Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i What Car?

Back in 2017, I attended the launch of the original Volkswagen T-Roc, and in most respects I came away thoroughly impressed by the brand’s first small SUV. However, there was one area that disappointed: the interior plastics. At the time, this came as a real surprise; I was used to VWs of that era feeling very upmarket from behind the wheel. Sadly, though, it turned out to be a sign of things to come. And not just at VW. For all the ways that cars have improved during the past eight years, standards of interior quality have generally gone down. But having been at the forefront of this unwelcome trend, perhaps VW can now spearhead a renaissance. After all, the brand’s head of design, Andy Mindt, has spoken about wanting…

GLANCE AT THE vital statistics of the new MG IM5 and you might assume you're researching a super-expensive rival to the Porsche Taycan. Up to 742bhp. A range of 441 miles. Faster charging than any other electric vehicle (EV) on sale. But no: this is an executive car that costs about the same as its closest rival, the Tesia Model 3. There are three versions to choose from. The Standard Range has a 73.5kWh (usable capacity) battery and an official range of 304 miles. That’s a few miles down on the entry-level Model 3 and Polestar 2, but still plenty for most buyers. Upgrading to the Long Range gets you a bigger, 96.5kWh battery and that whopping 441-mile official range. That’s farther than any Model 3 can manage on a…

AMID A TIDE of new electric SUVs coming to the market, the new Audi Q3 Sportback stands out like a sore thumb – but not because of the way it looks. Indeed, the most distinctive thing about this rakish variant of the recently updated Audi Q3 family SUV is that there’s not an electric version in sight; it’s likely to be one of the last combustion-engined models the German car maker launches. Set to take on rivals including the BMW X2, Cupra Formentor and Range Rover Evoque, the new Q3 Sportback understandably has much in common with its squared-off sibling. Their faces are identical, sharing the bolder front grille, larger side air intakes and upswept LED headlights that came with the Q3’s recent update. Speaking of those lights, they can…

THERE HAVE BEEN numerous examples in the past of car makers producing special road cars so that they can go racing or rallying with them, from the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth to the Subaru Impreza WRX STi. And many of them have been thrilling to drive. The new Vauxhall Mokka GSE has a motorsport connection too, being inspired by the Opel Mokka GSE Rally prototype that’s competing in an electric rally series in Europe. As part of this, there are tweaks designed to deliver a sportier drive. The GSE rides 10mm lower than standard on uprated suspension, while the steering and brakes have been upgraded with enthusiastic driving in mind. A front limited-slip differential should improve traction out of corners. The electric motor has been uprated to 278bhp. That’s a…

MODELS FROM CITROËN, Nissan, Renault, Vauxhall and Volkswagen are among the first to officially qualify for the Government’s new Electric Car Grant (ECG). The ECG applies a discount of either £3750 or £1500 to sales of new electric vehicles (EVs) priced below £37,000, with eligibility also depending on how green the vehicle is in terms of its carbon emissions during production. At the time of writing, more than 20 models were eligible for the £1500 grant, including our reigning Car of the Year, the Renault 5. Another is the Nissan Ariya SUV, which is now around £6000 cheaper than before following a price cut to allow it to qualify. Nissan anticipates that the reborn, UK-built Leaf will qualify for the full £3750 saving when it goes on sale early next…

MORE THAN 300 new models offer Apple CarPlay as standard. This feature mirrors your iPhone’s operating system onto the infotainment screen of your car, offering a range of applications to keep you connected and entertained while you're driving. This includes calling and messaging services, navigation tools and music streaming apps. As with the Android Auto alternative, using CarPlay is a great way to stay connected on the move, because it’s illegal to hold or use a mobile phone while driving. While most new cars are compatible with the system, its recently launched follow-up, CarPlay Ultra, is proving controversial. Several manufacturers have announced that they don't plan to implement it into their models, with some expressing data privacy concerns. Here, we look at the new features CarPlay Ultra offers, what you…

Mileage 9492 List price £64,015 Best price £58,995 Price as tested £68,470 Test range 332 miles THE BEAUTY OF the car and the secret of its success is the independence it provides. It can take you and your passengers wherever you want to go – regardless of whether it feeds on petrol, diesel or electricity. True, if it’s the latter, you might still need to consider range in remote parts. But even though my Audi Q6 e-tron is falling short of its 389-mile official figure, the 332 miles that I’m regularly getting is proving more than enough to keep any anxiety at bay. The Q6’s ride is equally comforting, at least when the car is cruising on fast A-road or the motorway, because in these environments there’s no sign of…

Mileage 6154 List price £32,300 Best price £25,990 Price as tested £34,710 Test range 191 miles I’VE NOW HAD my Peugeot e-208 for six months and have spent countless hours in the driving seat – both on the move and when plugged into public chargers. And that’s given me plenty of time to assess its interior. My first impression when I took delivery of this small electric car was: “Blimey, it’s very bright on the outside but a bit dark inside.” If anything, though, it was the latter that came as a shock; I knew what I was getting myself into when I specified dayglow yellow paint. It didn’t help that I’d got used to a very pale interior in my previous car, a Honda e:Ny1. The e-208 is the…

Mileage 1230 List price £52,185 Best price £41,491 Price as tested £56,335 Test range 277 miles WHAT BETTER TEST of a new car than to load it up with enough luggage for a family of four and then subject it to a two-hour drive to the coast for a summer holiday? Indeed, after my Ford Capri arrived, there was barely enough time to adjust the driver’s seat, steering wheel and mirrors before we were off from Surrey to Dorset, on a 97-mile mixture of motorways and A-roads with the car at more or less full capacity. I’m pleased to say the space test was passed with flying colours; if there’s one thing this electric SUV is, it’s practical. For starters, the boot is huge. At 572 litres, its capacity is…

A HOLIDAY DOESN’T really begin until you’re safely at the villa. After interminable airport delays before a crowded flight, and still feeling the effects of an early alarm, the last thing you want is more stress after you land at your destination. And if your chosen rental firm hands you the key to a Kia Ceed, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The first Cee’d – note the jaunty apostrophe – arrived in 2006. It was an earnest, meat and two veg kind of car; it had neither the polished dynamics of the rival Ford Focus nor the interior lustre of the Volkswagen Golf. It was, though, competitive in a way no previous Kia family car had been. Designed and built in Europe, rather than Kia’s native Korea, the…

THEY SAY IT’S what’s inside that counts, but the original Volkswagen T-Roc proved that’s not always the case, because it sold in huge numbers despite having a distinctly disappointing interior. Sure, its dashboard looked nice enough at a glance, thanks to bright-coloured inserts, but closer inspection revealed that hard and hollow plastics had been used throughout. Now, in truth, we can see why this didn’t put too much of a dent in the T-Roc’s popularity; as a small SUV, it was targeting one of the most popular sectors of the new car market, plus it was comfortable, well priced and offered a higher driving position than most rivals. It also helped that VW made an effort to upgrade a few of the surfaces when it facelifted the car in 2022.…

IF THE MG IM5 is Noel Gallagher from rock group Oasis, the MG IM6 is his brother Liam – physically taller, but cut from the same cloth and just as eager for a fight. Mind you, these siblings aren’t childishly bickering between themselves; they’re taking on Teslas, and the IM6 has the Model Y in its sights. While the IM5 offers two battery options, the IM6 has just one: 96.5kWh (usable). The entry-level Long Range offers sprightly acceleration (0-62mph officially takes 5.4sec) and a 388-mile official range to trump that of the Model Y Long Range RWD – if only by a single mile. For those who favour speed over stamina, the dual-motor, four-wheel-drive IM6 Performance packs a huge 742bhp and trims the 0-62mph to just 3.5sec in exchange for…

PLANETS IN THE Goldilocks zone are defined as ones that aren’t so close to a star that they’re too hot but aren’t so far away that they’re freezing. As in the fairytale, the ideal outcome is to find a middle ground between extremes. Pick-up trucks are on a similar quest, with brands looking for the balancing point between compliance with efficiency laws and what works best for buyers. Diesel pick-ups are now pricey for company car drivers to run, and the few electric models you can get in the UK don’t really stack up as viable alternatives, despite their lower benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax rating. The new Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid (PHEV), then, might well be in the Goldilocks zone for pick-ups. There’s certainly no compromise when it comes to power.…

IF YOU’RE UNFAMILIAR with KGM, allow us to fill you in. It’s a South Korean car maker that was formerly known as Ssangyong. Still none the wiser? It’s best known for well-priced, generously equipped SUVs and pick-ups, ranging from the small Tivoli to the hulking Rexton and Musso. The new KGM Actyon is the second model to come from the brand since it was reinvented last year (the first being the family-sized Torres). The Actyon is closely related to that car; they share underpinnings, engine, interior and some bodywork. The former has a more sloping rear end, though, and is slightly lower, wider and longer. That makes the Actyon larger than typical family SUVs such as the Dacia Bigster, Kia Sportage (our reigning Family SUV of the Year) and Volkswagen…

MG APPEARS TO be on a bit of a roll. Last year, the MG 4 hatchback was one of the biggest-selling electric models to private buyers in the UK, while the HS family SUV is among the top 10 best-selling cars full stop. And although the flagship Cyberster electric roadster is a niche choice, there’s no denying its concept car styling is getting the brand noticed. MG is moving in the right direction, then, and the new S5 is the latest part of the equation, replacing the ZS EV as its smallest and most affordable electric SUV. As with its predecessor, the S5 looks like great value for money even against many smaller electric models, and by sharing its underpinnings with the MG 4, it promises to be better to…

WHATCAR? ELECTRIC CAR OF THE YEAR 2025 IN ASSOCIATION WITH BEST ELECTRIC SMALL CAR Renault 5 Comfort Range Techno EIGHTY-FOUR PER cent. That’s the proportion of Renault 5 (R5) buyers who are new to the brand, apparently. It’s a very telling figure, because it shows just how squarely Renault has hit the nail on the head with this reborn - now electric - small hatchback. As with BMW’s reinvention of the Mini, that emotional T just want one' factor no doubt plays a big part in many buyers' decisions to sign on the dotted line for an R5; how can it not when a car looks as adorable as this? Still, it’s gratifying to find that the R5 isn't just a pretty face; it backs up that perfectly judged modern…

THERE HAVE BEEN countless remakes of classic movies, and a lot of them don’t stand up to scrutiny when you compare them with the original; Carrie, The Italian Job and Planet of the Apes are just a few examples that spring to mind. The same can be said of many cars that bring back the name of a past icon; they just don’t have the magic of old. However, it’s not always a bad idea to reimagine a legend. After all, the new Renault 5 (R5) has impressed us so much that we named it our 2025 Car of the Year. So, I’m excited that I’m going to be living with one for the next six months, finding out how it copes with a combination of commuting and family life.…

WINNING AN OSCAR is no easy feat. After all, it’s probably the most competitive and prestigious awards in the entertainment industry, with more than 100 contenders competing in a relatively small number of categories. So, only the very best actors, film makers and films are recognised. Likewise, it takes greatness to win a What Car? award – something I mention because my new company car has already done just that, having fended off a large number of electric SUV rivals to secure its victory. Specifically, I’m referring to our reigning Family Electric SUV of the Year: the Skoda Elroq. I will admit, I’m feeling ever so slightly smug with my choice, because this would appear to be one of the best new cars you can buy. That said, my smugness…

ON SALE FROM 2016-2023 PRICE FROM £13,000 OUR FAVOURITE VERSION E220D SE IF SOMEONE SAYS that cars like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate have no place in a world increasingly dominated by SUVs, feel free to raise an eyebrow. This 2016-2023 generation of the E-Class not only has a bigger boot than many an SUV, but it also eclipses even more of them when it comes to luxury and comfort. Add its elegantly imposing looks, and who needs an SUV, really? Like its BMW 5 Series Touring arch nemesis, the E-Class Estate was available with an expansive range of engines. There were four diesels, ranging from the E200d to the six-cylinder E350d (or E400d in facelifted models). All do a good job of punching the car through the air at pace,…

FOR MANY TRACKDAY enthusiasts, hot lapping requires you to tow an impractical track car to a circuit on a trailer. But what if you could simply turn up in the car you’d be taking on track, with tools and some spare tyres in the boot? Sounds ambitious, but that’s where the M3 CS Touring comes in. Based on the M3 Competition Touring (our reigning Performance Car of the Year), the CS is a more extreme version that will not only devour country roads but also welcome being pushed to the limit on a circuit. You get inklings of the CS’s aggression the moment you set eyes on it, with its deeper front and rear bumpers featuring more aerodynamic elements and exposed carbonfibre. Red detailing around the frameless front grilles, red…

BARBOUR JACKETS HAVE been bringing country chic to city slickers for generations, and this new Cross variant of Hyundai’s tiny electric Inster similarly looks at home in the urban and actual jungles alike. This is all in an effort to set the Inster apart from its Fiat Grande Panda and Renault 5 (R5) rivals. The ruggedised Inster wears a different design of front bumper, along with skid plates and a unique style of 17in alloy wheels, and there’s the option of a roof basket. It certainly looks the part for rural adventuring, but don’t be fooled by its attire; the Cross is mechanically identical to the regular Inster in its 02 trim. That means it has the bigger, 46kWh (usable capacity) Long Range battery and a 113bhp electric motor driving…

THE KIA EV6 GT may have had headline-grabbing performance figures when it arrived in 2022, but the reality was that it wasn’t all that enjoyable to drive. So, in an effort to make it more engaging, Kia has given its fastest model even more power and introduced a ‘Virtual Gear Shift’ function similar to that of the closely related Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. Power is up to 641bhp (from 577bhp), and although the 0-62mph time is unchanged, the way the GT accelerates is like a cat bursting into a frenzy when it gets an injection from the vet. When the Virtual Gear Shift is activated, the steering wheel paddles you normally use to adjust the strength of the energy-capturing regenerative braking system are used to shift up and down a…

581.3 The distance in miles covered by a Polestar 3 to set a Guinness World Record for the longest journey undertaken by an electric SUV on a single charge. Carried out on UK public roads, the trip took 22hr 57min. The Polestar 3’s official range is 438 miles. 13,109 The number of people issued with penalty points on their licences for driving unsafe vehicles in 2024, according to data analysed by the RAC. This was a 52% increase on the year before. £70.9m The amount lost annually by plug-in hybrid (PHEV) car owners who don’t utilise home charging and smart electricity tariffs, according to charging point provider Andersen EV. It says more than 118,000 UK PHEV owners each wastes £599 every year on electricity.…

SAFETY IS A top priority for parents and other carers when they buy child car seats. Indeed, it was the most important consideration for 78% of people who completed the most recent What Car? child seat survey. That’s why we put this at the heart of our reviews; we won't give a new child seat a rating until it has been extensively tested for safety by an independent organisation. Six of the nine seats that feature in this latest test scored well in German motoring organisation ADAC’s crash tests. What’s more, one gained the highest possible rating, demonstrating how hard child seat makers are working to ensure their products provide the best protection for the smallest car occupants. Meanwhile, some significant advances have been made to child seats with a…

CAN YOU REMEMBER life back in 2005? It was a time when everything seemed so simple - at least compared with today. The closest thing to a smartphone was a flip-up Motorola., the fourth Harry Potter film had just hit the big screens and social media wasn't yet a big thing. How far humanity has progressed since then is a contentious question to answer, but for cars? Well, in theory it’s much easier. We've gathered together two examples of the evergreen Volkswagen Golf GTL, spanning 20 years, to test this out. Specifically we've selected the fifth generation of VW’s hot hatch, popularly known as the Mk5, and the latest iteration: the Mk8. The Golf GTI has quite a legacy having been around since 1975. Not every generation was a hero,…

WHEN THE TERM ‘sport utility vehicle’ was coined, the ‘sport’ part referred to the customer’s lifestyle (or at least, the way it was imagined by the marketing team) rather than the ability of the car. However, during my time with my BMW X3, it has shown that the traditional strengths of such models – chiefly practicality and a high driving position – needn’t come at the expense of driving fun. On winding roads, with the adaptive suspension (a £550 option) set to Sport mode, it always felt agile and involving. And I particularly admired the way there was still enough suppleness to the ride to prevent the X3 from being bounced about by bumps; you’d swear it had been engineered for Norfolk or North Wales rather than the Nürburgring. So,…

Mileage 2867 List price £84,470 Best price £83,450 Price as tested £96,033 Test economy 27.7mpg I’VE ALREADY RACKED up more than 2000 miles in my Land Rover Defender, with a mixture of urban commuting, weekend trips to the country and even a family holiday to France. But whatever type of journey I make, the fuel economy never seems to top 30mpg. Don’t get me wrong: the Defender is a big and heavy SUV, so I wasn’t expecting it to be super frugal. But my car is also powered by a modern diesel engine with mild hybrid technology, so should I expect better? Well, the official average efficiency of 32.5mpg would suggest not; very few cars match, let alone better, their quoted fuel economy in real-world driving. Then again, an average…

Mileage 2535 List price £43,215 Best price £43,215 Price as tested £47,310 Test economy 33.7mpg AMERICAN AUTHOR Richelle Mead said that “for every bad thing in life, there are more good things to tip the balance”, and sure enough, although I’ve found something that annoys me in my Volkswagen Golf GTI, there’s plenty else about it that I do like. The irritation stems from the built-in personal assistant, called IDA. Like many other systems of its type, it’s meant to be an upgrade on traditional voice control, which could understand you only if you spoke like a robot. Unfortunately, the version of IDA in my car is less cutting-edge technology and more like a curmudgeonly grandparent. It chooses when to recognise my voice and when not to, and more often…