

4: Lotus Elise (1996-01) – 8,613 sold

3: Lotus Elise 2 111R (2003-11) – 8,628 sold

2: Lotus Europa (1967-75) – 9,887 sold

1: Lotus Elan (1962-72) - 12,224 sold

SMALLEST - 10: Lotus Excel (1982–92) – 1,327 sold

9: Lotus Elite (1957-63) – 1,078 sold

8: Any Lotus Evora with 2+0 seating (2009-present) – 614 sold

7: Lotus Exige (2000-02) – 583 sold

6: Lotus Europa (2006-10) – 458 sold

5: Lotus 2-Eleven (2007-11) – 358 sold

4: Lotus 340R (2000) – 340 sold

3: Lotus Esprit Sport 350 (1999-2001) – 48 sold

2: Lotus Evora Motor Sports GT4 Racing (2011-15) – 21 sold

1: Lotus Elise 2 SPS (2011) – 5 sold

Lotus: its biggest sellers, and its smallest

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:23:40 +0100

Just add lightness - and sales

The British sports car specialist Lotus has made many fine cars over the years since its foundation in 1952.

BIGGEST - 10: Lotus Seven (1957-73) – 2,477 sold

9: Lotus Esprit (1976-90) – 2,919 sold

8: Lotus Exige 2 S (2006–11) – 3,306 sold

7: Lotus Elise 2 (2000-06) – 4,535 sold

6: Lotus Elan & Elan S2 (1989-92, 1994-95) – 4,655 sold

5: Lotus Elan + 2 (1967-74) – 5,168 sold

4: Lotus Elise (1996-01) – 8,613 sold

3: Lotus Elise 2 111R (2003-11) – 8,628 sold

2: Lotus Europa (1967-75) – 9,887 sold

1: Lotus Elan (1962-72) - 12,224 sold

SMALLEST - 10: Lotus Excel (1982–92) – 1,327 sold

9: Lotus Elite (1957-63) – 1,078 sold

8: Any Lotus Evora with 2+0 seating (2009-present) – 614 sold

7: Lotus Exige (2000-02) – 583 sold

6: Lotus Europa (2006-10) – 458 sold

5: Lotus 2-Eleven (2007-11) – 358 sold

4: Lotus 340R (2000) – 340 sold

3: Lotus Esprit Sport 350 (1999-2001) – 48 sold

2: Lotus Evora Motor Sports GT4 Racing (2011-15) – 21 sold

1: Lotus Elise 2 SPS (2011) – 5 sold

Lotus: its biggest sellers, and its smallest

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:23:36 +0100

Just add lightness - and sales

The British sports car specialist Lotus has made many fine cars over the years since its foundation in 1952.

BIGGEST - 10: Lotus Seven (1957-73) – 2,477 sold

9: Lotus Esprit (1976-90) – 2,919 sold

8: Lotus Exige 2 S (2006–11) – 3,306 sold

7: Lotus Elise 2 (2000-06) – 4,535 sold

6: Lotus Elan & Elan S2 (1989-92, 1994-95) – 4,655 sold

5: Lotus Elan + 2 (1967-74) – 5,168 sold

4: Lotus Elise (1996-01) – 8,613 sold

3: Lotus Elise 2 111R (2003-11) – 8,628 sold

2: Lotus Europa (1967-75) – 9,887 sold

1: Lotus Elan (1962-72) - 12,224 sold

SMALLEST - 10: Lotus Excel (1982–92) – 1,327 sold

9: Lotus Elite (1957-63) – 1,078 sold

8: Any Lotus Evora with 2+0 seating (2009-present) – 614 sold

7: Lotus Exige (2000-02) – 583 sold

6: Lotus Europa (2006-10) – 458 sold

5: Lotus 2-Eleven (2007-11) – 358 sold

4: Lotus 340R (2000) – 340 sold

3: Lotus Esprit Sport 350 (1999-2001) – 48 sold

2: Lotus Evora Motor Sports GT4 Racing (2011-15) – 21 sold

1: Lotus Elise 2 SPS (2011) – 5 sold

Lotus: its biggest sellers, and its smallest

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:23:27 +0100

Just add lightness - and sales

The British sports car specialist Lotus has made many fine cars over the years since its foundation in 1952.

BIGGEST - 10: Lotus Seven (1957-73) – 2,477 sold

9: Lotus Esprit (1976-90) – 2,919 sold

8: Lotus Exige 2 S (2006–11) – 3,306 sold

7: Lotus Elise 2 (2000-06) – 4,535 sold

6: Lotus Elan & Elan S2 (1989-92, 1994-95) – 4,655 sold

5: Lotus Elan + 2 (1967-74) – 5,168 sold

4: Lotus Elise (1996-01) – 8,613 sold

3: Lotus Elise 2 111R (2003-11) – 8,628 sold

2: Lotus Europa (1967-75) – 9,887 sold

1: Lotus Elan (1962-72) - 12,224 sold

SMALLEST - 10: Lotus Excel (1982–92) – 1,327 sold

9: Lotus Elite (1957-63) – 1,078 sold

8: Any Lotus Evora with 2+0 seating (2009-present) – 614 sold

7: Lotus Exige (2000-02) – 583 sold

6: Lotus Europa (2006-10) – 458 sold

5: Lotus 2-Eleven (2007-11) – 358 sold

4: Lotus 340R (2000) – 340 sold

3: Lotus Esprit Sport 350 (1999-2001) – 48 sold

2: Lotus Evora Motor Sports GT4 Racing (2011-15) – 21 sold

1: Lotus Elise 2 SPS (2011) – 5 sold

Lotus: its biggest sellers, and its smallest

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:23:19 +0100

Just add lightness - and sales

The British sports car specialist Lotus has made many fine cars over the years since its foundation in 1952.

BIGGEST - 10: Lotus Seven (1957-73) – 2,477 sold

9: Lotus Esprit (1976-90) – 2,919 sold

8: Lotus Exige 2 S (2006–11) – 3,306 sold

7: Lotus Elise 2 (2000-06) – 4,535 sold

6: Lotus Elan & Elan S2 (1989-92, 1994-95) – 4,655 sold

5: Lotus Elan + 2 (1967-74) – 5,168 sold

4: Lotus Elise (1996-01) – 8,613 sold

3: Lotus Elise 2 111R (2003-11) – 8,628 sold

2: Lotus Europa (1967-75) – 9,887 sold

1: Lotus Elan (1962-72) - 12,224 sold

SMALLEST - 10: Lotus Excel (1982–92) – 1,327 sold

9: Lotus Elite (1957-63) – 1,078 sold

8: Any Lotus Evora with 2+0 seating (2009-present) – 614 sold

7: Lotus Exige (2000-02) – 583 sold

6: Lotus Europa (2006-10) – 458 sold

5: Lotus 2-Eleven (2007-11) – 358 sold

4: Lotus 340R (2000) – 340 sold

3: Lotus Esprit Sport 350 (1999-2001) – 48 sold

2: Lotus Evora Motor Sports GT4 Racing (2011-15) – 21 sold

1: Lotus Elise 2 SPS (2011) – 5 sold

Lotus: its biggest sellers, and its smallest

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:23:08 +0100

Just add lightness - and sales

The British sports car specialist Lotus has made many fine cars over the years since its foundation in 1952.

BIGGEST - 10: Lotus Seven (1957-73) – 2,477 sold

9: Lotus Esprit (1976-90) – 2,919 sold

8: Lotus Exige 2 S (2006–11) – 3,306 sold

7: Lotus Elise 2 (2000-06) – 4,535 sold

6: Lotus Elan & Elan S2 (1989-92, 1994-95) – 4,655 sold

5: Lotus Elan + 2 (1967-74) – 5,168 sold

4: Lotus Elise (1996-01) – 8,613 sold

3: Lotus Elise 2 111R (2003-11) – 8,628 sold

2: Lotus Europa (1967-75) – 9,887 sold

1: Lotus Elan (1962-72) - 12,224 sold

SMALLEST - 10: Lotus Excel (1982–92) – 1,327 sold

9: Lotus Elite (1957-63) – 1,078 sold

8: Any Lotus Evora with 2+0 seating (2009-present) – 614 sold

7: Lotus Exige (2000-02) – 583 sold

6: Lotus Europa (2006-10) – 458 sold

5: Lotus 2-Eleven (2007-11) – 358 sold

4: Lotus 340R (2000) – 340 sold

3: Lotus Esprit Sport 350 (1999-2001) – 48 sold

2: Lotus Evora Motor Sports GT4 Racing (2011-15) – 21 sold

1: Lotus Elise 2 SPS (2011) – 5 sold

Lotus: its biggest sellers, and its smallest

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:22:59 +0100

Just add lightness - and sales

The British sports car specialist Lotus has made many fine cars over the years since its foundation in 1952.

BIGGEST - 10: Lotus Seven (1957-73) – 2,477 sold

9: Lotus Esprit (1976-90) – 2,919 sold

8: Lotus Exige 2 S (2006–11) – 3,306 sold

7: Lotus Elise 2 (2000-06) – 4,535 sold

6: Lotus Elan & Elan S2 (1989-92, 1994-95) – 4,655 sold

5: Lotus Elan + 2 (1967-74) – 5,168 sold

4: Lotus Elise (1996-01) – 8,613 sold

3: Lotus Elise 2 111R (2003-11) – 8,628 sold

2: Lotus Europa (1967-75) – 9,887 sold

1: Lotus Elan (1962-72) - 12,224 sold

SMALLEST - 10: Lotus Excel (1982–92) – 1,327 sold

9: Lotus Elite (1957-63) – 1,078 sold

8: Any Lotus Evora with 2+0 seating (2009-present) – 614 sold

7: Lotus Exige (2000-02) – 583 sold

6: Lotus Europa (2006-10) – 458 sold

5: Lotus 2-Eleven (2007-11) – 358 sold

4: Lotus 340R (2000) – 340 sold

3: Lotus Esprit Sport 350 (1999-2001) – 48 sold

2: Lotus Evora Motor Sports GT4 Racing (2011-15) – 21 sold

1: Lotus Elise 2 SPS (2011) – 5 sold

Lotus: its biggest sellers, and its smallest

Tue, 19 May 2026 02:22:53 +0100

Just add lightness - and sales

The British sports car specialist Lotus has made many fine cars over the years since its foundation in 1952.