Table of contents for 1891 in Auto Express

THIS is a bit of a public service announcement (or ruining a well kept secret for those in the know). EV drivers: Use Tesla chargers! And not just Tesla owners, but anyone needing to top up on the go. More than half of the brand’s superchargers, including all the latest V4 units, are open to any electric vehicle with a CCS connection – which is most of them. You can find them via Zap-Maps or Tesla’s own site, but it’s clear that this is still not common knowledge. With concerns over the availability of public chargers such a huge issue for plenty of buyers considering converting to EVs, this could be a massive help that many people aren’t aware of. The newest V4 units are even contactless, so you don’t…

THE MG Cyberster Black was revealed earlier this year at the Shanghai Motor Show, but now this edition of the two-seat sports car has made its UK debut at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed. What makes the Cyberster Black special is its glossy, deep black paint. It’s been enhanced with ultra-fine glass particles, rather than metallic flakes, to give it a “subtle sparkle”. The paint is contrasted by chrome accents and wheels, plus red brake calipers. Naturally, the interior has an all-black colour scheme as well. While the Cyberster Black isn’t for sale, MG UK’s head of product and planning, David Allison, hinted that it could be the genesis of different editions of the halo car. “It’s the the kind of thing we need to do: different colours, interiors,…

THERE’S a huge buzz about the Range Rover Electric, even though car fans have known it’s been coming for more than five years and 64,000 people are on the waiting list. That’s because there are no luxury electric SUVs with equal prestige or off-road ability, unless you consider Mercedes’ G580 with EQ Technology – which Range Rover engineers won’t. Britain’s flagship e-SUV has two motors, delivering a total of 542bhp and a hefty 850Nm of torque. The Merc has four independent motors, so it can spin on its axis in a ‘tank turn’, but JLR’s senior off-road specialist Jason Walters dismisses this as a gimmick. He also claims the Merc’s breakover angle is inferior and that the Range Rover’s real-world range – which is expected to exceed 300 miles –…

THE Land Rover Freelander name will return in 2026 – on a range of all-new EVs designed for the Chinese market. JLR’s joint venture with Chery in China builds versions of several JLR cars, and these will be replaced by new Freelander-branded models. The first will launch in the second half of 2026, according to JLR’s head of China, Qing Pan. It heralds a new Freelander family of SUVs, which will all be built under licence and based on Chery’s flexible EV architecture. No details about the new models have been announced yet, but we do know they’ll be “mainstream”, so should be priced accordingly.…

THE all-new Hyundai Ioniq 9 is now available to order with prices starting from £64,995. That means the futuristic seven-seat SUV undercuts its equally bold cousin – the Kia EV9 – by nearly £1,000, while costing £7,250 more than a top-of-the-range, plug-in hybrid Hyundai Santa Fe, its combustion-powered equivalent. Every Ioniq 9 has a 110kWh battery with an official range figure of 385 miles, if you stick with the entry-level 215bhp single-motor, rear-drive model that does 0-60mph in 9.4 seconds. But upgrading to the 303bhp or 421bp dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrains only drops the range by 13 miles. The most potent version can sprint to 60mph in 5.2 seconds. Like the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 beneath it, the Ioniq 9 features an 800-volt electrical architecture that allows it to charge…

THE original Fiat 500 was unveiled 68 years ago, and the Italian brand has marked the occasion by unveiling a long-awaited, petrol-powered version of its city car – backtracking on its decision to make the latest incarnation electric-only. The Fiat 500 Hybrid has a 1.0-litre naturally aspirated three-cylinder engine, with a 12-volt mild-hybrid power boost and stop/start capability coming from a belt-integrated starter generator. It’s paired with a six-speed manual gearbox. This powertrain was used in the previous-generation Fiat Panda and 500, and typically produced less than 70bhp. But Fiat hasn’t shared any power, performance or fuel economy figures for the new car yet. Pricing hasn’t been announced either, but with the electric 500e currently being offered for just over £25,000, the 500 Hybrid should cost closer to £15k, considering…

WE don’t like to make assumptions, but we’re pretty confident that everyone is familiar with the Kia Sportage by now. The mid-size SUV has been a staple of British roads for more than 30 years, and the current fifth-generation model that was launched in 2022 is one of the most popular cars in the UK. Sales have been climbing year-on-year, in fact, with more than 47,000 examples flying out of showrooms in 2024 alone – trumping the segment-defining Nissan Qashqai. The Sportage isn’t just popular with Brits, though; the highly regarded family SUV is also the brand’s best-selling model across Europe and globally. Which is why the arrival of the newly facelifted model has been getting a lot of attention. Speaking of which, Kia knows how to style a car…

THE Nissan Qashqai received much more aggressive styling and new Google-backed tech as part of its extensive mid-life facelift last year, but there were no changes under the bonnet at the time. However, the next evolution of the company’s e-Power hybrid system is now finally ready to be rolled out later this month. The unique set-up is designed to give as close to an EV-like driving experience as possible – without any worries about range or charging – by using only an electric motor to drive the front wheels. The petrol engine acts solely as a generator to charge a 1.8kWh battery, which in turn powers the e-motor. For the third iteration of e-Power, Nissan has designed an all-new five-in-one electric drive unit that shares its core components with the…

THE more observant among you will have noticed that Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz electric people carrier has already done a stint on our fleet. So why are we testing it again? The answer is that VW has addressed both of the main criticisms we had of this retro EV by launching a new long-wheelbase model. The ID. Buzz LWB has seven seats and a bigger battery which, in theory, should bring major boosts to both practicality and driving range. The question is, will this be enough to turn the Buzz from lovable fashion statement to first-rate transport for big families? When it originally launched in the UK, the ID. Buzz was available as a five-seater only. It’s extremely practical in that form, but it didn’t quite maximise the car’s potential. These…

SIX years ago BMW only had one electric car in its range (the i3); now it has half a dozen distinct models in its armoury, with more on the way. Such is the pace of change in the new-car market, with the marque one of the brands that has embraced this transition the most enthusiastically. Just as Covid-19 arrived in 2020, BMW started to unleash an array of EVs, and so far they’ve all been worthy of your consideration. One of the best all-rounders is the i4, which offers low running costs, superb ergonomics, hatchback practicality, an excellent driving experience and the sort of build quality that we’ve come to expect from BMW. As a new buy you pay handsomely for all of this, but as a used car the…

IF you’re after an accurate insight into the winners and losers doing battle in Britain’s new-car showrooms in 2025, look no further than the industry figures covering the period from 1 January to 30 June. They’ve just been released and, to my mind, reveal crucially important buying trends that indicate the new direction of travel among paying customers in the UK. Like never before, buyers appear to be deserting some traditional brands and countries, and gravitating towards alternative car makers and vehicle-producing nations. Italy is one victim of the shift. Fiat, Abarth and Maserati sales are, respectively, down 24, 55 and 38 per cent so far in 2025. True, Alfa Romeo is up 50 per cent, but this is from a very low base. Brits are still buying an average…

New MG IM6 Brand’s £47,995 all-electric SUV is aimed squarely at the big-selling Tesla Model Y MG has revealed the new electric model that’s been created to take it into a new, more premium area of the market: the IM6. Elsewhere in the world, the IM6 is sold by IM Motors (hence the name), which is an upmarket electric car brand owned by SAIC Motor, MG’s Chinese parent company. Instead of using that or ‘IM Presented by MG Motor’ as in the Australian market, the IM6 will be sold by MG here in the UK. With the wraps coming off the model at the Goodwood Festival of Speed alongside the IM5 saloon (see Page 8), it doesn’t look any different from the car that entered other global markets early this…

THE MG Cyber X, revealed at April’s Shanghai Motor Show, could be sold in the UK and other global markets within two years, according to UK product and planning boss, David Allison. It’s thought the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes G-Class-inspired SUV will shrink in size slightly to fill the gap left by the Suzuki Jimny, which was killed off soon after its launch due to increasingly stringent emissions regulations. Allison said he is “very much in favour” of MG launching a production version of the Cyber X, and could see it happening “within the next two years”. Compared with the ZS, HS and the new all-electric MGS5 EV, the Cyber X showed off a completely new design on the show stand in China. At the time, MG said the…

THE covers have come off the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed, where the BMW M3 rival showed off its sleek shape and track-honed dynamics on the historic hillclimb. The Ioniq 6 N gets much of the same tech as the 5 N, cloaked in a lower, sleeker body, with the addition of lightweight alloy wheels, a huge rear wing and ducktail spoiler. As a result, the 6 N is 60mm wider than the standard car, with bulging wheelarches around new 20-inch rims and bespoke Pirelli tyres. Based on the recently facelifted Ioniq 6, the N gets split headlights and daytime running lights, plus a longer, lower nose and plenty of trick aero and cooling features in a new front bumper. There’s lots of red…

THE market for small electric cars is gaining momentum, and Honda wants to get in on the action with the Super EV concept. A city-focused electric car that potentially previews a successor to the slow-selling Honda e, the Super EV is based on a kei car in Japan called the N-One – although it’s undergone several modifications to accommodate an electric powertrain. Honda hasn’t shared details of them yet, although the funky city car did make its global dynamic debut by driving up the famous hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Super EV’s basic design clearly takes inspiration from the pure-petrol N-One, with its upright, blocky proportions. Key changes include a new bonnet, creating space for a fresh front end with rounded headlights embedded into a blanked-off grille…

BATTERY electric (BEV) cars have been promoted as the sustainable vehicles of the future, and are now accounting for one in five UK car sales. But a new study has found that hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles could be just as sustainable as their battery-powered counterparts, if not more so. The European International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has updated its report into EV sales in the EU. It concludes that EVs emit 73 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions over a typical 20-year lifecycle than those powered by an internal-combustion engine (ICE). This advantage rises to 78 per cent if the cars are powered by renewable electricity. ICCT’s research also found that hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCEVs) running on today’s commercially available natural gas-based hydrogen typically output just 26 per cent fewer…

THIS is the new Mazda 6e, a car to replace a model that no matter how often we praised it, never achieved the success it deserved. The Mk3 Mazda 6 arrived in 2012 and offered buyers a smart-looking, spacious and brilliant-to-drive alternative to the Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia and Skoda Superb. While the first two have fallen by the wayside and the Superb continues with the same formula that has worked so well for it, the ‘e’ in the 6’s name shows that for this model, Mazda has taken its large family car into the electric era. For many, the first EV competitor that will spring to mind is the Tesla Model 3, but the 6e is bigger. At more than 4.9 metres long, the Mazda’s closest challenger size-wise is…

GAZOO might sound as if it comes straight from the Black Lace songbook, but in fact it’s Toyota’s performance brand, which has gone from zero to hero in just under a decade, securing wins on both road and track. What is it, though, what makes it special, and why does it have such a strange-sounding name? To find out, we got behind the wheel of arguably Gazoo’s finest creation, the GR Yaris, and headed to the firm’s headquarters in Cologne, Germany, for an exclusive tour of its development facilities and historic racing museum. WHAT IS GAZOO RACING? PRODUCING cars for both keen drivers and the upper echelons of motorsport, Gazoo Racing is Toyota’s motorsport division. However, those familiar with the manufacturer’s history will know that it’s not the only one,…

OF the big three German manufacturers, BMW is the one whose EV family has really flourished. Although Audi has shown flashes of brilliance, and Mercedes struggles to balance tech with aesthetic design, much of the Munich firm’s output has consistently delivered where its rivals have faltered. The iX is one of the best examples of BMW’s EV range. Look past the bold design that won’t be to all tastes and the iX has never been short of talent – in numerous areas, it became the undisputed class leader on its launch. Four years on from its arrival, its maker has delved deep into the electric powertrain’s inner workings to create an even more polished product that builds on the strengths of the original. ENGINES & PERFORMANCE BMW has completely overhauled…

I RECENTLY completed my annual pilgrimage to the Auto Express New Car Awards photoshoot and used the opportunity to grab a quick picture of our long-term EC40 test car beside Volvo’s award-winning EX30. The EX30 scooped the award for Best Small Premium SUV, and although it may be newer in terms of looks and tech, I’m still smitten with our older, bigger electric crossover. In fact, I enjoy its simplicity, comfort and practicality so much that I chose to drive the EC40 back and forth to the photoshoot rather than swap into any one of our award-winning cars. I’ve never done that before; I’d usually pick something else, so it’s high praise in itself. I found the Volvo a comforting joy to drive both first thing in the morning and…

Price: £199.99 (plus memory card) Rating: Contact: amazon.co.uk READING the description of 70mai’s new Omni dash cam had us both curious and confused, because it seems to be packed with interesting innovations. For starters, the unit has 4K video capture at 60 frames per second – the best quality available for any dash cam sold in the UK. But the really interesting part is the Omni’s ability to rotate through 360 degrees when the camera’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered sensors detect a collision or suspicious activity while the car is parked. The cylindrical-shaped Omni remains fixed while driving, but when the car is stationary it will act like a sophisticated CCTV camera, following people and vehicles who get near to the car. If an incident is detected, a “Collision Detection Algorithm” turns…

AT our recent Auto Express New Car Awards event (Issue 1,889), I bent the ear of a couple of car-brand bosses about how hard it is to compare finance deals. The huge variety of up-front payments, mileage limits and lengths of contract can really disguise how good or bad the deal is in terms of overall cost. That’s great for customers, because you can tailor a deal to your circumstances, be it via a big deposit and small monthly payments, or nothing in advance and higher monthlies. And that’s just leasing. If you’re looking at a PCP, then throw in final balloon-payment percentages as well to make it even more flexible. All of this means you can tweak a deal to your heart’s content, but it makes it bloomin’ hard…

THE Range Rover is the definitive luxury SUV and the latest version is the biggest, best and more advanced. But unsurprisingly, it’s also more costly than ever, so I decided to scour the Auto Express classifieds and build an impressive three-car garage – with every model built in Britain, just like the iconic 4x4 – for the same cost as one new £100k Range Rover. 1 BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT-£44,995 THE Bentley Continental GT offers buyers sophisticated style, stupendous speed and a pillowy ride, which makes it the perfect car for crossing counties, countries or even entire continents if you’re lucky enough to have the time. This particular example we found in our classifieds had covered just over 26,000 miles, yet the gorgeous interior appears factory fresh and features quilted leather…

THE mid-size SUV market is fast-moving and fiercely competitive, so the fact that Mazda’s entry has been on sale since 2017 means a fresh model was long overdue. This new Mazda CX-5 is set to arrive in 2026, and the Japanese brand is attempting to tread the very fine line between family-friendly practicality and driver enjoyment. The latest CX-5 will go up against serious competition including the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Qashqai and Ford Kuga. Mazda hasn’t made too many drastic changes over the outgoing car, and the biggest difference is a new front design that brings this SUV in line with the Mazda 6e (driven on Page 24) and CX-6e. New vertical headlights give the family car a more aggressive look than its predecessor, but there are only…

THE Range Rover might not be the first thing you think of as a “hot SUV”, but the new SV Black brings moody styling and supercar-baiting power. Unsurprisingly, the new edition comes only in Narvik Gloss Black with detailing and logos also in black, and sitting on 23-inch gloss black alloys. The interior, likewise, gets ebony leather, black logos, black birch wood veneer and a satin-black ceramic finish for the gearshift. The SV part of the car’s name means that this model comes with a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine with 606bhp going through an eight-speed automatic transmission – enough for a 0-62mph time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 162mph.…

THIS is the new Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake, a sleek compact estate that will join the recently launched CLA at the entry-point to the company’s line-up in early 2026. As with the saloon, the Shooting Brake will feature a hyper-efficient EV powertrain, with hybrids, plug-in hybrids and hot AMG models joining the range in the following 12 months. Pricing in the UK has yet to be confirmed, but we suspect it’ll cost around £1,500 more than the saloon, which starts at just over £45,000 for the entry-level Sport Edition, topping out at £51,000 for the flagship AMG Line Premium Edition. The key difference between the saloon and Shooting Brake is the new body, which increases the luggage space to 455 litres, rising to 1,290 litres with the second row folded…

THERE’S a new Renault Master and it hasn’t taken long for it to get the campervan treatment, in the shape of the new Ahorn Camp. It’s built by Germany’s Erwin Hymer Group, and available as a campervan or motorhome. These start at 52,800 Euros (roughly £45,000) and 58,900 Euros (£50,000) respectively. Like the Master panel van, the camper comes with the choice of two diesel units producing 130bhp and 170bhp. The exact camper upgrades have yet to be confirmed, but previous examples have come with up to five ‘sleeping places’, a kitchenette, a toilet, a shower, extra tables and fresh water tanks. Our first look at the new range will come at the end of August during the Caravan Salon in Dusseldorf before it goes on sale in September.…

THE retro-themed Renault 5 has dominated the headlines when it comes to stylish small cars, ever since it launched late last year. But if truth be told, we’ve been holding out for its eye-catching Renault 4 sibling, with one eye fixed on the R5’s biggest failing: its compromised practicality. Sure, the 5’s got a decent boot for something so compact, and there’s enough room up front for taller adults to get comfy. But force your friends into the rear and they’ll not be thanking you for anything longer than a short hop to the shops. The Renault 4 gets a bit more head and legroom in the back thanks to its boxier SUV shape. There’s still not very much room under the front seats for your feet, and the high…

THE high-end SUV class has never been short of a performance-car brand or two. Porsche effectively kicked off the sector with the Cayenne, while Bentley, Rolls-Royce and even Ferrari and Lamborghini all offer buyers four or five-seat, high-riding, high performance options – so for Lotus to dip its toe into this market isn’t a huge surprise. Unlike many of those companies, Lotus has gone fully electric, too, and bearing in mind founder Colin Chapman’s famed “simplify and add lightness” mantra, a huge, heavy SUV created under the stewardship of Chinese owner Geely, does feel rather detached from what the British firm has built in the past. Based on our encounters with the Eletre so far, it’s clear that there’s an awful lot to like here – even if for Lotus…

NO matter how well you clean your car’s paintwork and wheels, it will look scruffy if the tyres are grubby and weathered. Even the newest rubber will soon pick up dirt and dust, and as tyres get older, the effects of sun bleaching and cleaning chemicals dry out the sidewalls, making them look old. Cleaners and gels will soon have them gleaming like new, with a “wet look”, which enhances the look of the whole car and adds a finishing touch. We recently crowned Diamondbrite’s Tyre Dressing the best we had tested, for its blend of value and long-lasting protection, but two newcomers have since arrived to challenge it. Meguiar’s Endurance offers a long-lasting sheen that matched the Diamondbrite’s performance – but at more than twice the price. Tesco’s contender…