Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2025 i What Car?

At What Car?, we don’t care what your next car is powered by; we just want to help you buy the best model for your needs, whatever it might be. But the UK Government does care, insisting it wants 28% of new cars to be fully electric this year, and 80% by 2030. Those are punchy targets that aren’t going to be achieved without financial incentives – something the Government has clearly realised, because it recently announced an EV grant of up to £3750 (see page 28 for more). However, far from stimulating sales, a What Car? survey of in-market car buyers suggests this scheme is currently putting potential EV buyers off making the switch, due to a lack of clarity around which models will and won’t qualify. Given that…

SINCE THE ORIGINAL of 1948, Land Rover has rarely been shy about pushing boundaries. For example, the first Range Rover was the first offroader with luxurious pretensions to go global. Yet even that pales into insignificance against the challenge of going fully electric. It’s a task facing all car makers, but the Range Rover has a trickier job than most because, according to company high-ups, it “must be a Range Rover first and an EV [electric vehicle] second”. That means it must retain the refinement, luxury, practicality and versatility that make the Range Rover one of our favourite upmarket SUVs, while still being the class of the field when it comes to off-road prowess. On that ‘Range Rover first’ point, the Electric doesn’t wear its EV heart on its sleeve;…

FOURTH TIME AROUND isn’t just a song by Bob Dylan; it also acts as a nice introduction for the new Kia EV4. You see, chronologically, it’s the fourth member of the brand’s EV family to reach the UK, following the EV6, EV9 and EV3, and beating its EV5 sister to the market. All of those models are SUVs, though, whereas the EV4 is a Fastback saloon to rival the Tesla Model 3, as well as a hatchback in the mould of the Volkswagen ID 3. And it’s the hatchback version that goes on sale first. Closely related to the EV3, the EV4 borrows its smaller sibling’s battery and motor options. The 55kWh (usable capacity) battery gives the EV4 hatch an official range of up to 273 miles, whereas the bigger,…

IN THE SATIRICAL TV show Parks and Recreation, Treat Yo’ Self Day is an occasional chance to spend money on lavish and luxurious goods as a form of self-care. And the Lexus RZ has always felt like it fits with this celebration, because beneath the skin it’s closely related to a pair of much cheaper electric SUVs. Yes, the RZ shares its underpinnings with the Subaru Solterra and Toyota bZ4X, but it’s slightly longer and plusher inside, in keeping with its higher price tag. Now, though, as if to further justify its elevated status, the RZ has been polished up, with an updated version available to order at the end of this year and the first deliveries due soon after. Significantly, every RZ now has a longer range than before.…

IT MAY NOT be as well known as Silverstone or Brands Hatch, but the Shelsley Walsh hill climb has a longer racing history than either of them, having hosted its first event in 1905. In fact, that makes it the oldest motorsport venue in the world to still be in use, and it continues to attract both amateur and professional drivers, and even big-name car brands. This year, for example, Porsche turned up with a prototype version of its new Cayenne Electric – and promptly smashed the previous record for an SUV by more than four seconds. However, while the hill climb time it posted stood out for being small, most of the other numbers associated with this car are likely to be anything but. Despite holding off on announcing…

88% The proportion of British drivers who say potholes are the number one factor that makes roads miserable to drive on, according to research by Citroën. What’s more, 83% believe that councils should spend more on road maintenance. 1340 The power output (in bhp) of the three-motor Mercedes-AMG GT XX concept, which will be the basis for an upcoming electric four-door sports car to rival the Porsche Taycan. This allows the concept to reach a top speed of 223mph. 84% Renault 5 buyers who are new to the brand, according to a survey backed by the French manufacturer. That means this small electric hatchback – our reigning Car of the Year – has one of the highest conquest rates of any Renault.…

IF YOU’VE DRIVEN a new car recently, you might have been surprised at the number of audible and visual warnings accompanying your progress. It’s not a fault; the alerts are being issued by driver monitoring and other advanced driver assistance systems to tell you that you’re deemed to be doing something wrong, such as driving while distracted. The European Commission has a goal (known as Vision Zero) of eliminating deaths and serious injuries on its roads by 2050. To help achieve this, it has implemented a strategy called ‘Safe System’, which accepts that people make mistakes, are vulnerable when driving and will benefit from active safety systems. More of this safety technology was made mandatory on brand new models in phase two of the EU’s General Safety Regulations 2 (GSR2)…

THERE’S BEEN SOME hoo-ha surrounding the new Ford Capri, with many purists upset by the decision to give this electric SUV the same moniker as Ford’s old Cortina-based coupé. I’m old enough to remember that Capri when it was still a going concern, so you might expect me to be a member of said angry mob. But if I’m honest, I never really liked the old car much anyway, meaning this reusing of a historic name (a current Ford speciality) doesn’t bother me in the slightest. What I do like is electric SUVs, having run a couple of them as company cars before, so it seemed to me that this new Capri might be a good fit. The best of the breed combine a long range with low running costs,…

COPPER REALLY IS a gorgeous metal, isn’t it? Long-lasting, malleable, relatively light, aesthetically pleasing and a great conductor of electricity, it has been used since ancient times for everything from pipes and tools to the roofs of grand buildings. It’s also what the Statue of Liberty is made from, in case you didn’t know. And it features liberally, inside and out, on my new Cupra Tavascan electric SUV, as it does on other models from the brand. The alloy wheels, badges, seats, dashboard, steering wheel, doors… all of these areas of my car glow with the rich colour of copper, like something out of a steampunk fantasy. Okay, some of it is actually copper-coloured plastic, but it makes the car look classy and significantly more striking than the Volkswagen ID…

ON SALE FROM 2015-2023 PRICE FROM £8000  OUR FAVOURITE VERSION 2.0 TFSI/45 TFSI Sport THE THIRD-GENERATION Audi TT Roadster embodies the phrase ‘the third time’s a charm’. You see, the 1999-2006 original wasn’t as engaging or fun to drive as its arresting looks suggested. Then the 2006-2014 version arrived with much better driving dynamics but rather more forgettable looks. In 2014, Audi finally perfected the TT recipe. This final model was not only a dream to look at but also had the driver appeal to back it up. The Roadster version we’re looking at here arrived in 2015, shortly after the coupé, its retractable soft-top adding fresh-air thrills into the TT mix. The real beauty of the TT, though, is that it’s a convertible with genuine everyday usability – and…

APPLE HAS BEEN well known in the computer world for decades, but it was arguably the iPhone of 2007 that made it a household name. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz is already one of the biggest brands in the world, but it would love this new CLA to be its iPhone moment. You see, until now, Mercedes has never fielded a direct rival to the Tesla Model 3. Well, here it is, ready to turn heads in the electric executive car heartland. And for those who aren’t ready to go electric, there’ll be a petrol version, too. This has been made possible by a new set of underpinnings that the new CLA is the first car to use: Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA). This can be used for both combustionengined and electric vehicles (EVs),…

IN THE HARRY Potter books, the Resurrection Stone summons loved ones back from the afterlife. The catch is, though, that upon being brought back, they’re no longer quite the same as before. Similarly, the once-popular Mazda 6 is undergoing a resurrection, but it, too, is returning with a somewhat changed persona. You see, while the 6 remains an executive car, it’s now fully electric, having been developed in conjunction with Chinese car maker Changan Automobile. In China, it’s called the EZ-6 and is on sale now, but it’ll go by the name 6e when Mazda brings it to the UK in summer 2026. We’ve already driven the 6e in Germany – specifically, the version with the smaller of the two batteries available, with a 68.8kWh total capacity (usable capacity is…

IN THE TRADITIONAL sense of the word, an epic is a long poem, usually extolling the acts of a heroic protagonist. More recently, it’s become a colloquial way of saying something is really impressive. It seems an odd choice of name for what will be Skoda’s smallest electric SUV, and it’ll sure need to live up to its moniker. That’s because it faces very strong – and diverse – competition. Top versions of the Epiq will fight to steal sales from the Renault 4 (R4) and Vauxhall Mokka Electric, while the cheapest will take on the Citroën e-C3 Aircross andVauxhall Frontera Electric. The Epiq will sit below the Elroq and Enyaq in Skoda’s electric SUV line-up. Pictured in concept form, the Epiq shares its electrical hardware with the upcoming Volkswagen…

THERE ARE MANY reasons why you’d go shopping in Paris, and while some buyers might seek out designer brands such as Cartier or Louis Vuitton, DS would suggest that you round off your lavish trip with a visit to the brand’s showcase store – to splash out on a No8. But what is it, exactly? Well, DS thinks of its pure electric flagship as a coupé SUV to straddle the gap between the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback and Q6 e-tron Sportback. In outline, though, it’s more of an executive car in the mould of a BMW i4 or the chunkier Volkswagen ID 7. Perhaps even more eye-catching than the No8’s styling is its official range figure; at 466 miles, it can theoretically get you from the Champs-Élysées in Paris to…

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT has reintroduced grants for some new electric vehicles (EVs), allowing buyers to save up to £3750. From 16 July, manufacturers have been able to apply for the Electric Car Grant for new EVs costing up to £37,000. As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, the grants are backed by funding of £650 million. Eligibility for the grant will be based on sustainability criteria, details of which the Government has not yet disclosed. Cars will fall into one of two bands; those in band one will be eligible for the full £3750 discount, while those in band two will receive up to £1500. The Department for Transport says these bands (the number of which might increase) will be based on how much CO2 is emitted during a…

AS CARS GET increasingly complex, it’s reassuring to know that many manufacturers are providing longer warranties on their new models. During the warranty period, owners who encounter a fault with their car can usually take it in to have it repaired for free. Although they offer peace of mind to buyers, one criticism of car warranties is that the manufacturer traditionally covers only the first two years of a car’s life, with any remaining years being provided as an insurance policy that’s managed by franchised dealers. During the latter years, fewer components are covered and more restrictions are put in place, meaning some owners are faced with paying for the repairs themselves. WHICH BRANDS ARE BEST AT PAYING FOR REPAIRS? To find out how many owners had to pay for…

MUCH LIKE MY local pub, The Kings Arms, which dates back to 1585, the Vauxhall Astra has a long and rich British heritage. Admittedly, the latter is now the work of multinational group Stellantis, but Vauxhall is still the oldest surviving British car brand, having been formed in 1903. And the Astra Sports Tourer does feel like a piece of ‘olde worlde’ England in some ways. Most obviously, its hugely practical estate body style has been a mainstay of the brand’s line-up since it introduced the F Series Victor estate in 1958. But the version I’ve been running also blends history with the latest environmentally friendly and potentially money-saving technology, because it’s powered by a battery and an electric motor. I’ve certainly appreciated the significant fuel and tax benefits the…

Mileage 5996 List price £33,000 Best price £27,888 Price as tested £34,710 Test range 195 miles IF I’D SAID‘frunk’ to you a few years ago, you’d have probably been baffled – or deeply offended. Now, though, the word has made it into dictionaries as a description for the little bit of boot space you get under the bonnet of some electric cars. But not my Peugeot e-208. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given its neat little nose, the only luggage area in the e-208 is the 311-litre boot at the back. But that’s been fine for me; even on a week-long holiday with my partner, we were able to fit all our bags in the boot and put coats and other bits on the back seats. The only issue was what to do…

Mileage 1233 List price £43,215 Best price £43,215 Price as tested £47,310 Test economy 34.1mpg IN THE FIRST half of 2024, more than 126,000 people in the UK moved house – and recently, I did too. Now, as you might imagine, buying my first home stretched me somewhat financially, meaning that when it came to moving my belongings, I opted to do it myself rather than pay someone else. And that meant my Volkswagen Golf GTI needed to help out. The 374-litre boot of my car isn’t especially large by the standards of the hot hatch class; both the Honda Civic Type R and Mercedes-AMG A35 can take more, for example. However, the space is usefully square and there’s no annoying lip at the boot entrance, because my car has…

WHEN SHOPPING FOR a luxury watch, people naturally turn towards a brand from Switzerland, such as Omega or Rolex, for their renowned precision and craftsmanship. Likewise, when buying fine wines, buyers tend to gravitate towards produce from France for its quality and cultural significance. And if you’re looking to buy a dependable family car, a Japanese car will probably be at the top of your shopping list, because models such as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla have great reputations for reliability. Along with that, these family hatchbacks are hybrids, which means they’ve been designed with lower fuel bills and CO2 emissions in mind. And you can save even more money when buying a two-year-old example of either car. But do these cars deliver on their efficiency promise, and what…

Volkswagen Arteon 2017-2025 The sensible Passat’s alter ego wanted to dance at the premium executive coupé disco SOME MIDLIFE CRISES hit harder than others. Seemingly out of the blue, your reliably orthodox mate suddenly develops a passion for windsurfing, a penchant for tattoos and a renewed interest in what’s new and hip in the music charts. “Oh dear,” you think to yourself. But an evening in the pub is enough to reassure you that – behavioural changes aside – your old friend is still the same total legend they’ve always been. The Volkswagen Passat has been through this. After decades living as a sensible saloon, estate and (in its youth) hatchback, it let its hair down in a big way with a swoopy CC coupé variant in 2008. And it…

WHEN IT COMES to attracting viewers, TV’s I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! has been a runaway success for ITV. Where else do you get to see Very Important People reduced to such a state of indignity, deprived of the comforts of their palatial homes and tucking into camels’ testicles to win the public’s favour? It’s a sure-fire crowd pleaser, and the same is true of the Nissan Qashqai. In fact, it was the UK’s best-selling car in July, and it’s no stranger to the top spot, despite having so many talented rivals to fend off, including the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage and Skoda Karoq. And as if being a family SUV wasn’t enough for it to capture the public’s attention, the Qashqai can flaunt fashionable buzzwords such…

WE’VE SEEN BAGGY jeans and Tamagotchis make a reappearance, and it seems CDs are enjoying a resurgence in sales, so it begs the question: are the 1990s coming back? Well, the return of the Honda Prelude suggests we should all get our Reebok Classics out again. The previous petrol-powered Prelude (sold here from 1997 to 2001) had plenty of coupé rivals to fend off, but the field is now much less densely packed. The BMW 220i Coupé is close in terms of power, size and list price (predicted, anyway), and that’s about it. But with this fifth-generation Prelude using the same basic underpinnings and hybrid set-up as the current Civic hatchback, could this be the next best thing for buyers looking for a Honda that’s as fun to drive as…

THE VOLVO EX30 Cross Country is a bit like a smartphone in a rugged case. While it still has the sleek design and advanced technology of the regular EX30, it’s concealed behind an extra layer of protection to help it withstand the harsh conditions of outdoor pursuits. It’s a fun concept that’s not entirely new, because the ‘Cross Countrification’ of Volvos has been a thing since 1997. Previously, the treatment has been visited upon the brand’s estate cars, with four-wheel drive, a raised ride height and chunky body cladding the main addenda. Now the Swedish brand is applying the formula to its SUVs and electric cars for the first time. This Cross Country started out as a four-wheel-drive EX30 Twin Motor Performance, but its ride height has been jacked up…

THE KIA SPORTAGE is one of the UK’s best-selling cars, and it’s also very good indeed. Good enough to have been our Family SUV of the Year for three consecutive years. This facelift, then, might leave you scratching your head. You see, whereas the previous entry-level Sportage engine was a mild hybrid, that’s now gone in favour of a regular turbocharged petrol engine with no hybrid technology whatsoever. That seems a strange and rather backward move, because mild hybrid technology has become increasingly commonplace in today’s cars as a means of reducing emissions and improving fuel economy. Still, the ‘new’ entry-level engine happens to be the same 1.6 T-GDi petrol that was previously our pick of the Sportage line-up before it was discontinued. Meanwhile, the regular hybrid Sportage now has…

IF WE’D DONE this test a number of years ago, it would have looked very different. You see, both of these cars revive names of old models but, where one used to be a petrol-powered family car and the other a coupé, they’ve now evolved into electric SUVs. The first of them – the Renault 4 (R4) – has more to prove than just trying to win this test. It follows the hugely successful Renault 5 (R5) hatchback, another new electric vehicle (EV) that has revived an old name and is so good that we named it our 2025 Car of the Year. The fact that they share the same basic underpinnings bodes well for the R4, which promises greater practicality than the R5 for only a modestly higher price,…

Mileage 4724 List price £30,245 Best price £23,445 Price as tested £30,745 Test economy 42.7mpg RANGE ANXIETY IS usually something associated with the drivers of electric cars. Why, then, am I suffering this syndrome with my petrol-engined MG HS? Well, it’s certainly nothing to do with its fuel efficiency. In fact, I’ve been impressed by just how economical this substantial machine actually is. A calculation following my last top-up (487.7 miles after my previous visit to a petrol pump) showed I’d averaged 42.7mpg – handily beating the car’s official 37.2mpg figure. So, with nigh on 500 miles of range at my disposal on a tank (much more than the 275 miles suggested – but never achieved – by the electric Mini Countryman E I ran previously), why the anxiety? Well,…

Mileage 4202 List price £53,405 Best price £49,665 Price as tested £61,260 Test economy 40.8mpg I’M USUALLY A fan of road trips. However, it turns out that a 5am start is enough to dampen my enthusiasm – particularly when the majority of the journey is going to be on the motorway. It was last month, and I had to get from my home in west London to the Peak District for a video shoot. But while that felt more like a chore than a treat as I climbed into my BMW X3, I was quickly reminded that this car is an excellent mile-muncher. At high speeds, and with its adaptive suspension (a £550 option) set to Comfort, it takes the sting out of bumps and expansion joints. Yet, just as…

Mileage 8745 List price £64,015 Best price £62,778 Price as tested £68,470 Test range 294 miles ANYONE WHO’S USED a Windows PC will be familiar with the‘blue screen of death’, while this is substituted for the‘spinning wheel of death’ if you have an Apple Mac. But whichever one you’ve experienced, you’ll understand the frustration I’ve recently had with my Audi Q6 e-tron. If I had hair, I’d be pulling it out. You see, last weekend, the Milne family jumped in our electric SUV for a day out. I pressed the start button and… nothing. Nothing, that is, except for a cycle of error messages: charging system fault; charging not possible; high-voltage electrical system fault; four-wheel drive fault: limited performance; please contact workshop. I could only select neutral, presumably so the…