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First look at Dacia's new £16k electric city car

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:11:58 +0100

New Twingo-based EV will be revealed later this year ahead of a public debut at the Paris motor show

Dacia is priming a sub-£16,000 city car as one of four new EVs it will launch between now and 2030 – and it has now been spotted testing for the first time.

The new model is twinned with the Renault Twingo, and the close ties between the two models are evident. Like its retro sibling, the Dacia has a raked C-pillar, curved roofline and rounded rear windows, plus similar surfacing around its wheel arches.

Yet significant differences are also evident: it loses the Twingo’s signature rounded front light design for a thin gloss-black panel, like that on the Spring. At the rear, it does not have the Twingo’s lozenge-style window shroud, and the brake lights are also notably higher-set than on the Twingo.

The new Dacia city car will be revealed later this year, ahead of a public debut at the Paris motor show in October. It has been developed in just 16 months.

Although it is positioned similarly to the Spring, it will not immediately replace that model. Dacia product boss Patrice Lévy-Bencheton told Autocar that “they are still quite different” – it will be slightly larger and wider, and its design takes greater influence from Dacia’s SUVs.

While Dacia has yet to give firm technical details of the car, it is likely to closely match the Twingo, with a 27.5kWh battery giving a range of just over 160 miles. Notably, Dacia has confirmed the model will be priced from less than €18,000 (£15,600), undercutting the sub-£20,000 Twingo and making it one of the cheapest EVs on sale.

Three more Dacia EVs in next four years

Dacia has committed to launch three further electric vehicles in the next four years, although it has not yet given full details of them. One, however, will be the electric version of the next-generation Sandero, which, the company has confirmed, will adopt a “multi-energy powertrain range”.

As previously reported by Autocar, it will use Renault’s CMF-B platform, which allows for pure-combustion, hybrid and electric powertrains.

The Sandero will “remain the value-for-money benchmark in its segment”, said Dacia. It was for years the cheapest car on sale in the UK.

As well as increasing its EV line-up, Dacia will continue to expand its hybrid offerings. While around a quarter of Dacias currently sold feature a hybrid powertrain, the goal is for that to reach two-thirds in the future.

The Striker and Bigster will be key to growing sales in the larger and more profitable C-segment. That market currently accounts for around a fifth of the brand’s sales but the aim is for the combination of the two vehicles to increase that share to a third in the coming years.

More broadly, Dacia will continue to lean on what it calls a “unique business model”, drawing on a “disciplined” design-to-cost strategy that, helped by the use of shared group platforms and a lean distribution system, gives it a cost advantage of 15% compared with rivals, it claims.

Dacia is also aiming to further strengthen its customer loyalty. It claims that more than 70% of owners stick with the brand when buying a new vehicle, with a further 10% switching to Renault.

Toyota Yaris Cross gets new look and drops entry-level hybrid

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:33:15 +0100

Small crossover drops 116bhp hybrid set-up in favour of more powerful 130bhp variant

Toyota has updated the Yaris Cross with a fresh look that brings it into line with the brand’s newer models, such as the Aygo X and Prius.

Key changes include new LED headlights with C-shaped daytime running elements, plus a new honeycomb-style front grille.

Inside, the sports seats that were previously exclusive to the second-from-top Excel trim level are now standard on Design, a grade below. Design also gains ambient lighting and a wireless phone charger as standard.

Excel, meanwhile, gains a power-opening boot, and electric folding door mirrors have been made standard across the range.

The entry-level 116bhp 1.5-litre petrol-hybrid powertrain has been discontinued, meaning the only option is the more powerful 128bhp variant that was introduced in 2024. It is available with either front- or four-wheel-drive, with the latter adding an electric motor on the rear wheels that kicks in when traction is limited at the front end. Its power output is the same regardless of which drivetrain you choose, however.

Order books will open this autumn, Toyota UK said. Prices have yet to be confirmed but are expected to rise slightly for the entry-level Icon and Design trims (£27,295 and £29,775), given the discontinuation of the 116bhp hybrid set-up. The rest of the range – which goes up to £33,180 for the Excel grade – is expected to remain broadly the same.

New Volkswagen T-Roc: Has it made the Golf redundant?

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0100

New-generation of VW's medium-sized crossover has plenty of strengths but can it really cope with our tatty roads?

You may already have read Illya Verpraet’s comprehensive report on the new Volkswagen T-Roc, dispatched from Lisbon in November.

And, in just a couple of months' time, you’ll be able to read an even more comprehensive review bolstered by economy and performance figures obtained at Horiba Mira proving ground, when the T-Roc undergoes its full road test.

But in case this is somehow not enough T-Roc for you, here’s a brief report from the car’s fresh-off-the-boat arrival into the UK – a market where the first-gen model was spectacularly successful between 2017 and 2025, even as its specific niche became increasingly crowded. In 2026 its chief rivals are the Toyota C-HR, Renault Symbioz and Skoda’s Karoq, and the latest Nissan Qashqai is another serious alternative.

These drives on UK tarmac matter more for some cars than others, and the Golf-on-stilts T-Roc is one of those for which our tawdry roads might be its undoing. For one thing, VW will sell plenty of these in top-billing R-Line trim, and therefore potentially shod with 19in flying saucer wheels and slithers for sidewalls.

Found beneath other models in the VW stable, the T-Roc’s MQB Evo platform has also been hit-and-miss in terms of ride quality, though it's a complex picture because the dampers you opt for have a significant bearing on the car’s ability to weather cruddy surfaces. Even with the T-Roc, a comparatively junior member of an SUV family that culminates in the Touareg, you can choose between ordinary passive dampers and adjustable dampers with selectable rates (for £765). Ride quality is likely to be rather dependent on specification, then, but more in a moment.

As for the engine line-up, for now there is only VW’s excellent 1.5-litre eTSI mild-hybrid unit, albeit available in two tunes, 114bhp or 148bhp. If you can wait until later in the year, the T-Roc will gain a full hybrid powertrain with 134bhp or 168bhp – a setup that ought to push economy well beyond the declared figure of 50mpg for the 1.5 eTSI. Of course, a full hybrid T-Roc will also be a more expensive T-Roc. Currently the range starts at £31,635 for base Life trim with the 115bhp unit and extends to more than £40,000 if you opt for R-Line trim with the more powerful 148bhp unit and some optional extras, such as the £2260 Leather Comfort pack and matrix headlights for £465 (all very grown up).

We won’t dwell on the cabin here, but in the nutshell the comfort of the seats (particularly for R-Line cars) and the general feeling of quality are improved versus the original T-Roc, and certainly sit at the sharp end of the class. The fact the new car has had 30mm injected into the wheelbase has done no harm to rear legroom either, and a longer rear overhang takes boot capacity to 475 litres, up from 445 litres. The T-Roc still can’t match a Karoq (521 litres), but it comfortably out-hauls the Mk8 Golf.

So, driveability. It is generally good, the 1.5 eTSI pulling you along with decent smoothness and enthusiasm from 2000rpm and pairing neatly with the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Having tried the 148bhp, I possibly wouldn’t entertain the thought of having the 114bhp version unless the cost difference (reasonably at just over £2000) was going to be a deal-breaker. Economy is good too – our car returned 46.4mpg on a representative mixed-driving route. That’s 500 miles on a tank. The T-Roc also steers and stops with an intuitive maturity you’d generally expect of a Volkswagen.

It’s all appealing enough, but ride-quality is indeed the possible weakspot. Our test car rode on passive dampers and the smallest 17in wheels, on a general setup that clearly tends towards the sportier end of what’s acceptable for a basic T-Roc (standby for a possible R derivative). Body control is fine and the car corners cohesively – it isn’t difficult to imagine being impressed with the package on smoother European roads, and the T-Roc is assured on the motorway.

But that decision to tie the body a little more closely to chassis has repercussions in the UK and one of them is that, on country roads and smaller A-roads, the T-Roc will crash over pock-marked surfaces and the like. Unfortunately there is currently enough of that sort of thing in the country to make this a notable drawback. Interestingly, a car with the same dampers but the larger, 18in wheels fared no worse.

Your best bet is probably to spec an R-Line car with the adaptive dampers and the 18in wheels. Very few people will do this – it’s expensive and people generally don’t buy an R-Line VW to have smaller wheels – but if it rounded off the ride, the result would be an even better little crossover.

Volkswagen T-Roc Life 1.5 eTSI 150PS

Price £32,335 Engine 4 cyls in line, 1498cc, turbocharged, petrol, plus 48V ISG Power 148bhp at 5000-6000rpm Torque 184lb ft at 1500-3000rpm Gearbox 7-spd, dual-clutch auto, FWD Kerb weight (DIN) 1399kg 0-62mph 8.9sec Top speed 132mph Economy 50.3mpg CO2 128g/km, 31% BIK

Honda pulls e:Ny1 from UK market in great EV reset

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Japanese company now sells no electric cars in the UK as it struggles with electrification globally

Take a look at Honda’s UK website and you will notice a big omission: no electric car.

Given that car makers here are legally bound by the ZEV mandate to hit an EV sales ratio of 33% this year, how does the Japanese company avoid fines?

The EV paucity comes after Honda decided to axe the Chinese-built e:Ny1 after less than three years on sale in the UK. It struggled to generate organic sales without the help of discounts, selling just 7122 examples here.

Honda has told Autocar that the SUV has "reached the end of its life cycle in the UK and there are currently no plans for it to return to our line‑up".

The e:Ny1 is also now missing from configurators in other European markets, including Germany and Spain.

Honda will in July launch the sub-£20,000 Super-N city car to take over electric duties, but its range is limited to just 128 miles.

Honda has been buffeted by global market shocks, leaving its EV strategy severely wanting. In March it cancelled its 0 Series SUV and saloon mere months before production was to start, citing the US government’s U-turn on climate-change obligations. It subsequently killed the Afeela electric premium brand developed with Sony, as its two cars were due to use 0 Series underpinnings.

After years preparing for an electric future that Honda believed was inevitable in its key markets of the US and China, circumstances got in the way.

“During the past few years, our business environment has drastically changed at a speed far exceeding our projection,” president and CEO Toshihiro Mibe said in March.

Meanwhile, Honda’s strategy in China of producing EVs with Chinese partners Dongfeng and GAC has run into the brick wall erected by fierce local competition. There it has the opposite problem to that in the US, Mibe acknowledged: “Competitors have launched products and deployed electrification and intelligent technology faster than expected."

Honda’s European sales meanwhile have shrunk to such a level that it can’t really afford to maintain a separate EV strategy for the region. Last year it registered 71,825 cars across Europe for a market share of just 0.4%, according to figures from industry body the ACEA. Of those, just 2.6% were electric as e:Ny1 sales plummeted.

Honda isn’t the only Japanese player struggling with electrification. They have all been slow out of the gate with the technology, perhaps because EVs play such a small part in Japan's car market, accounting for just 1.6% of the 3.8 million sales there last year.

Indeed, Honda’s sales focus is now on markets with only marginal EV growth, including the US, Japan and India, the company said in its March presentation.

Suzuki and Subaru have joined forces to collaborate on EVs in regions where they're needed but are relying on partnerships with the dominant force that is Toyota.

Nissan meanwhile has maintained enough of a European presence with its Sunderland facility to be able to create EVs with local buyers in mind, first with the Leaf (now hitting the sweet spot in its third generation) and now also the Juke.

Local production is becoming almost de rigeur for any car maker selling EVs in Europe, as the UK and the EU reward those models connected to the local supply chain and exclude those that aren’t.

Honda’s decision to close its Swindon plant in 2021 means it can’t localise an EV to access the UK’s generous Electric Car Grant, leaving it to rely on sourcing from China – the one country that the UK and EU are looking to protect local manufacturers from. Competing with companies with access to the ECG scheme is becoming very difficult without offering discounts to match it.

With the Super-N, Honda is switching EV production from China to Japan. That’s unlikely to unlock the ECG, but the car’s promised low entry price will at least give Honda some room to generate sales to customers looking for a local runabout with a bit of kei character, a low kerb weight (of around 1300kg) and a sporty demeanour, with its artificial manual gearbox. Honda is also targeting European markets with this car, for example Spain.

The Super-N will definitely fill a gap but history has shown the limitations of kei car sales in Europe. What will come after Super-N is an open question.

Honda in Japan has shown the Insight, a 4.8m-long electric crossover that reworks the Chinese-market Honda e:NS2 made by Dongfeng. The car recently appeared at the Bangkok motor show as the e:N2, suggesting it’s ready for right-hand-drive export sales.

Not all Honda’s homegrown EV development is dead. In the March presentation, it confirmed that it's still working on the 0 Alpha SUV concept, with its "thin, light and wise" design philosophy, first shown in 2025 ahead of planned sales in 2027. It's primarily aimed at Japan and India, which has relaxed its fearsome new-car tax burden for EVs.

“We can see profitability in the future in these regions. That's why we decided to keep this model,” Mibe said.

The global strategy for the 0 Alpha (which will roughly match the e:Ny1 for size) has yet to be revealed, but selling it in Japan at least overcomes the right-hand-drive hurdle.

As far as hitting the ZEV mandate target goes, Honda managed to ramp up e:Ny1 sales in the first three months of this year to hit an impressive electric share of 17.3%, according to figures from EV-focused transport research organisation New Automotive.

That doesn’t leave Honda too far adrift of its ‘real’ target of 22.7% EV sales, according to New Automotive's calculations, which takes into account the various flexibilities allowed by the system, including CO2 emissions reduction from electrified vehicles. (Honda’s all-hybrid line-up helps on that score, with an extra boost coming from its sole plug-in hybrid, the CR-V e:PHEV.)

However, a dramatic 65% drop in sales of Honda's best-selling Jazz supermini across the first three months suggests the company is having to limit sales of some ICE models to avoid fines inflicted by missing its EV target.

"Japanese brands essentially won the hybrid battle but risk losing the electric war,” New Automotive CEO Ben Nelmes told Autocar. “By doubling down on hybrid technology, they successfully trimmed emissions in the short term, but it has left them in a high-speed chase to catch competitors who went all-in on battery-electric from the start."

Mibe admitted in March that Honda had struggled to stay flexible enough to keep pace with changes to global legislation on electrification but said the company hadn’t abandoned EVs and promised to say more in May.

“As of today, EV demand is declining in North America and other regions. However, this trend will not be permanent,” he said. “To achieve carbon neutrality when EV demand resumes, Honda will be ready to fulfill customer expectations.”

6000 miles in a Volvo XC90: Seven seats, endless frustrations

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Has the sun finally stopped shining on this suave seven-seat Swede?

I’ve said an awkward ‘sayonara’ to one seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV and an enthusiastic ‘hej’ to another one, these two being the fresh but underwhelming Mazda CX–80 and the decade-old yet still entirely relevant Volvo XC90.

The big Swede recently underwent a second facelift–but thankfully this surgery hasn't had the alarming result often seen on Graham Norton's couch, instead being subtle and very sympathetic to the handsome original design that so contributed to this car's remarkable popularity.

It has also noticeably slimmed down, shedding its B6 petrol and B5 diesel engine options, while lightly updating the B5 mild-hybrid four-cylinder petrol and the T8 PHEV, both of which come exclusively with four-wheel drive. Perhaps surprisingly, considering the ongoing plug-in hybrid renaissance, the T8's battery has been left at just 14.7kWh, providing an electric-only range of 43 miles.

Then again, such EV capability still means it's green enough in Westminster's eyes to attract just 9% company car tax. That battery feeds a 143bhp permanent magnet synchronous motor that works in conjunction with a 306bhp turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. As with the CX–80 PHEV, I've already found the combination can be incongruously accelerative if asked to be.

One significant change that Volvo has made is to the suspension: a new double-wishbone arrangement up front, an integral link at the rear and frequency-selective damping are claimed to make this already comfort-biased car even comfier.

Extra soundproofing measures now feature as well. However, my XC90 is in range-topping Ultra trim and therefore has swapped the standard springs for active air suspension that scans the road and reacts accordingly up to 500 times per second.

In brief summary, this car is in a different league from the CX-80 PHEV in terms of ride and refinement. Interestingly, Mazda and Volvo appear to have cut their interiors from the same cloth, figuratively and almost literally too. Both espouse a kind of restrained luxury and employ ‘alternative’ materials that really do it for me, and both my test cars were specified with light-coloured materials, which beat the dark options any day.

The major difference between them is their makers' attitude towards physical switchgear: while Mazda has kept all of it in the CX-80 and even disables touchscreen functionality on the move (making you use a rotary dial instead), Volvo has caught touchscreen fever to the extent that there are now very few buttons left in the XC90. I probably don't have to tell you which I prefer; well organised though Volvo's software may be here, it has already caused frustrations.

On the bright side, Ultra trim provides an absolutely stonking Bowers & Wilkins sound system, which will be perfect for my long commutes, and even massaging front seats, ditto for my drives home from the gym. Absolutely spoilt, eh? Well, so anyone should be after forking out £84k.

Even the T8 Core is £73k, while the B5 Core is £65k. Then there's the similarly conceived but technically unrelated electric EX90 at £83k to £96k.

There's no debate about it: Volvo is firmly a premium brand nowadays. The supreme comfort and refinement of the XC90 T8 resoundingly justify that positioning, as indeed does the performance. Only its suitability for a user with limited charging opportunities remains in question.

Volvo has form with keeping cars going for much longer than the German premium brands, and going in good health, yet it's still incredibly impressive that this old-timer, based on initial impressions, remains objectively better than some brand-new PHEV SUVs. The CX–80 PHEV compelled me to write a particularly downbeat final report; the chances of the XC90 T8 doing likewise after the next few months running it seem slim to nil.

Please, don't let it stumble...

To Italy via Wales

Averaging 230 miles daily for nearly a fortnight is a foolproof way of exposing any car's weaknesses.

This near-£90k Volvo certainly has its share – alongside plenty of strengths – but how will it handle a 3000-mile road trip to Italy via Wales?

Read the full feature here

Software, spiders and screws

Sudden loud screaming is possibly the last thing you want to hear while driving. Thankfully I managed to avoid crashing while jumping out of my skin on this occasion. And I was at least a bit sympathetic, because I am arachnophobic just like my poor girlfriend, who had just discovered the sickening cause of the tickling on her left leg in the dark footwell.

The tarantula in question reacted as instinctively as I had, rapidly retreating back through a trim gap somewhere. He's about as welcome to stay in my car as a politician would be in my home, but unfortunately he's much harder to kick out-as evidenced by the occasional webs that I continue to find atop the dashboard.

You can understand, then, why my blood ran cold when I felt something fall onto my leg while driving on a motorway recently. To my relief, the culprit was not the horrifying chief suspect but a large screw. Although that relief didn't last for very long, because screws are there for a reason - holding together two things that need to be held together, usually.

The relevant components here were the dashboard and a large trim piece. Whether the screw had been left loose by the factory or the Volvo Assistance technicians who had come out to fix the in-built Google sat-nav (Autocar, 31 December 2025), I couldn't say, but I would assume the latter, given the timescales involved. Either way, not ideal. Especially because I don't seem to own the required screwdriver head.

Yet this is actually pretty low down on my list of problems with the XC90. Since early on, I've had trouble getting it to play my music. Initially I connected my iPhone to Volvo's system via Apple CarPlay - not wirelessly, annoyingly - and listened from Spotify. Then one day this functionality was confiscated. The connection was acknowledged by my iPhone but not the car.

An unintentional by-product of the technicians resetting the electrical system? Again, I can't be sure. Consequently I had to switch to Volvo's simple Bluetooth media player, which meant no more WhatsApp communications on the move - again, annoyingly. This software also had a curious habit of displaying album artwork one track late.

Of course this doesn't strictly matter, but if you're going to offer such functionality, you should at least make it work properly. Then, after a few weeks, suddenly Apple CarPlay began working again. Same phone, same wire, same everything... so bafflingly random.

That is the usual nature of glitches in my XC90. As a result, I've started to doubt my own sanity, or at least my memory. On one journey, the internal indicator ticking noise just didn't register. At least I think it didn't. It has worked perfectly every other time, so... Worst of all, though, particularly now that winter has descended, is the adjustment of the interior brightness.

There's a digital slider that's meant to dim or brighten the touchscreen and instrument display, but it doesn't actually do anything. Hence the touchscreen stays uncomfortably, distractingly bright, and sometimes the other screen follows suit. I presume its changing behaviour is linked to the automatic headlights' day-or-night sensing system, as in most cars.

Actually, maybe the touchscreen also goes dim sometimes? Honestly, I can't keep track any more. What I do know for sure is that I now have to drive home from work with plain-black 'screen cleaning mode' active to prevent my photophobic eyes from being painfully strained.

Volvo has told me "the issue has been identified and will be fixed in a forthcoming over-the-air software release". Software, eh? You gotta love it.

Comfortable but confusing

Not long after Volvo promised me an over-the-air software update to fix the non–functioning touchscreen brightness adjuster in my XC90, a message appeared on that very screen offering me the enticingly named Update 4.2.13, which would make "minor refinements and stability improvements".

On average, promises Volvo, owners will receive four such updates per year. An XC90 will download any update automatically (using its mobile data connection) before offering its installation. Even so, this update would render my car inaccessible and unusable for an estimated 90 minutes – significantly longer than the 25–minute duration of my last over-the-air update, a few years ago, in a Peugeot 408.

What it did have in common with that update, however, was the subsequent absence of any obvious changes. Yes, to my immense annoyance, the screen stubbornly remains at its painful brightest. Sadly, Volvo's website offers nothing more specific about the 4.2.13 package than the screen had done.

But I'm hoping whatever links the indicator stalk to the blinkers received some attention because, while on a main road pre–update, flicking for an overtake prompted this warning message on the dash: "Right turn indicator malfunction." Crikey – that's a new one.

The orange bulbs did appear to be illuminating for the rest of my journey and then passed an exterior check once I got home, so whether there really had been a temporary outage or the warning was triggered in error, I shall never know.

It's such a shame that I'm having to report yet another negative about this car, because there are so many positives waiting to be discussed. Primarily they concern comfort.

Although the standard active air suspension doesn't handle potholes particularly deftly, it generally gives a comfortable, settled and quiet ride, taking some of the stress out of the rush–hour rat race. Similarly it's very refined, in the sense of quietening road noise – so much so that swapping it for a supermini recently had me checking that all the windows were fully closed.

Then there's the absurd PHEV performance. Merging onto main roads from petrol station slip roads always makes me chuckle: people see a big old Volvo bus indicating to join in front of them and move over into the middle lane, only for it to launch itself so rapidly that they needn't have taken any precaution.

Indeed, the XC90's energy levels sometimes continue to surprise even me, because its decidedly soft and laid–back character means I rarely exploit anything like its full, 449bhp potential. The reality that a Volvo seven–seat SUV has considerably more horsepower than a current Porsche 911 is bizarre, and even at 2.3 tonnes it's a scant 1.5sec slower in charging from 0–62mph.

Cancel the removal van

There's quite the array of itinerant renters here at Haymarket Automotive, so flat moves are frequent and begging for temporary use of large test cars is inevitable. On the scrounge for a big car last month was Classic & Sports Car's Aaron McKay and there are few cars bigger than my Volvo XC90, with its greedy 4953mm by 2140mm seven-seat SUV footprint.

There was some irony in Aaron's request, because I commit the fourth deadly sin whenever I see his own car: a 1985 BMW 325i with those wheels. But the biggest piece of furniture he could fit in his saloon's boot would be a footstool, whereas he could almost park his whole car's petite form in my Volvo's load bay at full extension (2040mm long, 1192mm wide, 816mm high).

It's interesting to note, by the way, that those internal dimensions are exactly the same for the conventionally powered versions of the XC90: unlike many plug-in hybrid models, the T8 doesn't demand any practicality compromise here, because its battery is not lazily lumped into the boot but stacked atop the driveshaft.

"My outrageously large and awkward corner bookcase – 1100mm corner to corner, 450mm deep and goodness knows how tall – was swallowed neatly," reported Aaron, "with enough space left over for my former flatmate's dismantled double bed frame and folded mattress – off to the tip – plus loads of boxes and two large suitcases."

For boring logistical reasons, Aaron's move from London to elsewhere in London required his stuff to be temporarily stored back home in Wales, so it wasn't just the XC90's outrageous capaciousness or free use that had swayed him away from simply renting a van – Ford doesn't do a near–500bhp Transit with massage seats and active air suspension, you know. You can even command the XC90's springs to sink lower for easier loading (via a touchscreen menu, obviously).

I imagine that seven adult men would weigh significantly more than all of Aaron's worldly possessions (actually, they could take the Volvo close to its three–tonne maximum gross weight), but we were nevertheless impressed that it did 32mpg on a flat battery when cruising to Wales.

That's no different from what it had been averaging with just me aboard. Better still, the car "never felt excessively heavy, underdamped or underbraked" in the way it drove when fully loaded – Volvo evidently designed the XC90 with heavy–duty usage front of mind.

Any complaints at all? Well, perhaps some would quibble about having to manually fold away and re–erect the third–row seats, having paid £85,000, but look, I didn't build these huge muscles for nothing...

Goodbye

Gambling has never been one of my vices, which is most definitely a good thing on the evidence of my prediction for life with a Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid.

Initially delighted by it, I concluded my first report thus: "The Mazda CX–80 PHEV compelled me to write a particularly downbeat final report; the chances of the XC90 T8 doing likewise after the next few months running it seem slim to nil."

If I were a betting man, I would have lost some money, because my relationship with this biggest of Volvo SUVs steadily deteriorated over the ensuing months to the extent that I was glad to see it go.

"Please, don't let it stumble," I had prayed, but it stumbled not just literally over every pothole but also figuratively with several faults, admittedly minor but nevertheless unacceptable.

Considering that the XC90 is one of the oldest cars on the UK market, having been launched way back in 2015, you might expect any flaws to have long since been rectified, but naturally Volvo has continually updated its technology through the years and, as we all know, new software is rarely perfect. Hence it was from that all–controlling touchscreen that my troubles stemmed.

First the in–built Google Maps sat–nav failed to realise the car had returned from a trip to Italy, necessitating a visit from Volvo Assist mechanics to perform a hard reset of the car's electrical system.

Then the Apple CarPlay suddenly stopped communicating with my iPhone, only to resume relations randomly some weeks later. And the brightness adjustment slider was impotent, leaving that expanse of pixels fully aglow at all times, which made driving in darkness very uncomfortable on my eyes.

The worst thing about all this, really, is that these glitches distracted from what was otherwise a generally pleasant car that performed admirably enough in the important fields of practicality, comfort, refinement and performance – if not, it must be said, economy, particularly by the standards of the freshest plug-in hybrid SUVs.

The XC90 T8 was born with a battery capacity of 9.2kWh and an electric range of 24 miles, but it was early to the PHEV party, when those numbers were impressive.

The T8 powertrain has been updated a few times since, shedding the supercharger from its four-cylinder petrol engine and gaining in battery capacity through 11.6kWh to 18.8kWh–where it has stayed since 2023, despite a significant facelift for the XC90 last year and new rivals having more than triple that.

That's the compromise you make to have that third row of seats, but it means the electric–only range is 43 miles on paper and, as my colleague Alastair Clements found to his disappointment, barely more than half that on suburban streets. It hardly seemed worth the effort for me to charge – not having access to a home charger– especially since the fastest–possible charging rate is a mere 3.7kW and my local lamp–post chargers are very expensive.

I therefore mostly ran around on a flat battery. Defeating the point? Perhaps, but perhaps not when you consider that many PHEV drivers will be in the same situation as me, having chosen a car purely due to the questionable manner in which company car tax is apportioned.

Life was much less stressful simply driving the T8 around like a conventional petrol luxury car and accepting the financial pain of 30mpg.

Luxury is no exaggeration: this is an £85k purchase that rides smoothly on active air suspension (well, until it encounters a pothole) and in impressive quietness, despite having only four cylinders at its disposal and weighing nearly two and a half tonnes.

One with big, cosy, massaging seats upholstered in nappa leather, bathed in sunlight from a full–length glass roof, with seemingly endless space for rear passengers and capable of really entertaining all aboard with a truly exquisite premium sound system.

And also one capable of stonking performance once both its engine and its rear–mounted electric motor are called upon. Its accelerative potential was silly back in 2015, when it had 316bhp; nowadays, despite having lost that supercharger, it's laughably absurd at 449bhp.

In its time with us, this XC90 T8 proved its touring talents by taking deputy road test editor Richard Lane to Italy, its outstanding capaciousness by helping Classic & Sports Car's Aaron McKay move to a new flat and its suitability for everyday mundanity by taking myself up the motorway to work and through town to the shops and the gym.

What the XC90 T8 hasn't done, though, is entirely convince us that it in itself warrants its recently granted stay of execution.

Volvo XC90 T8 AWD Plug-in Hybrid Ultra

Prices: List price new £84,260 List price now £83,765 Price as tested £85,055

Options: Denim Blue paint £795, Blond nappa leather interior £0, Bright exterior £0

Economy and range: Claimed economy 201.8mpg Claimed electric range 43 miles Battery 18.8/14.7kWh (total/usable) Test average 30.2mpg Test best 55.3mpg Test worst 28.6mpg Real–world range 24 miles (electric), 470 miles (ICE)

Tech Highlights: 0–62mph 5.4sec Top speed 112mph Engine 4 cyls in line, 1969cc, turbo, petrol, plus electric motor Max power 449bhp Max torque 523lb ft Gearbox 8–spd automatic, 4WD Boot 298/977/1941 litres Wheels 9.0x21in, alloy Tyres 275/40 R21, Continental PremiumContact Kerb weight 2365kg

Service and running costs: Contract hire rate £855 pcm CO₂ 28g/km Service costs None Other costs None Fuel costs £685.91 Running costs including fuel £685.91 Cost per mile 20 pence Faults Several software glitches, one of the dashboard trim screws fell out

The best family cars – driven, rated and ranked

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:32:53 +0100

From large SUVs to practical hatchbacks, family cars aren't tied to any particular segment. We reveal the very best

Not long ago, family cars were predicatable beasts that typically came in the shape of an MPV or estate car, but today what actually makes a family car is much harder to define.

In 2026, the family car is more ubiquitous than ever before: it can be a smooth and silent electric SUV, a plug-in hybrid hatchback or a diesel estate. The amount of variety on sale means that it’s much easier to find a car that meets your lifestyle, however demanding it may be.

Comfort, practicality and strong build quality are all non-negotiables, but the very best family cars also bring a layer of versatility and flexibility that makes them ideal for both short hops into town and longer motorway trips.

Right now we think the BMW 3 Series Touring is the definitive choice. This is an estate with peerless all-round capabilities, nailing the family car brief with its high quality cabin, excellent ride and handling and overall practicality. The PHEV version offers a good electric-only range, too.

But there are many other options well worth considering, from SUVs to hatchbacks. Read on as we reveal our top 10 best family cars on sale today.

Whatever happened to the coupe-convertible?

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0100

The 'CC' exploded onto the scene, hit 1.3 million annual sales and shrunk to a niche curiosity within just a decade

Today Mazda's decade-old MX-5 RF is the only coupé-convertible (CC) you can buy. Amazing, really, considering that 20 years ago the market was awash with them.

Mercedes-Benz was to thank - or perhaps blame – for this craze. "The innovative electrohydraulic hard top, dubbed 'Vario top', has the ability to transform the SLK from a coupé into a roadster in just 25 seconds," we explained in 1994, as the firm unveiled an evolution of an earlier roofless sports car concept.

"At the press of a button, the aluminium roofing structure splits just above the rear window and the leading edge of the bootlid tilts upwards. The roof then folds within itself and is stowed in a dedicated well behind the seats. The process is completed with the bootlid snapping shut and the parcel shelf moving into position."

Mercedes had been thinking about making an affordable sports car since the late 1980s, but it took the roaring success of the original MX-5 to give it the confidence to proceed.

Enjoy full access to the complete Autocar archive at the magazineshop.com

The design team (led by stalwart Bruno Sacco and prominently featuring future Porsche 911 supremo Michael Mauer) felt that such a car would need a unique selling point and settled on a retractable metal roof.

Two years later, the SLK came to Autocar for road testing and we concluded that, despite it weighing a significant 33kg, "the Vario roof is quite simply the best convertible roof we have ever seen", playing a major part in making this £30,000 newcomer "the ultimate no-compromise roadster".

Such affordability for something so stylish and the perceived practical benefits of a hard top combined to make the SLK an instant hit: Mercedes had expected demand for some 30,000 annually, yet sold 55,000 in its first full year.

Suspicions of copying were thus natural when Peugeot previewed a CC in early 1998 and fuelled by the fact that its designer, Murat Günak, had actually worked on the SLK.

Like that Mercedes, the cheesily named 2-0-Heart concept aimed to "narrow the gap between dreams and reality" by offering open-air romance and stylishness atop the mechanicals of an everyday model.

Yet Günak insisted that his baby was no copy. "It's simply not true, though we expected people would say such things," he told Autocar. "The truth is that retractable hard tops are very much in the Peugeot tradition. Even the official book of the SLK contained a photograph of our pre-war Peugeot Eclipse."

Peugeot had in fact been the very first company to put a 'metallique decouvrable' into series production, half a century beforehand. Initially based on the 401 saloon, the Eclipse benefited from the ingenuity of Georges Paulin, chief stylist at French coachbuilder Pourtout.

Autocar had noted the increased prominence of cabriolet coachwork at the 1935 Paris motor show, noting: "Where mechanical operation is adopted, a solidly constructed head is frequently employed, the entire head unit being made to lower by means of side links into the boot, the lid of which is automatically raised prior to the lowering of the head." This took as long as a minute.

Anyway, Günak's idea came to fruition in late 2000 as the 206 CC. It was no more powerful or agile than the 206 hatchback, but that was never the point, and it proved another winner, attracting more than 70,000 buyers in its first year.

Unsurprisingly, rivals piled in: first the Daihatsu Copen, then the Renault Mégane CC, Vauxhall Tigra TwinTop, Nissan Micra C+C, Volvo C70, Volkswagen Eos, Mitsubishi Colt CZC, Vauxhall Astra TwinTop, BMW 3 Series Convertible, Ford Focus CC...

As such, we reported in late 2006: "Few suspected that the SLK would herald a new genre of cars, but today all the major manufacturers have a flip-top in their portfolio or are preparing one for production."

Convertible sales were growing rapidly, leading analysts to predict a global market of 1.3 million by 2010. What they couldn't have foreseen, of course, was an almighty global financial crash that would prevent people from indulging in 'toy cars' and maim or kill key contractors (Pininfarina, Heuliez, Karmann), nor the subsequent mad rise of the crossover.

Almost as soon as it had started, the CC craze was over.

Dacia Jogger

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0100

MPV and SUV tropes fuse with a compact seven-seater of likeably humble aspect The Dacia Jogger touched down in 2021 as the successor to the largely ignored Logan MCV, and when we first road tested this curious crossover-estate the following year, praise flowed.Dacia had shown “great design” along with “outstanding product positioning”, and to top it all off the asking price beggared belief in light of the capacious dimensions. It was a basic car and underpowered, but at £16,000 nobody was complaining and Joggers could soon be seen on street corners countrywide.In the years since, Dacia has tweaked styling details, new trim elements have been announced and EU GSR2-compliant ADAS has been integrated, but only recently has the Jogger undergone what could justifiably be called a facelift.There’s nothing here that screams ‘new car’, but the subtle design revisions are numerous enough to keep the Jogger looking sharp in 2026. There’s also a new powertrain option, which brings another level of performance and is the reason for this test. Inherited from the recently launched Bigster, the Hybrid 155 powertrain takes the Jogger’s displacement out to 1.8 litres and drops the official 0-60mph time below nine seconds for the first time. Might it be worth the extra outlay? We will find out shortly.More broadly, is the Jogger still the smash hit it was at launch? Or have competitors demonstrably gained ground as Dacia has been forced to incrementally raise prices for its cut-price seven-seater?

All the cars eligible for the UK's Electric Car Grant

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:42:56 +0100

We list every electric car eligible for the government's £1500 and £3750 and purchase grants

Thinking of making the switch to electric? The UK government’s Electric Car Grant (ECG) offers up either a £1500 or £3750 discount to help accelerate the nation’s transition to EVs.

This £650 million scheme began rolling out in July 2025, and new models are gaining eligibility almost weekly.

Here we list every single car that qualifies for a discount and deliver the definitive Autocar verdict on what each is like.

How the ECG works

The ECG targets the affordable end of the market, capping eligibility at electric cars priced below £37,000 or in some cases £42,000.

To qualify, manufacturers must prove their vehicles meet stringent criteria regarding real-world range, overarching sustainability and long-term warranty cover.

The two-tier system

The grant is split into two distinct structures, with the full £3750 discount being rewarded to only the greenest cars.

Eligibility hinges on the carbon footprint of the car's production, factoring in emissions from battery manufacturing and the assembly line – even the carbon intensity of the electricity grid in the country of origin.

The eligible EV shortlist

Categorised by their grant bands and outlining your potential savings, we've got everything you need to know.

Read on to find out which ones deserve a spot on your driveway...

Band one – £3750 discount

Alpine A290

Original price: £33,500

Price after grant: £30,245

Read our Alpine A290 review

With excellent handling, a punchy powertrain and old-school charm, the Renault 5-based Alpine A290 shows that the hot hatchback still has a place in the EV era. The 217bhp enables 0-62mph in 6.4sec - making it by far the fastest car on this list - and it has won plenty of awards already.

Citroën ë-C5 Aircross

Original price: £36,685

Price after grant: £32, 935

Read our Citroën ë-C5 Aircross review

This ë-C5 Aircross offers plenty of metal for the money. The range-topping Long Range version can travel up to an impressive 421 miles on a charge, and its versatile, lounge-like interior will suit many families both large and small.

Ford E-Tourneo Courier

Original list price: £33,690

Price after grant: £29,940

Read our Ford E-Tourneo Courier review

This five-seat MPV is a spacious option that offers up to 2162 litres of cargo space, plus a range of 177 miles.

Ford Puma Gen-E

Original list price: £28,999

List price after grant: £25,249

Read our Ford Puma Gen-E review

The electric Ford Puma is a good all-around option. It has a huge boot, despite its compact dimensions, it’s fun to drive and it's one of the more efficient mid-sized electric cars on sale right now. Ford claims a range of around 233 miles and charging speeds of up to 100kW.

Hyundai Kona Electric

Original list price: £32,400

Price after grant: £30,900

Read our Hyundai Kona Electric review

The Kona Electric is Hyundai’s first model to qualify for the ECG. The Long Range version’s 69kWh battery delivers a competitive WLTP score of 319 miles, while its motor puts 215bhp through the front wheels. It remains a benchmark for efficiency too: expect a real-world figure comfortably in the region of 4mpkWh.

Mini Countryman

Original list price: £32,805

Price after grant: £29,255

Read our Mini Countryman Electric review

The Countryman makes a relaxing, fun and overall a very good electric SUV – and now qualifies for the £3750 grant. It’s not the be all and end all of value or practicality but is immensely likeable, with a beautifully minimalist interior. Good economy too: during our testing, we achieved an average of 3.4mpkWh, which is creditably close to the official figure of 3.6mpkWh.

Nissan Leaf

Original list price: £35,999

Price after grant: £32,249

Read our Nissan Leaf review

The original mass-market EV has returned to its roots as a value champion, becoming the latest addition to the government's grant list. The Sunderland-built crossover secures the full £3750 discount, undercutting key competitors such as the Kia Niro EV and Volkswagen ID 3 significantly. For that outlay, you get the 'Engage' model paired with a 75kWh battery, capable of a claimed 386 miles between charges. Standard kit is plentiful, with a heat pump and Google Automotive services included.

Nissan Micra

Original list price: £26,995

Price after grant: £23,245

Read our Nissan Micra review

Renewed and redesigned, the Nissan Micra is back as an electric hatchback, this time sharing most of its underpinnings with the Renault 5. That means two battery options – 40kWh and 52kWh – with an official range up to 260 miles. It's this 52kWh version that gets the full £3750 discount.

Renault 4

Original list price: £27,195

Price after grant: £23,445

Read our Renault 4 review

Some 30 years after the Renault 4 was retired, it returned as a small electric crossover. Don’t think the model's heritage has been lost, though, because the new one is a retro design that takes cues from its predecessor. Renault also claims a competitive range of 247 miles. It now qualifies for the higher grant sum, too.

Renault 5

Original list price: £27,695

Price after grant: £23,945

Read our Renault 5 review

The Renault 5 is one of the most talked-about cars of the year, and for good reason. It’s fun to drive, comfortable and has a class-leading interior, as well as a good, usable range between charges. Drivers can choose from either a 40kWh or a 52kWh battery for up to a claimed 250 miles. The latter is eligible for the full £3750 grant, too.

Renault Scenic

Original list price: £36,995

Price after grant: £33,245

Read our Renault Scenic review

Once an MPV, the Scenic is an SUV these days. It employs the same 215bhp powertrain as the Megane but adds a much larger battery. Its 87kWh size enables an official range of up to 379 miles, which is almost as impressive as its practical, 545-litre boot.

Band two – £1500 discount

Citroën ë-C3

Original list price: £22,095

List price after grant: £20,595

Read our Citroën ë-C3

Citroën’s smallest car is comfortable and relaxing, with decent levels of space for the price. It’s also packed full of equipment, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated seats and a suite of safety tech. Its main downside is a small, 44kWh battery, which produces around 199 miles of range – and that might not be enough for some people.

Citroën ë-C3 Aircross

Original list price: £23,095

Price after grant: £21,595

Read our Citroën ë-C3 Aircross

The ë-C3 Aircross is a larger, SUV-shaped alternative to the ë-C3. The ë-C3 Aircross is available with seven seats, plus a larger battery that provides a claimed 247 miles of range. It retains its smaller sibling’s comfort and equipment levels too, which is a key selling point.

Citroën ë-C4

The ë-C4 offers a lot of car for the money, entering the fray as a larger option for the price of some electric superminis. A 54kWh battery enables an official range of 257 miles and soft suspension means it's a comfortable car for most journeys.

Read our Citroën ë-C4 review

Original list price: £27,650

Price after grant: £26,150

Citroën ë-C4 X

Original list price: £28,715

Price after grant: £27,215

Read our Citroën ë-C4 X review

The ë-C4 X is the saloon counterpart to the hatchback ë-C4, offering more leg room and a larger boot. At 510 litres, the saloon's cargo space is 130 litres roomier than the hatch's. Range figures are pretty much the same, as are its levels of comfort and equipment.

Citroën ë-Berlingo

Original list price: £31,240

Price after grant: £29,740

Read our Citroën ë-Berlingo review

The key selling point of the ë-Berlingo is its cavernous interior, which can accommodate just about anything. Its boot measures 775 litres, and there’s even an XL model with seven seats. Range isn’t really a strong point, though: an official 213 miles from a 52kWh battery.

Citroën ë-Spacetourer

Original list price: £36,995

Price after grant: £35,495

The ECG also affects passenger-carrying vans, and the Citroën ë-Spacetourer is one that has £1500 knocked off its list price. Citroën claims a range of 136 miles, which might sound pretty poor, but it’s suitable for city–focused deliveries and taxi work, because you can seat up to nine passengers in the XL model.

Cupra Born

Original list price: £35,690

Price after grant: £34,190

Read our Cupra Born review

Our former Best Electric Car title holder is still a compelling buy today, thanks to a host of recent updates, including a new infotainment system. The Born is one of the best cars on this list to drive, possessing dynamic handling, a comfortable ride and a claimed range of up to 360 miles. It merits a place near the top of your shortlist, especially with that £1500 grant saving.

DS 3 E-Tense

Original list price: £35,995

Price after grant: £34,495

Read our DS 3 E-Tense review

Not a car you really buy with your head. Range is fine at 250 miles, material quality for the price is just about fine and it comes in some sophisticated bright colours. But ultimately it's a car clinging on to the small premium electric SUV class standards by its fingernails.

DS No4

Original list price: £36,995

Price after grant: £35,495

Read our DS No4 review

The new DS No4 leads the French premium brand’s design revival, and it’s available with the grant when you select its entry-level Pallas specification level. There’s just one electric powertrain, featuring a single 210bhp motor and a 58.3kWh battery for an official 278 miles of range.

Kia EV2

Original list price: £28,495

Price after grant: £26,995

Read our Kia EV2 review

The EV2 is Kia’s entry-level electric crossover. It may have compact proportions, being just 4060mm long, but it maintains a proper SUV vibe with its boxy, shrunken EV5 silhouette and chunky bumpers. It utilises a 400V electrical architecture and is available with either a 42.2kWh or 61kWh battery, offering ranges of 197 miles and an outstanding 281 miles. Both options can rapid-charge from 10-80% in less than 30 minutes and feature vehicle-to-load technology.

Kia EV3

Original list price: £33,055

Price after grant: £31,555

Read our Kia EV3 review

Crowned Autocar’s Best Electric Car of 2025, the Kia EV3 is one of the most well-rounded EVs currently on the market. Designed to take on the Volkswagen ID 3 and Cupra Born, it features bold, chiselled styling clearly inspired by the flagship EV9 but condensed into a highly practical family footprint. It offers a choice of two battery packs, of 58.3kWh and 81.4kWh. Paired with a 201bhp front-mounted motor, the larger battery allows it to thoroughly outshine its rivals with a 375-mile official range (and regularly affords 270-300 miles in reality).

Kia EV4

Original price: £34,745

Price after grant: £33,245

Read our Kia EV4 review

The Korean brand's Honda Civic-sized EV is a sensible and comfortable electric hatchback that builds on the success of the smaller EV3 thanks to its strong range, space and drivability. For value, efficiency and refinement it should make it onto any shortlist for a family looking to make the switch to an EV; just don't expect much driver engagement.

Kia PV5

Original price: £32,995

Price after grant: £31,495

Read our Kia PV5 review

The PV5 was already keenly priced but now qualifies for the £1500 grant, making it almost £30,000 cheaper than an equivalent Volkswagen ID Buzz. And while the VW benefits from retro-charm, the Kia is a tempting choice for its ease of use, flexible and versatile interior and strong value for money. The big battery version qualifies for the grant, which has a more usable 256-mile range.

Nissan Ariya

Original list price: £35,000

Price after grant: £33,500

Read our Nissan Ariya review

Nissan dropped the Ariya’s price by a dramatic £6000 to make sure it qualified for the ECG, meaning it’s available for as little as £33,500 after the discount has been applied. All Ariyas that qualify are front-wheel-drive and come with either a 63kWh battery or a 87kWh one, with up to 310 miles of range claimed.

Peugeot e-208

Original list price: £30,150

Price after grant: £28,650

Read our Peugeot e-208 review

Peugeot’s supermini becomes a more enticing EV with the ECG, which brings its price down to £28,650. For that, you get a 50kWh battery and a claimed 226 miles of range. The larger-battery version also qualifies, which gives you 268 miles of range, according to Peugeot.

Peugeot e-2008

Original list price: £35,400

Price after grant: £33,900

Read our Peugeot e-2008 review

Like many of the models from brands in the Stellantis stable, the Peugeot e-2008 gets either a 50kWh or a 54kWh battery, offering up to 247 miles of official range. A 434-litre boot means this electric SUV is a good option for families, although it’s still down on the Kia Niro EV’s cargo-carrying ability.

Peugeot e-308 and e-308 SW

Original list price: £36,460

Price after grant: £34,960

Read our Peugeot e-308 review

The Peugeot e-308 offers more versatility than most, because it’s available as both a hatchback and an estate (badged SW). The hatch comes with 361 litres of boot space, while the estate gets an impressive 508 litres. Peugeot says you can expect 267 miles from the 54kWh battery.

Peugeot e-408

Original list price: £36,170

Price after grant: £34,670

Read our Peugeot e-408 review

The e-408 is fundamentally a practical and efficient car that is mostly good at most things, with a range of 281 miles. The deciding factor in your hard-earned being ploughed into one is what you make of the design. It's striking in the metal, with sharp creases and pronounced haunches. If you put form over function, this is the ECG car for you.

Peugeot e-Rifter

Original list price: £32,250

Price after grant: £30,750

The e-Rifter shares its underpinnings with the Citroën ë-Berlingo, Toyota Proace City Verso and Vauxhall Combo Life Electric. That means a spacious cabin with room for up to seven people as well as equipment such as a 10in infotainment system, a digital driver's display, overhead storage, rear parking sensors and a heated steering wheel as standard.

Peugeot e-Traveller

Original list price: £36,925

Price after grant: £35,425

Read our Peugeot e-Traveller review

The e‑Traveller is a cavernous people-carrier with genuine family appeal, thanks to its van-based architecture and eight-seat flexibility. Potential range is 217 miles, but our real-world results fall closer to 180 miles – still not bad for something of this size. The front-mounted 134bhp motor struggles with the 2.2-tonne kerb weight, though, and delivers a leisurely 0-62mph time of 14.3sec.

Renault Megane

Original list price: £32,495

Price after grant: £30,995

Read our Renault Megane review

The Megane provides a 215bhp motor and a 60kWh battery for a claimed 285 miles of range. It also has a heat pump as standard, which is vital for boosting efficiency. There’s a larger, 12in infotainment system following a 2024 update, plus adaptive cruise control as standard.

Skoda Elroq

Original list price: £31,710

Price after grant: £30,210

Read our Skoda Elroq review

Few cars on this list are more capable than the Skoda Elroq. Most versions of the crossover are eligible for the grant discount, including the 85 SE L, which offers an 82kWh battery and up to 356 miles of range, according to Skoda.

Skoda Enyaq

Original list price: £39,010

Price after grant: £37,510

Read our Skoda Enyaq review

Oddly enough, the Skoda Enyaq has a list price above the government’s £37,000 threshold, but it still qualifies for the grant because it shares much of its underpinnings with the Elroq. That means you can snap up an SE L or 60 Edition for £1500 less than usual. For that, you will get a competitive 270 miles of range, based on the official figures.

Toyota C-HR+

Original list price: £34,495

Price after grant: £32,995

Read our Toyota C-HR+ review

The C-HR+ brings a familiar SUV-coupé silhouette to the ECG ranks – but confusingly it isn't actually related to the C-HR hybrid. The EV is available with two battery sizes, the larger 77kWh unit unlocking a headline-grabbing 378-mile range. Toyota may have been slower than some rivals to embrace full electrification, but the C-HR+ makes up ground by balancing style and practicality with a commanding 10-year warranty and a refreshingly intuitive interior.

Toyota Proace City Verso

Original list price: £31,995

Price after grant: £30,495

We haven't driven this MPV yet, but it's essentially the same as the Citroen ë-Berlingo, Peugeot e-Rifter and Vauxhall Combo Life Electric found elsewhere in this list. Lots of room for not a lot of cash. Added bonus of a 10-year warranty.

Vauxhall Astra Electric and Astra Sports Tourer Electric

Original list price: £35,005

Price after grant: £33,505

Read our Vauxhall Astra Electric review

The electric Astra shares its underpinnings with the Peugeot e-308, including its battery. Vauxhall claims a range of 256 miles and its power output is 153bhp. As with the e-308, there’s a choice of a hatchback or a roomier estate.

Vauxhall Combo Life Electric

Original list price: £32,190

Price after grant: £30,690

The Combo Life is a sibling to the Citroën ë-Berlingo and co. There’s a choice of five- or seven-seat layouts but just one battery: a 52kWh unit. In the Combo Life, it produces an official 213 miles of range. Boot space is rated at 597 litres and there are 27 different storage areas throughout the car.

Vauxhall Corsa Electric

Original list price: £27,505

Price after grant: £26,005

Read our Vauxhall Corsa Electric review

Formerly the UK’s best-selling car, the Vauxhall Corsa is just as good to drive with battery power as it is with a combustion engine. At its lowest price, you will get the small battery with a claimed 223 miles of range. Thankfully, the model with a 54kWh battery is also available with the ECG, and it produces a far more practical 256 miles of range, according to the official figures.

Vauxhall Frontera Electric

Original list price: £23,995

Price after grant: £22,495

Read our Vauxhall Frontera Electric review

Vauxhall recently revived the Frontera name for a small electric crossover, which shares its footprint and mechanicals with the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross. Like the French car, it produces a claimed 189 miles of range from a 44kWh battery as standard, but it also offers a 54kWh battery for an official range figure of 252 miles.

Vauxhall Grandland Electric

Original list price: £36,995

Price after grant: £35,455

Read our Vauxhall Grandland Electric review

If the Corsa and Frontera are too small, you can look to the Grandland. Thanks to a 72kWh battery, it promises 323 miles of range. An even longer-range, 97kWh version is coming soon too, although we expect that to fall outside of the ECG threshold. Boot space is 550 litres – close to that of the Skoda Enyaq and Tesla Model Y.

Vauxhall Mokka Electric

Original list price: £32,505

Price after grant: £31,005

Read our Vauxhall Mokka Electric review

Just one electric option is available for the Vauxhall Mokka. It comes with a 54kWh battery and a claimed 252 miles of range. Maximum charging speed is capped at 100kW and its single electric motor produces 154bhp. That’s sufficient to get you from 0-62mph in 9.0sec.

Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric

Original list price: £39,100

Price after grant: £37,600

Another Stellantis group whopper. Vauxhall describes it as a lounge on wheels, and it offers six- and nine-seat options. Two battery options to choose from too, the smaller resulting in a 139-mile range, the larger 219 miles.

Volkswagen ID 3

Original list price: £32,350

Price after grant: £30,850

Read our Volkswagen ID 3 review

The Volkswagen ID 3 is good to drive and a sensible option for people looking to combine efficiency and comfort. Entry-level cars get a claimed range of 241 miles, but you can also step up to the Pro S Essential with 352 miles of range and still qualify for the ECG.

Volkswagen ID 4

Original list price: £36,995

Price after grant: £35,495

Read our Volkswagen ID 4 review

Like the ID 3 but bigger. It has a large, 543-litre boot and its cabin impresses too with generous rear leg room, although the materials feel less premium than in some rivals and the touch-sensitive controls won’t be for everyone. The ID 4 is composed and easy-going on the road, with sharp initial acceleration for the more powerful models. Claimed range of up to 339 miles too.

Volkswagen ID 5

Original list price: £36,995

Price after grant: £35,495

Read our Volkswagen ID 5 review

Mechanically identical to the ID 4 above but with a more coupé-like backside, yet peculiarly it has a larger official boot capacity.

New Volkswagen ID 3 brings more range, buttons, "true VW" spirit

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0100

'Neo' update brings fresh styling, bigger batteries and an all-new interior with an array of proper buttons

The ID 3, Volkswagen's first bespoke electric car, has received a massive update - and a revised name - as part of an effort to right the wrongs of the six-year-old hatchback and increase its appeal.

The EV has been given fresh exterior styling, bigger batteries and, most significantly, a completely new interior that features an array of physical buttons, which will be shared with the soon-to-be-revealed ID Polo and ID Cross siblings.

Volkswagen is moving away from using number designations for its EVs (the ID 4 is set to be rebranded as the ID Tiguan when it receives a major update shortly), but the ID 3 will keep its number, due to the brand equity it has built up. It will, however, now be called the ID 3 Neo - a nod to the ID 3's original development codename and intended to emphasise that this is more than a standard mid-life refresh.

According to Volkswagen boss Thomas Schäfer, the changes, especially those inside, are designed to address the shortcomings of the brand's first wave of bespoke EVs, which started with the ID 3 in 2020 and continued with the ID 4, ID 5, ID 7 and ID Buzz. This is the second facelift for the ID 3, after an update in 2023 to resolve well-publicised issues with software and usability.

Schäfer said the ID 3 Neo, which will arrive in July, is the first in a new series of "true Volkswagen" cars, adding that the brand has a "clear goal: to build real Volkswagen models again". He said that "Volkswagen has always been about cars that become part of people's lives, cars that you can rely on, cars that work, cars you understand" but when he took over in 2022 "it was clear we were losing our core, what Volkswagen really stands for".

Schäfer said the ID 3 Neo is the first car to benefit from a complete change in the way that Volkswagen develops cars. He explained: "In the past, we had engineers who created long lists of features and requirements [and then] we wondered why everyone didn't feel comfortable using it.

Today we start differently: we start with people. Who's actually driving this car? It became very clear, and that changed everything in the way we did development faster, more focused and much closer to reality."

Inside is where the "biggest jump forward" has been made, according to Volkswagen tech boss Kai Grünitz, with changes that "address many of the criticisms our customers had about the first ID 3" and "finally make it a true Volkswagen".

"The ID 3 got really positive feedback for its sense of space and for its driving performance and precision, but there were also aspects that had to be improved," said Grünitz. "We already fixed many issues but not all of them, and that's why we took the next step with the new generation of the ID 3."

The cabin is entirely new, featuring higher-quality and softer materials and a host of physical controls. Notably, among them are a volume knob and heating switches, replacing the controversial touch-sensitive 'sliders'. Furthermore, the driver's door now features a button for each window: originally there were two switches with a toggle button to change the controls from the front to the rear windows. The steering wheel is also new, featuring physical buttons in place of the previous haptic ones, as well as a light-up VW logo.

The 13in landscape-mounted infotainment touchscreen and 10.25in digital driver's display are also new, and the latter can be customised to resemble the instrument cluster of a 1980s Golf, complete with a charge 'gauge.

The curved dashboard is now straight to emphasise space, while a new full-length centre console has been fitted following customer feedback. This features a storage bin deep enough for a 13in tablet and a wireless charging pad big enough for two phones.

The exterior changes are less extensive, the most notable being a new front end to bring the ID 3 Neo in line with the upcoming ID Polo and ID Cross. "It clearly shows the new family face", said Grünitz, but "it looks a bit more mature than the ID Polo". The ID 3 Neo also sports a painted roof and tailgate, which, according to Grünitz, gives it "new proportions", making it look flatter and wider than before.

The rear-wheel-drive hatchback continues to be available with three power outputs, each allied to a new battery. The new combinations are a 50kWh battery with a 168bhp motor; a 58kWh battery with a 188bhp motor; and a 79kWh battery with a 228bhp motor. In its most efficient guise the range is 391 miles, some 20 miles more than before, which Grünitz claimed is "more than any other car in its class". The maximum rapid-charging speed is a slightly improved 183kW with the biggest battery.

Although unconfirmed, a successor to the 322bhp GTX Performance hot hatch is expected to be revealed later this year and, as previously reported by Autocar, is set to adopt the iconic GTI badge.

The ID 3 Neo also gets Volkswagen's latest software, allowing for the addition of new functions including Travel Assist (ie semi-autonomous driving) and a one-pedal mode. The battery will also gain vehicle-to-load capability. Owners will be able to control their ID 3 Neo using a new digital key feature on their smartphone, too. Grünitz said the new software will bring "more performance and an even better customer experience" to the car.

Jensen Interceptor GTX to be revealed in spring with screaming V8

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0100

Autocar render based on Jensen teaser image shows what full rear end could look like

New car has been created by restomod firm Jensen International Automotive and will be built in Oxfordshire

The Jensen Interceptor is to be reborn as a new British-built, V8-powered GT, 50 years after production of the iconic original ended.

Banbury-based Jensen International Automotive (JIA) has confirmed its new model, due to be revealed in the coming months, will be called the Interceptor GTX.

It will be JIA's first clean-sheet design, the firm having previously specialised in restoring and modernising Interceptors, creating restomods such as the Interceptor R. It will be hand-built in “ultra-low” numbers and therefore probably command a very high price.

It is claimed to be an “ultra-high-performance”, luxury proposition that will offer a fully analogue driving experience.

This suggests that it will use a manual gearbox and the cabin will be flooded with physical controls and switches, similar to the original 1960s Interceptor.

While further details have yet to be revealed, Autocar understands the new car will be powered by the engine from the latest Chevrolet Corvette.

The Corvette’s 6.2-litre V8 puts out 495bhp and 452lb ft of torque as standard, but JIA said its new car's powertrain will be “bespoke”.

The original Interceptor used a 6.3-litre big-block Chrysler V8, giving it more than 250bhp and a top speed of nearly 140mph.

The as-yet-unnamed JIA GT will sit on a lightweight aluminium chassis, likely as part of an effort to give it the highest power-to-weight ratio possible.

While its design has yet to be revealed, the first official picture confirms that it will follow a similar philosophy to the original, with a long bonnet, raked roofline and a low-slung stance.

Managing director David Duerden said JIA is “taking the theme of the luxury British GT to fresh, thoroughly modern heights” with a car that “will stand proudly as a completely all-new car in its own right”.

A release date has yet to be confirmed but, given that JIA is keen to highlight the car’s British roots, a debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July seems plausible.

Velar buying guide: Grab a real Range Rover for Jaecoo 7 money

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0100

This luxurious SUV now starts at £12,000, so why bother with a lookalike from China?

Everyone knows Jaecoo as the "Temu Range Rover' but let's shift the narrative.

Can you pick up an actual Range Rover for the same price as this value-led Chinese newcomer's SUVs? Boy, can you - and we're not talking about a boggo Evoque or hypermiled Mk2 Range Rover but the sleek Velar, which is soon to enter its second generation yet still looks as fresh and decadent as it did nine years ago.

For £24,505, the price of the entry-level Jaecoo 5, you could get a 2021 Velar with only 58,000 miles on the clock. And that's with a mild-hybrid diesel that can return 43mpg, versus 41mpg for the petrol 5.

Up your budget to £30k, where prices for the larger Jaecoo 7 start, and you could nab a same-age Velar with the creamy 3.0-litre straight-six diesel and just 40,000 miles. It's a match for the cheaper car on economy, and for performance, ride, handling, refinement and tech it's got the newbie licked.

The Velar still looks like a concept car with number plates and the interior remains similarly striking with its triple screen set-up. It's intuitive to use too, with the third screen on the lower centre console offering permanent shortcuts for the heated seats and the like, and physical dials for the climate control flanking it on either side.

In 2023, the interior became more minimalist and generally less usable when the two central screens were replaced by one larger unit, which did away with the dials and permanent shortcuts. However, material quality overall has always been generally very good throughout the car's life cycle and the steering wheel and seats feel especially expensive.

The Velar's footprint is similar to the BMW X3's and Audi Q5's, and despite the shapely body, it's a practical car. Space in the back is on the money for this class, with enough room for tall adults, and the boot betters its rivals, at 632 litres.

As for the driving experience, the Velar is a sort of long-distance GT dressed as an SUV. It makes for a fab motorway weapon, cruising fast and comfortably. On twisting roads, the Velar handles competently, but it stops short of being engaging.

So the Velar is a pretty compelling all-rounder and you might see fit to overlook gripes such as the slightly fussy ride and noisy cabin exacerbated by the largest, 22in wheels. Air suspension improves that. It was an expensive option on four-cylinder models but standard on six-cylinder cars.

There are other reasons to choose the bigger engines. The fours are pretty refined, but the smooth sixes are excellent and more reliable. We would avoid the D180 and D240 2.0-litre diesels with a high reported failure rate. The D200 (the numbers correspond to a model's power in PS) is a revised version, introduced in 2021, and is proving more reliable. The six-pot D275 and D300 are the picks of the range (they switched from V6 to straight-six power in 2021).

The petrols are rarer but also more reliable than the 2.0-litre diesels. In 2.0-litre P250 and P300 form, they're fine. The 3.0-litre P380 and later P400 are fantastically powerful, smooth and sonorous, but don't expect more than 25mpg. There's also the P400e, which pairs the 2.0-litre petrol with a battery and electric motor. It's good for around 30 miles of EV range in the real world and owners haven't reported any major reliability concerns. It doesn't command a significant premium either.

What to look for

Four-cylinder engines: There are many horror stories about the 2.0-litre diesel, particularly regarding the diesel particulate filter, timing chain, turbos, oil dilution, excessive cylinder wear and coolant leaks. The 2.0-litre petrol and later 2.0-litre MHEV diesel are safer bets, but they can still suffer timing chain and turbo issues.

Six-cylinder engines: Many owners agree the 3.0-litre V6 and straight-six petrol and diesel engines are the most reliable. Nevertheless, listen for knocking in the diesel (crankshaft issues) and watch out for heavy coolant use in the petrol (water pump problems).

Alternator: The belt tensioner can fail in MHEV cars. Budget for as much as £2500 unless it's covered by a sensible extended warranty.

Steering: If the electric steering motor develops a hairline crack, the electrical circuit board inside the unit is exposed and becomes corroded, rendering the car undrivable. Check for grinding, groaning or a heavy feel.

Transfer case: Signs of a drip or transmission warning messages could point to a leaking transfer case, which can lead to component damage and costly repairs.

Electrics: Many owners have faced frozen display screens. The solution is normally to turn the car off and on again. Failed parking sensors have also been reported, typically rendering the entire sensor system inoperative.

Also worth knowing

Service intervals are every year or 16,000 miles, but some owners recommend changing the oil more frequently.

Given JLR's reputation for patchy reliability, you might value the reassurance of an extended warranty. It will typically cost around £1000 for a year from JLR. For a little more, plenty of third-party providers will cover a Velar for three years.

A Velar that's more than five years old won't attract the £425 luxury car supplement. VED will be £195 annually - or £620 if the supplement applies.

Insurance is a thorny issue for some Range Rovers, yet the Velar was never that badly affected. Insurance groups range between 31 and 50, so it could still be costly, though.

How much to spend

£12,000-£15,999 Mostly early, low-spec and high-mileage examples. Be wary of cars with only part service history.

£16,000-£24,999 Reasonable mileages (below 70,000) and models other than the poorly regarded 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel.

£25,000-£34,999 Lots of low-mileage, high-spec examples, including plug-in hybrids and rare 3.0-litre petrols.

£35,000-£80,000 Low-mileage two- or three-year-old Velars through to nearly new cars. Hot SVAutobiographys (542bhp supercharged V8) too.

An owner's view

Arianne Smith: "After 85,000 miles in our V6 diesel Velar, we recently sold it. There were highs and lows. The dealership experience has been patchy. It began really well. Then the JLR parts shortage led us to being told to place a blanket over the engine block every night to retain some heat to mitigate an issue with the faulty glow plug control unit. But we also had some amazing times: our Velar coped with Austrian Alpine winters, 3500-mile round trips between our homes in Tyrol and Scotland, and returned 43mpg, even fully laden."

Brexit still battering UK car industry 10 years later

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0100

EU's proposed Industrial Accelerator Act could exclude UK-built EVs, with significant ramifications

Sorry to rake over a painful subject, but we need to talk about the continuing disastrous effect of Brexit on the UK automotive industry.

Car makers operating in the UK were always opposed to Brexit, mainly because it made life a lot more complicated. And another complication has now arisen from confusion about the EU's proposed Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), which is designed to protect its industry from Chinese rivals with a series of benefits for EVs built within the bloc.

The IAA was attacked by the UK's SMMT for being "poorly drafted". Indeed, in its current form, it's hard to work out whether UK-made EVs will be excluded from two key incentives or all four. Maybe it will be cleared up as wrangling continues and maybe, like the post-Brexit EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, it will be negotiated in our favour, with EVs such as the Nissan Leaf being defined as "Union-assembled".

But it's the uncertainty that's the killer. Global car makers are continually assessing where to locate production, and right now, as from 2016-2020, they can't be sure if the UK will be a sensible place to do business.

Nissan is largely locked in and our luxury car makers have too much invested in their Britishness to go elsewhere, but this could gravely affect BMW's decision to finally bring an electric Mini to Oxford, as well as the future of Toyota's Burnaston plant.

This isn't the only question mark. As it was in 2023, the 'rules of origin' element of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement is due to hit a cliff edge at the end of the year, stipulating a much tougher local parts content (UK or EU) of 55% to remain tariff-free. That will probably be renegotiated so as not to punish those EU-built cars with batteries from abroad, but again we don't know.

It's not even controversial any more to say Brexit was bad for our car industry. Just look at the production figures, down from a high of 1.7 million in 2016, the year of the vote, to 764,715 last year.

There are benefits to being outside the EU. For example, we can be more flexible when it comes to the shift to EVs, even if it's not as flexible as some would like. And we have a better tariff deal on cars with the US. But our unmoored state leaves us more vulnerable to global shifts, and the rise of the Chinese car industry is one of the biggest shifts the industry has ever seen. If the EU does close its doors, we will be very exposed indeed.

Porsche 911 GT3 gets £200k convertible option

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0100

GT division boss Andreas Preuninger told Autocar that Porsche has “wanted to do this GT3 cabriolet since the 997”

Porsche has launched a drop-top version of the 911 GT3 for the first time – and the firm’s bosses claim it handles identically to the fixed-roofed version.

Called the 911 GT3 S/C, the new cabriolet is effectively the seventh iteration of the 911 Speedster, but instead of being a limited-run model like that line of cars, the £200,500 GT3 S/C will be a permanent fixture in the line-up alongside the GT3 coupé.

GT division boss Andreas Preuninger told Autocar that Porsche has “wanted to do this GT3 cabriolet since the 997” but it has never had the capacity. However, with GT3 RS production ending, “now is the time”.

The S/C uses the GT3 4.0-litre flat six tuned to deliver 503bhp. That is 15bhp down on the S/T due to new emissions hardware, but by retaining the 992.2-generation GT3’s RS-spec camshaft, it still spins to 9000rpm.

The GT3 S/C is sold exclusively with the GT3’s close-ratio manual gearbox, with Porsche positioning the car “for the guys and girls who just go out to drive”, said Preuninger. He added: “That’s why it’s manual only, because manual gearboxes matter for drivers.”

He said the electrically folding roof makes the S/C much easier to live with than the manual roof traditionally fitted to a Speedster. “It’s for those who want something that’s Speedster-ish but with an automatic top, which is why I like to call it the ‘Cabster’. It’s going to be more useful for British drivers when the weather changes fast!” said Preuninger.

At 1497kg, the GT3 S/C is just 28kg heavier than the GT3 coupé and 32kg heavier than 2019’s 991-gen Speedster, but much of that is because of the electric roof mechanism.

Weight has been saved via carbonfibre-reinforced plastic panels for the bonnet, front wings and doors, while carbon-ceramic brakes are fitted as standard and the 911’s rear seats have been removed.

Ultimately, the weight difference to the GT3 coupé is small enough that the S/C has identical spring and damper rates. It is also fitted with staggered 20in and 21in magnesium wheels, and rear-steer geometry.

The GT3 S/C dispatches 0-62mph in an identical 3.9sec to the GT3 coupé manual and top speed rises 1mph to 194mph, mainly because the S/C’s lack of rear wing makes it sleeker.

Preuninger told Autocar the set-up feels “identical to drive” to a GT3 coupé’s for anyone this side of a “professional racing driver”.

He said the use of a dual-mass flywheel clutch makes crawling in traffic much easier than in the S/T. With the optional (and bespoke to the S/C) bucket seats fitted, Preuninger reckons the S/C is the ultimate GT3 experience because it brings you closer to the emotion of the flat six.

Buyers wanting an even more exclusive GT3 S/C can opt for the Street Style pack, which “allows you to adapt the vehicle even more individually to your personal taste”, with leather woven seats featuring a tartan pattern, different wheel and brake colour combinations, and decals on the bodywork.

“We make these cars for people like us at Porsche GT,” said Preuninger. “When we dreamt up this car, I wanted to make the GT3 experience as raw and engaging as possible.”

Revealed: Rolls-Royce rethinks design with £7m electric special

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0100

Coachbuild Collection ushers in new era, with Nightingale to influence future Rolls-Royce models

The new Rolls-Royce Project Nightingale, a limited-run electric convertible, is the first in a new range of ultra-exclusive models from the Goodwood-based firm that, it says, will spark a change in how it designs cars forever.

The 100 examples of the new two-seater will be the first products of Rolls’ new Coachbuild Collection. Each of the 100 EVs will be priced from around £7 million but the final cost is likely to be significantly higher due to extensive customisation.

Rolls plans to launch a range of limited-run cars with bespoke designs and a high level of personalisation options under the Coachbuild Collection banner, with new arrivals every two to three years.

The Coachbuild Collection models will sit between the series-production one-offs, such as last year’s Phantom Goldfinger, and the ultra-exclusive full Coachbuild models, such as 2021’s three-off £20m Boat Tail.

All of the Project Nightingale models – not the car’s final name – are already accounted for, with owners chosen by the firm.

“We’re only talking to our best clients here,” said head of future products Phil Harnett. “We want to find proper homes for them, with the people who appreciate this and want to drive them. We are making sure every single one of those clients is the right person and they are people who are going to hold on to that car.”

Testing of the new model will begin this summer ahead of first deliveries in 2028. Although it is still a concept, Rolls claims Project Nightingale is 99% production ready.

The drop-top is a modern-day interpretation of the 17EX Torpedo, a streamlined touring coachwork test chassis of the 1928 Phantom I. Like that car, much of its length (at 5.76m the new car is as long as the flagship Phantom) is devoted to the long tail.

The design also points to a refreshed look for the brand under the direction of former BMW design boss Domagoj Dukec, who moved within the BMW Group to join Rolls in 2024. “It will shape everything that follows,” he said.

While the model is based on the same Art of Luxury platform as the rest of the brand’s range, Rolls says most of its parts are unique and insists that it shares little with the smaller Spectre, the company’s first electric car.

Coachbuild-lite

Harnett said the Coachbuild Collection was driven by customers who wanted a bespoke Rolls but “didn’t have the time” needed to become immersed in the full Coachbuild programme.

The project also gives Rolls’ designers the freedom to create experimental and “extravagant” elements and features that will later trickle down to shape the design of higher-volume models.

Crucially, it will be a significant revenue driver for the firm, which sold 5664 cars last year. The heavy personalisation means these models should offer higher margins.

“We’ve been wanting to do more,” said Harnett, “from the sales side to designers. They are always sketching something. When you go to our design offices, you’ll always see pictures of extravagant things which we want to do.

“Then, talking to our clients, some people want to do a Coachbuild but they don’t necessarily have all that time they need to invest – you’re talking to the clients all the time: come in again; come in again; come in again. They also [said] they wanted to be led by us: ‘Could you do it for me? I’m paying you. You do the work.’ They want us to deliver something.

“So it’s these discussions, and we’ve been looking to see when the time is right. And then it just organically came that we said: ‘We’re ready now to do it.’”

Harnett said the project works in a “revolutionary” fashion: instead of showing prospective owners the finished cars, Rolls brings them in at the sketch stage, so they are part of the process, but without needing the level of input required for a full ultra-exclusive Coachbuild car.

“We’re doing something a bit back to front,” he said. ”We are taking our clients on a journey with us.” They will even be invited to take part in the car’s global testing programme at certain points.

“Everything we have done with this is different and that is exciting,” said Harnett. “This is a new chapter for Rolls-Royce: we have rejuvenated coachbuilding so that it is relevant again. Now we are revolutionising it again.”

Key for the Coachbuild Collection is to create cars that won’t just sit in garages, which is why the first car is a convertible. Harnett said: “This is not a show car. This is a car to drive.”

The production version of Project Nightingale has been sold to clients in the US, Europe and Asia in both left- and right-hand-drive guises. The range of owners is “diverse”, said Harnett, who added that “they are the real, real Rolls-Royce enthusiasts”.

While 100 examples of the car will be made, Harnett said future Coachbuild Collection projects could have production runs of varying sizes, although the aim is to keep them exclusive.

Unique design

Project Nightingale’s name is derived from Le Rossignol – French for ‘the nightingale’ – which was the name of a house used by Rolls designers, situated near co-founder Henry Royce’s winter estate on the Côte d’Azur in southern France.

The project was led by Coachbuild designer Jacobo Dominguez Ojea, a BMW Group stalwart of more than two decades who has previously worked on the exteriors of cars including the current-generation BMW 3 Series and 8 Series Gran Coupé.

“We realised very early on in the project that this was a once-in-a-lifetime model for Rolls-Royce,” he said.

Talking about taking design inspiration from the 17EX Torpedo, especially its long boat tail, he said: “We found that fascinating. The proportions: it had a very small cabin and this long tail, but of course [for Project Nightingale] we wanted to do something clearly modern, very bold and pure in its shape.”

He added: “From a side view, you see the presence that it has. It’s unique. There’s nothing like it with these proportions. It’s the length of a Phantom that’s just for two people.”

Opting for a convertible also fitted the project’s aim of creating a car that is “not just to go from point A to point B, but the experience of driving this car is the destination in itself”, said Ojea. “This car is about the wind in your hair. It’s about the feeling of openness, to feel and hear what’s around you.”

The team considered offering it as a speedster without a roof but felt the addition of a cloth top makes it more usable. It also means it met the brief of being a car “that people want to drive and want to use”, according to Ojea.

He pointed to a number of new elements that are the most likely to be adopted by the firm’s future series-production cars, including its 24in alloys, a frameless ‘RR’ badge on the rear and flanks, near-metre-wide front grille and large rear transom diffuser.

Elements such as the 55mm-wide hand-built headlights integrated into the nose and the wild side-hinged bootlid are too labour-intensive to be used in a higher-volume car. But their looks could influence future designs, including the forthcoming electric SUV.

There are also new elements inside, including a centre armrest that is designed to resemble a horse saddle, and the familiar Starlight Headliner feature that, due to the car’s convertible brief, has been built into the doors and behind the seats. Ojea said it is “a bit like the stars have been blown around you”.

Technical details are not yet finalised, said Harnett, given the early stage of the development (“we’ve only briefly been in a wind tunnel”), but he confirmed it will use a bigger battery than the Spectre’s 107kWh lithium ion pack while offering “close to” the same 329-mile range.

Power details also remain undisclosed, but expect a dual-motor configuration with an output that is likely to match the Black Badge Spectre’s 650bhp.

Project Nightingale will be offered in nine exterior colours that are exclusive to the Coachbuild Collection, as well as seven different roof and 11 interior leather options.

Rolls CEO Chris Brownridge called Project Nightingale “our most ambitious work” and said it has brought “three things together that have never co-existed within our brand: the complete design freedom of coachbuilding; our powerful, near-silent all-electric powertrain; and a uniquely potent yet serene expression of open-top motoring”.

5 ways CUPRA gets its e-HYBRID PHEVs right

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0100

CUPRA’s impressively capable and varied e-HYBRID lineup shows how good plug-in hybrids can be.

Looking for a car with low running costs, but not quite ready to make the jump to all-electric? It’s a familiar conundrum for today’s drivers – whether looking at private ownership or a company car. But there is an answer to ponder: plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs.

CUPRA has been hard at work making a formidable plug-in hybrid lineup to appeal to that crowd. And with a sizable electric range, impressive refinement and punchy performance, the e-HYBRID lineup does a remarkable job of showing the best of what a plug-in hybrid can be.

What’s more, there’s a usefully varied model range to choose from, including the award-winning Formentor coupé SUV, the agile and practical Leon and its Estate counterpart, and the supremely spacious Terramar SUV.

So what makes CUPRA’s awesome foursome worthy of your attention? Here are 5 reasons why these CUPRA e-HYBRID models should be on your shortlist...

Learn more about the CUPRA e-HYBRID range

1 All-electric range

One of the best parts of plug-in hybrid vehicle ownership is the versatility they offer. If you spend a lot of time darting around town, the all-electric mode will certainly be of interest.

Each of CUPRA’s e-HYBRID cars has an official electric range of between 69 and 81 miles*, depending on the model. So if you have a 10-mile urban commute, you could potentially make that journey without using any petrol – saving you a few pennies along the way.

There are no problems when it comes to charging, either. In the CUPRA Terramar for example, you can get from 10% to 80% charge in as little as 26 minutes** using the 50kW charging option with a CCS connection – which is widely available at public charging stations. If you prefer to charge at home instead, then you could get a favourable EV tariff from your energy supplier for a lower-cost charging option.

2 Driving modes to suit your mood

But you won’t tootle around town all the time. There will be occasions where you’ll need to drive many motorway miles – or want to have a fun run through winding country roads.

For those moments of spirited driving – a real strength of the CUPRA range – the petrol engine and electric motor can work together to deliver a bit more low-end thrust for more instant performance when you poke the accelerator pedal.

Or for a long economy run, the electric motor can support the petrol engine, taking some of the strain off the combustion engine – meaning you aren’t using as much fuel, so you can go that little bit further on a tank.

3 Top-end refinement

Even if you’re having fun up front in the driving seat, your passengers can still have an enjoyable trip without a barrage of engine noise and an unsettled ride.

Road and wind noise are kept in check on all models, and the electrical assistance keeps the engine pleasingly hushed.

And, of course: when you’re in all-electric mode in any of the CUPRA’s e-HYBRID models, you’ll have no noise coming from the engine bay at all. Even when the petrol engine kicks in, it’s far from obtrusive – unless of course you wish to rev it out to the redline.

If you have a model with the adaptive suspension, you have a choice of Sport, Comfort or CUPRA mode to select. If you’re looking for on-road thrills, then selecting Sport mode in any of these e-HYBRID models will give you the fix you’re looking for. CUPRA mode makes the suspension a bit stiffer, so you can press on with enthusiasm on an energised drive.

When you need to pop it into Comfort mode, then the compliant ride will smooth out all but the very roughest roads – even on the larger optional wheels. Individual mode allows you to amend the ride setting to just how you want it to be. But, even if you have the standard suspension, you’ll find a good balance between body control and comfort on each e-HYBRID.

4 A stylish, luxury interior

Inside each e-HYBRID model, you’ll find all the eye-catching materials that deliver that sense of interior opulence that we’ve come to expect from CUPRA. All around the plush cabin you’ll find higher-quality plastics and more soft-touch materials than you may expect even in more prestige models, accentuated by ambient lights and bronze highlights. It’s an ambience that pairs nicely with the refined and effortless nature of the e-HYBRID powertrain.

The driver – whether in the Formentor, Terramar, Leon or Leon Estate – will enjoy a sporty seating position, with the dash and centre console wrapping itself around. There’s a 12.9-inch infotainment screen from which you can navigate through the intuitive system to adjust and amend what you wish, too.

5 A hybrid model for every need

CUPRA has four cars in its e-HYBRID lineup, meaning there should be a model to suit all tastes and needs.

The Formentor is a terrific choice if you want a sporty-looking SUV. The rakish coupé roofline offers a desirable outline for onlookers – but there’s still more than enough room in the back for all but the very tallest passengers. The ski-hatch in the rear seats will let you transport longer items, too, along with you and three other people.

The Terramar offers passengers all the room they could desire, as well as copious cupholders and cubbies. Along with the 40/20/40 split folding seatbacks, the rear bench can also be slid forwards and backwards to boost the 400-litre boot by 90 litres.

For those who love a sporty hatchback, then the Leon may be the one for you. Even though it’s the smallest of the four, it’s spacious enough to cope with the hectic demands of family life. There’s plenty of room for four adults to sit in for long journeys without getting uncomfortable, while the 270-litre boot will easily cope with anything from the daily school run to the occasional airport pick-up.

If you regularly have a bootful of bags, the Leon Estate will be a better fit. With 470 litres of space available, you can easily add a pushchair and a couple of school bags in the rear with room for your weekly food shopping, too. As with the hatchback, the 60/40 split-folding rear seats can be lowered for loading your latest furniture purchases.

So no matter whether you want a perfectly practical hatchback, or a sporty SUV, CUPRA has an e-HYBRID for you. With a mix of luxury interiors, peppy performance and laid-back refinement, your next car will be a great balance without compromise.

Learn more about the CUPRA e-HYBRID range

*These figures were obtained using a combination of battery power and fuel. The CUPRA Leon is a plug-in hybrid vehicle requiring mains electricity for charging. Figures shown are for comparability purposes; only compare fuel consumption, CO2 and equivalent all electric range figures with other vehicles tested to the same technical procedures. These figures may not reflect real life driving results, which will depend upon a number of factors including the accessories fitted (post-registration), variation in weather, driving styles and vehicle load. Data correct at March 2026.

**Estimated charging times for the standard specification CUPRA Terramar. Test data obtained under standardised conditions for comparison purposes. Actual charging times will vary depending on various factors, including the selected trimline, the options you choose, the type of charger used, the level of charge in the battery, the age, type, condition and temperature of the charger and the battery, the power supply to and usage of the charger, ambient temperature at the point of use and other environmental factors. Charging time will be longer in cold weather. Charging times will also be affected by the charging curve (for example, once charging passes 80%, charging will slow to protect the battery's longevity) and will be longer if battery temperature activates safeguarding technology.

Forget the fifth wheel: How satellites changed road testing for good

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0100

Modern telemetry makes extracting the 0-60mph time a breeze - but the tech can still bite back

When he was a fresh-faced doctoral candidate, one of my university professors was involved in the early stages of civilian GPS application.

His work centred on how to utilise this remarkable tech outside the secretive military domain. I remember him telling us about when, one morning in the 1990s, he had woken up to carry out his usual checks and discovered they were all over the place. Overnight the Americans had shifted the constellation (at this time not yet at its full strength of 24 satellites sitting 13,800 miles above us) to focus on the Persian Gulf.

Normally the orbital configuration ensures only four or so satellites are visible at any time from any point on the earth's surface. But the US navy wanted to put Tomahawks through the windows of regime buildings in Baghdad, so it clustered everything over the region for maximum accuracy.

I find it amazing that, 30 years later, I can go to Horiba MIRA proving ground with a logger-monitor barely larger than a hot-crossed bun and a tiny antenna, and it can tell me with tremendous accuracy, in real -time and regardless of what might be happening elsewhere on the planet my speed, heading and -the length of timed runs to two decimal places. All this for a few hundred pounds sterling.

The VBox Touch kit we use to record telemetry relies on a basket of constellations. These include not only GPS but Glonass (the Russian equivalent) and Galileo (EU), and if necessary BeiDou (China). It's an embarrassment of riches if you only need to know how fast a Jaecoo 7 will fire itself from standstill to 100mph (21.82sec, for the record).

It's a recent privilege too. The Americans turned off the 'selective availability' that degraded civilian GPS accuracy in 2000, but Glonass only became reliable in 2011, Galileo in 2016 and BeiDou as late as 2020.

Go back far enough and the figures in Autocar will have been taken with the famous 'fifth wheel', made first for us by Boon and Porter. This required our garage to borrow the test car from the testers the day before it went to MIRA, in order to clamp a towing eye to the rear bumper (a task that became much more complicated with the advent of 5mph bumpers).

To this we'd mount a heavy-duty cycle wheel with a tough hydraulic damper intended to keep the tyre in contact with the road as consistently as possible. It was all rigged up to a speedometer in the cabin and was accurate to about 0.5mph, which was considered high in 1960. From there, hand-timing using a Heuer and a clipboard secured us precious data.

Life as a road tester is a damn sight easier now, though over the years there have been various frustrations. They have, however, mostly been to do with a faulty (and cheaply replaced) antenna unable to secure a reliable signal. Last year I was all set to get the numbers from the Lamborghini Temerario - with six or seven support staff from Italy standing by and a rapidly closing window of dry weather - when the VBox simply would not get a location fix.

I was beginning to sweat because I thought I was using a new antenna and the slightly problematic old one was in the kit bag. Fortunately it was the other way around, and the new one was still in the bag. Note to self: always bin kit that's no longer 100% reliable.

The only time I've ever lost data was during the road test for the Caterham Seven 420 Cup. That was the brutish one with the white cage, no windscreen and the sequential gearbox.

I was already having a bad day because I'd given myself a nasty burn on the exhaust for -the first time in years of driving Sevens, and made worse by the fact I was wearing shorts, itself a rare occurrence, and only because it was a 36deg C day. By the time I'd done the hot laps and standing starts at MIRA, I'd logged 220 miles and was, to put it bluntly, shagged.

And so was the data, when I popped the SD card out of the logger and into the laptop. I still don't know why it was scrambled - the mad violence of the Caterham's lapping? Whatever it was, having to do it all again, then drive back to London sunburnt, wounded and sore... Pretty brutal.

This sort of thing has always been unlikely, and is even more unlikely now, with the VBox Touch I've just started using. As mentioned, it actually displays the telemetry data - something the old logger didn't do. This feature is invaluable when it comes to squeezing out the best standing starts with trial and improvement, and giving you the peace of mind knowing data is writing properly to card. In this era of digital overload, it's one display I'd never lobby against.

BMW M5 Touring readied as 708bhp PHEV with 43-mile range

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 07:19:47 +0100

The M5's powertrain will be based on that used by the XM SUV

One of M's final pure-combustion cars due on sale with hardcore chassis tweaks and bespoke aero

BMW is just months away from launching the totally reinvented M5, which will add plug-in hybrid power for the first time and is tipped to be one of the German firm’s most powerful road cars yet.

Due on sale in the summer, the seventh iteration of the M5 will be one of the final combustion-engined cars from BMW’s M division.

The performance arm has not yet announced an end date on its ICE line-up, but it will put its badge on a pure-electric sports saloon based on the next-generation BMW 3 Series in 2026 and is anticipated to transition to an all-EV line-up in the coming years as its parent company fleshes out the new Neue Klasse line of electric-only models.

The new M5 is said to be 36mm longer and 70mm wider than today’s car, and it will be differentiated from the regular 5 Series by its markedly lower suspension, wider tyres (reportedly 285-section at the front and 295 at the rear) and aggressive styling.

The bodywork will incorporate downforce-boosting measures including a chunkier roof spoiler and beefy diffuser, while its arches will be swollen to accommodate its wider track. Large cross-drilled brake discs are likely to be housed behind bespoke performance alloy wheels.

Its powertrain will be based on that used by the XM SUV, the first bespoke M car since the 1978 M1 supercar, pairing the twin-turbo 4.4-litre ‘S68’ V8 with an electric motor housed in the eight-speed gearbox to give a maximum output far above that of even the hottest version of today’s super-saloon.

The top-rung Label Red version of the XM is the most powerful road-going M car yet, with 577bhp and 553lb ft supplied by the petrol motor alone, boosted by 194bhp and 207lb ft from the electric motor to give totals of 738bhp and 738lb ft – well clear of today’s track-focused M5 CS.

Even in standard tune the set-up produces 644bhp, which is enough of a hike over the petrol M5 to compensate in theory for the added mass of a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Sources suggest the M5 will launch initially with a bespoke state of tune, with 708bhp at its disposal compared with 591bhp in today’s Competition-spec car. That’s a substantial increase, but with the caveat that it’s tipped to weigh around half a tonne more, at 2435kg.

The main reason for the increase in kerb weight is the addition of a battery that’s said to have 18.6kWh of usable capacity. That’s down on the XM’s 25.7kWh unit but large enough, BMW CEO Oliver Zipse has suggested, for an electric range in excess of 43 miles.

The G90-generation M5 will be the first since the V10-engined E60 to be available in Touring form, meaning there will be two full-fat M estates on sale for the first time. Like the long-roof version of the M3, the M5 Touring will pack as much power and the same chassis set-up as the saloon, but it will have the requisite carrying capacity to double as a spacious family hauler.

The M5 Touring is due in production at the end of this year. It is tipped to be one of the most powerful estates on sale, with substantially more punch than the Audi RS6 and the new Mercedes-AMG E53. Only the Porsche Taycan Turbo S Turismo has more power, and then only in Overboost mode.

Taking the lead from its E34 and E60 predecessors, the G99-generation M5 Touring is aiming to achieve a balance between “sporting performance on the racetrack and superior ride comfort in everyday driving and over long distances”. In pursuit of that duality, it is being tested extensively in “urban traffic areas, country roads and motorways around Munich” while its chassis set-up is honed at the Nordschleife.

BMW is electrifying the M5 just as Audi does the same to the RS4, which is being rebadged RS5 for its next generation. Its 2.9-litre V6 will be paired with an electric motor to lift its total output well above the 444bhp of today’s car, while a 14.4kWh battery will give an electric EV range of around 45 miles.

Mercedes-AMG has yet to give any details of a new E63, following the retirement of the previous V8-engined car, but the smaller C63 recently swapped its V8 engine for an electrified four-pot.

New Nissan X-Trail revealed with hybrid power and bold new look

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 07:01:50 +0100

Nissan's biggest SUV overhauled as firm revamps line-up with focus on key global markets

Nissan has revealed the new X-Trail SUV as part of a wide-reaching overview of the company's future strategy, design language and model line-up.

Revealed alongside the new electric Nissan Juke in an event at the company's Yokohama headquarters in Japan, the new X-Trail E-Power is due next year as a rival to the Skoda Kodiaq, Kia Sorento and Peugeot 5008.

Nissan has shown only the exterior of the car so far and offered no technical details, but the E-Power badging confirms it will feature a version of the company's full-hybrid powertrain.

This system differs from conventional parallel hybrid technology in that the petrol engine is used purely as a generator to charge a small battery, which then powers the electric motor driving the wheels.

The X-Trail is already offered in E-Power form but is expected to receive the significantly upgraded system that recently made its debut in the smaller Qashqai, for increased power, refinement and efficiency.

The new car is expected to be closely related under the skin to the current X-Trail, which was itself recently restyled and tweaked as part of a mid-life facelift.

With a targeted launch date of 2027 for the new X-Trail and the current X-Trail having come to the UK only four years ago, it's unclear when the new car will come here.

It's possible that it could go on sale in the US as the Rogue first, before coming to Europe later, as was the case previously.

While the new X-Trail is expected to retain the modular CMF-CD platform used by the current car, it has been extensively redesigned in line with Nissan's new design hallmarks.

It has a bold new front end, dominated by a distinctive trapezoidal grille and angular LED lighting signatures, while the sides are more heavily creased and the back end has been made more angular and chunky too.

It was revealed as Nissan outlined details of the final year of its 'Re:Nissan' recovery plan, designed to take the company back to growth following a turbulent few years of falling sales and financial woes.

Central to the strategy is a 'streamlined' global product portfolio of 45 models, down from 56 today, with a greater focus on the "clarity of role" for each product.

That means Nissan will axe low-performing models and channel investment into its most successful lines, as part of a push to deliver "a competitive cost base, improved capacity utilisation and strong new‑product momentum that lays the groundwork for future growth".

The new line-up will be split into four categories: Heartbeat models, which "embody Nissan's identity, emotional value and innovation; Core models that consistently sell in large numbers globally; Growth models for emerging segments and markets; and Partner models developed in collaboration with other companies to boost market coverage.

Nissan said the new X-Trail is a global Core model while the new Juke EV is a European Core model, reflecting their respective market remits.

Meanwhile, Nissan has previewed plans for a pair of new Heartbeat models: the new body-on-frame Xterra 4x4 for the US market and a new Skyline performance coupé for Japan, which will be the 14th instalment in a lineage that stretches back to 1957.

Nissan said that while it will trim the number of overall models available, it will offer a greater mix of powertrains to "enhance customer choice", including electric and E-Power powertrains, as well as a new hybrid system specifically for frame-based vehicles like the Xterra.

The company also said it will offer plug-in hybrid and range-extender (REx) powertrains, sourced from partner companies, although it hasn't said which yet.

Its Alliance partner Renault recently said it planned to launch REx technology on its new-generation EVs from around 2028.

Nissan will also switch from developing each model individually to a new 'architecture-led' development strategy with a focus on the platforms, powertrains and software platforms that will underpin entire model families.

"Nissan will concentrate development around three product families that will account for more than 80% of global volume, increase volume per model by more than 30% while accelerating development speed and technology rollout," it said.

Japan, the US and China will be Nissan's focus markets moving forward but Europe, India and Africa will continue to "play a role in expanding Nissan's reach and supporting overall growth".

Toyota RAV4

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0100

World’s best-selling car gets tougher look and new plug-in hybrid drivetrain with more power and electric range Toyota has gone a bit nuts lately, hasn't it? Here's a company that built its empire on providing rock-solid, utilitarian dependability to the toughest corners of the world, yet now it's simultaneously trying to rival Rolls-Royce with its Century brand, building sold-out sports cars under the Gazoo Racing banner, developing a V8 GT and reimagining the legendary Lexus LFA supercar as an EV. But it still needs bread-and-butter cars out there earning a crust. And the Toyota RAV4 is precisely that.

New British-built Nissan Juke unveiled as radically styled EV

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 02:15:00 +0100

Electric SUV will go on sale in spring 2027 alongside an updated version of current-generation hybrid

Nissan has unveiled the new Juke as its fourth EV, a car that it says will “help us reach new customers”, thanks to its radical new exterior design.

The quirky SUV is Nissan's second best-seller in Europe after the Qashqai, with more than 1.5 million examples sold since the original was launched in 2010.

The third-generation Juke, unveiled early this morning at the brand’s future-looking Vision Event in Japan, is based on Nissan’s CMF-EV platform and so powered exclusively by electricity.

It will share much of its underpinnings with the smaller Leaf EV, alongside which it will be built at Nissan’s Sunderland factory.

The Japanese firm’s answer to the Ford Puma Gen-E and Kia EV3 sports a “reimagining” of the Juke’s heavily sculptured and distinctive design, as previewed by 2024’s radical Hyper Punk concept. It also features its own light signature at the front and rear.

As its predecessors have done since 2010 with their “bold designs” that “challenge convention”, the new Juke will “help us reach new customers” within the EV market, said regional product boss Clíodhna Lyons.

However, in an effort to continue catering for as many customers as possible, the new Juke will be sold alongside an updated version of the current second-generation Juke hybrid.

Nissan originally planned to replace the Mk2 with the Mk3, but slower-than-expected EV sales growth made this move financially untenable.

However, Nissan Europe boss Massimiliano Messina was steadfast in confirming that the brand “remain firmly committed to a fully electric future", saying the decision to offer both powertrains brings “greater choice” to buyers while helping to “accelerate our transition to zero-emission mobility”.

Expected updates for the Mk2 Juke, which is also manufactured at Sunderland, are expected to concentrate on aligning its design with the Mk3. Its technology, now seven years old, is also due a refresh.

Details of what underpins the new Juke have yet to be confirmed, but it's expected to mirror the Leaf. That car offers either a 52kWh or 75kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery for up to 386 miles of range; power tops out at 215bhp; and, unlike in the larger Ariya EV, drive is sent exclusively to the front wheels.

Nissan Europe's R&D boss, David Moss, previously hinted that the new Juke could feature a bespoke chassis set-up that would help distinguish it from the technically identical Leaf and emphasise its more 'dynamic' character. This differentiation is particularly relevant given that the Leaf has morphed from a hatchback into a crossover that's very similar in size to the Juke.

Nissan isn’t worried about the pair stepping on each other’s toes, however. Its chief performance officer Guillaume Cartier told Autocar previously that their buyers "are a totally different profile, with nothing in common” because they occupy completely “different customer bubbles”. He said that the Juke is a “Marmite” car and one that “will not be compared to anything else”.

The new Juke was designed, engineered and developed in the UK, Spain and Germany, which Nissan said “underlines [its] long-term investment in Europe as both a production and innovation hub.”

Build trials at Sunderland will begin in the coming weeks, ahead of full production commencing in early 2027. Sales will then begin in the spring.

New-look Mercedes EQS brings 575-mile range and steer-by-wire

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:01:00 +0100

Electric limousine heavily updated with new styling, battery chemistry and radical steering technology

One of Europe's longest-range EVs, the Mercedes-Benz EQS, has had its legs stretched even further with the addition of a new version that can go nearly 600 miles between charges.

The flagship electric limo has been heavily updated for 2026, receiving a raft of visual and technical enhancements that will help its case against the BMW i7, Lucid Air and upcoming Jaguar Type 00.

Chief among the tweaks is the adoption of a battery chemistry that boosts energy content by 3%, taking the outright capacity from 118kWh to 122kWh with no impact on the size or weight of the unit.

The increase in capacity, as well as various tweaks to improve efficiency, mean the rear-driven EQS 450+ now has 13% more official range, at 575 miles - only a few less than the Air Grand Touring, which is currently Europe's longest-legged EV.

The dual-motor EQS has meanwhile had its range boosted to 544 miles.

While the EQS remains on the EVA2 platform (which it shares with the smaller EQE), it has made the significant switch from a 400V electrical architecture to an 800V one, which means the maximum charging speed is up from 200kW to a much more competitive 350kW - in line with the maximum speed of most UK public chargers.

It can still use 400V chargers, though, having the capacity to 'virtually divide' its battery into two parts and top up each half at 175kW.

The EQS's motors are meanwhile said to mark a "generational leap" from their predecessors, being more compact, more efficient and more robust, while the amount of energy they can recuperate under deceleration is up by a third, at 385kW.

Elsewhere, the EQS has been fitted with a new optional steer-by-wire system (as recently tested by Autocar), which replaces the mechanical steering column with a virtual linkage to save space and weight and swaps the steering wheel for a yoke, as the lock-to-lock range has been reduced from several turns to just 270deg.

The EQS also gets an upgraded version of the Airmatic air suspension system that's fitted to the new electric GLC and updated S-Class, which uses data from the cloud to prepare the dampers for potholes and speedbumps.

There's also a new automatic reversing function for use in tight environments where turning isn't possible; the headlights illuminate a 40% wider field while using 50% less energy; and the front end has been resculpted to optimise aerodynamic efficiency.

The seatbelts now heat up, too, warming to 44deg in cold weather to "ensure rapid comfort as well as the brand's signature 'welcome home' feeling".

Customer deliveries are due to get under way in the second half of the year. Prices are expected to rise slightly; they currently start at around £100,000.

Ford Mustang designer Kemal Curic named McLaren design boss

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:25:24 +0100

Ford Performance Vehicles design boss moves to Woking to shape British supercar maker's new era

McLaren has announced its new design boss: Kemal Curic, who formerly led design for Ford Performance Vehicles.

Curic joins the British supercar maker after previous chief design officer Tobias Sühlmann left for Porsche last year after a three-year stint.

Curic had been at Ford since 2004, working first as an interior designer and going on to play a significant role in the design of the Mk3 Focus, before leading the styling of the S550-generation Mustang.

More recently, the Bosnian-German has been based in the US, heading up design for Ford's luxury brand Lincoln.

Stationed in Woking as of this month, he will be responsible "for shaping the design vision and creative direction of the McLaren Automotive portfolio", the company said, with a remit that encompasses interior, exterior, CMF and digital design.

McLaren is gearing up for a ground-up renewal of its product portfolio – and an expansion into new segments outside of the traditional supercar sphere – following its merger with start-up Forseven last year. It's due to preview its first model created under Forseven this summer.

It isn't clear whether Curic will play a leading role in the shaping of these first new-era McLaren models or whether their styling was signed off under the previous design administration.

Curic said: "McLaren is one of the most respected and aspirational brands in the world. I’m excited to be part of their journey to help shape the design vision of a company so deeply rooted in engineering excellence and racing heritage.

"I look forward to working with the talented teams at McLaren to create the next generation of breathtaking, purpose‑driven cars."

Lepas L6: Jaecoo 7 sibling confirmed for UK launch as PHEV and EV

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0100

Second model from new Chery-owned Chinese brand will be positioned as a rival to the Hyundai Kona

The Lepas L6 will arrive in the UK at the back end of the year as a Hyundai Kona-rivalling crossover with hybrid and electric power.

Cousin to the hugely popular Jaecoo 7, the L6 will be Lepas's second UK model following the flagship L8, which will arrive this summer to rival the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4.

Lepas (whose name is a portmanteau of 'leopard', 'leap' and 'passion') is owned by Chinese giant Chery and has been created with a focus on the European market. It's a sibling brand to Omoda, Jaecoo and Chery.

The five-seat L6 will be offered with the choice of two powertrains, either plug-in hybrid or battery-electric.

The PHEV uses the same 204bhp powertrain as the Jaecoo 7, which became the UK’s best-selling car last month. This combines a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor and 18.3kWh battery.

Lepas claims the PHEV is good for 700 miles of combined range, but it hasn't yet detailed how much of that is on the battery alone. For reference, the 7 offers 56 miles of electric-only range.

The electric L6 draws power from a new 67kWh battery pack, which gives it a range of 270 miles. It can be rapid-charged from 30-80% in 20 minutes.

This technology is a step up from its Jaecoo E5 and Omoda E5 electric cousins, which use a smaller 61kWh battery, have 257 miles of range and take 28 minutes to charge the same amount.

Lepas hasn't yet revealed what motors the L6 will use, but expect output to be similar to the E5's 208bhp.

No details on the L6's interior have been confirmed, but the larger L8 gives clues of what to expect. That features a portrait-oriented 13.2in infotainment touchscreen, an array of physical buttons for control climate functions and a wireless phone charger.

Lepas UK MD Ray Wang said the L6 “marks an exciting step for our brand in Europe and the UK market”.

Pricing and full UK trim specifications will be revealed closer to the car’s arrival in the last quarter of the year.

Can Denza really establish itself as a luxury brand?

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0100

As Denza prepares to hunt Porsche customers, we ask: is glitz and glamour enough to join the old guard?

The BYD-owned Denza brand has thrust itself onto the European stage with a lavish launch event at the Palais Garnier in Paris.

This cinematic, blockbuster-scale soirée marked its official entry into the European market - and it was by far and away the most opulent launch event I've ever attended.

The Palais Garnier is, of course, the Parisian opera house. Completed in 1875, it's a bona fide cultural institution and the legendary inspiration for Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera.

The guest list was suitably stellar: motorsport royalty like Felipe Massa and Jean Todt rubbed shoulders with a glittering array of modern celebrities. Naturally, the requisite army of influencers did their bit, dutifully supplying the correct hashtags and parroting Denza's tagline, 'Technology Drives Elegance'. Global CEOs and politicians were reportedly in attendance too, keeping a decidedly low profile.

On arrival, I was met by a scrum of the young and glamorous queuing for half an hour just to snap a picture alongside the Z9 GT shooting brake, its modern lines contrasting sharply against the ornate Second Empire architecture. It was undeniably buzzy. It looked fantastic on Instagram.

But will any of this actually equate to sales? I understand the strategy: soft power is a potent weapon, one that nations and corporations alike have wielded for decades. BYD’s sponsorship of the Euro 2024 football tournament made perfect sense, capturing a cumulative audience north of five billion.

Yet I wonder if this Parisian spectacle possesses the same mainstream traction. Denza is not merely a new brand but also one deliberately swimming against the tide. It's transparently pitching itself as a Porsche rival, demanding Porsche money.

The Z9 GT EV will command around £100,000 when it lands in the UK. Granted, it boasts more than 1100bhp, a level of performance that would require parting with £160,000 in Stuttgart. But a standard Porsche Taycan can still be had for roughly £90,000, and Porsche buyers will require serious convincing to abandon heritage for an upstart.

So where else are buyers coming from? Polestar customers might embrace the disruptor narrative, but they are reassured by the underlying Volvo pedigree. Jaguar enthusiasts, perhaps? If online comment sections are any metric, Jaguar is currently struggling to attract Jaguar buyers.

Does the grand illusion work? Do buyers in the £100,000-car bracket actually attend the opera? While the Palais Garnier projects an aura of 'old money' to the uninitiated, it isn’t exactly where true wealth spends its weekends. A cursory Google search reveals the reality: it's a tourist attraction that occasionally stages an opera. You can rent a room there on Airbnb. You will find more about it on GetYourGuide than in Art Review.

Denza is undoubtedly a bold new brand attempting something different. However, the Z9 ultimately lacks the elusive 'wow' factor that's required to sever buyers' allegiances to established European marques. And I remain unconvinced that hosting a glitzy gala dinner at a heavily trafficked opera house will be enough to lure them into the showrooms.

New Denza Z9 GT EV: £100k, 1140bhp Porsche Taycan rival tested

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0100

Crab-walking, 0-62 in 2.7 secs and nine-minute charging: can it justify that £100,000 price tag?

This Denza is not quite like any Chinese car that has gone before it. You can - and I would - argue that other Chinese cars aim to beat the competition by offering more: more power, more tech, and more space, all for less money.

However, Denza is offering more for, well, more. Prices are yet to be confirmed, but this EV will cost around £100,000 at least. In France, it will be similar. In Australia - £55,000 to £60,000, and in China, about £45,000.

The EV (a PHEV will follow) uses a 309bhp motor on the front axle and twin 416bhp motors on the rear, producing a combined output of 1140bhp. Those independent rear wheels give it a few party tricks, including "crab walking" and turning the rear wheels in tandem to parallel park for you - simply drive nose-first, and the rear follows you in.

The rear wheel steering is ace in a tight spot - but it makes the steering quite heavy and grainy when you engage it at low speeds - like you need to push past some kind of mechanical barrier.

It has a 372-mile range, which is so-so. But Denza is hoping its new charging network will make up for that - and it become its Tesla Supercharger eureka moment. Dare I say, it really needs one, because the car is just good. It is better than fine, but not great.

It will be able to accept power at a rapid 1500kW, allowing it to charge from 10 to 97 per cent (stopping short of 100 per cent to extend the life of the battery) in just nine minutes. I watched it do this in a demonstration, and it is mesmerising. I drive a lot of EVs, and I very rarely need to charge from 10 to 90%. If I am rapid-charging, I am more likely to charge from 10 to 30% - just enough to get me home, where I will plug in because it is much cheaper. With this car, that will take a mere couple of minutes.

There is Lidar on the roof, too, futureproofing the car for autonomous driving. Denza is banking on governments changing legislation to allow for higher levels of autonomy; when they do, unlocking it should merely be a case of a software update.

But I’ll get back on terra firma and tell you about the actual car. It has a curious, estate-like shape. It’s not unhandsome and comes in some lovely, bright colours. The front is slightly generic, but there are some ornate creases along the sides and a lovely, shooting brake-like rear with large tail-lights that evoke 1960s Americana. It’s not anonymous, but it doesn't stop you in your tracks either.

Inside, the quality is largely good. Stella Li, the executive vice-president, made numerous references to not wanting leather in her new Denza showrooms, which should arrive in the UK around July. Yet, this Z9 is full of cowhide. There is even a fetching, purplish colour option that I imagine very few will buy.

Space for passengers in the rear is top-notch. There are only four seats, but all four get heating, cooling, and massage functions, and the rear two can also recline. The boot is actually on the small and narrow side, but there is a bit of underfloor storage and a "frunk" too.

To drive, it is bloody quick. Pull the paddle behind the steering wheel to activate boost mode, and you can believe that sub-3.0-second 0-62mph time. The pace tails off beyond that, however. While from a standstill it is galvanic, its accelerative ability feels more subdued at every other speed. I think this is because of its weight.

Internet commenters, get your typing finger ready: it weighs 2.9 tonnes. Being this heavy has a profound effect on everything. When it accelerates hard, the nose lifts significantly. The suspension - more on that later - has an awful lot to do; sometimes it does a great job, and at other times, not so great. Then there are the brakes. With three tonnes and 1100bhp, you need good ones, and the carbon ceramics are strong. But the pedal has just too much travel before you hit the full anchors. Even after more than an hour of driving, it was still pretty hard to modulate.

Denza reckons it will crack 3.0 miles per kWh, and on my testing, it pretty much did just that. It’s not bad for a car of this size and power, but the Germans are getting much better results, admittedly with less power.

The dual-chamber air suspension has a few different settings, though its firmest is still pretty bloody soft. It could do with a touch more damping for UK tastes. It has a habit of burying itself deeply into undulations and emerging on the other side quite slowly. At motorway speeds on roads in good condition, it is really pretty comfortable; you could do serious mileage comfortably. But at lower speeds, there’s the jittery pitter-patter of a car that has a lot going on underneath it.

It’s a bit of a feeler, this car. It has 1100bhp - but does it feel that quick? It has the empirical hallmarks of luxury, but does it feel premium? It costs £100,000, but does it feel like a £100,000 car? I don’t think so.

There are oddities that prevent it feeling like a Porsche rival. The doors are electrically operated and the aperture it opens up is sometimes inconsistent, there are very unassured bits if you look (like the vanity mirror cover held up via magnet) and the touchscreen, while useful, has pretty standard fonts from an Android operating system, a few erroneous capital letters and there’s even a file manager - a bit like when the McDonald’s ordering screens aren’t working and it defaults to its operating system.

It's £50,000 elsewhere in the world. And apart from the crazy power, it feels like a £50,000 car.

Denza Z9 GT EV

Price £100,000 (est)Engine Three permanent magnet synchronous motors Power 1140bhp Torque 892lb ft Gearbox 1-spd reduction gear, 4WD Kerb weight 2895kg 0-62mph 2.7sec Top speed 168mph Battery 122kWh usable Range, economy 372 miles, 3.0mpkWh CO2, tax band Og/km, na Rivals Porsche Taycan, Polestar 5

New Bentley Bentayga due 2028 as high-performance PHEV

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Firm has delayed its full EV plans in favour of plug-in hybrids – but will still offer some pure-ICE special editions

The next Bentayga SUV will arrive in 2028 as the flag-bearer for a new wave of Bentley plug-in hybrids following a major rethink of its EV strategy.

The Crewe manufacturer has scrapped plans to launch five new EVs by 2030, including an electric successor to the Bentayga. Instead, Bentley will invest in a new generation of PHEV-powered models.

The dramatic revamp to Bentley's product strategy is a result of the decision by sibling brand Porsche to delay a new electric platform it was developing in response to the slowing uptake of premium EVs.

Bentley boss Frank-Steffen Walliser believes PHEV technology will be the best bridge for the firm in the run-up to 2035 when under current legislation all new cars sold in the UK and 90% in the European Union will need to be fully electric.

However, the decision doesn't affect the brand's debut electric model - dubbed Luxury Urban EV - which will be unveiled in the second half of the year. Following that, said Walliser, the next Bentley EV won't arrive until after 2030.

The current Bentayga is the brand's best-seller and made up around half of all Bentley's sales last year. It has been on sale since 2015 and received a major facelift in 2020.

The new Bentayga, like its siblings, was initially slated to arrive as an EV on Porsche's advanced Sport ('61') version of parent Volkswagen Group's SSP platform. However, Porsche last year delayed the architecture until the next decade at a cost of €1.8 billion (£1.6bn), causing Bentley to substantially rewrite its product plan.

As a result, the second generation of the Bentayga will switch to the PPC platform used by the new combustion-powered Porsche Cayenne and forthcoming Audi Q9.

Walliser said the delay in the transition to electric means "we don't have to force people to change from a combustion engine or plug-in hybrid car to an electric car" when the buyer demand is not there yet.

He added that Bentley has "a very loyal fan base that stays in the Bentayga and this is very, very good for our business". His comments highlight the commercial benefits for Bentley in deciding to continue with ICE for its next-generation SUV.

The PPC architecture has been engineered to accommodate a range of six- and eight-cylinder petrol engines, as well as a next-generation plug-in hybrid system. The latter uses new-era batteries and electronics systems to deliver a greater EV range than the 30 miles offered by today's Bentayga PHEV.

As a result, the next generation of the luxury SUV will be launched primarily with a PHEV system centred on a 3.0-litre V6 and offer a similar output to today's 456bhp.

Alongside the incoming plug-in hybrid models, Walliser confirmed that Bentley will continue to offer pure-ICE power. But this powertrain option will be kept to "selective" models and depend on "markets. and legislation", he said, noting the differences in emission laws, particularly in the key US market.

As well as enabling Bentley to offer pure-petrol cars in markets such as the US, it is also possible that limited-run special models in the UK could go without electric assistance.

Further details of the new Bentayga are still unconfirmed, but the design will be led by the EXP 15 concept, revealed last year, and be closely linked to the smaller 'Urban SUV', which will slot in underneath the Bentayga as a rival to the Porsche Cayenne Electric and Lotus Eletre.

The new Bentayga's architecture can accommodate a host of new technologies, including advanced air suspension with active ride control and the latest driver assistance functions. It is also highly scalable, which will allow the Extended Wheelbase version of the luxury SUV - the most popular among buyers to continue.

Following the Bentayga, Walliser said the rest of the existing range – Continental GT, GTC and Flying Spur – will gain the next-generation PHEV tech. But to do this, they will need to move from their current MSB underpinnings to the new PPC architecture. Given that new generations of all three arrived in 2024, this is likely to happen close to the end of the decade.

Bentley's debut EV will be shown for the first time in the final quarter of this year before first deliveries begin in early 2027. it will use the same PPE platform as the new electric Cayenne, which suggests it will be offered exclusively with dual-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrains putting out as much as 1140bhp.

In the Cayenne, a 113kWh battery helps it to achieve a range of up to 398 miles.

Walliser described it as "a different proposition" from what "other competitors are doing". He added: "I strongly believe we have a very Interesting offer."

Although it is a similar size to the Bentayga, Walliser said Bentley will not position it as an electric equivalent. Instead, the brand is "targeting and looking for new customers", which in turn will allow the Bentayga to keep its own position in the line-up.

Level-three autonomy falters but China fear pushes car makers on

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0100

Key backers BMW and Mercedes pull support for next level of self-driving tech, citing low uptake and use limitations

Level-three autonomy is on the ropes again – just as it looked like the dream of your car taking over the boring bits of driving was becoming a reality.

The two car makers that had finally put a 'hands-off, eyes-off' solution on the road, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, have both pulled support for the technology, returning it to limbo.

“We realised that the demand for this was not currently a stage where we could be profitable, and we have to be profitable,” BMW R&D chief Joachim Post said on the company’s annual results call in March.

Mercedes meanwhile won’t include its level-three tech on the updated S-Class.

Neither systems were comprehensive. A range of conditions had to be met, including the right type of road, the right weather, the right light levels, the right type of traffic and even the right country.

“The technology was very expensive and it had many limitations,” Pedro Pacheco, analyst at consultantcy Gartner, told Autocar. “On paper level-three autonomous driving sounds fantastic, but then you try it and it’s a disappointment.”

So that’s it, then? No catching flies on the M25? Well, not quite, because the car makers aren’t giving up. It’s not consumer push that’s driving them but fear.

“To be honest, today there is no demand from customers for level-three autonomous driving,” Philippe Brunet, R&D chief at the Renault Group, told journalists in March. “We have no one coming into the dealers saying: 'You know what? I'm only going to buy this car only if you offer me level three.'”

The fear is emanating from China. Brunet recalled a recent test of the latest consumer-level autonomous system there: “It was very tough driving conditions, a lot of pedestrians, bicycles, people everywhere. But in the 45 minutes it was perfectly okay – no interventions." He didn’t name the manufacturer but said this was in Hangzhou, home town of Renault partner Geely.

China doesn’t yet permit level-three autonomy, but what Brunet experienced, and where Chinese manufacturers are becoming increasingly strong, is so-called level two-plus-plus. That means car essentially drives itself everywhere, including cities, while the driver maintains vigilance to take over at any time.

“In China, if you don’t offer such features, you cannot sell a car,” Brunet said.

As Nio, Xpeng, Leapmotor, BYD and other Chinese car makers are going hell for leather to meet that demand, the systems keep getting better and better – and European car makers realise it’s only matter of time before Chinese cars with these abilities come here.

“They will bring it to Europe, and I believe that on the C-segment they will offer it for free,” Brunet said. “And when they will offer it for free, they will create the demand. This is what I'm afraid of.”

That's why Renault is working on level-three technology without any push from the consumer, with 2028 as a target introduction date.

Canvassing car buyers isn’t much good anyway, believes Pacheco: “You can't ask consumers about what they haven’t tried."

The failure of Mercedes and BMW to create demand for a premium product that could be expected to trickle down hasn’t daunted them. Instead they're doubling their efforts to provide the same level-two-plus-plus technology that Tesla offers with its Full Self Driving (FSD) Supervised system and the Chinese are busy perfecting.

“They're very attractive systems for customers. They’re in high demand,” BMW’s Post said.

Pacheco agrees: “Level two-plus-plus is where the big party is. This is where Tesla is, this is where the Chinese are."

Right now, the most advanced European systems are what’s described as level two-plus, meaning hands-on, eyes-off up to the speed limit but only on motorways.

Ford’s BlueCruise tech is a good example. The company recent expanded its offering to special editions of the Puma and Kuga, which get the system as standard rather the normal £17.99 monthly subscription.

Despite a lot of noise, getting any hands-off system approved in Europe is difficult. That’s changing after the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) endorsed a new set of standards for driver control assistance systems (DCAS), including allowing overtaking on dual carriageways without explicit driver confirmation.

That has given the Chinese hope that it can bring its systems over to Europe. Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng recently told investors that, following the DCAS regulation change, his company would bring its second-generation Visual Language Action (VLA) system over here by the end of the year.

The thorny issue of regulation remains, however. Tesla has been wrangling with Dutch authorities to give approval to its FSD Supervised system, from which it then hopes to quickly gain approval Europe-wide. Late in March, it said that it hoped 18 months of “intense” submissions would result in approval in April.

Tesla’s problem is that FSD is an end-to-end or ‘foundation’ AI machine-learning model, rather than a traditional rules-based system, so it makes decisions on the fly based on its learning.

“It means for every type of situation in existence in the regulation, they had to ask for an exemption and then prove that the system can perform well in that situation,” Pacheco explained.

Chinese makers like Xpeng also prefer end-to-end systems, but they have a different problem in that EU data protection law forbids training data from cars going back to China.

China enforces similar rules, so the high-tech driver assistance specialists have become very siloed. For example, BMW partners with Qualcomm in Europe but Momenta in China on its level-two-plus-plus system.

SAIC-owned MG acknowledges that it’s going to be harder to bring the sophisticated system that it offers in China to Europe.

“We are a little bit further behind on that in Europe,” European boss William Wang told Autocar. “If we work hard, we can catch up. We just needed to be more clever, take a long-term view and work hard.”

Chinese autonomy-focused software companies are setting up shop in Europe, including the favourite of the 'legacy' manufacturers, Momenta. Now they need to hoover up enough training data (essentially making computers watch driving videos) to train their software all over again for European driving.

Tesla is acknowledged to be the leader just in terms of data gathered, but questions still remain over the safety of the level-two-plus-plus systems.

BYD is under fire from owners in China that its God’s Eye system (now offered for free on all its cars there) suffers glitches, including missing highway exits and failing to stop for tollbooths, according to Bloomberg reporting.

In Europe, the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) flagged up “deep concerns” over changes to regulations by UNECE to allow level-two-plus-plus systems.

“These rules create a grey zone where the lines between assistance and automation are dangerously blurred,” Frank Mütze, automation specialist at the ETSC, said in a statement. “Asking a driver to monitor a complex machine for prolonged periods of time and then intervene in a split second when the system fails is a recipe for disaster.”

But European manufacturers are desperate not to be left behind in a race China has trained for years to win. AI learning has accelerated development in a way that couldn’t have been predicted five years ago.

“When AI technology comes, the world will change. In 10 years, half the cars in the street will be autonomous,” Wang predicted.

Level two-plus-plus is the gateway to level three, and when drivers are offered the ability to switch off while driving, car makers would be foolish to bet they will say no.

As ever with autonomous vehicles, the timelines are uncertain. But all it takes is a nod from the regulators and the flip of a switch. Car makers need to be ready.

The Metro 6R4 isn't the best Group B monster, but it is the coolest

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0100

Just like your nan used to drive, except cooler, noisier and more terrifying

I have never hung art in my bedroom. I can never find anything that looks right: too cliché, too kitsch or too highbrow.

I have, however, always displayed a poster of a Metro 6R4, mid-slide. That, for me, is worth 100 Warhol soup cans or Mona Lisa parodies - even if my university housemates didn't have quite the same vision. The appeal of the 6R4 lies partly in the brilliance of its development brief.

For the sake of appeasing British Leyland's marketing bods, the company's Group B racer simply had to be based on a Metro. That brought virtues - a short wheelbase, boosting agility - but also barely any room for cramming in a title-worthy drivetrain. In retrospect, the sensible answer would have been to fit a huge turbo to a downsized engine, graft in a four-wheel-drive transfer case and call it a day.

Turbos were all the rage: Audi, Lancia, Renault and Mitsubishi were all at it, with the newfangled tech promising huge power. Austin Rover Motorsport could have followed easily.

But no. The engineers instead stuck two naturally aspirated fingers up at the new school and set to work on an all-new free-breathing V6, enlisting ex-Cosworth maestro David Wood. The thinking was that you could have sold a showroom full of Metros in the time it took a small engine to build turbo boost - then the engine would have grenaded.

Plus, all the ancillaries required to manage the extra heat and thirst for fuel would have added significant weight, upsetting the Metro's balance. The end result was indisputably a success: a masterpiece in aluminium revving to 9000rpm. It could produce 400bhp, but that's not really the point, because it's the sound that is punched indelibly into my consciousness.

As propaganda tools go, little is more effective than the sight and sound of a gargling, mid-mounted, highly strung six-pot echoing through a forest. The shriek of the Metro as it approached pummelled spectators from head to toe. It's Megadeth on four wheels.

Were the 6R4 anything but a Metro, we might never have been gifted that sound. A larger, heavier Rover or Austin might have meant turbocharging would have been an acceptable compromise, and the resulting soundtrack may have fallen flat.

Nor, for that matter, would it have been so utterly outrageous to look at. Those comically extended arches were functional, but they gave the 6R4 plenty of billboard space to facilitate colourful liveries, and its popularity with privateers elicited a smorgasbord of memorable designs. The works Computervision livery, Jimmy McRae's Rothmans scheme and the lurid P&O Ferries rallycrosser all come to mind.

But most of all I think it's the 6R4's cruel luck that gets me. While MG toiled away at making everything work, the rest of the field had properly figured out forced induction. By the time of the Metro 6R4's launch in 1985, its boosted competitors were rumoured to be nudging 600bhp. No matter how much more drivable or dependable the 6R4 might have been, its tardiness doomed it to sit on rallying's fringes. What could have been, if only it had arrived a year or two sooner?

That the 6R4 is still so fondly remembered by so many is testament to its single-minded genius. I fear that if I ever drove one I'd lose the will to live, knowing I'd never be able to buy it. Yet it remains right at the top of my bucket list. For now, watching old videos of Kris Meeke and Colin McRae chucking theirs around the streets of Donegal in a demo event will have to suffice.

'Track' day: We go green-laning in a Dacia Duster

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0100

Forget blasting down B-roads in a sports car - try some low speed green laning instead

It's a sunny weekend and I’m awake early, coffee in hand and up for an adventure. But while my normal go-to might be to jump in the sports car and blitz down some B-roads, I’ve got another idea in mind: let’s off-road.

I'm behind the wheel of a Dacia Duster. It has a five-speed manual gearbox, a 128bhp mild-hybrid powertrain and, most importantly for my Sunday jaunt, four-wheel drive.

Autocar photographer and former fellow south coast-dweller Jack Harrison pointed me in the direction of Corfe Castle in Dorset, which is where we now find ourselves.

Just half an hour from Poole, the landscape here is awash with green rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Heading down a narrow B-road, I turn onto a short gravel track, at the end of which I’m met with a large metal gate adorned with a sign that says I must shut it or the cows will escape.

It feels odd to be here with a car, but despite the odd walker staring quizzically at me, this is a perfectly legal byway I can carefully drive along.

There’s even a sign clearly saying: ‘Green Lane Association, byway open to all traffic.’ So I open the gate, drive through and close it behind me. We’re in.

Ahead lies our first test: a slight hill strewn with small craters and a herd of cows. I twist the mode selector to Lock (to lock the central differential into 4x4 mode) and off we go. And you know what? This is a lot easier than I was expecting.

Okay, it’s hardly the Moab desert, but the amount of grip I’m finding with the Duster is impressive. Its light steering, which I’m already a fan of on the road, allows for much-needed quick corrections – especially when I go into a pothole that I didn’t know was there and which throws me in the direction of what looks like the chief cow.

At least the brakes are also working well. It then dawns on me that the Duster has parking cameras that work up to 12mph, and I could have used those for pothole spotting.

Next up: some grass. I know, perilous. But it’s steep, and I can really see myself getting stuck halfway up. But once again I’ve underestimated the Duster. I know this isn’t the hardest piece of off-roading to tackle, yet the ease with which the Duster seems to dispatch Dorset’s grassy inclines is quite exceptional.

I breeze up and pull over at the top, feeling very kingly as I survey Corfe Castle below. As I get back in the car, I receive a funny ‘you shouldn’t be up here’ look from a couple of walkers, but given the heat of the day, perhaps it’s more a look of jealousy as I enjoy the Duster’s air-con-cooled cabin.

Hill descent mode on – just in case – and I reach the bottom of the slope and turn right. Ahead is a trail that is no wider than the Duster and a badly damaged track full of deep crevasse-like cavities.

Luckily, with a breakover angle of 24deg (that’s more than even a Jeep Wrangler has), I avoid scuffing the underside and push on through the next gate as branches begin chattering against the wing mirrors.

The Duster rides through the potholes, though, and while the gravel underwheel is compromising grip, there is still some to be found. Another gate leads to a steep gravel track, strewn with cows and with, concerningly, a rather perilous drop on one side.

While building the courage to continue a problem emerges: there’s no room to get out of the car to open said gate. As if by magic, a cyclist appears, and she very kindly opens the gate.

I thank her but when I go to pull gently away there’s only wheelspin. That’s embarrassing. Try again: wheelspin accompanied by the smell of burning clutch. Then I notice the Duster has defaulted back to its normal driving mode and unlocked the central diff after I switched it off momentarily before the cyclist showed up.

I’m a dummy. I reset it to Lock and, as if by some more magic, I’m able to chug up the hill, eyes fixed ahead and very much not on the cliff edge to the left. I reach the top and, again, stop to admire another beautiful view.

This really is a great way to spend a sunny weekend. On my way back down I’m feeling really quite triumphant, but then my ego takes a punch to the throat as a ratty 2010-plate Volkswagen Touareg comes bounding up the trail I had ascended so carefully.

I move over so it can pass and the excited pair inside give me a wave as they crash their way up. That was definitely a wave goodbye rather than a wave hello…

After passing my herd of bovine best mates from earlier, I reach the entrance gate and get out to inspect the Duster: no scratches, no marks, no dents. Brilliant.

To think I’ve just spent my afternoon tackling an array of routes – some challenging, some steep – on a beautiful day with gorgeous views, and all while spending less than £15 in fuel (which includes getting here from home and back) in my daily driver that costs as little as £26,000 is, quite frankly, ridiculous.

While those more moneyed than I can afford to drive their Porsche 911s to their local circuit for a track day, rag it around and then drive home, this is my budget version – and I don’t need a new set of tyres afterwards. Next time I’ll just remember to take a picnic.

The 'grandmaster of kit cars' is back after 37 years

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0100

Famed maker of kit cars, many of them amphibious, Dutton is going back to its roots after a hiatus

Even if you're not clued up on the world of kit cars, the name Dutton may strike a chord of recognition.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the firm was the world's largest manufacturer of kit cars by volume, leading founder Tim Dutton to be described as the 'grandmaster of kit cars'.

Now Dutton has just unveiled his first new kit car in 37 years: the Phaeton 5. As the name suggests, there were four previous incarnations of the model until Tim became tired of the kit car scene at the end of the '80s after selling more than 8000 kits - an average of 363 per year from 1967 to 1989.

Why go to the trouble of developing a new kit car all these years later? "Why not? I can't retire. What on earth would I do?" says Dutton. His wit, as well as his energy levels, are just as they were when he started out building kit cars in a shed behind his mum's pub in Sussex 59 years ago.

Dutton took a short sabbatical after he packed up first time around, then decided that he would like to buy an amphibious car - as you do. Not satisfied with what was available, he decided to build his own, and to sell it in kit or turnkey form. Starting in 1995, there came a succession of Dutton amphibians: the Mariner, Commander, Amphijeep, Reef and Surf.

In this second chapter of his remarkable career, he sold a grand total of 282 such vehicles.

There was always something quite spectacular about driving out of the River Arun, up the jetty and parking outside Dutton's favourite waterside tea room in Littlehampton. He spent 28 years building these amphibians until selling the project to his agent in Poland in 2023.

Dutton then spent a short period buying and restoring some of his old machines (both road and river-flavoured) until he and his right-hand man of 15 years, Jack Gorski, decided that was too boring and they should start building new cars again.

The fruit of their labour is the Phaeton 5. Looking striking in vivid green (or, to give it the correct name, Lamborghini Verde Scandal; it's actually gel coat rather than paint), the Mk5 is larger than its Mk4 brother. Although with a 37-year age gap, it's more like a grandfather, because Dutton has recognised that people have grown larger over the years. What was snug back then is decidedly overly tight for many of us these days.

The Phaeton 5 is based on the Mk3 Mazda MX-5. Hiroshima's roadsters have become very popular donors for the kit car industry in recent years, and this iteration, produced from 2005 until 2015, is now the most common pick. You can use any soft-top Mk3 variant: for Dutton's new demonstrator, he found a suitable facelifted 2.0-litre Tech Sport model at a salvage auction.

In the case of the Phaeton 5, other than hardware (like the bodyshell, doors, bootlid, bonnet, windscreen etc) that Dutton supplies in his kit package, everything is from the donor car. This includes the seats (heated leather in this case), switchgear, wheels, tyres, you name it.

A bonus is that you can sell the Mazda parts you don't need; Dutton is adamant that you can recoup around £1000 doing so.

Out on the road, the 160bhp 2.0-litre atmo four feels lively, and the fact it comes with the six-speed manual gearbox is another bonus. The Phaeton 5 weighs almost half as much as the MX-5 donor so there's an instant performance boost. And thanks to the larger cockpit dimensions of the new model, it's easy to find a comfortable driving position, with plenty of adjustment, fore and aft.

If you wish, you can use the basic 1.8-litre version of the Mk3 MX-5, but my advice is to go for the 2.0-litre: you get 35 extra horsepower, an extra gear ratio, a limited-slip differential plus all the other niceties that the Sport model came with as standard.

When it comes to cost, the comprehensive kit comes in at £9990 (including VAT). Dutton reckons it's easy to find a suitable 2.0-litre Sport donor for around £800. Once you factor in the rebate from selling the unwanted bits and bobs, your Phaeton 5 can be on the road for less than ten grand, which is great value.

There are only three possible extras: a soft top, side screens/doors and a non-standard RAL gel-coat colour. Even going for all three of those only adds about £1200. He will even build you one from around £14,300 (including VAT).

Volumes may be much smaller than they once were, but building and driving your own Dutton kit car should be as enjoyable as it ever was.

Written by Steve Hole

The best movie car chases are untouched by CGI

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0100

Hollywood has a realism problem... and only real stunts can fix it

Few things have split opinion in the Autocar office in recent memory like the 2025 movie F1.

While some of my colleagues enjoyed the whimsical, engagingly dramatised nature of Brad Pitt's motorsport blockbuster, I found it about as thrilling as watching a DRS train lap Monaco 50 times.

I thought it was unrealistic, corny and predictable, and some of the more appalling snippets of dialogue made me (and other members of the audience) laugh out loud.

But while the storyline failed to impress, I couldn't fault director Joseph Kosinski and his team for the way in which the movie was filmed: the racing sequences, shown from the perspectives of driver and audience, were epic.

Every on-track duel invoked the adrenaline-fuelled thrill of the very best movie car chases, which got me thinking: what are the key ingredients for an exhilarating hot pursuit? This is subjective, of course, but for me a good car chase needs three things: realistic stunts, exciting cinematography and the complete absence of computer-generated imagery (CGI).

Far-fetched crashes and disproportionate explosions do nothing for me. They're used as a desperate attempt to entertain when really they achieve the exact opposite, dulling any sense of believability. In many ways, the rise of CGI has been the downfall of the Fast and Furious franchise.

Back in the early 2000s, these were car movies first and action movies second. Now they're just a series of utterly impossible stunts and chase scenes with some priceless hypercars thrown in as support actors (and Vin Diesel mumbling "family" every 10 minutes).

This is why I get a more tangible thrill from movie car chases of the past: well-choreographed sequences with real cars, real stunts and the unmistakable sense that a human is actually behind the wheel deliver a visceral experience that we car lovers can enjoy.

Take 1998's Ronin, for example. The chief of police in Paris told the production crew they could basically do what they liked, so stunt co-ordinator and former racer Jean-Claude Lagniez ensured the cars were really doing 100-125mph during the chase.

In fact, he scripted the entire chase, chose the cars and planned how the accidents would happen. The pivotal scene in the tunnel was shot at night and filmed at full speed because director John Frankenheimer (who had in 1966 directed the excellent Grand Prix) refused to speed it up in the edit, as he wanted it to feel real.

The details are spot on, too: there are no silly misplaced gearchanges, no randomly cut scenes of the hero accelerating hard while already driving flat out, no slide-whistle barrel rolls.

That's what makes this fine example of the genre (and other car chases in movies like the Jason Bourne series, Quantum of Solace and Baby Driver) so captivating, because you feel like you're in the passenger seat with the protagonists. They're real, they're exciting to watch and they ensure that we petrolheads leave the cinema with something to talk about, no matter the quality of the rest of the film.

Look at Bullitt (1968): I must have watched the entirety of that 11-minute chase 30 times but couldn't tell you anything about the characters involved, nor what the movie is really about. What a classic.

Beat the energy crisis: The ultimate EV home-charging setup tested

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0100

We fit a a hybrid solar system to our garage to see how much money we can save on charging our Kia e-Niro

Installing solar panels may have seemed like an expensive luxury to most of us some time ago. But now it seems like a way out of the fuel crisis hitting the UK.

I had made the switch to EVs in 2021, and although it wasn’t part of a master plan, suddenly the idea of turning the house into a mini power station became strangely compelling.

If a solar system is producing more energy than can be used there and then, EV batteries are an ideal place to store it.

Solar systems come in various types. The most popular option is to install a hybrid system, integrating inverter, solar panels and battery storage together. The inverter also manages the flow of power between house, batteries and, when excess power is produced, back into the grid.

Batteries can also be charged from the grid on a low tariff, then the power used during peak periods, but they’re not that big, which is why EVs with their huge storage capacity are an ideal accessory.

My starting point was to check the household energy bills, which told me that over the past 12 months, including charging two EVs at home, we had used around 6500kWh (units) of electricity.

For solar systems to be effective, they ideally need to be facing south or thereabouts, and my garage faces south-south-west and is free of shade for most of the day. So far so good, and I thought it might be possible to generate around 6000kWh a year.

Interest-free loans for solar systems are available from the government in Scotland, where I live, via the Energy Savings Trust, but even using a commercial low-interest loan would still stack up. To qualify, I had to use an MCS-certified installer (Microgeneration Certification Scheme), who should adhere to a set of standards for installation and equipment.

I opted for hybrid (solar plus batteries) and my chosen installer, Locogen Energy Services, came back with a quote that included several pages of information such as expected daily energy flows for the area I live in, system performance predictions and environmental benefits.

Locogen’s specification was for 16 420W solar panels giving an ‘installed capacity’ of 6.72kW capable of producing an estimated 6008kWh (units) per year.

They would be hooked up to a 5kW-rated Solis hybrid inverter to convert DC electricity from the panels to AC, a 48V, 4.8kWh Pylontech lithium-iron-phosphate battery (Locogen recommended two of these and I would upgrade later) and a wi-fi dongle to connect the system to the phone app via the Solis cloud.

That lot would cost £11,000, with a forecast payback period of 5.9 years and a predicted return on investment of 682%. On top of that, I had to pay a fee of £300 for G99 approval from the distribution network operator. Approval is required if connecting anything larger than a 3.86kW generating system to the grid.

Once it’s fitted, you can either forget about it or continually obsess over the app and, naturally, I chose the second option. The system feeds the home first, then the batteries and then anything left over is fed back to the grid.

An Ofgem thing called the Smart Export Guarantee means home owners get paid anything from around 5p to 15p per unit, so long as you sign up to it. At best, that’s less than half a typical electricity tariff today so it’s important to use what you make, not give it away on the cheap.

This is where EVs come into their own, with their large batteries ready to take on any excess. When the solar system is at full power during the day, the house may be drawing only a few hundred watts, and once the solar batteries are fully charged, the rest will be exported.

Rather than see several kilowatts of energy flowing into the grid, I leave the family Kia e-Niro plugged into the 13-amp trickle charger. If the sun is shining and a quick look at the Solis app confirms there’s energy to spare, I turn charging on and off using Kia’s UVO app.

Does it work? To break even against monthly loan repayments, we need to generate and use an average of 226kWh per month.

Typically we use around 330 of a total 380 generated. The rest (13%) was exported and I need to reduce that, but we’re still ahead by more than £50.

The day before this was written, a cloudless day yielded 34kWh of electricity and a good chunk of that ended up in the EV, so roll on summer.

Prelude v Golf v Prius: Which £40k hybrid is frugal AND fun?

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Honda's coupé is back after 25 years, this time playing a hybrid tune. Can it stand out?

Great rivals aren't in the habit of doing each other favours.

Would Borg and McEnroe have lent each other a racket? David Coulthard says Michael Schumacher once let him borrow a spare racing helmet.

But what if Damon Hill had asked? You have to wonder, therefore, if Toyota actually considered Honda a great rival when in 1978 - in an act so widely reported as an 'amicable transfer' as surely to have been how the parties directly involved described it - the rights to a certain model name trademark that Toyota happened to own were signed over to its domestic-market competitor.

That's how the Honda Prelude got its name. Toyota's way of 'amicably' acknowledging Honda's penchant for model titles with musical themes, supposedly. I don't buy it. Of all of those (and between the Ballade, Concerto, Quintet, Jazz and Beat there would be plenty), only the Accord existed in 1978. Not enough established precedent, surely. There must have been some other quid pro quo.

At any rate, it was the spark of life for a line of mid-sized, front-drive coupés that eventually brought some interesting new technologies to affordable levels of the new car market throughout the 1980s and 1990s - only to bow out in 2001. The Prelude had blooded mechanical four-wheel steering and an early form of front-axle torque vectoring before it left the stage, as well as benefiting from Honda's celebrated VTEC combustion technology.

So long was the hiatus that the car subsequently took, however, that Honda had to re-register the Prelude trademark in the North American market in 2023. While some attentive hacks noticed, few seemed to know whether to be excited or not. The sixth-generation Prelude duly arrived anyway, every bit as bold as its various predecessors - albeit in rather different ways. Here in Europe, it's re-entering a coupé segment from which its competitors have almost universally fled.

And it's doing so with a car that doesn't have a rasping multi-cylinder engine with which to tempt buyers, nor even a high-revving four-cylinder VTEC screamer. It's doing so with a hybrid. Can that work? Time to take a view. Twenty-five years ago, back when the world was still getting used to the original Honda Insight, you wouldn't have given this strategy a prayer. But in 2026? Anything's possible.

Bring on the rivals

There has always been an alternative streak about the Prelude, so it didn't seem suitable to take a conventional approach when picking rivals for it. As it happened, BMW was unable to supply a BMW 2 Series Coupe, but the Bavarian is a rear-driven option with a much more traditional longways-mounted combustion engine anyway, whereas the Prelude is, and has always been, a front-drive progressive.

So we summoned two front-driven rivals to provide some useful context - both also hybrids, but one of them certainly not a car that any interested driver might have considered until its latest, rather transformative, reimagination. Honda Prelude, meet the Volkswagen Golf GTE and the Toyota Prius Plug-in. And who could say this isn't the perfect group test cast when the Prius and Prelude - from some angles, at least - look so eerily similar?

The sheer spaceship-like rakishness of the Toyota surprised everybody when we first laid eyes on it three and a half years ago. It remains shocking enough even today, mostly because you see so few of them. That the Honda effortlessly outshines the more humdrum Volkswagen Golf GTE is as predictable as it is wholly irrefutable when they're parked next to each other. But that it also manages to put such a daring-looking car as the Prius in the shade - and it does - says much more.

The Prelude's proportions are fundamentally better, even if it's not quite as original as the Toyota, borrowing noticeably from one or two other manufacturers' copybooks. It's a fine-looking car all the same, elegant but quietly purposeful, classic yet progressive, with just enough bulk and definition in the right areas.

That's its first test aced. What about the spec-sheet tussle? It's important to note for starters that both of its competitors here are plug-in hybrids, whereas the Prelude isn't. It's not a huge technical Rubicon. The Honda's powertrain is a primarily series-hybrid-style, range-extender system, with an electric motor that does most of the grunt work, backed up by a 2.0-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine that mostly runs as a generator but can connect to the wheels via planetary gearing when switching to higher-constant-load, parallel-hybrid running.

Pretty much exactly the same is true of the Toyota, except that the Prius's electric motor is marginally less powerful than the Prelude's and it has a much larger lithium-ion drive battery from which it can draw, for an electric range of a little over 50 miles. The Volkswagen Golf GTE, meanwhile, is the only car here with a conventional multi-speed automatic gearbox; it has the largest drive battery, by some margin; and it carries the most bulk.

Despite it being the most powerful car here on a total system output basis, it also uses the least powerful electric motor of the three contenders. It doesn't ever run as an 'electric-first' series hybrid. In the Golf, when the engine's running, it's driving. Will that make it more familiar? Ultimately more convincing as a driver's car, perhaps? We'll see.

As far as interiors go, what the Golf surrenders to the Prius and Prelude in low-slung sleekness it makes up for with usability and space. Honda's hatchback-style bootlid gives it almost as much cargo space as the Toyota (264 litres versus 284 litres), although the Prius's back seats are not only much easier to access but also notably more spacious once you're in them. Teenagers and smaller adults could travel comfortably enough in the back of the Toyota, whereas in the Honda you would hesitate to offer a back seat to anyone over the age of 10.

The Golf GTE is, basically, 'just like a Golf': versatile, functional, neat, unassuming; an entirely everyday item. Sitting in it, you feel considerably less low-slung and 'ready for launch' than in either of the other cars and the layout of the controls and displays ahead of you looks and is a lot more conventional (and that's not in every respect a bad thing).

What about performance?

There was a fair bit of uproar when the Prelude was announced on the 'Made Greater, Again' side of the Atlantic, I understand. Over there, it offers a system output of 200bhp, which is less than some old versions of the car left with 25 years ago. Hence the barracking. Well, because of European emissions regulations, we get the car with its petrol engine turned down further still, with only 181bhp. And yet the UK and wider European uproar has been notable by its absence, hasn't it? What a wonderfully mature lot we are.

Honda doesn't actually claim a total system, engine-clutched-on, parallel-series torque figure, but I would estimate that it must be well beyond 250lb ft, because the Prelude certainly feels brisk. Not quite top-level hot hatchback fast, but quick enough to make a climbing, twisting, uneven mountain road in the Rhondda nicely interesting to set about. It becomes clear, quite quickly, that this car's hybrid powertrain needn't be any obstacle to your enjoyment of an otherwise impressive driver's car. It needn't be the big, hairy fly in your otherwise tasty, peppery wholefood salad. It goes well.

It's intuitive, and moderately engaging with it. It even sounds quite good, not least because the hybrid system does a clever impression of a paddle-shift automatic gearbox. This is possible because most of the time - and until you're using the last inch or so of throttle pedal travel, as it turns out - the Prelude's electric motor is potent enough to meet the performance demands you're placing on the hybrid system by itself.

That leaves the combustion engine free to basically provide audible accompaniment. Honda has realised that as long as the engine is working to a certain crank speed, then it's generating enough voltage to keep the battery and motor topped up, and it can literally just pretend to be a conventional paddle-shift automatic. It can rev up and then 'shift', time and again, as if it were connected to a real multi-speed automatic gearbox and then the front wheels, even though it's not - well, not necessarily. It can even give you a manual mode.

As long as the software calibration is clever enough, you might never know the difference. So is it? Well, there's evidently a minimum crank speed that the combustion engine would seem to need to hit in order for the car to produce full power, and maximum thrust, beyond about 30mph. Here, the electric motor clearly isn't quite grunty enough all on its own.

What this means on the road is that the Prelude is more convincing if you leave it in 'D' (or else just stop short of using absolutely full power) than it is in paddle-shift manual mode. That's because the car won't quite hold a 'high gear' at full load. It needs to rev; needs to 'downshift'. It's a bit like a real auto with a slightly annoying habit of kicking down, and without a properly 'locked in' manual mode.

Is that better than the Prius powertrain's idea of high performance? You would say so - and by some distance. In the Prius, you can't even pretend to pick a gear. There are no paddles. It's a surprisingly quick car, with lots of accessible torque, but if you want it to go fast, it's that 'elastic band' delivery or nothing.

The Golf GTE's powertrain gives the Honda some tougher competition, which is precisely why it's in our line-up. You can actually select gears here for real. There's also significantly more power on tap in the GTE, and stronger roll-on performance. The Golf's powertrain ought, surely, to show the Prelude's up as a transparent charlatan. Well, here's the thing: it doesn't.

The Prelude's impression of a paddle-shift auto 'box is actually good enough to make the GTE's dual-clutch automatic seem slow-witted and clunky. Philosophically, you might well detest that idea, but in practice, I couldn't deny it. The Honda's make-believe upshifts are instant, the lack of interruption in the power delivery accompanying them a little strange but not lastingly problematic at all.

In the end, the Golf seems like a performance car fraud more often than the Prelude because of the way it insists on continuing to shut down its engine under light loads and when braking, to restart it again only seconds later, even when you're using Sport mode and manual mode on the gearbox. The Golf is quicker, and its powertrain is ultimately more controllable, yet it's no more intuitive or engaging in an aggregated sense. Somehow, it has plenty of 'computer says no' moments all of its own.

A touch of class

So the Prelude's hybrid system is worthy of it - worthy of a mature, versatile and sophisticated sort of driver's car definitely, and though it might be outpunched by its rivals here, it certainly isn't outclassed. Which, if this were a 4x100m athletics relay race, would hand the baton to its chassis narrowly in the lead, and the field's favourite on the anchor leg. What happens next is predictable, yet plain as day.

The Honda is not tetchily firm-riding or bristling with dynamic intent but it does handle and steer like a car with less bulk, a wider stance and a lower centre of gravity than either the Volkswagen or Toyota.

And that's not all. The Prelude uses Honda Civic Type R axle hardware to conjure its particular blend of grip, stability, poise and feel, but it uses it differently. The effect is undoubtedly less touring car yobby in its feel, but little less dynamically impressive than the Civic. The weight, pace and feel in the steering are really sweetly blended, so it turns in and holds a line through a fast bend very intuitively and precisely. There's an assured, measured sort of steady-state balance about the chassis.

It's happy to be hurried and has grip to spare, and taut but fluent damping at speed that can filter inputs without any heave or any abiding adverse sense of excess mass.

But it's happier at an eight-and-a-half-tenths pace, at which you can soak in more of its subjective and tactile qualities and, meantime, also be frustrated a little less by what limitations the car's powertrain has. The Golf? It feels firmer-sprung at low speed but ultimately quite starkly taller and heavier, with more pronounced roll when changing direction, and bigger deflections over lumps and bumps. In isolation, these things probably wouldn't register, but having a lighter, leaner, lower-slung coupé close at hand puts them squarely in the spotlight.

And the Prius? We had a bottom-tier model on 17in wheels, which you wouldn't choose for a car that you wanted real handling appeal from. But, mechanical grip level apart, it actually did okay. It handled with more immediacy than the Golf and had a more supple country road ride with an easier, more lenient but effective brand of body control around the national speed limit. This is certainly a car that you can enjoy a B-road flit in and its low body profile achieves more for it these days, clearly, than simply cutting drag.

But neither the Volkswagen nor the Toyota has a driving experience that comes together quite as convincingly as does the Honda's. The Prius has most of the looks and all of the pace, but not quite enough driver focus, in the end, to get on the required level. Given its perennially responsible positioning, we can perhaps forgive it that.

The Golf GTE has even more of the necessary pace, and enough sporting intent. But, despite having so much more power, its powertrain is missing a knockout punch, while its relatively humble hatchback chassis - in this context, which is undeniably tough on it - is ill-placed to make up the shortfall.

The Prelude, by contrast, feels like an encouragingly rounded, widely talented, surprisingly sophisticated package. Its powertrain isn't perfect, but it does more than hold its end up. It isn't special or spectacular, but it is well integrated, thoroughly modern and fiendishly clever. If mainstream driver's cars are going to survive the next 10 years or so, you can't help thinking, cars like this will probably show the way.

1st: Honda Prelude A much-needed champion for the affordable front-drive coupé's cause, the Prelude has true driver appeal that its innovative hybrid powertrain feels worthy of.

2nd: Volkswagen Golf GTE A great electrified compromise for everyday use, with some added driver appeal to sweeten the deal, though not enough to lift it to a truly sporting level.

3rd: Toyota Prius Prius brings much more to the table dynamically than any of its predecessors and looks like it means business. Still lacks a really engaging character.

	HONDA PRELUDE e:HEV	VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTE	TOYOTA PRIUS PLUG-IN
Rating	Four out of five stars	Three and a half out of five stars	Three and a half out of five stars
Price	£40,995	£40,140	£37,895
Engine	4 cyls in line, 1993cc, petrol, plus 181bhp electric motor	4 cyls in line, 1498cc, turbocharged, petrol, plus 108bhp electric motor	4 cyls in line, 1987cc, petrol, plus 161bhp electric motor
Power	181bhp	268bhp	220bhp
Torque	na	na	na
Gearbox	e-CVT, FWD	6-spd dual-clutch automatic, FWD	e-CVT, FWD
Kerb weight	1480kg	1670kg	1545kg
0-62mph	8.2sec	6.6sec	6.8sec
Top speed	117mph	143mph	110mph
Battery	1.05kWh (total)	25.7/19.7kWh (total/usable)	13.6/10.8kWh (total/usable)
Economy	54.3mpg	212.4mpg	403.5mpg
Electric range	na	81 miles	53 miles
CO2, tax band	117g/km, 29%	8g/km, 6%	17g/km, 9%

WATCH: Aston Martin Valhalla | Will it help Aston turn a profit? | Autocar

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:43:15 +0100

We drive the new £850,000 Aston Martin hypercar - could it take the fight to Ferrari and win? In our video we find out

This is the Aston Martin Valhalla, and Matt Prior drives it here on road and track. It arrives at a difficult time for Aston. The company lost nearly £500m last year will have to cut jobs and costs in an effort to turn things around. It needs to sell more cars, too and increase their average transaction price. Which is where the Valhalla comes in. This is an £850,000 mid-engined supercar/hypercar and they plan to build 999 of them. It has a 4.0-litre Mercedes-AMG V8 and three electric motors, to make a total of 1064bhp. But is it any good? Join us as we find out - please click the video player above to watch.

Why tyre wear is the next big emissions battleground

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0100

New onboard vacuum devices allow engineers to separate tyre dust from brake and road debris in real-time

Tyre wear has always been a challenge for the people who manufacture them.

Too much of it is undesirable from a value-for-money point of view, but also because as tyres wear so does the road surface, producing tiny particulates that pose an emissions problem.

Friction between a tyre's contact patch and the road is an obvious cause of wear but, says Continental, many factors contribute to the generation of tyre and road wear particles.

According to Continental and the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation, these factors include (in order of rising influence on wear), weather, temperature, tyre design, vehicle, road surface, route topology and, most of all, driving behaviour.

It's a subject that major tyre makers such as Continental and Michelin have been studying closely for years and pressure has grown to find improvements. Euro 7 emissions regulations are expected to introduce limits on tyre wear emissions in the EU from 2028.

The system consists of a vacuum device mounted directly behind a driven wheel at road level to literally suck up particles. In conjunction with advanced particle sensors, the kit can detect even the finest of airborne particles behind the wheels and the system can work out whether the particles come from the tyres, the road surface or the brakes.

The data is then correlated with other factors such as driving dynamics, surface and weather conditions.

Michelin released details of a vacuum system for measuring small emitted particles from tyres in 2024 and Continental more recently gave some insight into a project completed at the end of last year called 'Online analysis of airborne tyre wear particles at the point of origin and differentiation from other sources', or OLRAP for short.

It has also developed a technique with the Technical University of Braunschweig for accurately measuring tyre wear and the generation of airborne particles.

The data collected by the system includes details of the quantity, size and structure of particles and is fed back into Continental's tyre development programme to optimise tyre design and compound formulation more precisely.

The latest 'multisampler device' enables the capture of particles relating to specific types of driving, separating those collected when cornering from those while driving in a straight line, for example. The research team says it identified clear correlations between particle concentration and speed profiles as well as the effect of longitudinal and lateral acceleration on tyre wear.

Ultimately, reducing particulate levels from tyre and road wear will not be allowed to compromise safety and, as Continental points out, the tyre's primary job is to "transfer vehicle forces".

Grip is achieved through friction and that inevitably leads to wear of both tyre and road surface. A certain level is unavoidable to ensure safety-critical features remain uncompromised.

Audi boss: Concept C going ahead despite Porsche uncertainty

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:08:51 +0100

'C-Sport' – production version of Concept C – remains on track despite troubled development of Porsche twin

Audi boss Gernot Döllner has reiterated to Autocar that a production version of the Concept C will arrive in 2027, following reports placing its future in doubt.

The new electric coupé, the design of which has echoes of the fabled TT, will sit on a new sports car platform called PPE Sport, which has been jointly developed by Audi and sibling brand Porsche.

At the end of last year, Porsche dramatically scaled back its EV plans (at a cost of €3.1 billion), leading to reports that it could cancel the next-generation 718 Boxster and Cayman-consequently throwing the future of the Concept C into doubt.

But Döllner sent a letter to Audi employees earlier this year reiterating the company's commitment to what is known internally as the C-Sport, and he has now insisted to Autocar that the project remains on track.

Asked how Audi could deliver the production car if Porsche's plans for the PPE Sport platform had changed, Döllner said: "Porsche will stay to that platform. We will be able to bring that car to the market in 2027, and we are working intensively and very positively together with Porsche to make that car happen.

"We already released the data [design] of the exterior and the interior, so everything is in a good way."

Döllner's comments don't necessarily mean that Porsche will progress with the electric 718 duo. As previously reported by Autocar, Porsche is looking at reverse-engineering the PPE Sport platform to accommodate a combustion engine, so that petrol models could be sold alongside or even instead of EVs.

This platform is a heavily customised version of the PPE one used by the latest Audi and Porsche electric SUVs, such as the Q6 E-tron and Macan Electric.

It features a stressed, load-bearing battery pack housed behind the driver, where the engine would be in a traditional mid-engined sports car, enabling a flat floor and a far lower driving position.

Honda Super-N

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:37:56 +0100

Honda brings its £20,000 electric kei car to the UK as a Twingo rival – with 'manual' gearbox and exhaust note The Honda Super-N, a new compact EV inspired by the 1980s City Turbo II, is coming to the UK this July with prices starting under £20,000.Engineered on the brand's lightweight N Series 'Kei' car platform, the city car features an e-Axle that delivers 63bhp (95bhp via boost mode), a simulated seven-speed transmission and artificial engine noises to mimic the feel of a combustion-engined car. The Super-N offers a combined electric range of 128 miles, extending to 199 miles on the urban cycle.Honda UK boss Rebecca Adamson says the car is not intended as a successor for the dearly departed Honda E – despite the obvious visual and conceptual links.It's still "a very funky, cute Honda," she acknowledges, but "not based on the E in any way." Instead, Honda’s second take on a funky electric city car for the UK is a hot version of the N-One E it sells in Japan – which is, itself, based on the petrol-powered N-One kei car.In Japan, it’s called the Super-One but it can’t take that name here because a national karting league has the rights to it. There’s also a taller, longer MPV version that has sliding doors and is endlessly adorable, but there's no word on that coming to the UK – yet.Are you keeping up? The long and (very) short of it is that the Super-N measures just 3.4m nose to tail, has a 2.5m wheelbase, weighs a little over 1300kg, seats four and looks oh-so very cute, even in the feistier performance garb it’ll wear in the UK – part of a package of market-specific adaptations that also brings a fake manual gearbox and fruity ‘engine’ note.

12,000 miles in a HR-V: the bad, the brilliant and the very noisy

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0100

Clever 'Magic Seats', a blissfully button-heavy dashboard... and an infuriating transmission

Like many others, I've fallen into the trap of thinking that most cars on the road today look exactly the same. Even as a card-carrying member of the motoring nerd community, I often have to squint to spot the subtle differences that mark out, say, a Cupra from a Citroën - and there's no category I struggle with more than the B-segment crossover.

A Toyota C-HR could be a Nissan Juke from a distance, and I've confidently misidentified a Volkswagen T-Roc as a Renault Captur on a murky evening. The humble Honda HR-V has always stood out from the crowd, though. As it should: few seem to remember that it holds rank alongside the Matra Rancho as patient zero of the crossover curse.

Should your memory need jogging, it arrived in 1999 as a three-door SUV built on the platform of the Honda Logo (when did you last see one of them, eh?), with space shuttle-esque looks that seemed more at home in the streets of London than the lanes of Wales.

Now in its third generation (the second one, based on the Honda Jazz, was a perfectly fine car but no trailblazer like its predecessor), the HR-V comes exclusively with a front-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain, badged e:HEV. And it has just been treated to a mid-life update to enhance its design appeal still further, receiving a less rounded grille, a reworked front bumper, sharper headlights and some extra body shaping, particularly down the sides.

The Urban Grey Pearl example that has just turned up outside my house is in range-topping Advance Style Plus trim, differing from the standard Elegance by way of an electric tailgate, a heated steering wheel, adaptive headlights and a panoramic roof, among other niceties such as a wireless phone charger and uprated audio.

It has been optioned with the Obscura Black Pack, meaning that the sharp seven-bar grille, sizeable mirrors and lower bumpers front and rear are finished in - you guessed it - black, rather than being body-coloured. Paired with the black roof (which is something every crossover seems to feature now), it puts the finishing touches to what is already a surprisingly good-looking car.

I love how those new headlights seem to poke out from under the bonnet and the Hofmeister – like kink where the C-pillar meets the bodywork. Other visual curiosities include three dots hidden in the rear light bar surround to act as reversing lights - a quirky but not overcomplicated solution to the problem of where to put the bulbs, which I like - and blue trim on the lower doors, which I can't help thinking looks like someone has left the pre-delivery protection film on.

I like the interior even more. It's refreshing to see a major manufacturer such as Honda forgo a screen-heavy approach: the 9.0in touchscreen in the HR-V is as large as I'd ever want one to be. On first impressions, the infotainment system is decent, being easy to navigate and quick to respond to your commands.

And the leftmost portion of the driver's display can be customised to show just about anything you would want to know about the car, ranging from average journey speed to fuel economy, and has incredibly smooth graphics. Even more welcome is that the HR-V still has physical climate controls.

Yes, there are still some cars on sale in the UK in 2026 that don't force you to try to navigate a tablet strapped to a dashboard in order to keep the cabin at a comfortable temperature. They're nice to use too, being helpfully ridged so your fingers don't slip off. Everything else related to the climate is controlled by individual buttons along the same interior line.

The cabin is full of materials that are pleasing to the eye and to the touch. Faux leather gives the dashboard and seats a bit of contrast, with the latter finished mostly in a soft fabric. I've long been an advocate of fabric seats over leather ones, which get too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.

It's much the same in the capacious rear, where the bench consists of Honda's Magic Seats - a clever design where the base can be folded up to create a massive extra storage area in the footwells. The boot is among the larger ones in this class, too.

Under the bonnet is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder atmo petrol engine with 106bhp, and a pair of electric motors bring the total output up to 129bhp, with power being fed to the wheels through an e-CVT. Those three letters strike fear into the heart of anyone who cares about cabin isolation, but I was impressed with the smoothness of the similar transmission in the Toyota Corolla hybrid I ran a while back, so it might not be a problem.

There is a lot to like about the HR-V, and the aim of running one over the coming months is to see if this minor update is enough to keep it shining in the sea of blandness that is the crossover market.

Motorway life

The HR-V has been racking up the miles lately and, by and large, I'm impressed with it as a motorway mile-muncher. But then I'd have been surprised if it wasn't up to the job. I've always been happy enough in small cars on the motorway, so what's the point in something this (relatively) big if it isn't a nice place to watch the world slide by at 70mph?

The cabin is as quiet as you would hope at motorway speeds, with minimal audible intrusion from either the wind or the road. In fact, it feels almost as peaceful to be in as a BMW X3 - an impressive accolade for a car that's half the price. Being a Honda, nothing rattles and nothing shakes, making it a pleasant place to be.

The ride at higher speeds is great too. It's not bad at low speeds – bumps and potholes are soaked up well even around town – but once you hit the faster roads, it smooths out to a fantastic degree. In a world of paving-slab-stiff rides in modern cars, the HR-V is more akin to a soft pillow.

However, there is an elephant in the room – or, rather, under the bonnet. It's the e-CVT gearbox's fault, really. It seems to change its stepped gears almost at random, revving up the 1.5-litre four-pot in an aurally unpleasant way. As you would imagine, this gets old quite quickly, especially on hillier routes.

Living in South Wales, my drives to work almost always require me to cut around the north or south sides of the Welsh valleys, neither of which is a particularly flat drive from my sea-level home. The south-side route requires a long stint on the M4 over some sizeable hills and the north option means a drive on the freshly rebuilt and absolutely beautiful Heads of the Valleys road – the highest dual carriageway in Wales, peaking at over 400m above sea level. Whichever route I take, though, the HR-V voices its protest.

The noise of the engine tends to sound like someone is undertaking a heavy DIY session a couple of houses away and it is especially noticeable because everything else is so quiet. The curious petrolhead within me is intrigued by the way the car shifts between the gears that its series-parallel hybrid set-up allows it to create, but if I was less interested in such things, it would drive me to distraction.

I find the adaptive cruise control irritating too – though this is something that annoys me in almost everything I drive. When approaching slower-moving traffic, you have to move out what feels like far too early to avoid the car automatically applying the brakes. I've also had a few experiences where the radar appears to have become confused by the clouds of spray that lorries throw up in inclement weather, trying to stop me hitting what the system seems to misidentify as a solid object. Not good.

But in fairness, they're pretty much the only things that irk me about this car in day-to-day use. The driving position is comfortable enough, the seats are superb and little details like the thin steering wheel and relatively small screen make long journeys fly by – all while achieving close to 50mpg.

Impressing passengers

I will admit that it's actually proving quite hard to think of things to write about my HR-V. Not because it's a poor car, by any means. In fact, it's the opposite. It takes everything I throw at it happily in its stride.

I've racked up fewer miles than usual this month, but with just as much gear on board as it would normally have. In fact, on account of me needing to shed some more light on my photographic subjects now that the days are becoming ever shorter, it has been happily carting around a 4ft-long light stick, which is too wide for the boot but happy to cover the rear footwell from end to end-not something every car can handle.

A trip to Aberystwyth to support a friend's ultimate Frisbee team (yes, it's a real sport, I promise) proved its prowess once again. Although its boot is unable to take the aforementioned light stick (I've encountered very few boots that can, the Skoda Superb Estate we ran last summer being the last), it is more than capable of stowing five people's massive sports bags for a weekend of chasing a flying plastic disc around a leisure centre.

My passengers were extremely complimentary about the HR-V, and indeed I've yet to find anyone with a bad word to say about it. Despite the fairly small dimensions, the cabin is nice both front and back, capable of sitting three adults side by side about as comfortably as can be expected.

As I swoop around town, palming the light steering wheel while traversing narrow streets and diving into tight parallel parking bays, I wonder why on earth you would need to buy a bigger car.

And the rear leg room really is impressive. Two of my friends are as lanky as they come and often end up squashed in the back of test cars, but both want me to keep this HR-V forever on account of them being able to properly stretch out. Honestly, it's like a cut-price S-Class back there – an impression also given by the build quality.

The switchgear really is to be applauded. Honda certainly isn't known for poor details or shoddy workmanship, but here its quality has been taken to a new level. The temperature control knobs and switches are well finished and perfectly weighted, to the point that I sometimes find myself changing the cabin temperature just to use them.

It's not all sunshine and roses, mind you. Although the HR-V is perfectly happy on the road (it rides superbly, is very well isolated inside and has some lovely seats), there's not much to say when it comes to driving dynamics. It's possible to press on along country roads (the car's relative narrowness helps here), but you would be incredibly hard-pressed to get any enjoyment out of doing so.

The car goes where you point it, but you get absolutely no sense of what it or the road is doing. Body roll is well contained, but you get very little sense of speed. Also not helping is the stepless transmission (called e-CVT but not really a CVT), even if it does deliver that hybrid power smoothly.

Obviously not everything has to be as engaging to drive as a flyweight mid-engined sports car, but after a couple of surprisingly engaging 'normal' long-termers (Suzuki Swift, I'm fondly looking back at you), I can't help wishing the HR-V could give me a little bit of feedback when I'm on the road.

Even the aforementioned Superb proved itself to be surprisingly pleasant to thread along my favourite B-road, whereas this invokes no emotion whatsoever. At least it makes my own 2004 Toyota MR2 that little bit more satisfying to drive…

Unremarkable - in a good way

Some cars are so compelling that you just can't stop waxing lyrical about them, seemingly being tailored to your personal use case like a Savile Row suit, while the fundamentally flawed cars of the world bother you enough to ensure you're never short of writing inspiration.

The HR-V sits between those two extremes, being remarkable only for how entirely unremarkable it is. While such a car won't do anything for the ardent driving enthusiast, it's an undeniable fact that grey sells. And the HR-V is excellent at being grey - in more ways than its pearlescent paint. It does everything that the average customer could expect of it with no foibles, no irritations, no issues.

As a serial sports car owner, I admittedly feel apathetic towards the HR-V, because driving thrills are alien to it. The steering wheel just does what it says on the tin. The chassis handles well and is capable of being pushed down a B-road at a healthy lick.

Yet I'm also acutely aware that it's comfortable, smooth, economical, well built, practical and entirely reliable - in stark contrast to some of my previous purchases. There is one thing that makes the mask slip, though, and it concerns a subject we have written about time and time again: the advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS.

Honda is, of course, required by European law (specifically the General Safety Regulations 2) to fit various ADAS in its latest cars, but it has implemented them poorly. They feel like afterthoughts. This is true of many manufacturers' ADAS efforts, it must be said, but that isn't much of an excuse.

I've probably had more journeys during which the HR-V's adaptive cruise control system has freaked out like a timid horse at a parked car, a shadow or seemingly nothing at all than I have where it has worked successfully - all while the speed-limit reader picks up an entirely incorrect limit and assaults me with noisy bongs for daring to go above what it sees as a 40mph limit on a national-limit motorway.

This tech is a pain to turn off too, requiring navigation through sub-menus while the car is in park. At least I'm now so used to its protests that my ears have learned to tune them out.

Goodbye

Nearly 12,000 miles after this surprisingly good-looking SUV was dropped off, the people from Honda have returned to reclaim it.

So what have we learned in the intervening time? Well, first and foremost, it seems that I'm not the only one whose head has been turned by this oddly handsome machine. A number of people have commented-in a good way on the Honda's stylish design, which is just sharp enough to stand out from the largely generic SUVs that populate our roads these days.

From its tidy diamond-cut alloy wheels to the grille that's chunky enough to stand out without being offensive and the double-stack rear light bar that looks like something akin to the sticker font used on a Vauxhall Chevette HSR, the HR-V is an eye-catching thing.

That said, while I love the hidden rear door handle that's neatly incorporated in the Hofmeister kink, passengers are less keen - I have lost count of the number of times someone has stared in puzzlement at the side of the car as they try to work out how to get in. Maybe it's a little too hidden, eh?

When you do finally open a door, you're presented with an airy interior that's a great example of function meeting form. You can really sink into those big and comfy chairs up front, with all the controls in perfect reaching distance for the driver. The dashboard is a rare exception to the perceived rule that everything simply must live on a touchscreen these days - in particular I love the knobs for the HVAC controls, which are tactile and easy to use.

It's a notably spacious cabin, too. The rear accommodation in particular is worth mentioning, with a broad bench that offers a copious amount of leg room. Going five-up in most cars - especially when you've ended up with a group of friends all upwards of 6ft tall - can be a squeeze, but I can't think of anything with such a relatively small footprint that has impressed me as much as this.

Storage is worth mentioning as well: the boot is huge, being deep and wide with no odd lumps or protrusions to eat into luggage or load space. The rear seats fold fully flat, too, and that, combined with a softly sprung ride, makes it a great space from which to capture the car-to-car tracking photos you see in Autocar.

Staying in the rear cabin, Honda's 'Magic' seats really are as their name suggests, folding upwards to allow you to load large objects such as antique chess tables or rare Bride bucket seats (yes, this really happened) into the rear footwell, in effect turning the space into a second boot. Handy.

How does the Honda drive? Well, it drives and there isn't too much more to say on that front. Urban driving seems to be its strong suit, with the HR-V often kicking into its EV mode around town and giving rapid yet quiet acceleration as a result.

The light steering is great for whirling around street corners and dodging city potholes, and it has a decent amount of steering angle that makes parallel parking predictable and easy. The low-speed ride is decent enough but not outstanding: it soaks up lumps and bumps reasonably well but struggles with the larger ones that are all too common these days.

It's a decent motorway cruiser, too. The ride is great at higher speeds, and the cabin is refined, with wind and road noise kept to a minimum in a way that rivals struggle to match - until you get to a hill. The HR-V has a fairly piddly power output of 129bhp, which is converted into forward motion by an e-CVT that soon makes unhappy noises once inclines begin to steepen.

I'd liken the sound to driving a range-extender, but frankly it's much louder and much, much more annoying. With such a relatively low amount of horsepower, you end up stressing the engine substantially at speed, and as a result attempting to climb hills at motorway speeds will soon have your passengers worrying the car is about to blow up. At least the sound system is good enough that you can simply drown out the noise.

Head onto a twisty road, though, and you'll be nothing if not disappointed. The steering, so light and pleasant in town, quickly becomes an irritant, providing absolutely zero feedback or feel. Not to say that it's useless - the HR-V very much goes where you point it - but you'll derive absolutely no pleasure from threading it down even the most brilliant road.

It's not a car for enthusiasts, then, but it's hard to imagine typical buyers having much to complain about - especially so given that not a single thing went wrong throughout our stewardship.

Honda HR-V 1.5 iMMD E:HEV Advance Style Plus

Prices: List price new £39,535 List price now £37,825 Price as tested £43,085

Options: Obscura Black Pack £1750, Urban Grey Pearl Paint £700, Illumination Pack £565, dog guard £360, floor mats £175

Economy and range: Claimed economy 52.3mpg Fuel tank 40 litres Test average 45.7mpg Test best 48.9mpg Test worst 42.8mpg Real-world range 402 miles

Tech Highlights: 0-62mph 10.7sec Top speed 106mph Engine 4 cyls in line, 1498cc, petrol, plus electric motor Max power 129bhp at 6000-6400rpm Max torque 187lb ft at 4500-5000rpm Gearbox e-CVT Boot 319 litres Wheels 7.5Jx18in, alloy Tyres 225/50 R18, Michelin e-Primacy Kerb weight 1401kg

Service and running costs: Contract hire rate £566 pcm CO₂ 122g/km Service costs None Other costs None Fuel costs £1556 Running costs including fuel £1556 Cost per mile 13 pence Faults None

Radical Hyundai saloon and SUV preview bespoke China EVs

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 08:26:19 +0100

Venus and Earth concepts preview new electric cars bespoke to the world's biggest car market

Hyundai has revealed the radical Venus and Earth concepts as a showcase of its plans for a new range of bespoke electric cars for the Chinese market.

The rakish Venus saloon and rugged Earth SUV preview a new China-specific EV line-up that is "tailored to local customers", Hyundai said - and distinct from the Ioniq EVs the Korean company sells in other global markets.

To emphasise this distinction, Hyundai's EV models in China will be named after planets – like the two concepts – rather than taking numerical designations according to their size, like the Ioniq 3, 5, 6 and 9.

This new naming strategy, Hyundai said, "symbolises how each vehicle orbits around the customer - the central focus of this new Ioniq universe".

The show cars also preview a dramatic new design language for Hyundai in China, departing from the monolithic, retro and pixel-heavy motifs of its existing Ioniq models.

Defined by their simple 'single-curve' silhouettes, the Venus and Earth are said to be "instantly recognisable and emotionally distinctive".

The Venus, for example, is wholly distinct from the similarly sized and positioned Ioniq 6 that Hyundai launched in 2022. Finished in a "radiant gold" that references the colour of its namesake planet, it has an unusual cab-forward profile with a "lightweight, frame-structured roof" and a transparent spoiler - and is much sharper and straighter-edged than the curvy electric saloon that Hyundai sells in the UK.

It's a complete departure inside the "driver-focused, wrap-around cockpit", too, where physical switchgear is entirely absent in favour of a huge digital display that spans almost the width of the car - hinting at the advanced digital functionality of Hyundai's upcoming Chinese cars. Suede upholstery and gold trim elements emphasise the "premium feel", Hyundai said.

The Earth meanwhile takes a more rugged approach, with chunky body cladding, skid plates and swollen bodywork hinting at its outdoorsy aspirations - a growing trend in China, where Defender-style family SUVs are incredibly popular.

The Earth's cabin is designed more obviously with space and comfort in mind, featuring 'air-hug' seats made up of several air-filled pockets, dynamic mood lighting and a number of 'shy-tech' elements designed to promote a "calm and breathable" ambience.

Simon Loasby, Hyundai's head designer, said the concepts are a stake in the ground for the company's ambition to increase its market footprint in China with a completely new business strategy.

“We chose to be 'the origin', something entirely new – recognisable at a glance from a distance, with a powerful presence on the road, and delivering what we call a ‘best in first impression’," he said.

"'The origin’ is our declaration: ‘lead, don’t follow’. It is the point from which our movement begins. Our ambition is to set a new direction.”

Hyundai has given no indication of the concepts' readiness for production, nor said when it plans to launch its new bespoke Chinese EVs - but it will provide further details when the cars make thei public debut at the Beijing motor show later this month.

Nor has it confirmed whether the models will use the E-GMP platform that underpins the existing Ioniq EVs - although its confirmation that these new cars will feature "market-specific solutions" such as range-extender powertrains and autonomous driving technologies suggests a high level of bespoke engineering.

Hyundai has a joint venture in China already with Beijing-based BAIC Motor, through which it produces the Elexio SUV, Custo MPV, Mufasa crossover and various adapted global models for China.

Hyundai is one of several global car manufacturers targeting growth in China with a line of bespoke models tailored to meet the unique demands and regulations of the world's biggest automotive market.

Volkswagen, for example, has an "in China, for China" strategy and has developed an extensive range of local-market EVs and ICE models in partnership with several local manufacturers, while sibling brand Audi recently launched AUDI as a China-specific premium EV marque.

Ford slashes Capri and Explorer prices by £5000

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Electric SUV siblings now start from around £35,000 – but lowered prices cause worry in used car market

Ford has cut the price of the Explorer and Capri electric SUVs by around £5000 just a week after improving standard equipment levels and extending their ranges.

However, industry insiders have told Autocar that they're worried the move could have a knock-on impact on used car values, not just for Ford EVs but across the market.

The price of the Explorer has dropped by between £4035 and £4800, depending on spec, bringing the starting price down to £35,185 for the rear-driven 58kWh Style model.

The range-topping, four-wheel-drive, 77kWh Explorer Premium now costs less than £50,000. Before April it was nearly £54,000.

The price of the Capri has dropped by between £4080 and £5070, with the base 58kWh Style model now starting at £36,985.

In addition to the price cut, Ford has increased the equipment level and upgraded the battery of Standard Range cars to give them an additional 43 miles of range.

The extra kit includes an updated Sync infotainment system, uprated adaptive cruise control, a reversing assistant, a driver monitoring system and a three-pin outlet to power devices at up to 2.3kW.

Ford said the price cuts and upgrades were in response to the “highly competitive EV market”. Indeed, rivals including Tesla, Abarth and Vauxhall have made similar cuts in response to increased competition from cheaper rivals, notably those from Chinese brands.

The worry is that the price cuts could have a similar impact to Tesla’s slashing of Model 3 prices two years ago: a decrease in values of almost all used EVs. Since then there has been widespread uncertainty around used EV values.

A senior remarketing industry source told Autocar that Explorer values at the one-year-old, 10,000-mile point had already dropped by nearly 9% since December 2025, even before the latest new-car price cuts.

He added: “This could have a heavy impact on the market, because it sends out a shockwave through the leasing sector. It causes buyer caution, because they don’t know if there will be another cut, and that continues into used car values. People think [Ford] may do it again.

“This drop will hit monthly rentals through worsening residual values, and when trade buyers see this, they won’t bid as much: they will bid under book value. That will take time to level out.”

Diablo, TT, R34, M5... Driving the best cars of the 1990s

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 07:13:19 +0100

It's a star-studded showdown of modern classics as we revisit the era's stand-out cars

Everyone loves 1990s cars. Over the past decade their popularity has risen rapidly as the differences between them and contemporary models have become ever more distinct.

What’s the reason? After all, 1990s cars are now 25 to 35 years out of date. And there isn’t the same love out there for the cars of the 1980s or 2000s.

It’s tempting to blame simple nostalgia: teenage kids of the mid-1990s are approaching 50 today. Back then they desired the cars of their era; today they can do something about it.

We believe there’s much more to it than that, though. Today, the cars of the 1990s are admired by a far wider cohort of enthusiasts than those teenagers of the time. There’s a unique purity and originality baked into the best of them that speaks especially of the 1990s.

What was so special about the era? Sociologists say our lives were simpler. The world economy boomed, the internet was in its infancy and there were no smartphones. Computers were boxy beige appliances people used only at work. One pithy 10-word summary of the 1990s speaks of ‘better music, better movies, better people, better cars, better economy’.

For car companies life was simpler, too. Climate change wasn’t yet an issue. Government regulation of car design was a factor, but shapes and structures were limited far less than today.

Dieselgate was two decades away. No one saw a need for today’s vast investment in electric cars and battery tech, but car companies’ economics were already greatly assisted by platform theory: distinct models built off similar underpinnings. Car companies were far more free to concentrate on creating cars people could love – and they did.

This realisation, this rising interest in the 1990s, is what encouraged us recently to gather 10 of the best and most disparate 1990s cars we could find at a favourite location in Gloucestershire.

The mission was to drive and understand the rationale behind them all over again, to enjoy them and to discover, above all, whether all the love was misplaced. Here’s how it went, alphabetically speaking.

Audi TT

The Audi TT, launched late in 1998, is one of the most successful ‘platform’ models yet created. Not many who viewed it as a cheaper Porsche Boxster alternative would have known, without being told, that this individualistic and timeless 2+2 coupé, revealed as a concept in 1995, was really a Volkswagen Golf.

When we finally got our hands on a 225bhp 1.8-litre turbo version in December 1998, we were enthusiastic about its strong performance, entertaining handling and terrific cabin.

The TT lived a long life: the last of three generations was built in November 2023. But the original TT styling that emanated in VW’s California studios makes a particular case for ’90s cars. It is by far the most distinctive of the three TTs and destined always to be the collectors’ favourite.

Matt Prior instantly liked the TT, calling it “a proper concept car made real”. Illya Verpraet was also surprised. “It’s not a sports car,” he wrote, “but it’s very pleasant and rounded to drive.

"The driving position is good, the gearchange is positive, the engine is strong and smooth and there’s plenty of usable grip. It’s a design icon you can use like a normal car.” Not bad going for a 27-year-old (the car, not Verpraet…).

BMW 5 Series

BMW’s E39 528i is a fine example of the purity of the Munich company’s styling, before the complications set in. The meaty straight six engine, the driver-focused driving position and the unmatched clarity of the two dominant instruments say ‘ultimate driving machine’ as effectively as the words themselves.

There’s a lowness and a purity of line that speak unmistakably of a time when the revered Wolfgang Reitzle was still running the show and producing a generation of BMWs that is still much admired.

This was the pre-Bangle era, when the design chief and management felt compelled to find a new styling direction. Launched in 1995, the E39 looks small today, roughly the size of today’s 3 Series, but there’s an authority to its shape that still identifies it as the mid-range executive model.

“Even now,” writes James Disdale, “the 5 Series stands up to the scrutiny of modern eyes, ears and hands. The interior is spacious, the dashboard is an ergonomic masterclass and the driving position is without fault.”

Then there’s that creamy-smooth 2.8-litre straight six that generates more than enough energy to easily keep pace with today’s traffic. It’s only the slightly ponderous shift time of the otherwise slick five-speed auto that ages the car.

The steering is naturally geared and weighted, the natural rear-drive balance can be exploited at sensible speeds and it’s refined enough to shame many moderns.

Ford Mondeo

By contrast, the Ford Mondeo 1.8 LX mostly set out to impress fleet managers. This was the Blue Oval at the height of its powers, and during a period when two-thirds of Britain’s new cars were bought by businesses.

But with the help of legendary chief engineer Richard Parry-Jones, Ford had moved on a long way from the crummy Cortina days.

When the Mondeo hit the market in 1993 it was praised by Autocar in a mighty 14-page launch test entitled ‘Mondeo is king’ and which was alleged to have boosted Ford’s New York share price. We followed that up a couple of months later by driving a 1.8 LX 12,000 miles around Europe in a week.

Verpraet reckons the Mondeo aces Parry-Jones’s famous 20-metre test, because the driving position is great and the controls are easy and intuitive – both things you notice before you’re out of first gear. “It can’t help feeling old because of the shape, colour, materials, low waistline and vast glass area,” he added, “but you can row it along in ordinary traffic and feel very satisfied.”

Prior is a bit worried for the Mondeo, though. “It’s showing little sign of moving from the old banger phase and into its classic time,” he said. “I’m not even sure the Sierra, its predecessor,has managed to do that yet.”

Lamborghini Diablo SV

Hard to find a greater contrast to a Mondeo than a Lamborghini Diablo SV, launched in the mid-1990s as a higher-powered (but ironically slightly cheaper) version of the standard 1990 Diablo, born as the Countach replacement.

Yet, like the Mondeo, it typifies the 1990s in several ways: it was completed under Chrysler ownership of the company, which came about at a time when big corporations were becoming interested in bespoke sports car manufacturers (Toyota, then General Motors, at Lotus; Ford at Aston Martin).

Its design, originally penned by Marcello Gandini in his sharp-edged style, was ‘softened’ by Chrysler’s people, a move which today indisputably ages the car.

The car you see here was our original road test machine, and it definitely speaks of another era. The scissor-opening doors make ingress and egress very hard, the driving position isn’t brilliant and reversing the Lambo is a guessing game because rear vision is so poor.

Yet when you drive it today there’s a magnificent exuberance about the engine’s thrust and sound – and the all-mechanical gated gearchange – which takes you right away from the curbs and limitations of today. Once you learn its quirks, the car drives very well.

Steering is heavy, but grip is still impressive. And because the weight is lower than many today – at 1570kg – the SV doesn’t even feel excessively large or heavy, although it did at the time.

Lotus Elise

‘Dated’ really isn’t a description you should apply to the Lotus Elise, a car many agree always looked best in its original form. In fact, it looks modern and well-proportioned enough to be made today.

The Elise also embodies some of the most important values of 2025 affordable car design: chassis rigidity, light weight and a corrosion-free bonded structure, in this case made from extruded aluminium.

The Elise appeared soon after Lotus’s unsuccessful dalliance with a front-wheel-drive Elan, and it took the company right back to the Chapman era of compact, rear-drive simplicity. The Elise was conceived in the early 1990s and launched in 1995, and at the time we reckoned it “really is the new Seven”.

About that we were half right: it was more civilised and somewhat heavier than a Seven, but like the Caterhams it utilised brilliantly components that were common and cheaply available.

For yours truly, the original Elise is a reminder of why I’ve owned two of them – and why I sold them. They were quick for the power, agile and terrific fun to drive, and quite reliable for a marque not known for it.

But entry is problematic and the hoods are terrible. Still, once you’re installed, they always feel special: they remind you why power steering, for the purest cars, simply isn’t needed.

Mercedes A-Class

If cars such as the original Audi TT and Lotus Elise are lasting icons, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class will always be a curiosity: a novel car whose launch was interrupted by its highly publicised failure of the elk test, an extreme examination in swervability invented by Car of the Year jurors in Scandinavia.

Hatched during an era when premium manufacturers were finding new ways to steal sales from mainstreamers like Ford and Renault, the A-Class is shorter than a Ford Fiesta and very boxy. Disdale was pretty enthusiastic about our A140 Elegance.

“Take a spin in the A140 and you’ll wonder why it didn’t spark a revolution,” he said. “It sold in decent numbers, but few other manufacturers were willing to follow Mercedes’ bold, engineering-led approach.

No doubt the A-Class cost a fortune to develop, but the result is a car that packs a remarkable amount of space into a compact footprint, and its clever sandwich-section floor was designed to swallow the engine in a frontal impact.

“There’s SUV-like elevation to the driving position that combines brilliantly with excellent visibility, while on the move the A-Class feels far more agile and secure than that infamous elk test would have you believe.”

MGF

While Lotus was at work on the Elise, Rover Group, which had spent the 1980s using its MG badges to distinguish assorted, not-very-good Rover saloons, decided to use its new K-series engine, plus various Metro suspension parts, in a new mid-engined roadster called the MGF, an answer to the many calls for another two-seater after MGB production ended in 1980.

The F hit the market just as BMW acquired Rover, but when BMW departed five years later it became part of a management buyout (by the infamous Phoenix Four) that formed MG Rover.

It was a decent little car whose styling was the work of Gerry McGovern, JLR’s design chief today, and it sold well for a while even against the Mazda MX-5. But indifferent build quality and corporate uncertainties weighed against it.

Still, even today it’s a well-founded, practical and good-looking little car, available at bargain prices. Matt Saunders rated the F as “not quite as entertaining to its core as a Mazda MX-5”, but praised it for its responsiveness, agility and pliant, Hydragas ride.

“It’s a carefree sports car you wouldn’t feel obliged to drive the wheels off and could enjoy at any speed,” he added.

Nissan Skyline

For a bewildering array of generations, models and specifications, look no further than Nissan’s array of Skylines, a breed that began in the 1960s at Prince Motors before that defunct marque was acquired by Nissan.

Happily for UK buyers in the 1990s, the key car was the Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R, a byword for expensive, high-tech Japanese performance, what with its four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering and meaty 276bhp 2.6-litre straight six, fed via two turbochargers.

Skylines were rare and very often augmented with wheel and bodywork mods and huge power increases; they were such a means to a performance end that standard cars like the example we have here are now extremely rare.

“Years ago it was impossible to drive a Skyline GT-R without it bearing an enormous weight of cultish hype,” said Saunders. “Today, though, you can just let this car’s driving experience wash over you. Or rather swallow you whole, after you’ve let the boost build fully.

I was surprised how compact, lightweight, tactile and old-school analogue this car felt. Still quick, too, even by modern standards, and it still has that competition-firm body control and natural rear-wheel-drive cornering poise. I loved it.”

Toyota RAV4

Given all the 1990s action above, it’s probably no surprise that this fruitful era can also claim to have hatched the now universally desired compact SUV – via the launch of the Toyota RAV4.

Born as a concept in 1989, it popped up in three-door form in the UK in June 1994 and as a five-door a year later. As many SUV pretenders now do, Toyota drew bits from existing models: a Corolla platform, a Camry engine, Celica GT4 suspension and about the cutest original shape going.

Of course, it was wildly successful. Mind you, a glance at our original three-door and the latest like-the-others RAV4 of 2025 suggests – once again – that the 1990s was indeed an era of inventiveness and purity in car creation.

Saunders said: “Full disclosure: if Land Rover’s Discovery Mk1 had been available, this Toyota might not have made the cut – but I’m glad it did. I’m convinced there would have been no Freelander, Qashqai, CR-V and the rest without a RAV4 to prove the public appetite for small, cheap, higher-riding cars.

"It feels like some better-mannered Series 1 Land Rover on the road: compact, upright and quietly agile, with great visibility, cheery looks and lots of charm.”

Lotus Carlton

Big performance, not cuteness, was the major criterion for the remarkable 1990 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, an outcome of General Motors’ seven-year control of Lotus between 1986 and 1993.

The Hethel company had been successful with the Lotus Cortina and Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, so why not a hot-shoe version of the straight-six-powered Vauxhall Carlton?

With chassis mods plus a 377bhp twin-turbo engine, the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton could run a 5.1sec 0-60mph time and reach 176mph – which made it officially the world’s fastest four-door. Autocar asked Richard Noble, then the world land speed record holder, to run a top speed, but he couldn’t beat the official mark.

“I came of age reading about the Carlton’s top speed,” writes Richard Lane. “Having driven one now, I see there’s much more to the experience. There’s a sumptuous cockpit with the kind of visibility alien to modern counterparts.

And because the ride is pliant, it’s a lovely thing just to stroke along 98% of the time. For the other 2% it’s a riot. It has a power-to-traction ratio you don’t see in modern cars. Torquey six, manual ’box and limited adhesion? It’s a super-saloon that can be steered on the throttle anywhere, any time.”

Verdict

There’s no winner here. The whole decade of 1990s car design and engineering is what earns the accolade. This sample of cars launched in the 1990s contains a wonderful array: timeless icons that were better than their replacements (Elise, TT), important trend-setters (RAV4, MGF), volume cars done at a new, higher standard (528i, Mondeo) and performance cars that progressed the genre in new ways (Diablo, Skyline, Carlton).

That leaves only the Mercedes A-Class, whose makers never saw fit to take it very far along the bold technical path on which it started out.

Which is ironic: if our view of the future tells us anything, it is that small, space-efficient car designs are what the world will surely need.

Used Jaguar F-Pace 2016-2024 review

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 07:04:13 +0100

Jaguar takes a typically sporting approach with the F-Pace, but it isn't quite enough to better its sibling, the Land Rover Discovery Sport A wary toe. That’s how the introductory line suggests Jaguar is entering the SUV arena, and the reasoning is sound enough: were Jaguar more confident it could sell an SUV, it would have tried it years ago.There are reasons why it hasn’t, of course. This is a company that – although written large on the radar of UK car buyers and enthusiasts – is a minnow alongside the German firms that its cars rival. Their products sell by the hundreds of thousands and contribute to sales of more than a million a year for each company. Jaguar sells fewer than 100,000 cars a year in total. Or has, until now.The F-Pace is the car that’s meant to change that. It’s a car that puts the future of Jaguar estates under threat but it’s also one that, frankly, no executive car maker can be without – even one that has a separate arm dealing entirely in executive SUVs.There’s an argument that this is one of the reasons for Jaguar’s SUV tardiness. Will a Jaguar 4x4 nick sales from a Range Rover 4x4? It’s a possibility but, as the VW Group does with Volkswagen and Audi (and Skoda and Seat too), it’s a chance you take. And seemingly those at JLR have viewed the risk in the same vein, with the smaller Jaguar E-Pace joining the range to take the fight to the BMW X1 and Audi Q3, and an electric-powered i-Pace to rival electric SUVs like Tesla's Model X.At least you get the profit either way, rather than somebody else. And the F-Pace’s ethos is wilfully different, on paper and in the drives we’ve had so far, from anything else that rolls out of a Jaguar Land Rover facility. It’s a Jaguar, which means it’s a sporting SUV, we’re told – as much as one is possible.It’s a tall car with a modicum of off-road ability, but for those who like driving. That’s always a slight contradiction, but ever since BMW launched the X5 in the late 1990s, it’s one we’ve managed to get our head around.We’ve tried most F-Pace engine variants so far in one way or another, including the F-Pace S in both petrol and diesel variants, but the one tested here counts most: the 2.0-litre diesel that will constitute the biggest number of sales.

Mercedes GLB Electric

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0100

Mercedes takes its seven-seat EV below £50,000 and adds 320kW charging for good measure It has to be considered the most sincere compliment to BMW’s Neue Klasse iX3 that, in the year of its introduction, arch rival Mercedes has taken the trouble to surround it with not one but two fresh competitors. Only a few weeks ago, we brought you a first drive of the new-generation Mercedes GLC Electric: the five-seat SUV that has indirectly replaced the seminal EQC. But while that car probably counts as the iX3's closer rival, there is another that bigger families should consider. And, as if to highlight how much money Mercedes continues to pour into its electrification efforts, it’s built on a different platform than the GLC and has a chromey ‘grille’ ready to dazzle in an entirely different way - with less reflective metalwork and more actual illumination, if you like that sort of thing.This is the new Mercedes GLB Electric. Replacing the EQB, it’s larger than the car it’s succeeding, stretching beyond 4.7m. As far as UK sales will be concerned (deliveries will start this summer), it's exclusively a seven-seater. And Mercedes is evidently more serious about its passenger-carrying practicality than it was with its predecessor, which was the sort of SUV you might more accurately have described as a 5+2.

New Stellantis Europe design boss vows "no clones" in effort to separate brands

Thu, 9 Apr 2026 18:16:14 +0100

Giles Vidal wants his brands to "compete more against the real competition and less between ourselves"

Stellantis is working to more clearly differentiate its brands under new European design chief Gilles Vidal so they “compete more against the real competition” rather than between themselves.

The Frenchman returned to the conglomerate in 2025 after a five-year stint with rival Renault, having overseen the production designs of the highly lauded 4, 5 and the new Twingo.

He previously made his name as the chief designer of Peugeot during the 2010s, where he introduced a new design language and was involved in the introduction of the i-Cockpit.

Now, as the dust settles on his first months back at Stellantis, he told Autocar that his aim was to “orchestrate enough differentiation between the different brands so that those brands matter”.

He continued: “The client will still compare an Opel/Vauxhall to a Peugeot to a Citroën and maybe hesitate between two Stellantis products, because Stellantis isn’t a thing for most clients.

“We can control and strategise all of this. We will make sure that we compete more against the real competition and less between ourselves, so the branding is super-important.

Vidal highlighted the previous-generation Citroën C5 Aircross, Peugeot 3008, Peugeot 5008 and Vauxhall Grandland as “an era where we did this [distinction] very well”. They were “very, very different cars not just in terms of design but in terms of driving”, he explained, yet “they were one single programme within [Stellantis precursor] PSA”.

Acknowledging that multiple models across Stellantis’s European brands – Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroën, DS, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel/Vauxhall and Peugeot – share platforms and therefore key structural hardpoints, he said his ambition is to deliver cars that more clearly look and feel distinct from one another, “not clones”.

"The general public doesn't care so much about Stellantis: they care about the brands themselves," he said. "You buy a Peugeot, an Opel or Vauxhall, a Fiat or whatever; you don't buy a Stellantis car. So we need to be super-sharp about what our brands stand for.

"And the brands are the biggest asset of the company from the public perspective, even if we want to optimise Stellantis as a company and about what it does."

Vidal said Peugeot will go big on “innovation”, exemplified by the recent Polygon concept and its Hypersquare steer-by-wire system. “Maybe we could push it even further,” he continued, “as powerful and strong ideas like that could be very interesting.” Its exterior designs, however, will remain broadly in line with those of today: “The result as a finished product can stay an elegant piece of design and not just a futuristic, crazy design.”

Citroën “is a completely different story,” Vidal said, explaining that it will push hard to become an “affordable brand” but without neglecting its historical “weirdness”. Characteristics such as modularity and spacious, airy cabins will become crucial as the brand looks to deliver on “experience”, with “inventive” solutions such as the ELO concept, a micro-MPV.

DS will continue with “French premium”, he said, while Fiat will carry on the path set by the Grande Panda with a “family” of models. Vidal wants to make Opel the “most creative German brand”, with its UK-market twin Vauxhall sporting “super-German designs”.

Alfa Romeo meanwhile will major in producing driver’s cars, with physical switchgear and tactility key to fostering a sense of connection to the machine. “The 33 Stradale [supercar] is a crazy example, obviously a bit expensive, but the point is that’s what you want to experience in the affordable Alfa Romeos,” said Vidal. “That’s the kind of feel you want when you're in a Junior.”

Of all the brands in Stellantis’s European portfolio, Vidal highlighted Maserati as the one most evidently due reinvention. He said: “If you look at the history of Maserati, every two decades or so there was a big shift in design. You had very curvy Maseratis in the '50s and '60s, it switched completely to edgy design in the '70s and '80s, then beasts in the late '80s and '90s, then back to curvy but in a different way. Every chunk of 20 years, you can observe more or less a complete shift in design language. So what we are looking at is the next thing. The loop is now theoretically finished, so what is the next thing?"

Forget a Corsa – I bought a 355bhp Audi S8 as my first car

Thu, 9 Apr 2026 17:36:18 +0100

Teenager seeks first car and buys Audi S8: It's not the conventional way to do it, but Cameron loves his 15mpg V8

Among the many surprises Cameron Peters has up his sleeve is that although his 2002-reg Audi S8 is classed as Euro 3 for emissions purposes, it is, he tells me, exempt from London's ULEZ charge.

Generally speaking, only petrol cars certified as being Euro 4 and above (the classification was introduced in 2005) satisfy the NOx emissions standard used to determine the charge, making them exempt.

However, so long as it meets the NOx standard, a Euro 3 car is also exempt. Cameron's 23-year-old Euro 3 S8 is just such a vehicle. Transport for London's ULEZ registration checker confirms it.

Cameron, who is a year younger than his S8, bought it three years ago as his first car. He was just 19. So why did he buy a high-performance saloon and not something more practical like a run-of-the-mill Vauxhall Corsa?

"I wanted a V8," he replies, matter-of-factly. "I could have had a Corsa like everyone else my age but an S8 is more comfortable. Insurance was £1600 in the first year, which seemed reasonable, and has since fallen to £700. And, of course, it doesn't attract the ULEZ charge!"

So that's the big surprise out of the way but there are others, including the time Cameron whipped the big S8's engine and gearbox out on his driveway. "I had to rebuild the gearbox myself because to pay a garage to do it would have bankrupted me," he says.

"It weighs around 160kg and had to come out along with the engine. The fault that the five-speed Tiptronic gearbox had a failed bearing in the clutch pack is shared by most older S8s. Fortunately, parts are easily available.

"It's supposed to be a sealed-for-life gearbox filled with lifetime oil but, in reality, it's good for only around 100,000 miles. The way to avoid the problem is with 60,000-mile oil changes."

With the engine and gearbox out of the car, Cameron also took the opportunity to replace the original shocks with Bilstein items ("they've sharpened the handling") and renew the front subframe. "

The S8 is aluminium but the subframes are steel. I've since restored a replacement rear subframe and axle for the car, which I'll fit next spring," he says. Naturally, Cameron also carries out routine servicing, although, as an indication of his dedication to the car, he's careful to keep the drain holes around the body clear too.

"Given the time and effort I've invested in it so far, it's destined to be my forever car," he says. "In any case, it's a future classic and so worth preserving." Cameron's S8 Quattro is a late D2-series model with the uprated 40-valve 4.2-litre V8 producing 355bhp.

He says: "I've been to Cornwall a lot in it and also to the Alps but the most enjoyable thing is cruising around London, calmly and smoothly. Outside the city, I'll occasionally give it some beans on country roads. The steering lacks feel around the straight-ahead, though.

"It's not scary but then when you wind on more lock, it gets much better. It will pull first all the way to 40mph if you floor it, but driven like that I'm lucky to get more than 15mpg. Otherwise, it will do 30mpg on a long cruise, which suits me."

The art of the on-board: how to read a car without driving it

Thu, 9 Apr 2026 17:36:07 +0100

From wrestling a GT3 RS to sliding classics, watching the masters can be a driving masterclass

It's fair to assume that if you're reading this, you like driving. I love it.

And I'm not just talking about haring up and down a mountain road in a Porsche 911: I've enjoyed the occasional 5mph trudge around the M25, revelling in the one-two-three shifts and rev-matched downchanges. But I can also take great pleasure in not driving - more specifically in watching great drivers at work.

There was a period when it was a fixture on Porsche launches for rally legend Walter Röhrl to turn up and give passenger rides. That was sadly before my time, and I'm quite envious of anyone who got to sit next to him.

Thankfully, YouTube is a pretty good substitute, and Röhrl is hugely enjoyable to watch. He has this economy of motion to his driving style that makes it look as if he's just fetching an apfelstrudel at the bakery on a Sunday morning. Yet the speedometer and the lap times confirm he's not pootling.

Watch closely and there's always something to learn about lines or steering and gearchange technique. I feel like I become a better driver simply by osmosis.

Following Autocar's Jaguar Type 00 prototype passenger rides, there was some discussion about how much one can learn about a car by being a passenger. I'll go one further and say that there's a huge amount to be learned about a car by watching an on-board video of it being driven by a benchmark driver.

When the 992.1-generation 911 GT3 RS (the one with all the downforce) was launched a few years ago, some on-board footage surfaced of Le Mans winner and Porsche works driver Jörg Bergmeister taking it around Silverstone. In general his style seems to be more aggressive than Röhrl's, but this was something else.

If I didn't know better, I'd think he was an amateur, being very busy at the wheel and always understeering slightly, punctuated by spikes of oversteer. But we know that Bergmeister is quite the opposite. Clearly the effect of all that aero is a car that wants to be slightly over-driven; better to maximise the speed and ride out the understeer than lose speed and the associated downforce.

Meanwhile, when French motoring magazine L'Argus tests a performance car, its ace driver, Mathieu Sentis, heads to the Nürburgring. He does this on the open 'tourist days', so I dread to think of the insurance and risk assessment implications, but the resulting video is always fascinating and says more about the car than some reviews. (Not ours, obviously...)

Sentis is very much an adherent of the Röhrl academy of zen, so the cars in which his driving gets ragged really stand out. The way some let themselves be effortlessly teased into a graceful drift while others doggedly grip, the speed of the manual gearchanges and the apparent steering effort reveal so much about the cars.

Conversely, I think the joy of watching great drivers is why I've long tuned out of Formula 1. It has the best drivers in the world and the best cameras to capture them with crystal-clear imagery, so it should be the pinnacle of vicarious driving. But the cars have such quick steering and are so perfectly composed most of the time that there isn't all that much to see or appreciate.

Historic racing is the exact opposite, and all the better for it. The cars are very much not the fastest things going, because their classic-style tyres mean that they're sliding around all over the place and their recalcitrant old gearboxes require a bit of care. As a consequence, the drivers are kept very busy with fancy footwork and sawing away at the huge steering wheels. The result is magnetic to watch.