Autocar RSS Feed

Leapmotor B03X review: China's Ford Puma misses the mark

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0100

Another 4.3m-long, circa-£30k Chinese electric crossover – but one with a hint of character I can imagine the scene as the development committee sat down to create the Leapmotor B03X.Gathered in a room are a Ford Puma, a Honda HR-V and a Jeep Avenger. The mission, quite evidently, was to collate a greatest hits album of what makes those cars sell so well.Take the boot: at 405 litres, it's not huge in its own right, but lift the floor and you'll find a deep well that gives an extra 105 litres and has drainage holes in its base - just like the Puma's Megabox.Pop yourself in the back and you'll notice the seat cushions are capable of flipping up against the headrests, precisely mirroring Honda's clever functionality.And the exterior design is a bit of a mishmash of everything - squared off like the Avenger or even the previous-gen Mercedes-Benz GLB, with extra hints of Puma.

Chery aims for 'German feeling' with new UK-bound Tiggo X SUVs

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0100

Major product roll-out and new British R&D base for Chinese brand as it puts VW in its sights

Chery is priming the next phase in its plan to conquer the British market with four new models, including a new Tiggo X product family and an R&D centre in Bedfordshire.

The Chinese brand is marking a full year of UK sales, during which it has sold some 29,000 cars.

Although that's behind sibling marques Jaecoo and Omoda (the Jaecoo 7 SUV has alone recorded nearly 53,000 sales since its launch in late 2024), Chery's UK MD, Farrell Hsu, said it has already exceeded its sales target for 2026.

His ambition, he said, is to challenge brands such as Volkswagen – to sell “people’s cars” to the mass market.

Key to that ambition will be the rapid expansion of its line-up: it currently sells the Tiggo 4, Tiggo 7, Tiggo 8 and Tiggo 9 SUVs here as rivals to the likes of the Ford Puma, Volkswagen Tiguan and Skoda Kodiaq.

Next year it will bring four new or updated SUVs to the market, one of which will be an electric car. Although the Tiggo X name has yet to be finalised, the range is likely to include the Tiggo X SUV that was unveiled at this year's Beijing motor show.

The Tiggo X is positioned as Chery’s new flagship, being a 5.0m-long, seven-seat SUV with a fashionable boxy design and a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Chinese media reports suggest it puts out a combined 476bhp and 465lb ft of torque, with an electric-only range of around 124 miles on the generous CLTC test cycle.

Details on any other Tiggo X-branded models remain to be disclosed, but Hsu said they will bring a “different feeling” to the Tiggos 4, 7, 8 and 9. They will have a “lifestyle” focus, hinting at boxier styling and light off-roading capabilities.

Chery has also committed to making sure its cars better suit the British market. Its new R&D centre at the UTAC Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire will initially operate as a “translation centre”, said Hsu, putting feedback from local customers and media into terms that Chinese engineers can act upon.

It will also modify its cars’ steering, chassis set-ups and advanced driver assistance systems to cope with British roads, which are tighter, bendier and generally in worse condition than those in China.

“We will test everything and then tell HQ what they need to do,” Hsu explained. This will give Chery the ability to more quickly test retrofitted modifications, such as new dampers, bushings or software calibrations, and therefore introduce changes at a quicker pace.

Hsu suggested his ambition was for Chery models to drive more like their German competitors: “So many people like the German feeling; cars that drive like a German car. It really gives them a very good impression. This is something we need to learn. Maybe in the future we can educate other markets [and their manufacturers], but currently we need to learn from them.”

In the longer term, the feedback from the Millbrook base could take a greater role in shaping Chery’s global product range, tapping the UK’s expertise in autonomous driving and artificial intelligence.

The same tweaks will apply for models from Chery sibling brands Omoda, Jaecoo and Lepas.

Hsu also pointed to Chery’s ‘Super Hybrid’ PHEVs as being crucial to the brand’s appeal. He said they account for three quarters of its UK business to date and implied that sales have thus far been constrained by supply rather than demand.

His vision is for every Chery model to eventually be available with the PHEV powertrain as standard, with buyers choosing only what battery size – and therefore what electric range – they require, comparing this to choosing the storage capacity of a new iPhone.

New Bovensiepen Spider revealed as £99k BMW Z4 with 429bhp

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:45:48 +0100

Alpina founders turn retired roadster into a 183mph ’bahnstormer with lashings of leather

Bovensiepen, the new marque set up by the founders of Alpina, has turned the BMW Z4 into a 429bhp collector special called the Spider.

The brand's third car – after the £320k Zagato coupé and £144k 05 GT estate – is its first convertible, but it can trace its roots back 20 years to the Z4-based Alpina Roadster S that its creators produced in their previous guise.

Just 99 examples will be produced, with deliveries beginning in early 2027, but the Spider is priced well below its range-mates, at the equivalent of £99,000 in Germany – roughly the same as a new BMW M4 convertible.

The firm says that cars are constantly becoming "bigger, heavier and increasingly influenced by SUV designs" and as a result "a vehicle class that for decades epitomised the most immediate form of driving is disappearing: the lightweight, two-seater roadster".

Pledging to preserve this endangered species, Bovensiepen has overhauled the most recent Z4 – which bowed out of production earlier this year – "entirely in the spirit of 'fine driving'".

It is based on the top-spec Z4 M40i, with output from its 3.0-litre straight six ramped up substantially to 429bhp and 428lb ft.

That's enough to give a 0-62mph time of 4.2sec and a maximum speed of 183mph, making it quicker than any previous iteration of the Z4.

Modifications to the intake system, meanwhile, mean the engine can "breathe freely" and the re-engineered exhaust system has been optimised for flow while "at the same time delivering an exhilarating, sporty sound".

Cooling has been improved, too, to ensure the Spider can always offer peak performance, while an optional Performance Pack brings enhanced heat management for the differential, to boost its performance in high-load situations.

The Spider rides on retuned dampers for improved responsiveness, supported by sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres wrapped around the lightweight forged wheels. The brakes can be optionally upgraded to high-performance items too.

The Z4 was latterly available with a six-speed manual gearbox, but the Spider comes with the standard ZF eight-speed auto.

In characteristic Alpina/Bovensiepen fashion, the Z4's interior has been retained but retrimmed in a selection of upmarket materials, including Vernasca leather for the seats, Lavalina for the steering wheel and Alcantara for the windscreen surround.

The Bovensiepen Saddlery – a customisation suite similar to Bentley's Mulliner or Aston Martin's Q division – can work with customers to ensure a highly personalised specification, with options including Alcantara boot lining, personalised headrests and custom embroidery.

Wild new Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 brings 637bhp V8

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 19:45:00 +0100

Focused coupé gains chassis mods, goes rear-drive and sheds 170kg

Mercedes-AMG has transplanted a V8 into the CLE to create one of its most extreme cars yet in a return to its hot-rodding roots.

Called the CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung - special order - it has been conceived as the most driver-focused version of Mercedes' premium coupe.

The model starts out as a CLE 53 before being extensively modified to become the 646, mirroring the production of historic AMG models before the brand became integrated into Mercedes-Benz.

Described by AMG as an engineering-led project, it was originally a test mule produced behind closed doors.

It swaps the 3.0-litre straight six found in the only current AMG derivative of the CLE, the 53, for Mercedes new M177 Evo V8 powerplant.

The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, which made its debut in the facelifted S-Class, is boosted to 637bhp - equivalent to 646PS, hence the name - and 627lb ft. It is fitted with a bespoke Akrapovic titanium exhaust, which is said to maximise the "emotional focus" of the powerplant.

The V8-powered CLE also ditches four-wheel drive for rear-drive to maximise its performance on track, while shedding weight.

The 646 brings several other lightweighting measures traditionally reserved for track-focused machines, including carbonfibre bodywork, polycarbonate windows and even a different 12V battery. Meanwhile, the body has been reinforced to improve its rigidity, and a roll-cage has been integrated into its structure.

The revisions mean the 646 weighs 1895kg - 30kg lighter than the CLE 53, despite packing a larger and significantly heavier engine. According to AMG, 170kg was stripped from the car in total.

It is capable of hitting 62mph from rest in 3.9sec, which is 0.1sec quicker than a CLE 53 fitted with the optional Pro Performance package. It also covers 0-124mph in 11.4sec and 0-186mph in 36.2sec.

The 646 sits lower and 60mm wider than the CLE 53, riding on steel coilover suspension developed with specialist firm KW.

The low- and high-speed bump and rebound settings can be adjusted as desired, giving owners the potential to set it up for specific circuits or use cases. Braking, meanwhile, is via carbon-ceramic discs with six-piston calipers up front and single-pots at the rear.

Completing the exterior makeover are forged 20in alloy wheels and a wide-body kit with a large rear wing, reminiscent of the Ford Mustang's conversion into the racing-derived GTD.

Inside, the weight reduction effort extends to the removal of the rear seats and sound deadening, while the CLE 53's front seats are swapped for a pair of skeletal buckets. Six-point racing harnesses are available as an option.

The sound system has also been simplified to save weight and several redundant comfort and driver-assistance features have been dropped.

The CLE 646 will be offered as the second car in Mercedes' Mythos programme, which previously created the Formula-1-inspired SL PureSpeed. But the new V8 CLE will be vastly more exclusive, with just 30 samples due to be produced.

Mercedes has yet to disclose pricing, but it is almost certain to run well north of six figures.

Although that will ultimately limit the impact of the 646, the model is notable for proving that Mercedes-AMG's V8 fits into the CLE platform and that the brand has the will to do so.

It remains to be seen whether a V8 will return to the performance arm's mainstream cars, such as the C-Class and E-Class, following a poorly received move to small-displacement plug-in hybrids. But the existence of the CLE 646 signals that the V8 remains at the heart of Mercedes-AMG and that the performance division will find solutions to offer such engines to customers - even if only for a select few.

"The Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung represents the very essence of AMG," said Stefan Weckbach, chairman of Mercedes-AMG. "This vehicle came to life because highly rational engineers dreamed of a highly irrational car."

New 2027 Skoda Karoq in line for 62-mile plug-in hybrid option

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0100

Skoda reverses plan to phase out popular ICE-powered crossover, which will return with PHEV power

Skoda will next year unveil a second generation of its popular Karoq SUV, which could adopt a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the first time.

The original arrived in 2017 but, because of its electrification plans, the Czech firm hadn’t initially planned to directly replace it. Instead its spot in the line-up was to be filled by the similarly sized Elroq EV.

But Skoda boss Klaus Zellmer has since given the green light to a new Karoq, which will sit on the same Volkswagen Group MQB platform as its predecessors and will “launch in 2027 or 2028”.

He added that “it will be a significant change to the current Elroq, but we’re trying to hit the same price segment so you get more value for your money”.

The current Karoq is only offered with pure petrol and mild-hybrid engines, but Zellmer hinted the Mk2 will come as a plug-in hybrid. That would set it apart from the new version of the closely related Volkswagen T-Roc.

Zellmer said the drivetrains for the new Karoq “will be very comparable to what we have in the Kodiaq”, Skoda's hugely popular seven-seat SUV, adding: “Our plug-in hybrids are in great demand. If you look at an electric range of more than 100km [62 miles], that is perfect for a successor to the Karoq.”

While a new Karoq wasn’t originally in Skoda’s plans, Zellmer noted that the firm also hadn’t originally planned to launch the Elroq.

He added: “We came with that car because we saw there was massive potential, and thank God we did: it’s the second best-selling electric car in Europe.

"We would like to see the Elroq totally replace that kind of market for us, but it doesn’t, so we see great potential for the Karoq and its successor.”

Lessons from a legend: 997 GT3 gets the grip game just right

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0100

A blast in a 997-era Porsche 911 GT3 RS reminds us what fun a balance of grip and slip can be

An old mate - fancies himself a philosopher-petrolhead - reckons we all fall into one of three categories. When it comes to cars he says ultimately you're either an engine, design or chassis bod.

I suppose I have always been for chassis, which is to say I seem to get a bigger kick from feeling what the car is doing beneath me than I do from listening to the motor or from any poor internal attempts to intellectualise the design. Now, clearly there are relativities.

In absolute terms I don't find the languid playfulness of a Kia Stinger GT more life-affirming than the sound of a Huracán Performante being drilled through the Hindhead Tunnel. But if I look back at times when a car has actually made me laugh out loud, it's most often been handling-related. Some impossibly deft tippy-toe rotation, or a physics-defying, velvety landing. There's something magical about a lump of metal and oil becoming truly delicate and balletic.

I wondered which camp would I most want to be in today, and by extension which group is suffering most. The engine-ites will raise their hands fastest and fair enough. Today, the only way to get a performance car with a naturally aspirated engine and a manual 'box through which to enjoy it is to be very, very rich and worm your way into some special edition-or, for only a little less hassle, secure a Porsche 911 GT3 build slot. Or just buy a Mazda MX-5. But those are really your only options, with everything having gone automatic, turbocharged or fully electric.

The design crowd will also feel aggrieved, with the SUV takeover of the world and increasingly homogenised styling in nearly every class. Perhaps the most exciting things happening at the moment are retro revivals, but much as I like the look of the Renault 5 et al, it's not healthy.

Which leaves chassis-land, which I didn't think had been degraded too much. Phew. But that was until I had a blast in a 997-era GT3 RS last week. Yes, I adored the bellowing Mezger, especially when it comes on cam at 4500rpm. And yes, it's a ripper to behold: mad and serious but diminutive and neat. And yet the defining bit of the package, and what makes this middle-aged RS a surprisingly brilliant and fun road car today, is the balance of grip and slip.

It's Goldilocks stuff. You can steer an RS of this generation on the throttle or brake without ever over-driving it. It's brilliant because the car doesn't achieve this by being twitchy or confidence-sapping the rest of the time. The handling is so damn malleable and expressive in a way that doesn't really exist any more, at least within this apex predator automotive stratum.

So where did it go awry? A lot of the RS's easy-going handling charm is to do with the lack of mass and its rear-driven layout, and of course its suspension geometry. In short, being a 997 GT3 RS. But it would mean nothing if the car simply generated too much rear grip. And that's the issue: grip. These days the serious performance cars have too much of it. They're over-evolved for the job of entertaining their owners on the road via means other than speed.

Ah, but today's cars have so much power and torque, which levels things out because you can overcome the grip so easily. Except that's only exploitable on track or in an exceptionally well-sighted corner. Most of the time the extra power and torque is meaningless if you don't want to drive a car that (a) requires huge speed and inertia to come alive or (b) requires you to thuggishly boot it. Brute shove really is meaningless if you're talking about altering the attitude of the car during braking, when a stubbornly planted tail kills the show.

You can't just blame tyre sizes. The 997 RS wears a 19in wheel compared with the 21in rims of the current iteration, but these are still fitted with 325-section rears. I think the issue is that track widths have become too wide and rubber compounds too effective. Only one of those elements is realistically going to change in today's safety-conscious world. And if it doesn't? Well, rather than sun for a special day of driving, we could well be praying for rain.

Mazda CX-6e driven: A proper BMW iX3 rival for £10k less?

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:22:34 +0100

Mazda keeps the styling fresh and the prices fresher still for its smart new mid-sized electric SUV Mazda is yet to score a slam dunk in the electrified game. Its first effort, the curious MX-30 crossover, allied unique charm with poor real-world usability. Its recent 6e saloon looked promising but divulged its Changan roots by straying too far from Mazda’s usual quiet dynamic brilliance. So what chance does this new Mazda CX-6e stand of righting both cars’ wrongs?This is a Europe-specific version of the EZ-60, a car already sold in China in both electric and range-extender guises. We only get the former.It shares both its platform and powertrain with the 6e, which recently scored three stars under the Autocar road test microscope. That means a 78kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery powering a 255bhp, 214lb ft motor on the rear axle for a WLTP range of 300 miles.

New look for Volvo XC40 after nine years on sale

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Petrol crossover and its electric siblings gain a new face and updated interior tech

Volvo has revealed a facelift for the XC40 and its siblings, introducing updated exteriors, interiors and revised tech, nearly nine years after the model line was introduced.

The mild-hybrid petrol XC40 and EX40 and EC40 EVs have received a “reimagined” front-end design, with everything forward of the A-pillars being new.

Changes include new front wings, a new bonnet and a new front bumper, introducing a cleaner look to bring the 40 series closer in line with newer models like the EX60 and EX90.

This marks the first time the 40 series has received a significant styling update during its unusually long time on sale.

Despite being around for almost a decade, the crossovers continue to be vital for the Swedish brand: the XC40 was its second best-selling ICE model in 2025, behind the XC60, while the EX40 and EC40 ranked second and third among its EVs.

The new models also receive revised LED matrix headlights, which incorporate Volvo’s signature ‘Thor’s Hammer’ design.

From the front, the only visual difference between the petrol and electric models is in the front grille, which is blanked off on the EVs.

Updates have also been made to the rear of the XC40 and EX40: new LED lights, a new bumper and a new tailgate. The EC40's rear remains unchanged.

Several new options will also be available, including new 18in, 19in and 20in wheels on the XC40, as well as a selection of new exterior paint colours.

Inside, a larger (11.2in) touchscreen arrives featuring Volvo’s latest infotainment system, as featured in its most recent EVs.

Volvo is adopting a homogenous approach to infotainment across its range, wanting its customers to be able to work the system in each model without having to relearn how anything works.

The infotainment incorporates new features such as Google Gemini AI assistance, which has the ability to answer questions, manage messages and plan routes via voice control. Volvo claims occupants can “have a natural conversation” with the in-car assistant.

An optional 360deg 3D camera can also now be configured.

The cars will feature the latest generation of Volvo’s Active Safety System, which includes new software, better ultrasonic sensors, better radars and higher-resolution cameras, plus automatic emergency steering and braking.

The powertrain options for the XC40 are unchanged. Therefore two mild-hybrid petrol options are available in the UK: the B3 with 161bhp and the B4 with 194bhp.

Both variants are powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine, with front-wheel drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

At launch, two powertrains will be available for the EX40 and EC40 EVs in the UK. The 248bhp, rear-wheel-drive P5 Long Range has a combined WLTP range of 323 miles, while the dual-motor P8 AWD makes 402bhp and can manage 300 miles on a single charge.

Autocar understands that while the XC40 has previously been available as a plug-in hybrid, there are no current plans to reintroduce a PHEV powertrain.

No indication of pricing has been given ahead of orders opening later this year, but Autocar has been told the positioning of the 40 series in the Volvo range will remain the same, so expect the petrol car to open at around £33k and for the EV to add a circa-£10k premium.

The pro racer who turned his A-Class into a 220bhp GTI chaser

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Racing driver Bryn Calder has done 45,000 miles in his A-Class – and it was cheaper to insure than a Fiesta

The term 'boy racer' is rarely flattering, but in Bryn Calder's case it's the perfect description. The 18-year-old has already been racing for a decade, first in karts (he won two British Endurance championships and impressed in a clutch of global events) and now at the wheel of a Ginetta G56 GT4 Evo coupé in the GT Cup Championship.

"I'm racing with Innovation Racing," says Bryn. "We missed the first two rounds but then everything came good and we made the next two at Snetterton, where I won the endurance race and came second in the sprint. That result put us second in class and me fifth overall in the championship. Everything's in place for Donington on 26-28 June. Beyond that, to continue my championship hunt I need sponsors to come forward! Racing at Le Mans is my ultimate goal. I want to win all the major 24-hour races and as many as I can in one year."

It is, of course, only right that Bryn has a car worthy of his chosen career. I had assumed his Mercedes-Benz A-Class, in which he had arrived at the car meet where I met him, was an AMG A45. In fact, turns out it's a regular A160 AMG Line with a few boy-racer upgrades.

"I've added a front splitter, a rear wing and some black winglets to the rear bumper," Bryn tells me. "I've also wrapped the roof in fake carbonfibre and blacked the standard AMG Line rims. I've not tried to make it look like something it isn't, though. Compared with the A45, it looks very different."

Bryn bought this 2016 model a year ago. Then it was showing 30,000 miles. Today the odometer is displaying a thumping 75,000.

"As a racing driver, I travel a lot," he explains. "However, in standard trim the car's 1.6-litre turbo engine only produces around 100bhp, which is very poor, so I had it tuned."

And some. In fact, if Bryn is to be believed, the four-pot now makes 220bhp, courtesy of a remap and assorted upgrades – yet "it still returns 42mpg with a light foot".

It leads me to the question of insurance. Insurers are wary of young drivers and will run to the hills at the word 'modification'. However, Bryn claims that, even with its upgrades, his A160 costs less to insure than a modest Ford.

"I've always been a Mercedes fan, but to begin with I was looking at Fiestas," he says. "However, I was quoted a stupid price for insuring a standard model. Then one of my sponsors said they had this A160 hanging round and why didn't I get an insurance quote for it. It turned out to be around two-thirds of the price I was being quoted for the Fiesta: £1800 compared with £2500. That was without a black box, too. With all the travelling I do and the hours I drive, a black box just isn't appropriate."

Bryn's A160 is pristine (he has a side hustle as a mobile valeter) and clearly fun to drive, but he covets another car: his mate's BMW M135i.

"Whenever he decides to sell, I'll be first in the queue," he says. Until then, the A160 and G56 will have to remain his means to racing success.

Bombshell quotes and broken promises: Inside Seat's 15-year downfall

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 05:00:00 +0100

Planned closure comes as a shock, but the writing has long been on the wall for the Spanish brand

'Seat faces final survival bid,' read an Autocar headline in May 2010. Just eight months into his tenure as CEO, James Muir was outlining what he called a "last attempt" to save the brand.

This was in an era of unstoppable growth, expansion and success for the Volkswagen Group (VWG), but Seat was the black sheep of the group as its most unprofitable brand.

The 'Cupra version of everything' plan of the 2000s had failed and a subsequent plan to rebadge old Audis as Seats, starting with the Exeo, was as short-lived as it was short-term in its outlook.

At the time, Seat's Martorell factory, long considered its greatest asset, was running at just 60% efficiency and annual sales were less than half of VWG's target of 800,000.

"If one would want to get rid of Seat, one would have to pay the other party money to take it," was Muir's take.

Muir's comments were made to a group of business wire reporters in Germany. Your correspondent was due to be part of a roundtable later that day with Muir, but that was cancelled following his bombshell quotes in an attempt to limit the fallout.

It started somewhat of a personal connection to this story, which looks to have entered its final chapter with the news that Seat will finally be shuttered as part of VWG's wide-ranging cost-cutting measures, Cupra then becoming its sole Spanish outpost.

Even with a no-show that night in Germany, Muir was one of the most quotable executives of any era, and his plan was no secret: boost Martorell production by opening to other brands' models, such as the Audi Q3, then reinvigorate the Seat product line-up starting with the next-generation Leon family.

We would finally get in front of Muir at the launch of the new Leon in November 2012, where he confirmed plans for the Ateca, a future Autocar class-leader in the booming family SUV segment. It was expected to add around 100,000 sales to Seat and it did just that, allowing the brand to top 500,000 units by the end of the decade, when it had been joined by the smaller Arona SUV too.

In that chat in Barcelona, Muir was again on punchy form: he recounted an inter-brand battle between whether the Leon or Audi A3 would get LED headlights first, at a time when all the related MQB models fought hard to have their own distinct features. I forget exactly what Muir said about Audi trying to get the technology first when it was already agreed to go to Seat, but it contained a four-letter word beginning with 'F'. His PR minder did well to keep a lid on that one.

More insight into VWG workings came at a design night to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Ibiza in July 2014. New CEO Jürgen Stackmann, a steady hand who posted incremental growth for Seat in his tenure from 2013-2015, outlined how the next Ibiza in 2017 would capitalise on the stability the Leon had brought to the brand. But the headlines that night were all about Bentley, as former Seat designers Walter de Silva and Luc Donckerwolke, now in senior VWG design roles elsewhere, seemed far more keen to discuss the upcoming Bentayga SUV and how they had 'solved' the awkward concept design for production.

Such sideshows gave the impression that thoughts were always elsewhere for VWG when it came to Seat - but also that it had a rich track record for developing talent not just in design but in leaders. And so it proved in Seat's next era, from 2015-2020 under Luca de Meo, who fired the starting gun on Cupra as a standalone brand that has ultimately led to Seat's demise.

De Meo's deft touch in product, seen earlier in his career with the Fiat 500 and since with his turnaround at Renault spearheaded by the 5, had him attacking Seat's profitability and volume problem with not just more attractive and desirable new cars but a new brand.

While Seat's sales had grown from the low 300,000s to more than 500,000 in the decade since 2010, the growth was only in line with the increase in model range and was well short of Muir's long-term target. Seat was stuck in the mid-market, and de Meo was open in describing the profitability challenge facing the brand, whereas Cupra had far greater earning potential, even if the new logo looked a bit naff.

No all-new Seat model has been launched since Cupra's first standalone model, the Formentor, arrived in late 2020 (although among the Cupras is a rebadged Audi, the Terramar. Heard that before?). What should have been the Seat El-Born (below) became the Cupra Born at a similar time, due to the greater price that a Cupra model could command – another clue as to what was to come.

De Meo headed to Renault just before the Formentor’s launch and handed over to sales and marketing boss Wayne Griffiths, who was straight away dealing with questions on Seat's future.

At the 2021 Munich motor show, the first time the industry really came together after Covid, Griffiths told me that "Seat will exist in 50 years' time", but even then the quotes were qualified with talk of perhaps as a mobility company (whatever that means: it's still a phrase that no car company executive has successfully articulated).

Two years later at the same show, Seat chairman Thomas Schäfer told me: "The future of Seat is Cupra." As all good stories and headlines do, it caused a stir (I’m told even the king of Spain wanted to know what was going on), but it was categoric and he definitely meant Seat as a car brand, not a holding company.

It got a bit weird when a LinkedIn post later that very week from Schäfer (see below) referenced “inaccurate reports in some media” about the strength of Seat. This felt quite pointed at the time, but with enough water under the bridge three years on, his post now reads a generic, carefully worded non-denial with some more mobility vapourware, particularly in the context of Seat’s strength rather than its future. I probably shouldn’t have taken it so personally.

This period did culminate in Griffiths sitting down with me in London the following May, playing a video from the recent annual conference that showed Seat models being crushed and then reborn. It was made clear to me that my story had played a role in the commissioning process. But your boss said it, Mr Griffiths... He left the company a few months later and now has his own gin brand.

And here we are today: Seat is set to be phased out by the end of this decade as a car brand, fully absorbed by Cupra. Last year, Cupra sales surpassed Seat sales for the first time – unsurprising given the model range of one has shot up as the other has declined.

Even so, Cupra hasn't yet transformed Martorell's fortunes: combined annual sales for the two brands sit below 600,000. Profitability had improved through 2024 but collapsed in 2025 before showing signs of recovery so far this year.

On the face of it, I can't help but think the problem simply seems to have been moved elsewhere.

Ingenium to electric: JLR's engine factory is now an EV powerhouse

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 05:00:00 +0100

JLR invested £356 million to convert its Wolverhampton factory to EVs, and now it's up to speed

A boast about production speed during our visit to Jaguar Land Rover’s overhauled propulsion plant was a nice reminder that car companies aren’t just competitive about their product.

JLR’s former Engine Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton changed its name to the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in 2024 to reflect its £356 million investment to build electric motor/gearbox units and assemble battery packs.

Even before JLR’s second generation EVs go on sale – led by the new Range Rover Electric – the plant reckons it holds the UK speed record for building combined motor/gearbox/invertor units in the UK at 95 jobs per hour.

It’s perhaps an indictment on the UK’s slowness to embrace electric car manufacturing that Wolverhampton only has one serious competitor to beat: Ford’s combined gearbox and electric drive unit factory in Halewood, Merseyside, which supplies both the Puma and Transit plants.

The shift to electric made by both JLR in Wolverhampton and Ford at Halewood is crucial for car companies to maintain jobs in the less glamorous but still vital engine and gearbox manufacturing facilities.

The skill sets are quite similar. The electric drive unit housing is needs to be created from essentially a lump of metal, much like engines or gearboxes. “The machining line is very similar to that for an ICE block,” Richard Weaver, head of propulsion assembly at Wolverhampton, told us. They transitioned existing CNC machines for the new task.

The hall for making the drive units used to build four-cylinder diesel engines. They, along with the six-cylinder Ingenium engines are still made on site but this electric hall represents the future for Wolverhampton while still retaining the flexibility to adjust to whatever speed that future arrives at.

The level of precision needed to build the electric motors and transmissions for the Range Rover Electric, new Range Rover GT, Jaguar Type 01 and the smaller Defender ‘Sport’ is a big step up from combustion engines. Tolerance levels can’t exceed 80 microns (about the thickness of a human hair), vs around 120 microns for combustion engines, Weaver said. Nothing can be allow to contaminate the final product. “Cleanliness is another level,” Weaver added.

The factory builds the permanent magnet motors from scratch, including winding the copper coils in the stators. These are beefy too, supplying up to 348bhp each in the Range Rover Electric, more than double that the 167bhp units built for the Ford Puma and Transit further north.

Quality is key. “We have more quality checks here than anywhere,” Weaver said. Only the invertors are bought in, just as they are at Ford in Halewood.

That speed means that the electric drive unit line has the capacity to make 419,000 a year, which sounds a lot until you realise each Land Rover and Jaguar product needs two per car to make them four-wheel-drive.

The battery module and pack lines are currently running at one shift to package the cells for all JLR’s new EVs (PHEV packs and EDUs are assembled at JLR’s Hams Hall plant). There’s more staff here at 400 per shift against 66 for the more automated EDU line.

The pack (weighing 736kg for EMA platform cars like the GT) sits in an aluminium frame weighing 80kg. These are weighty because there’s a lot of cells, up to 138kWh for the MLA platform used by the Range Rover and 127kWh for the JEA Jaguar platform.

The cells don’t come from the UK – yet. Currently they are supplied by AESC from China rather than the company’s plant in Sunderland, but next year all going to plan they’ll be sourced from JLR parent Tata’s battery company Agratas at its new facility in Somerset.

In total at Wolverhampton JLR has added 13 battery and electric drive unit manufacturing lines, supported by five and half miles of conveyors.

The Wolverhampton investment is good to see at a time when so much UK automotive manufacturing is playing a wait and see game, on legislation, pricing, competition, EV take-up and everything else. Nissan for example has reportedly cancelled a planned electric drive unit facility at its Sunderland facility that was to be built by its subsidiary JATCO.

Car companies are under huge pressure to cut costs to match the Chinese on costs and that means sourcing parts as cheap as possible.

JLR also faces cost pressures of its own as it juggles rapidly shifting demand globally, but repurposing its Wolverhampton facility for its EV powertrains both retains jobs, gives it control over crucial componentry and keeps local content for its models high, which helps when the UK next has to negotiate trade deals with countries anxious not to be helping a third country.

Volkswagen ID Polo: the electric supermini we've been waiting for

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 11:31:42 +0100

Electric supermini is intended as a practical, affordable and fun-to-drive alternative to the hot-cakes Renault 5 We've already driven Volkswagen's new ID Polo in pre-production form, but this is our first go in the finished article. It squares up to the hot-selling Renault 5 with a starting price of £22,445 (Electric Car Grant included) and class-leading 282-mile range.And while it shares its MEB+ underpinnings with the Cupra Raval, it has a Wolfsburg-specific suspension set-up and a new, more analogue interior. In more ways than one, then, this represents a new direction for electric VWs. The question is: is it the right one?

Nissan Pixo: new electric city car to be unveiled this month

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 09:21:06 +0100

New entry-level EV will be based on Renault Twingo and unveiled on 23 September

Nissan will revive the Pixo name for its new city car, which will be unveiled later this month and positioned below the Micra as the entry point to its electric line-up.

The new A-segment EV will be based on Alliance partner Renault’s Twingo and will be built by the French firm alongside that model. It is part of an agreement between the two firms that also includes the new Micra, which is a reworked version of the Renault 5.

Previewed by a short teaser video, the new Pixo will be revealed in full on 23 September and Nissan has claimed it will "bring fresh, fun character to the compact EV segment".

Nissan added that the new Pixo was "created for modern urban life" and will combine "compact dimensions with intuitive technology and distinctive Nissan design".

While no technical details have been disclosed, its spec is likely to be identical to the Twingo's, featuring an 80bhp front-mounted electric motor powered by a 27.5kW battery for a range of around 155 miles. As with the Micra, it is expected to be a close match for its Renault sibling on price too, meaning a likely starting price of £17,000.

Nissan had hinted that it would use an established nameplate for the new city car and previous reports had suggested the firm was leaning towards Wave. However, Pixo has some heritage in Europe, having been used for a reworked version of the Indian-market Suzuki Alto that was sold in the UK from 2009 until 2013. At the time, it was one of the cheapest cars on sale in the UK, priced from £5995.

Autocar has previously been told that new model will channel the 1980s design spirit of Nissan's Pike retro cars, something backed up by the preview video's retro arcade game aesthetic.

The new Pixo will be the entry point to Nissan's growing European EV line-up, which also includes the Micra, the new Leaf and the larger Ariya.

The ultimate EV bargain? Grab a Nissan Leaf from just £3500

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0100

The Nissan Leaf may not tug at the heartstrings but it is a dependable and practical family hatchback

The second-generation Nissan Leaf had big boots to fill.

Not literally, being a 4.5m-long family hatch in the vein of the Volkswagen Golf, but certainly figuratively: its forebear had been a visionary electric vehicle at the cutting edge of battery-powered car tech and was instrumental in helping to move EVs into the mainstream.

The Mk2, launched in 2018, was not quite so innovative in its conception. But it improved on the Mk1 Leaf in every single way, from the sleek exterior and more comfortable cabin to the chemistry underneath, which allowed for a real-world range of 200 miles.

There's now a freshly launched Mk3 and it's much more advanced again, but that has helped to make used Mk2 prices even more eye-catching: they start at £3500 and rise to around £15,000 - far less than any new full-sized EV alternative.

It's no less practical, either. The 435-litre boot is significantly larger than a Volkswagen ID 3's, making it a capable family load-lugger, although rear leg and head room are slightly compromised by the battery placement beneath the floor. It's also worth noting that pre-2020 cars lack reach adjustment for the steering wheel, an ergonomic demerit for taller drivers.

The dashboard design is refreshingly straightforward, though, eschewing the minimalist, screen-heavy approach of newer rivals in favour of physical buttons for the climate controls. A 7in infotainment screen (later upgraded to 8in) handles navigation and media duties; it feels a bit dated and slow by modern standards, but it is incredibly simple to operate on the move. An e-Golf has a nicer interior, but a far shorter range.

Speaking of range, most Leafs offer an official 170 miles from a 40/39kWh (total/usable capacity) battery. Expect closer to 150 miles in the real world, or less on the motorway or on a cold day. If you're going longer distances, the Leaf can accept up to 50kW through a Chademo public charger, which are getting rarer.

Unless you are using a Leaf as a station car or for the school run, we would recommend the longer-legged 'e+' model, which has a 62/59kWh battery for an official 239-mile range, or around 200 miles in the real world. It can also charge more quickly, at 100kW, for a 20-80% refill in less than an hour - still through a Chademo plug.

Both battery options are pretty efficient by modern EV standards, though, so they're very cheap to run if you're charging from home via a three-pin socket or wallbox.

The Leaf is a fine urban companion. Smooth, remarkably quiet and exceptionally easy to drive, it is at its best trundling around town. But on the open road it remains perfectly competent. Its suspension is set up to deliver comfort rather than handling thrills, yet even if you do push on it remains neutral and easy to gauge on a meandering road.

Acceleration is typical of an EV - brisk and instantaneous from a standstill, but tailing off quickly at motorway speeds. The 214bhp e+ is better in that respect than the 148bhp standard model and quick off the mark (0-62mph takes 6.9sec).

In a world full of new EVs, especially larger crossovers, it's easy to forget one of the original pioneers. But unless you need a longer range and quicker charges on the go, a used Leaf is an excellent choice, especially given its strong reliability record and very affordable prices.

An owner's view

Mark Christie: "I bought my 2019 Leaf Tekna in September last year. It had only done 12,000 miles and was in like-new condition, complete with new-car smell and no notable battery degradation. I've since doubled that mileage figure and it has become one of my favourite cars I have owned. It hasn't caused me any problems and remains really cheap to run. When on a long journey, I still don't have too much trouble finding a Chademo charger."

Buyer beware...

Battery: Longevity has proven vastly superior to the original but, because the Leaf lacks active liquid cooling, the battery can get hot during repeated fast charging, which will degrade its capacity. Use the dashboard graphic to check battery health bars or plug in an OBD2 scanner with the LeafSpy app to get a definitive look at the battery's state of health (SOH).

Suspension: Water can collect in the front strut tops, which can lead to premature rust on the suspension components. Inspect this area for standing water or corrosion and get it as clean and dry as possible. Apply lithium grease yearly to repel water.

Charging: If you will be relying on public chargers, ensure you can still find a Chademo connector locally before taking the plunge - or buy a CCS adapter from a reputable maker online for roughly £500.

Also worth knowing

Standard equipment is generous across the entire range. Base Acenta trim includes a leather-wrapped steering wheel, air conditioning, automatic lights with high-beam assistance, automatic wipers and adaptive cruise control. You also get a 7in infotainment touchscreen with a DAB radio, a reversing camera and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

N-Connecta trim adds tinted rear windows, a 360deg camera, electric folding mirrors and a gloss black B-pillar. Inside, there's synthetic leather and cloth upholstery, gloss black interior trim, heated seats, heated steering wheel and automatic climate control.

Top-tier Tekna models add a Bose sound system and ProPilot driver assistance features, like automated stopping and starting in heavy traffic and automated steering. It will also park itself. As for running costs, annual VED is just £200, while insurance groups range between 21 and 28. Servicing is required every 18,000 miles. Every Leaf's battery is covered by an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty.

How much to spend

£3500-£5499: High-mileage (100,000-plus) cars, most with the smaller 39kWh battery. Many will have been frequently rapid-charged, so it's important to check the battery's SoH before buying.

£5500-£7999: Clean 39kWh Tekna models with average mileages are readily available in this bracket, beside some 59kWh e+ variants.

£8000-£11,999: Post-2022 facelifted cars with refreshed Nissan badging and updated grilles, as well as some very little-used pre-facelift cars.

£12,000-£15,000: Late-2023 and 2024 cars with super-low mileages, representing a massive saving over the original as-new list prices.

Cupra Formentor VZ5: Five-pot fury has never been so practical

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Facelifted crossover hits the UK with some five-cylinder fire in its belly The Cupra Formentor VZ5 has been one of the most tantalising will-it-won’t-it cars of the past few years.We have always liked the Formentor. Ostensibly just a higher-riding, slightly alternative Leon estate, in the right spec it has offered an effortlessly compelling blend of real-world practicality, some luxury and an engaging driving experience.The VZ5 adds a truly special powerplant in the form of Audi’s five-cylinder engine, which should have been the cherry on top. However, it has for years remained a left-hand-drive-only proposition that wasn’t available on our shores.That always seemed odd to us, since the MQB platform the Formentor shares with the Audi RS3 is clearly geared up for right-hand drive, and since British buyers generally worship hot hatches and hot hatch-adjacent crossovers.Now the Formentor has been facelifted and that injustice has been redressed. There’s finally a right-hand-drive version on sale in this country. The VZ5 is limited to 4000 units, of which only 250 are bound for the UK, though we wouldn’t be surprised if a few more end up over here. So was it worth the wait?

SUV sales soar as cheap Chinese crossovers fuel growth

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 05:00:00 +0100

Qashqai shockwave continues to reverberate, and likes of Jaecoo 7 make an estate comeback unlikely

Car makers have a tough time planning future models, what with changing legislation, hot-cold-hot-again EV uptake and plummeting cost targets. But one thing they can say for certain is that, whatever powertrain gets used, the car probably needs to be an SUV. Especially in the UK.

SUV sales have been on the climb for years now and show no signs of stopping. An Autocar analysis of SMMT data shows that two out of three models sold so far this year were SUVs. Their July share was even higher, at 68%.

This won't surprise anyone making a cursory analysis of the country's campsites, festival car parks or traffic jams this summer especially if you drive something lower. The charts reveal the same thing: the top seven best-selling cars in the UK for July were all SUVs, led by the Ford Puma.

An SUV shape is far from ideal in many ways. Taller means more drag, higher fuel consumption (whether electric or fossil), more weight and compromised handling. But it's too late: the SUV is here to stay. The improvements to all those negatives have to be made within the parameters of the SUV shape or risk losing customers.

The British invented the leisure off-roader and the Japanese brought them on down the road to create the modern SUV with the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V; then Nissan reduced the compromises to negligible with the Qashqai.

Now the Chinese are making them accessible like never before. Brands like Jaecoo, MG, Leapmotor and Geely are busy hoovering up customers whose budget might have otherwise restricted them to something small and low. To the end of July, a whopping 81% of all Chinese cars sold in the UK were SUVs, according to our analysis of the figures.

What defines an SUV is arguable. Some are angular, others are slippery. We reckon it means anything with a bit more height and a tad more swagger. The SMMT's "dual-purpose" definition is too limited these days, excluding the Qashqai but including the Jaecoo 7.

How far can the SUV takeover go? Sales of traditional family hatchbacks are plummeting as brands either deprioritise them or, like Ford with the Focus, exit them altogether.

The market for bigger low-slung models once dominated by the Vauxhall Vectra and Ford Mondeo has shrunk to almost nothing. The same goes for their premium equivalents. Only small hatchbacks - currently accounting for around one in 10 sales, led by the Vauxhall Corsa - are maintaining their value-stiffened fortress against the onslaught.

Top tips for happy EV ownership - from an electric car veteran

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 05:00:00 +0100

What to buy, what to avoid – and how to make money from solar panels. What years of EV motoring have taught me

EV ownership is a way of life for some but a mystery to others. I took the plunge five years ago and I'm a certified convert: not only does electrification make for a plesant (and completely different) drive, it has also opened up new opportunities, such as making money from the grid.

If you're considering making the switch to an EV or you're simply looking to optimise your ownership experience, here are 10 of my top tips as an expert.

Don't buy more battery than you need

Since I took the plunge into EV ownership in 2021 with a Kia e-Niro, the rapid charging network has improved out of all recognition.

Depending on your 'use case', you don’t necessarily need an EV with a massive battery and the range of your outgoing diesel to do long trips, just a decent charging network.

For me, with the e-Niro’s 64kWh battery and range of around 260 miles, occasional 700 mile round trips with a couple of coffee-and-charge stops each way works out fine.

The battery represents maybe 25-35% of the total value of an EV, so it’s not worth buying battery capacity you rarely use.

That said, an upgrade to a Kia EV3 brings an 81kWh battery and a range of 360 miles plus, making life even easier on long trips. Progress.

Looking for an EV? These are the best electric cars on sale today

When to charge?

As a rule of thumb, I avoid running the battery to less than 20% charge. First off, it’s good for the battery, and on a longer road trip in unfamiliar territory I aim at more for wiggle room in choosing where to charge.

I’ve also experienced my old e-Niro shouting dire 'low battery state' warnings at me and experienced the available range evaporating before my eyes below that point.

Which chargers to use

If you’re on a road trip, DC rapid chargers are the way to go.

Compared with my e-Niro, the new EV3 charges far quicker, gaining more than 200 miles of range in 30 minutes.

I like to navigate with Google or Apple Maps and, if it’s a new route, use Zapmap to scope out charging stops, but some might prefer EVs' built-in sat-navs, which recommend chargers along the route related to remaining range.

Many new EVs use that navigation data to pre-condition the battery temperature for the optimum charging speed, too.

At home, a 7kW 'wallbox' charger gives around 25-30 miles per hour and a 13-amp 'granny charger' about 10 miles per hour.

Most energy providers have off-peak tariff deals for the early hours; I mostly charge for five hours at 8.12p per kWh.

Assuming you’re able to charge at home, slower is better for most batteries (especially older tech), and it’s cheap.

Charging with solar

In 2022 I invested in a solar system that's officially rated at 5kW. It’s a hybrid system with just under 10kWh of battery storage, the idea being that solar energy supplies the house during daylight hours and stores excess in the batteries.

On a clear summer day, the battery is charged by midday. I like fuelling the e-Niro with sunshine using a 3kW granny charger rather than a 7kW wallbox and ‘free’ excess solar energy without drawing from the grid.

Beat the energy crisis: my ultimate EV home-charging set-up

How to make money from the grid

Energy suppliers have export tariffs for certified solar system users. Any excess solar power that the car or house can’t use is automatically exported to the grid, and you get paid for it.

My Outgoing Octopus tariff pays 12p per kWh, compared with 28.44p for the Octopus Go day rate and 8.21p for the night rate.

I know what you’re thinking: it would actually pay to charge exclusively at night and let the solar export when it can. But where’s the fun in that?

How to drive efficiently

The same economy rules apply to both combustion-engined cars and EVs: it’s all energy, so heavy throttle use, hard acceleration and cruising at high speeds on the motorway will consume more fuel, whether that's petrol, diesel or electricity.

I prefer the normal drive mode, using the throttle judiciously and making good use of the regenerative braking. The e-Niro has paddles for controlling regenerative braking force, and I tinker with them using more on slower roads and less in high-speed cruising. I haven’t any way of measuring whether I gain anything in efficiency terms, but it feels good and it’s a kind of engagement that’s unique to EVs.

Warranty

The majority of major brands give a seven- or eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty on the expensive bit, the high-voltage battery (or more in the case of BYD and its Blade battery) so there’s not much to worry about here.

How long should I keep it?

Most people buying new EVs will use finance, so the problem is solved if you chop it in at the end of a PCP period. But I chose to extend my PCP deal then buy my e-Niro outright.

It had the usual Kia seven-year/100,000 mile warranty on the battery and I planned to run it indefinitely. But an electrical system error that may have been something or nothing put me off and with a good offer for it on trade-in, warts and all, meant I recently swapped into an EV3. I’d chickened out despite there being three years left on the warranty, and part of me regrets that now.

Maintenance

There’s no need to worry too much, as there’s not much to go wrong.

That doesn’t mean main-dealer servicing is cheap, though, so it’s worth checking out service packages if buying new.

Rear discs tend to go rusty sooner than on an ICE car, because, thanks to regenerative braking, the mechanical brakes’ friction surfaces do much less work.

The mighty torque of an electric motor means front tyres on front-wheel-drive cars can wear a bit faster than you expect, but that depends a bit on driving style.

Buying a banger

EVs have been around for a while now, so what about buying used? The main thing to consider is the battery condition.

For EV driving on the cheap, there’s a bit of a following for first-generation Nissan Leafs, and I bought one as a second car for local driving, with its modest 24kWh air-cooled battery and 85-mile range.

It’s possible to check battery condition by the number of bars on the condition gauge or by using an OBD scanner with an app called Leaf Spy.

There are plenty of other brands to choose from, and for a small runabout a Renault Zoe can be had for peanuts or a Volkswagen e-Up for less than £10,000.

Dacia Spring reinvented as sub-£18k EV with 155-mile range

Tue, 8 Sep 2026 05:00:00 +0100

Second-generation Spring leads new model push that will also bring an electric Sandero

Dacia has reinvented its Spring city car as a value-focused Renault Twingo sibling with four seats, a range of 155 miles and a price that will make it one of the UK's cheapest cars.

The Romanian brand's answer to the upcoming Citroën 2CV has gone from conception to production in just 16 months - quicker than any Renault Group model yet. It is the first of four new EVs that Dacia will launch by 2030, at a rate of around one per year.

A new-generation Sandero with the option of electric power is among those four, and EV equivalents to the Duster and Bigster are likely. But brand CEO Katrin Adt told Autocar that the new Spring is arriving first because it is "exactly the right moment" for Dacia to double down on the city car segment.

The outgoing Spring has sold more than 210,000 units in Europe in just five years, and while Adt declined to give a precise volume ambition for the new car, she said "there is a place for us to be successful" with the Mk2. "We built up that market," she added. "We were number one in the A-segment last year with an electric car, and now we have a product that is even better-priced and which corresponds even more to customer needs."

Adt said declining demand for new cars in Europe is reflective of the fact that "cars are getting too expensive", which stokes the need for a resurgence of small, affordable hatchbacks in the vein of the Spring.

To that end, when the Spring lands in the UK in the first half of next year, prices are initially set to start at just below £18,000. However, given that it will be built in Slovenia alongside the Twingo, it could be eligible for a £3750 discount under the Electric Car Grant scheme, which would bring it down nearer to £14,000.

It will come with just one powertrain, combining a 27.5kWh battery with a 79bhp front-mounted motor for 0-62mph in 12.1sec and 155 miles of WLTP-certified range. That's enough to meet "the real needs of customers", according to Dacia, referencing the fact that the average Spring owner travels just 13 miles a day, at an average of 13mph usually using the supermini as a second car. The vast majority (75%) also plug in at home, which makes the new Spring's maximum charging speed of 50kW less inhibitive.

Occupying roughly the same footprint as the Twingo, the Spring is 3850mm long, 1740mm wide and 1490mm tall. That makes it significantly larger in all respects than its predecessor, and its chunky bumpers, swollen arches and bluff proportions give it what Dacia design boss David Durand calls a "tough, well-balanced stance".

He told Autocar that when designing the city car, "the challenge was to make it tougher than the previous Spring". He acknowledged the commercial success of the outgoing car, but said it would have had even more success "with better proportions - it was a bit narrow, with small wheels".

Moving the second-generation car onto a larger, EV-oriented platform allowed Durand to "express the good Dacia proportions". He highlighted the design cues that set the Spring apart from its French sibling.

"The Twingo is a smiling, round car with funky-pop colours," he said. "We are the more modern, serious, chunky little electric car."

In particular, Durand highlighted the extra 60mm of rear overhang in the Spring, which gives it a beefier rear end while maximising space in the back seat and boot - important because the Dacia forgoes the Twingo's sliding rear bench.

Nonetheless, with 337 litres of load capacity - including an underfloor tray the Spring's boot is almost as big as that of the larger Renault 5 and, unlike the Twingo, it has a small, 18-litre frunk, enabled partly by its higher-set, flatter-fronted bonnet.

All bodywork below the window line is bespoke to the Spring, as is much of the interior-down to the trademark hexagonal air vents and YouClip mounting points for the installation of various Dacia accessories, including phone charger stays, bag hooks and extra cupholders. The entry-level Expression car comes with a smartphone mount in place of an infotainment display, while top-spec Journey adds a 10.1in touchscreen.

The new Spring will be a notably more capable car than the outgoing model in its power, range, tech and interior space. However, its expected price of just under £18,000 is significantly higher than the outgoing car's £11,990 (or £12,990 with a 100bhp motor). Even if the new Spring receives a full £3750 discount through the Electric Car Grant, it will give up its position as the UK's cheapest new car to the £12,995 Leapmotor T03.

Q&A: Katrin Adt, CEO, Dacia

Is it challenging to embody Dacia’s rugged, outdoors values in a tiny city car?

“It might be less ‘outdoor’ in its usage, but if you look at our line-up, there are cars which have more of some brand values than others, and I guess a car in the A-segment cannot be as ‘outdoor’ as a Bigster 4x4. But you see those attributes also, and you see the design language, which is very consistent.”

Can you make a profit on a small electric car like this?

“We would only do projects where we are profitable because otherwise our business model would not be sustainable. This is not good for our customers, either. We use the Dacia recipe to be profitable: this is first and foremost to concentrate on what is essential for customers and to deprioritise everything else.”

How could regulators make it easier for you to build cars like this?

“We have fulfilled around 100 [safety and emissions] regulations so far, and we still have another 107 regulations to fulfil by the end of the decade – 25% of our R&D budget and 25% of our engineers are allocated to that. The question is: is that exactly what the customer needs and wants? Because the most used button in our cars is the so-called ‘magic button’ where you can switch off all the beeps. So we have asked the European Commission – together with other manufacturers – to have a regulation freeze on small cars to get a chance to offer more affordable mobility.”

So is this as close as you can get to building the Hipster microcar, for now?

“Stay tuned…”

BMW 3 Series M350 brings 437bhp straight six – and drift mode

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 23:01:00 +0100

Replacement for the M340i keeps its 3.0-litre straight six but puts out 50bhp and 30lb ft more

The range-topping M350 derivative of the next-generation BMW 3 Series will be significantly more powerful than its M340i predecessor – and it will offer a drift mode for the first time.

Aside from the M3, it will be the only derivative of the 3 Series available with the signature turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder engine, BMW said. It will put out 437bhp and 428lb ft, increases of 50bhp and 30lb ft respectively.

Drive will be sent to all four wheels via the familiar eight-speed automatic gearbox, giving a 0-62mph sprint time of 4.1sec – 0.6sec behind the outgoing M3. It will top out at 155mph.

The addition of a drift mode to the M350 marks a first: the mode was previously exclusive to full-fat M models, such as the M3. The setting sends all of the car’s drive to its rear wheels to more easily muster a slide. However, it will not be available at launch, instead coming as part of a software update due next year.

The M350 will ride on steel suspension as standard, although two types of adaptive damper – one tuned for comfort and the other stiffer, with M branding – will be offered as optional extras. There will also be a staggered sports tyre set-up, with 245mm-wide rubber at the front and 275s at the rear.

The first examples of the new combustion-engined 3 Series will go on sale later this year, following the electric i3. UK deliveries are likely to begin in early 2027.

BMW has yet to confirm whether it will offer a high-performance diesel in a similar vein to the previous M340d. Given the waning popularity of diesel-engined models, as well as the impending arrival of stricter Euro 7 emissions rules, it is unlikely to return. Indeed, the removal of the 'i' suffix on the model badge that previously designated a petrol engine – with 'd' for diesel – suggests the option may already be gone.

Other combustion-engined 3 Series will receive four-cylinder engines. These are expected to be updated versions of the ‘B48’ and ‘B47’ petrol and diesel powerplants offered in the outgoing 3 Series.

The next-generation BMW M3 is due to arrive next year, and, like the regular 3 Series, it will be offered with both petrol and electric power. BMW M boss Frank van Meel recently told Autocar the new EV was the petrol car's "own natural enemy", claiming its quad-motor powertrain will create new opportunities for dynamics.

Skoda CEO: "We will have to find" an electric Fabia

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 13:00:00 +0100

"This is an area we need to cover" says Klaus Zellmer of a future electric supermini

Skoda boss Klauz Zellmer says the firm “needs” to launch an electric successor to the Fabia hatchback as an entry-point to the brand in future – but he insisted the project is still in the planning phase.

The current fourth-generation version of the hatchback has been on sale since 2021, with a starting price of around £21,000 in the UK. By way of comparison, the new Epiq crossover is Skoda’s cheapest EV, with prices starting from £24,950.

Speaking to a select group of media, Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer said the current combustion-powered Fabia, along with the Kamiq crossover and Scala hatchback, would be produced “into the 2030s,” but he added: “At some point in time they’re going to fade out, and, of course, we need replacements for those such as a battery-electric version of the Fabia.”

Zellmer admitted the firm had considered an entry-level electric hatch on the cut-down platform that will be used for the forthcoming production version of the Volkswagen ID Every1 city car, but he noted a decision was made at group level that “VW takes charge of that part of the market, and we purposely stayed out of that because we’re going to cover the combustion part.”

Zellmer noted the current Fabia was “still in very good demand". He added: "That car needs to be replaced in our portfolio. What will that look like? Will it be at a price point way below €20,000 [£17,200], or a little bit above? We’ve not made any decisions yet.

“But this is an area we need to cover because if you take a brand too far, it’s like a staircase: you enter at a certain level, and if you increase the first step too far you won’t get anybody in your house. This is why we will have to find a battery-electric version of the Fabia.”

Zellmer hinted that a final decision could wait given the ongoing uncertainty over the pace at which the car market switches to electrification. He added: “Something the industry initially probably overestimated was how fast this transformation is going, but so long as we cover a decent size of the market segments with the Fabia and Kamiq, and within the group we have the ID Every1, we’re in a good spot from a group point of view.

“The Fabia, Kamiq and Scala will be in the market until the beginning of the 2030s, maybe even until 2034, then there might be a natural end if the EU keeps 2035 as a deadline [to phase out new non-zero emission cars], and so that is the time window where we will have to come up with a replacement.”

Any future Fabia would inevitably sit on a version of the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform, or its SSP successor. The firm has just launched the Epiq crossover – a BEV equivalent of the Kamiq – as part of the group’s ‘electric urban car family’ alongside the VW ID Polo and ID Cross and the Cupra Raval. That would be the most natural option for a Fabia EV that was similar in size to the current model, but Skoda could eventually develop a model on a version of the ID 1’s cut-down architecture, making the next-gen Fabia smaller.

Polestar to preview new look with Formula 2030 concept

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0100

Show car will hint at new 2 and 7 models – and is first penned under design chief Philipp Römers

Polestar will provide a first look at its new era in October when it unwraps the Formula 2030 concept.

It will be the first car designed from a clean sheet under head of design Philipp Römers, who joined the company in January 2025.

This is particularly notable because, as Römers told Autocar last year, “Polestar is a design-driven company”; former CEO Thomas Ingenlath was a designer and under previous head of design Max Missoni it produced several striking cars.

Polestar said the Formula 2030 represents a “bold evolution” of its look, and it will showcase cues coming to the next-generation 2 – due next year – and the forthcoming 7, a compact SUV coming in 2028.

“Polestar’s design and brand is already so strong, it was obvious we needed a bold evolution,” said Römers.

A preview image released by Polestar hints at a more angular look with sporting cues, with a low, wide-set stance and cambered front wheels. It also appears to have an S-duct – an aerodynamic device that takes air through the front grille and directs it through a large duct in the bonnet to suck the car’s nose down onto the road. Polestar’s familiar ‘blade’ daytime-running lights remain, however.

Speaking to Autocar about his vision for the brand, Römers said: “My first decision is that it would be bad to do a design revolution, because the brand is so young.

“I don’t want to make a revolution. I want to do a bold evolution built on our values. That’s a big challenge, no question. Our brand awareness is still growing, so we have to build on our existing design language.”

He added that he had “the topic of performance in mind”, because its focus on dynamics is “a way to separate us” from sibling brand Volvo.

“The cars have to look super-attractive and should not scare people,” he said. “There’s currently a trend where car makers are designing cars screaming out ‘I’m here’ and we don’t want that. We should not look super-aggressive. Ambitious, but not aggressive. I don’t think that would fit Sweden and we should really look like a Swedish performance brand.”

Polestar is, more broadly, a company in transition. Current CEO Michael Lohscheller was appointed to help turn it from a loss-making start-up into a profitable player. It made a net loss of $842 million (£623m) during the first half of 2026, an improvement of 29% compared with the same period in 2025.

Key to its revised strategy is to hit 100,000 sales per year, up from 60,000 in 2025, by targeting Europe’s mainstream EV segments.

I love my original Audi A2 - will the new EV do it justice?

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0100

It's similar in shape and maintains the focus on efficiency - but there are some big differences to consider

I have an Audi A2 and I love it. I love it so much that I just spent four times as much servicing it as I did buying it.

Of course, I’ve never given Audi a penny, but I feel like somehow I’m invested in the A2 and what becomes of it. There are lots of people like me – which must be annoying for manufacturers.

Anyway, what about this new A2? Outside first. I like the profile, which is at once familiar and yet modern. It has been said the original A2 could be launched today with a few tweaks and still look relevant. Side-on, at least, that’s what this new one nearly is.

But why does it look like it’s eating a block of cheese? It’s electric, so it doesn’t need a huge grille. And the squinty eyes don’t look so friendly.

From the back, there’s the swooping roof that will soon be familiar and unmistakable. Nice. The wide tail-lights add a bit of visual girth and presence to a car that could otherwise seem tall and narrow. My A2 gets bullied by other road users because it looks meek; the greater public doesn’t know what a technical marvel and enthusiasts’ car the A2 actually is; they just see a small, tall hatchback ripe for being tailgated until it gets out of the way. It’s a level of meekness that I suppose the aggression-favouring Audi of today wouldn’t allow.

Anyway, overall I quite like the new A2.

Inside? I’m intrigued to know what the Softwrap fabric feels like. Other than its spaciousness, there’s nothing remarkable about the original A2’s interior, which was made from very sober materials and sensibly laid out.

I wonder, though, whether this A2 was too far along the development cycle for the recent arrival of Audi’s new CEO Gernot Döllner to have made a useful difference, because he has promised more round steering wheels and conventional buttons in the wake of screen fatigue.

I wouldn’t review a car without driving it, but I’m confident there aren’t enough buttons in here, the steering wheel is too square for me and it has haptic icons on its spokes.

I haven’t driven it yet, but I like a modestly powered, rear-driven EV that leaves the front wheels to just get on with turning and stopping and with a low centre of gravity and its compact size it could be good fun. I’m encouraged, anyway.

The proof of whether it’s a ‘worthy’ A2 successor is to be seen. I guess Audi will be happy if it is perceived to be one but only really satisfied if this time it makes some money.

New Audi A2 revealed as ultra-efficient EV with 400-mile range

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0100

New EV follows trail blazed by 1990s supermini with big range and wind-cheating design

Audi has revived its seminal A2 supermini as a radically styled electric family hatchback which majors on efficiency and offers a maximum range of 401 miles.

On sale here next month ahead of deliveries early next year, the A2 E-tron is Audi's answer to the Volvo EX30, Mini Aceman and Cupra Born. It serves as an electric replacement for the A1 supermini and Q2 crossover, both of which retired earlier this year.

The A2 will be Audi's smallest car and its most affordable EV, with prices starting at £32,200 in the UK - making it only slightly more expensive than the A3. Autocar understands it is likely the cheapest variant will qualify for a £1500 discount under the Electric Car Grant scheme, which will bring the start price down to £30,700.

Measuring around 4.3m long and with a generous wheelbase of 2770mm, the A2 E-tron is significantly larger than its millennial namesake but maintains its distinctive rounded silhouette, short overhangs and bluff rear end in the name of maximising both aerodynamic efficiency and interior space.

The A2 rides on the same MEB modular platform as other Volkswagen Group EVs including the Volkswagen ID 3, Skoda Elroq and Audi Q4 E-tron - which has rear-wheel drive as standard. The architecture supports charging speeds of up to 183kW and can accommodate batteries up to 84kWh in capacity.

The cheapest A2 comes with a 52kWh pack that's good for 260 miles of range according to the WLTP cycle, while the mid-rung cor upgrades to a 61kWh pack for a 310-mile range. The top-tier 84kWh pack retums up to 397 miles, and that, with prices expected to top out in the mid-£40,000s, could make the A2 one of the longest-range EVs in its price bracket.

The bigger battery employs nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistry, while the smaller batteries use cheaper Ilthium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry. Charging is limited to 105kW but it's said still to "deliver high performance even at low states of charge and cold outside temperatures"

There are four motor options available, all of the permanent magnet synchronous variety and all mounted at the rear of the car. They range in output from 168bhp and 258lb ft in the entry model to 322bhp and 402lb ft in the most powerful car, with Audi claiming average efficiency of around 4.2mpkWh.

The most potent A2 con get to 62mph from rest in a hot-hatchback-quick 5.7sec, while the urban-focused entry model needs 8.8sec for the benchmark sprint.

Audi says the APP350 and APP550 motors use silicon carbide semiconductors that help to ensure "exceptionally low conversion losses", while the gearbox has been optimised to further boost efficiency with polished gear teeth, low-friction bearings and new low-viscosity oil.

As a result of all this optimisation work, the most efficient version of the A2 can travel up to 4.85 miles for every kilowatt of electricity it consumes, making it "the most efficient Audi of all time".

The aluminium-bodied original A2 that first held that title was capable of triple-digit mile-per-gallon figures when hypermiled.

Helping the new A2 in that endeavour are a raft of wind-cheating and loss-mitigating design features that go well beyond the characteristically slippery silhouette, which draws on the original A2.

The underside is almost entirely closed off, for example, while the wheel arches are fitted with gap reducers that minimise the space between wheel and bodywork to reduce as much as possible any underbody turbulence on the move. The wheels themselves are newly developed 'aero' designs and even the door handles have been styled to cut through the air as cleanly as possible, hence the unusual wing-shaped design.

Audi claims a drag coefficient of 0.24, which is better than even the sloping-roofed Sportback version of the Q4 E-tron. It makes the A2 as slippery as the Lucid Gravity, BMW iX3 and Polestar 5.

The interior is a departure from the cockpit treatment of Audi's other current. models, with a striking stepped dashboard, liberal use of a new recycled fabric called Softwrap and an overt focus on placing. controls "where they are most useful in daily driving" - which means the steering column and wheel host the bulk of the switches and buttons. The door handies feature haptic touch sensors in place of protruding levers or buttons, and each door has its own energy supply so they can be opened even if the car loses power.

There's a new panel behind the steering wheel to accommodate functions that would otherwise be housed on the centre console, including the handbrake, and the A2 is the latest Audi to adopt the new indicator switch that made its debut on the Q3. But the company nonetheless emphasised that all the lighting controls still "work in the usual way".

The steering wheel controls are a blend of rollers and the touch-sensitive haptics that are being phased out of other VW Group models - although Audi said they are recessed and clearly divided here to make them easier to use while driving.

The main control suite is the 12.Bin touchscreen that is housed in a curved panel alongside the 11.9in driver display, which can itself be optionally supplemented with an augmented reality head-up display to show your speed, navigation instructions and audio player information.

Boot space, at 396 litres with the rear seats up, is slightly better than that of both the Volkswagen ID 3 and the Audi A3.

Audi will give full UK pricing and specification details in the coming weeks as it prepares to open order books. Autocar understands It's likely the A2 will quality for a £1500 subsidy under the UK's Electric Car Grant scheme (as do its sub-£37k platform-mates), which would drop the entry price to just £30,700.

Skoda Superb in line for retirement as brand shapes future line-up

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 08:19:28 +0100

Skoda is considering whether the production version of Vision O concept could replace both Octavia and Superb

The Skoda Superb is set to be phased out due to shrinking demand for saloons and estate cars and as part of the Volkswagen Group’s massive line-up reduction, according to company boss Klaus Zellmer.

The Octavia has been a core part of the Czech firm’s line-up since it was launched 30 years ago, while the larger Superb was launched in 2001. Both models are currently in their fourth generation.

Skoda has already shown the Vision O concept that previews a next-generation electric Octavia, which is set to arrive before the end of the decade on the VW Group’s new SSP platform that will also be used for the next Volkswagen Golf. Notably, the Vision O sits between the current Octavia and the larger Superb in terms of dimensions.

The Volkswagen Group is embarking on a major cost-cutting programme, with plans to reduce the number of models offered across its various brands by around 50% by 2035. That is driven by a desire to achieve higher economies of scale and higher volumes for its individual remaining models.

Skoda is one of the most profitable brands within the VW Group stable, posting record sales and profits in the first half of this year with margins of around 8.5%. Speaking to a select group of media, Zellmer said Skoda currently had the biggest model portfolio it has ever had, because it is “catering for a market still divided between combustion drivetrains and electric vehicles, and everything in between such as mild hybrid, full hybrid, plug-in hybrid.”

Zellmer added “the end game is electric, there’s no doubt”, but said “we will find out” if the transition would happen naturally by 2035, the current target date for both the UK and EU to phase out non-zero emission new car sales. He said that focusing on electric cars would take out some complexity from the line-up.

But asked if Skoda’s success means it wouldn’t trim models from the line-up, Zellmer said “that’s not a given”.

He hinted that a focus on range reduction could be Skoda’s saloon and estate line-up. “We’re very proud of the Superb, and we love the Octavia,” said Zellmer. “With both models we’re very safe in the market – the Octavia has led its segment since 2016.

“The big question is going forward: saloons and limousines and combis [estates] are not on the rising path. The [next-gen SSP] platform caters for wiggle room to go up to Superb dimensions. We’re currently looking into whether we still need the full monty, or whether we will have a smart way to cover both segments and target groups.”

While the Vision O was presented as an electric concept, Skoda is considering a range-extender powertrain as an option. While the production version was initially intended to replace the existing Octavia, the slowing pace of EV uptake might prompt Skoda to extend the lifespan of its combustion models.

Skoda has sold more than seven million Octavias in the 30 years it has been on sale, along with more than 1.6 million examples of the Superb.

Group coordination could impact line-up

Zellmer said one notable change with the new VW Group strategy is that the combined portfolio will now be considered. That means each brand could potentially focus on individual market segments.

That has already been going on to some extent, notably with the decision that only the Volkswagen brand would develop an electric city car (previewed by the Every1 concept, below) on the forthcoming entry-level version of the MEB platform – although Skoda is considering options for an electric Fabia hatch.

Zellmer also highlighted the newly launched Skoda Peaq as the group’s only mainstream electric seven-seat SUV, saying: “We’re trying to make sure our footprint overall in the market is big, and we’re not standing on each other’s feet. These portfolio decisions might be surprising from a single brand point of view, but if you put the group potential together it makes sense.”

Asked if he had any concerns about the impact of the VW Group’s cost-cutting measures on Skoda, Zellmer said efficiency had long been a focus of the brand, and it already operated on “a very lean trajectory with our business model”.

But he added: “But it’s like sports: you have your fitness programme, and if you stop training and looking at your diet and everything that keeps you competitive, you’re going to lose.”

Chinese brand Li Auto eyes UK launch with i6 SUV

Mon, 7 Sep 2026 06:00:00 +0100

Successful start-up is branching out into Europe and is working on RHD versions of its line-up

Successful Chinese premium start-up Li Auto is on track for a UK launch following its planned European debut with the sleek i6 electric SUV at the Paris motor show in October.

Li Auto will begin sales in right-hand-drive markets by the end of the year with vehicles including the i6, company founder and CEO Xiang Li said on the company’s most recent earnings call.

Li didn’t specifically mention the UK, but it has become a key export destination for Chinese EVs thanks to the absence of the additional tariffs on Chinese cars that have been imposed by the EU.

Sales of the i6 would begin in European markets in the fourth quarter of this year, Li said on the call in late August.

The i6 has been a huge hit in China since launching last year. It became the third-best-selling model outright over the first six months of this year, according to retail sales figures from sales aggregator Best Selling Cars Blog.

The i6 uses the same futuristic aero design that had its debut on Li Auto's first electric model, the 5350mm-long Mega MPV.

The Mega could be a possible addition to a UK line-up, having been prepped for the RHD-market sales in Singapore and Hong Kong that are due to begin by the end of the year.

The i6 measures 4950mm long and would enter the competitive mid-size premium electric SUV market that is led by the BMW iX3, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Volvo EX60.

The model comes with an 87kWh battery for a claimed range of 720km (447 miles), as measured on the generous Chinese CLTC cycle. The European figure is likely to match that of the iX3 40, at a maximum 395 miles, but charging power at a quoted 500kW beats the iX3’s quoted 400kW.

Power is rated at 335bhp for the rear-wheel-drive version and 536bhp for the four-wheel-drive model.

New premium brands generally struggle here against the incumbent European marques, but Li Auto is expected to try to lure customers with the promise of greater technology levels and interior flexibility.

Equipment on the China-model i6 includes 16in dual touchscreen as well as a 21in rear drop-down screen and flexible MPV-style seating.

The company promotes the car in China as a ‘leisure base camp’, with a rear table, rear fridge (with its own cooling/heating compressor that runs separately from the HVAC system) and the ability to fold the passenger seat flat to create a bed.

The car’s frunk is touted as a place to store dirty sports gear, and it can double as a sink to wash kit and drain water away afterwards. The boot has a claimed 728 litres of space, with a separate storage area under the floor.

Li Auto first started producing cars in 2019, focusing on range-extender electric SUVs that paired a large battery with a 1.5-litre petrol engine. The company introduced pure EVs with the Mega in in 2024 (pictured below).

Since Li Auto’s launch, it has sold 1.8 million cars, according to company figures.

So far, almost all Li Auto’s sales have been in China, and founder Li acknowledged the difficulty of creating the same success in export markets.

“Expanding overseas comes with its own set of challenges, particularly uncertainties around the geopolitical environment and market regulations,” he said.

Successful Chinese exporters, including MG owner SAIC, BYD and Chery, have largely focused on volume brands, while premium brands including Nio and Geely-owned Zeekr have found life tougher in Europe.

Li said his company would continue to be positioned as a premium brand, adding: “We will carefully manage our pace, tailoring our approach to our strengths and the unique dynamics of each market."

Missed out on an Alpine A110? Grab a used example for £35k

Sun, 6 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0100

French fancy is a future classic, and a guarantee of fun in the meantime

After 10 years, six road-going versions, four race variants and at least 14 special editions, production of the reborn Alpine A110 has come to an end.

You can just about still get a new, unregistered one (there are around 40 in the UK), but they range from £58k right up to £107k, whereas used examples now start from just £35k.

Just under 30,000 A110s were made, around 1700 of which were sold in the UK, making it the third-biggest market. So don't fret about scarcity of parts or support for this slice of exotica – and we've seen cars with nearly 150k miles on the clock, so reliability seems acceptable too.

If you need reminding, the A110 is a superb car. We gave it five stars in our 2018 road test, summing it up as "quick, agile, effusive and ultimately enormous, accessible fun", and that effusive verdict is pretty much true of all subsequent versions too.

Despite Alpine using a modest 1.8-litre turbo four from parent firm Renault, all A110s are plenty quick enough. The standard tune for the Pure and Légende trims produces 248bhp and 236lb ft of torque for a 0-60mph time of just 4.5sec on our stopwatch. Top speed is 155mph.

This engine may have first been used in the Espace, but it feels like it was made for the A110. It buzzes and whooshes up to 7000rpm and hits the key metrics faster than we timed a 718 Cayman – although the Porsche was a manual and the A110 came exclusively with a fast-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

Output was bumped to 288bhp for the S and Légende GT, and again to 296bhp in 2022 for the new S, GT and GTS, improving the 0-60mph time and top speed in each instance. The S also got stiffer springs and anti-roll bars, a 4mm drop in ride height and 10mm-wider tyres.

Our favourite has always been the softer original car, though, so if you really want the added grunt, go for the more cruising-oriented Légende GT or GT.

These softer cars are more comfortable in Britain, gliding over bumps with deftness akin to a Lotus, and quicker from point to point. On an undulating, bumpy B-road, the more forgiving travel keeps the body flatter and more flexible more of the time, allowing fewer unsettling movements.

Those drivers who regularly enjoy the glassy roads of France, Italy and Germany might prefer the better body control afforded by the stiffer springs, mind you.

The steering is electrically assisted, so not quite as tactile as racks of old but very direct and accurate. What really makes the A110 fun, though, is how you can steer with your right foot, letting its back drift around the corner's apex, then applying a stab of the throttle to point the nose straight again.

The A110's cabin is much nicer to look at than an Elise's but not as well equipped or solidly built as a Cayman's. It's is still very habitable, although the lack of cupholders will annoy some.

In 2023, Alpine dropped a £100k hardcore special. The A110 R was even lighter (1084kg on our scales, or 40kg less than others we had weighed), with its carbonfibre wheels and body panels and sports exhaust. However, it was no more powerful.

As for the handling, the A110 is a real wonder, but you might find the relatively ordinary engine falls short of the mark for grunt and aural excitement at this price point.

The final-edition R Ultime tried to fix that, with 345bhp and 310lb ft, but cost an eye-watering £209k. Safe to say the sweet spot is to be found rather lower down the range.

What to look out for

Body: Alpine’s paint didn’t always stick to the aluminium body panels as well as it should have. Many cars have signs of bubbling, similar to how rust would appear. Oxidation around the wheel arches can be an issue too: the clips holding the arch trim in place react with the aluminium arches. But unreactive replacements are easy to find.

Fuel pump: Its impeller can interfere with the housing on early cars, causing it to overheat, fail or stall. A recall was issued; check the remedial work has been carried out.

Alternator: Many owners report a high level of parasitic drain from the battery, causing starting issues after a long rest. A stronger battery and use of a trickle charger will help.

Seats: The leather ‘comfort seats’ can wear poorly on the bolsters. The Sabelt buckets are much better. If you’re too tall to fit comfortably with a helmet on, check that the seats are fitted as low as they go: they’re not easily adjustable.

Servicing: The engine oil should be swapped at 12k miles and the gearbox oil at 36k miles. Many owners choose to do both more regularly. The good news is that it isn’t an expensive or complicated car to service.

Also worth knowing

British company Life110 sells a range of parts that noticeably enhance the driving experience, including revised suspension geometry, new springs (stiffer but better than those of the S), a spoiler and wheels from the A110 Cup race car.

A110s over five years old (on a rolling basis) are charged a flat ate of VED at £200 per year, while those under five years old incur an annual rate of £640. Insurance is a little more expensive than equivalents from Lotus and cost-prohibitive for youngsters but premiums for middle-aged drivers can be less than £500 per year. Classic car insurance is worth considering if your mileage is low enough.

How much to spend

£35,000-£39,999: Pre-update cars, so 2017-2021. Only a few have more than 50k miles and most have been doted on. A few are early S models.

£40,000-£59,999: The 2022 update added Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a little more power for the S, plus a new GT trim. Plenty of colours and specs to choose from here.

£60,000-£74,999: Some of the very last A110s, on 75- and 26-plates. Many preregistered examples are offered with discounts of up to £5000.

£75,000-£100,000: R models at the lower end here, rising to nearly six figures for R 70 and R Turini special editions.

An owner's view

Nigel Clysell: "I've got an early Légende with the lovely brown leather and classic blue exterior, and I couldn't have asked for a better car so far. I do about 10,000 miles per year so am up to 60,000 now.

"It has had three pairs of tyres on the back and two on the front, been serviced every six months, and had the fuel pump recall done. So far it's been faultless and surprisingly comfortable, with 40mpg possible on a run."

'We know who we are': Small cars can make Fiat bigger than ever

Sun, 6 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Fiat is back to its roots as a maker of small cars - Europe boss Gaetano Thorel unwraps the game plan

To become big again, Fiat had to embrace being small. That might sound counterintuitive but, after decades of struggle since its heyday as Italy's national car brand, Fiat has finally found a path back to success by doing what it has always done best: making small cars.

Think of any great Fiat and chances are it's small. Whenever the firm has tried bigger cars lately, it simply hasn't worked. So in recent years, revitalised as part of the Stellantis empire, it has leaned into what it does well. The 500e and Panda have been joined by the 500 Hybrid and Grande Panda, and even the Topolino quadricycle is selling well. Fiat's mantra now is "big in small".

That revival has been led by long-time CEO Olivier François — who was chosen by our editors for recognition at the 2026 Autocar Awards, and who earlier this week announced his departure from the role after 15 years. But the firm's Europe boss, Gaetano Thorel, has also played a key role. While François was about big ideas and marketing wizardry, Thorel's attention to detail and sales acumen shouldn't be underestimated. That might make him sound dry, but he speaks with passion, as evidenced by his often theatrical gestures.

This distinctly Italian spirit seems a spiritual match for Fiat. Yet despite that, Thorel actually spent more than two decades at Ford, joining what was then Fiat Chrysler Automobiles only a decade ago and taking up his current role in 2021. Still, he's clearly also proud of working for Fiat and his role in its recent revival.

"We've crossed the desert and we survived," says Thorel. "Now we want to put the Fiat brand where it deserves. It's a journey, but I'm extremely happy with where we're going. Fiat is the engine of Stellantis growth in Europe [now]. We're consistently selling more than 100,000 units a month."

That success is being driven by the Grande Panda, and Thorel notes the share of sales that are direct to consumers, rather than fleets.

"If you want to measure the strength of a brand, you look at the business-to-consumer (B2C) share, because those are the customers who choose a brand," he says.

So far this year Fiat is the fifth-best-selling brand in the European B2C rankings, up from 13th last year and Thorel notes that the UK has yet to really contribute, because of the delay in the Grande Panda going on sale in right-hand drive. But there's still room to improve.

"Are we perfect? No. I have higher expectations for the 500 Hybrid than we're delivering, but when you take a car out of the market for two years, it's more difficult to reinstate it," he says.

The 500 Hybrid shows how Fiat has flexed in recent years; the plan was for this generation of the city car to go electric-only and its petrol predecessor was discontinued. But when demand for the 500e didn't pick up as expected, Fiat reverse-engineered its platform to take a small petrol engine and a manual transmission.

The 500 has been such a success story for Fiat since its revival in 2007 that its popularity has overshadowed that of the brand itself. So the Grande Panda, built on Stellantis's cost-conscious Smart Car platform and reviving the spirit of another classic small Fiat model, is what has really driven the wider brand revival—and affirmed Fiat's small car specialism.

"We have two territories: small cars and light commercial vehicles," says Thorel. "For cars, the Fiat rules are clear: we go from 2.0 to 4.5 metres [in length]."

The Topolino sits at one end of that territory, and this year Fiat has revealed the car that will sit at the other end: the Grizzly, a new C-segment SUV that will rival the likes of the Dacia Bigster. Notably, the Grizzly wasn't initially developed with Europe in mind, but that changed during development as Fiat evaluated the market.

"Grizzly is the typical example of a project that Fiat can afford, because it's global and designed to compete in Turkey and Latin America, but it also has a space here in Europe to offer family transportation with a different formula," says Thorel.

Despite being close to 4.5m in length, the Grizzly uses the same Smart Car platform as the Grande Panda, and Thorel insists that "we will shock the market when we reveal the price". The Grizzly will be followed by a fastback variant, both of which will be offered with electric and hybrid powertrains.

Beyond that, the big challenge for Thorel is the successor to the Panda. It was launched way back in 2012 and is no longer even on sale in the UK, but it remains Italy's best-selling vehicle (where it's now marketed as the Pandina).

Thorel talks of his commitment to the "Panda population" to develop an affordable successor to keep buyers who are unwilling to go electric happy. It's no easy task: there has always been demand for small cars but their profit margins are tight. That's why so many rivals have given up on them. "It comes to the social role of a brand," he says. "We have a social responsibility in Italy, for sure, and Italy is the land of the small car."

That goes as far as pushing for any future Panda to be built in Italy, which Thorel notes "is probably not the best economic decision, but to me this goes beyond economic [factors]".

Those challenges in Europe are ones Fiat and Thorel face with purpose and a clear strategy: embracing the small to become big again.

"When you know what you stand for, everything is much easier," says Thorel. "We don't feel the need to do a D-segment car or the like, because Stellantis has sister brands for that.

"Fiat is not for everybody: we don't pretend to be. But we are the brand recognised for small cars - and that's enough."

WHY GRIZZLY IS ACTUALLY A CUDDLY BEAR

Grizzly bears famously are not cute and huggable: they're carnivorous and maul things, so you probably wouldn't want to annoy a hungry one. It is, as Fiat Europe boss Gaetano Thorel acknowledges, "technically an aggressive animal".

That has given Fiat a bit of a self-inflicted challenge: to make an SUV named after a pretty fearsome animal fit into a family of small, lovable cars. So why the name at all?

"It's the biggest member of the Panda family," explains Thorel. "We've got the Panda and the Grande Panda. What's the biggest bear above a panda? The grizzly.

"Now the challenge is to make the Grizzly a Fiat animal and sympathetic and smiling. But, trust me, you will see how we do that with our advertising."

Finding cars for stars: Meet the celebrity world's best car broker

Sat, 5 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0100

When celebs, sports icons, and movie directors need a new set of wheels, who do they turn to?

Nigel Unsworth's customer list reads like a Who's Who of the rich and famous. From the world of film they include Paul Greengrass and Daniel Radcliffe, from TV and radio there are Chris Moyles and Vernon Kay, from dance Anton du Beke and Michael Flatley, from music Ronan Keating and from sport Ian Botham, Brendan Rogers, Alan Hansen and Kenny Dalglish.

Another name this car dealer to the stars has dealt with is... Well, let's just say he's a former captain of Manchester United. At this news John, our photographer and a lifelong supporter of Hereford United, which lost 1-0 to the Red Devils in the 1990 FA Cup, nearly drops his coffee mug – it once belonged to the footballer.

Unsworth explains how he came to have it. "I had come to his home to buy his old Bentley Bentayga," he says. "We're standing in his kitchen and his wife says: 'Don't forget the Bentley mug you got with it. Nigel's bought your car, so the mug's now his as well.'

"He didn't like that but she insisted: she took it out of a cupboard and gave it to me!" Unsworth had got his own back: only moments before, the United legend had pointed to his Alsatian, telling Unsworth the dog ate car dealers alive. "You better be careful," he'd said.

Unsworth insists he takes such banter in his stride. "Being able to have a joke is part of the job," he says. "These people use my services because they like to feel they're in good hands. They relax and lighten up. They've been to car dealers who haven't treated them very well. They see them coming and think 'this bloke can afford to pay top dollar'. The customer becomes resentful, their defences go up and they think I'm not going to pay you a penny."

And then there are the rich and famous who look anything but and who, on expressing interest in an expensive car they apparently cannot afford, are shown the showroom door.

"One of my customers, the British director of a famous film franchise, looks a bit of a hippy," says Unsworth. "He once turned up at a dealer to buy a new Mercedes. He told the salesman what he was interested in, and the guy directed him to the brochure stand telling him to come back tomorrow. Later the same day, he rang me and I sourced him a car."

However, on Unsworth's office wall is a chart displaying the status of his current deals, peppered with the names of celebrity customers whose identities he has asked me not to divulge.

To be honest, the cars they are buying are more interesting. Among the AMGs, Porsches and Bentleys are more modest motors, including Kia EV6s and 9s. "One customer, a big-name radio personality, has a performance car, but he wants an EV6 for the school and station runs and to sling his golf clubs in the back of at weekends," explains Unsworth.

Unsworth likens his world to a food chain, with the celebs at the top passing down their cars and prompting further sales. "Recently, I bought a Bentley from an ex-England football captain who I had just supplied with another," he says. "I sold the Bentley to a chap who owns a business up north.

He liked the fact that the car's previous owner was a football star. He had a cheaper 911 to part-exchange, which I bought and which I then sold to the regional director of a business. The chain ended there but it was fun."

Unsworth is no stranger to the world of big spenders. Having served as general manager of a Mercedes dealership in Sydney, Australia, in the early 1990s, he was offered the role of UK sales manager for Maybach and Mercedes SLR McLaren.

"Part of my role was to encourage the dealers to find customers for Maybach; people with proper money to spend." Unfortunately for Unsworth, the last thing they wanted to spend it on was a Maybach. In the face of faltering sales, in 2013 Daimler pulled the plug on the brand. Mercedes then offered him a job helping to establish a new VIP department, its aim to encourage and leverage relationships with celebrities.

Deals were sweetened with big discounts and short-term leases. "It worked perfectly," recalls Unsworth. "The high-profile sportsman is mates with a musician who's mates with the TV star. Soon they're all saying to each other: 'Did you know you can get that?' 'How does that work?' 'You need to ring this chap...'"

Very soon, the stars were asking Unsworth to find them Ferraris, Porsches... Maybe the odd Mini for the nanny: "I'd find them what they wanted, but I was personally making no money out of doing so, so in 2013 I set myself up as a car broker, specialising in high-net-worth individuals." His biggest single deal is the Mercedes-AMG One he sourced for a customer. "I tapped my old contacts for that one," he says.

"Bringing cars and customers together is what I do. I'm an overweight cupid!"

Why the supercar elite aren't scared of China's 1500bhp EVs

Sat, 5 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Denza and GWM are going after European stalwarts with mega-power supercars – and it could be a good thing

Denza has premium aspirations for its European launch. First to arrive is a GT aimed at the Porsche Panamera, followed by a Defender 110-rivalling 4x4.

Adding to the brand positioning is a design centre in Milan, celebrity ambassador Daniel Craig and the Denza Z, a Porsche 911-priced 2+2 sports car. Except it's an EV with 1584bhp.

Denza isn't the first Chinese brand to launch a high-powered, competitively priced assault at the established sports and supercar brands. BYD stablemate Yangwang demonstrated the 1287bhp U9 at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed, only to return this year with a Xtreme version with approaching 3000bhp. Back in 2017, the Nio EP9 used 1342bhp to claim a Nürburgring lap record.

Do Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren view these insanely powerful newcomers as a competitive threat? And if not, should they? After all, BYD, SAIC, Chery and Geely are much more than a threat in the mainstream car market.

Other than perhaps some concern in the Chinese market, where domestic premium brands are growing in popularity at the expense of European marques, my hunch is that there isn’t much sleep being lost. Complacency? I think it's more nuanced than that.

Firstly, the global demand for electric sports cars (two doors, £100,000-plus) is practically zero. Despite the outrageous performance, buyers aren't convinced emotionally or financially – ie concerns over residual values. This a problem for European brands (Rimac, Pininfarina and Lotus) as much it is Chinese competitors.

Then there's the fact that initial impressions of the Denza Z conclude that beyond the power, it isn't a holistic finessed product. While it's easy to conclude that for all Denza’s knowhow in electric powertrains it lacks the capability to deliver dynamic engagement, I don’t think this is the reason Europe isn't overly concerned.

That Chinese products are often epitomised by segment-leading technology but lacking the dynamic and HMI sophistication of European brands is more to do with what China sees as the priority in achieving commercial advantage in the mainstream (pace of development) than any inherent inability. If Denza concluded that improved dynamic capability were the key to success in the sports car market, it would simply deploy or acquire this.

Maybe more concerning to the supercar set is GWM’s forthcoming effort. So far only the underpinnings have been seen, with the finished car due in 2027, but the GF is a more familiar recipe: a mid-engined, 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 PHEV with carbonfiibre construction and a power-to-weight ratio of 670bhp per tonne, achieved through low-ish mass as much as high power.

GWM is reportedly targeting Ferrari and developing a GT3 competition variant. Surely there will be some sitting-up-and-taking-notice now in Maranello and Woking.

What can history tell us? China isn't the first Asian disruptor. Japan in the 1970s and Korea in the 1990s honed the ‘lead with value and evolve up’ model. In the sports and supercar space, Japan has created several icons: Toyota 2000GT, original Honda NSX, Nissan GT-R, Lexus LFA. While Korea has yet to land an equivalent halo, Hyundai’s N division has demonstrated real dynamic credibility.

Yet despite these cars’ reputation, no Japanese brand has established a regular seat at the supercar table. Others have joined it over the past quarter-century, Pagani and Koenigsegg delivering the performance and technical credentials, emotional appeal and pricing power. Key to their brand appeal, as with Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and McLaren, is singularity of the mission and the founder story.

Brand ambition and positioning is the reason I believe the legacy brands aren't phased by the arrival of another all-singing, all-dancing model from a newly launched brand. This isn't corporate snobbishness; it's about the role the sports or supercar plays in the product range.

For BYD and GWM, these halo models are part of the brand plan, not the plan itself. They are about establishing credibility for the broader brand roster, and to do so they must be linked to the rest of the portfolio, an association that will naturally limit demand for the supercar itself.

It's also possible that once credibility has been sufficiently demonstrated, the supercar may take a sabbatical. As with the Japanese, we could see generational flashes of brilliance, not a consistent presence in the sector.

Perhaps the risk of Denza etc present is more technical exposure than commercial market share. A company focused on making a statement, at the potential cost of profitability on a limited volume model, may drive innovation that embarrasses the establishment. Think the NSX to Ferrari's 348. But then also remember how strongly Ferrari responded with the 355. This is the positive impact of competition.

Rather than being concerned, I reckon Porsche, Ferrari and the likes welcome it – for competition makes you stronger.

Super-SUV showdown: Porsche Cayenne EV vs Polestar and BMW

Sat, 5 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Porsche Cayenne has beaten all comers for decades in ICE form - let's see if the EV follows suit

Can a big premium electric car really do it all? You might be pondering that question, especially if you own, have owned or have ever considered owning a Porsche Cayenne – the defining, dividing, dominating super-SUV of our age.

Could an electric take on the concept have the same incredible span of versatility to its dynamic character that, over several generations, the combustion-engined car came to symbolise? To handle like a rear-driven sports car at one minute and perform like the fastest super-saloon the next. To cosset like a luxury car; cruise like a limousine; swallow cargo like a roomy station wagon; and then haul, scrabble, climb and descend like a truly capable off-roader. Apart from anything else, could a Cayenne EV have the same aura of all-conquering superiority?

It's the toughest of tough briefs, but here we are, with an opportunity to find out. Having already carried out a preliminary test of the range-topping, 1141bhp Cayenne Turbo Electric on UK roads, we're keeping our frame of reference just a little more 'real world' for this, the new Cayenne's official UK welcoming party.

A full, instrumented road test of the mid-range Cayenne S Electric will probably come later. But here and now, the base-model, dual-motor, £83,000 Cayenne Electric meets its closest, full-size, premium-brand rivals of the moment: the BMW iX xDrive60 M Sport and the Polestar 3 Dual Motor.

Unlike some electric SUVs in its orbit, the Cayenne Electric comes with two drive motors and adaptive air suspension even as an entry-level proposition. It can't be had with a cut-down battery pack in order to push the price down, either.

That's why, even though it's Porsche's base model, it's going up against mid-ranking derivatives from BMW and Polestar. You can spend less on either of those rivals, it's true. But plenty of range and four driven wheels ought to be minimum requirements for a really capable premium SUV, shouldn't they? If you want some driver appeal as well, assuming you don't need seven seats and you've got £80k-£90k to spend of your own or your company's money, these are your options. This is the contest, in other words, that the Cayenne Electric really needs to win before going any further.

It's certainly right in among those rivals on paper. It's a little down on peak power compared with the BMW and Polestar (as can be seen in the spec box at the bottom of this story), but it gives up little on the 0-62mph sprint to either rival and is very evenly matched on kerb weight.

The base Cayenne Electric isn't quite the longest-range model in the line-up – the 657bhp S Electric pips it by four miles according to the WLTP lab test, no doubt because of the different gearing of its different electric motors – but it is very closely matched indeed with its rivals.

What we have here, then, in principle at least, are three big, heavy, versatile EVs, each with real-world performance to spare and claiming to deliver 400 miles between charges or very close to it. That's worth pausing to reflect on. Back in 2024, I lined up an Audi SQ8 E-tron Sportback for comparison with the then new Lotus Eletre S – both £100,000 upmarket EVs at the time – and found that the Audi had a real-world cruising range of about 220 miles and the Lotus only about 250. Plainly not good enough, especially for extra-capable, high-end SUVs. On that score, though, it appears we have come quite a long way in a fairly short space of time.

But how will the optional alloy wheels of our electric SUV test cars (all larger than the default-fit, lab-test-figure-defining rims) affect their real-world range? Is there now sufficient margin to stop worrying about where your next charge is coming from and be confident enough about getting to your destination to really enjoy the journey? Or will the indefatigable, go-anywhere, do-anything aura that you want in any premium SUV dissipate at the first asking?

Beauty contest

As the rain falls in a damp gravel car park high in the Welsh mountains, a slightly bedraggled-looking colleague is covering up the badge on the bonnet of the Cayenne Electric and asking the obvious question.

From some angles, he certainly has a point. It looks a bit anonymous and generic, this car. From the front, it's undeniably 'lizardy'. And particularly awkward, it turns out, if you order the optional Offroad Package, which adds a clearance-boosting lower bumper that makes the car look a little like a skink with an overbite problem. The rear end is similarly anonymous, but at least the profile is recognisably 'Cayenne'.

Bottom line: the car's exterior design probably shouldn't be so inconsistent. A great design could have won a lot of people over here and made them want the car regardless of how it was powered. A key opportunity has been missed, it seems to me.

If you want a handsome SUV, the Polestar 3 knocks its opponents for six. It has outstanding proportions, appealing details and stonking wheels. (They're 22in as fitted here but have that trick of making others the same size—like the BMW's—pretty much invisible.) It wins the car park beauty contest with room to spare.

As for the BMW, how should we put this? Idiosyncratic? Characterful? Plain 'fugly'? It all depends how predisposed you are towards it. I'm surprised at how little the iX's unconventional look has mellowed since 2021 – and how little I mind, actually. It's still so strange and provocative. Likeable, though, for how well it owns that shock value. It's not being directly replaced but rather gradually succeeded later this year by the new iX5. Once it's gone, I think we will miss it.

Next to opening doors, putting bums on seats, and fiddling with things. For outright space, the Porsche splits the difference between the Polestar and BMW rather convincingly. The 3 is roomy enough if a little more snug around your head and knees, when you're in the back, than you might expect of a big, premium car. The iX, meanwhile, is quite upscale and upright, with a proper three-seat bench in the back, and space to stretch out pretty much anywhere. But the Cayenne has big-car levels of accommodation in both rows, and head room and leg room to spare. The sculpted shape of its rear-seat cushions would make you unlikely to carry more than three passengers very often. That apart, it's a very practical car indeed.

On boot space, the Cayenne (506 litres) actually narrowly beats the iX, whose 500-litre boot is narrower than you might expect but deep, and it's also roomier than the Polestar's (484 litres). In addition, the Porsche's back seats both slide and fold, whereas its rivals offer only the latter.

The Cayenne has the most convincing carrying versatility of our trio, then. For luxury cabin ambience, however, the BMW old-stager gives it some really stiff competition. I think the Porsche just edges the contest because it has the better attention to detail. Every switch has integrity and heft, and every surface and fixture feels solid and tactile. It's fastidiously expensive-feeling.

The BMW isn't so unerring, but it remains airy and inviting, with a low scuttle, a commanding feel, excellent visibility and a great sense of space.

The Polestar's cabin layout is a little easier not to like, to be brutally honest—at extended acquaintance, at least. It makes a good first impression, being very neat, sleek, restrained and minimalist, and having a more comfortable, recumbent driving position than any of our trio. But its stripped-back, touchscreen-dependent human-machine interface is just not intuitive enough. While the Porsche and BMW manage to make a few physical controls for just the right things go such a long way, the Polestar draws your focus to the touchscreen all the time, even for basic things such as adjusting the mirrors or the steering column. It strains your eyesight with overly small font sizes and diverts your attention from the road, while you prod and swipe your way through several menus, when all you want is something as simple as a trip computer running efficiency indication.

It's a premium car that taxes – even vexes – you just that little bit, instead of making you feel like your life is being made easier and better. All it takes is the context of a couple of more accomplished premium operators to provide the perspective to see it.

On the road

How fast would you like your full-size premium EV to be, sir? And just how comfortable, composed, agile, efficient and easy to drive? The answer, it strikes me, is currently a moving target.

Having spent time in lots of very fast electric cars over the past few years, I'd say excessive performance is a less dependable sales motivator now than it has been for some time. It's hard to make a really fast EV that does more than just 'go fast', as we know—or that doesn't exact a clear compromise or two, which may make the cost in pounds, shillings and pence seem harder to stomach.

So if you took a Cayenne Electric buyer and offered the choice, what would most convince him or her to fork out another 20%, 30% or even 50%, do you think? An extra 300 horsepower? An extra 150 miles of range? The ability to recharge in five minutes flat without getting out of the car or wrestling with a cable? What are EV buyers really prepared to pay big prices for? The car industry is clearly still in the process of working it out.

The new Cayenne Electric's main bet feels like adaptability. Even in base-model form it just has more dynamic answers than its competitors and can be better moulded to suit different roles and journeys.

You would probably expect that kind of versatility from all these cars but you don't really find it in all of them. The 3, for instance, has a notably firmer ride and poorer ride isolation than its opponents – something you tend to focus on in an EV, for obvious reasons. You might be willing to accept that, because there's also a simplicity and directness about its handling and steering that make it a real match for the Cayenne on outright driver appeal.

More than a match, in some respects. It feels quicker and more urgent than the Porsche when accelerating. It also grips and corners with a keenness that's abiding and accessible and it doesn't require you to dial up the right driving mode to enjoy it. The removal of the pre-facelift dual-motor car's torque-vectoring rear differential is a shame and, having tested that pre-facelift car, I do notice a bit less on-throttle cornering balance in this post-facelift 3. But it doesn't change the bigger picture, which might surprise you. If you want the clearest sporty choice in this particular pack, it's not the Porsche: it's the Polestar.

The BMW feels marginally quicker than the Porsche, too, and handles neatly enough, but it's a car with a clear luxury brief, compared with the Polestar's avowed sporting agenda. That's true, to give BMW its due, even with the iX running on its standard steel coil suspension. I've tested one on the optional air springs, which rode in remarkably plush and quiet fashion. Without doubt, that's how I'd option one. But even on steel coils the iX has a filtering, cushioning ride that makes it bob along very pleasantly indeed. It rolls and heaves around notably more than either of its rivals at pace, however, and probably feels a size larger on a really winding road. Despite what the car's voice assistant will tell you when introducing itself, then, it's not the ultimate driving machine – although it's still a pretty good one.

Which brings us back to the Cayenne, and that talent for adaptability. In Comfort mode its air suspension stays fixed at its 'normal' (read higher) ride height even as it speeds up, which gives it much of the BMW's ride suppleness and isolation. Wind the drive mode selector clockwise, however, and the car sits down and firms up on its axles, feeling more connected to the road, more contained in its body movements and quicker on its feet, like the Polestar.

The base model doesn't have the torque-vectoring smarts you get on pricier Cayenne Electric derivatives, so it can't quite run away with this contest on the road. As a keen driver, I prefer the way the Polestar steers and the firmness of its brake pedal. But it's the dynamic versatility of the Cayenne that gets it over the line and allows it to cover off its rivals' greatest strengths and feel like the quality of the field.

On real-world range, which I did promise we would investigate, there's a slightly different order of superiority. The iX rules the roost. Its 426-mile claim translated into a dependable 380-mile range as tested in mixed-roads running on its optional 22in wheels, which is very impressive indeed. The 3 sits at the bottom of the pile, its 402-mile claim becoming only 310 miles of real-world range on its optional 22in rims. In 2026 that seems low for an £80,000 premium car. The Cayenne Electric, meanwhile, abides comfortably enough between the two, delivering around 350 miles from a 399-mile claim. It also has the fastest outright rapid-charging potential of our trio.

It's completeness in the end, then, that makes the Porsche our winner here. The Cayenne Electric is classy and luxurious; spacious and practical; efficient and rangy; refined and comfortable; appealing to drive but also easy to drive.

It's the contender without a weakness. But has it got true dynamic star quality? That old voodoo that so many combustion-engined Cayennes have used to steam-roll their way to so many Autocar group test wins over the past two decades?

I think perhaps not. It's good, sure enough. But it's reachable - assailable, even. And if I were Porsche's opposition, having spent so long in quiet awe of so many generations of piston-powered Cayennes, I think I'd be feeling quietly opportunistic about the electric one.

	PORSCHE CAYENNE ELECTRIC	BMW iX xDRIVE60 M SPORT	POLESTAR 3 DUAL MOTOR
Rating	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆
Price	£83,265	£93,205	£84,540
Engine	Two permanent magnet synchronous motors	Two separately excited synchronous motors	Asynchronous motor (f), permanent magnet synchronous motor (r)
Power	436bhp	537bhp	537bhp
Torque	616lb ft	564lb ft	546lb ft
Gearbox	1-spd reduction gear, 4WD	1-spd reduction gear, 4WD	1-spd reduction gear, 4WD
Kerb weight	2525kg	2505kg	2490kg
0-62mph	4.8sec	4.6sec	4.5sec
Top speed	143mph	124mph	140mph
Battery	113/108kWh (total/usable), NMC	111.8/109.1kWh (total/usable), NMC	107/103kWh (total/usable), NMC
Range	399 miles	426 miles	402 miles
Economy	3.2mpkWh	3.4mpkWh	3.3mpkWh
Max charging rate	390kW	195kW	350kW