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LAST week, Auto Express editor Paul Barker bid a fond-ish farewell to 2025 – a tumultuous year that saw a considerable ramp up in China’s move towards automotive domination, confusing and contradictory electric-car grants and policy changes, plus more new metal than we could shake a stick at. So, in an attempt to welcome in the New Year with as much enthusiasm as he waved off the last, I’m looking ahead to what we think will be another pivotal 12 months for the car industry. We start with the 26 most important cars of 2026 (Page 30), featuring new superminis and SUVs, plus sports cars, estates and even hot hatchbacks. There will be plenty of EVs, along with hybrids and big-battery range-extenders. We expect to see lots of interest in…

OF all the Volkswagen Group’s concepts and future models on display at the Munich Motor Show last year, there was one which stood out for a very good reason. The Skoda Vision O, a concept version of a future all-electric edition of the marque’s long-running Octavia, wasn’t just our first look at the brand’s new design language, it was also an initial preview of the next-generation architecture that will underpin both the Skoda and the all-important Volkswagen ID. Golf. We had already walked around the car’s exterior styling with Skoda’s head of design, Oliver Stefani, but now we’ve looked at the cabin, and more specifically the technology in what will be the biggest shake-up of the Czech brand’s interfaces since the introduction of the touchscreen. Just as BMW did with…

THERE aren’t many cars on sale today where it’s possible to legally hit their top speed on a public road. But with a maximum of 28mph, the Citroen Ami is one car where buyers will find themselves mashing the throttle on every journey – and still there will be other traffic that will be willing you to get a move on just that little bit quicker The Ami first came to the UK back in 2022 (it launched in Europe in 2020), but now the dinky quadricycle has been treated to a mid-life update. That fundamental shape remains unchanged, with a big part of the Ami’s appeal down to the fact that it measures just 2.4 metres long and just under 1.4 metres wide. Instead, the tiny, boxy body has…

“IT all starts with a coffee,” says Ferrari sales manager Glenn Butt as he escorts us towards a sumptuous seating area overlooking a showroom of dreams. We’re at Meridien Modena, one of the most well regarded Ferrari dealerships in the country, about to experience what very few do: the fabled process of buying a Ferrari. Yet, as the espresso machine fires up and fills the air with coffee notes of cocoa, toasted nuts and wealth, we gaze across the exotic selection out on display and quickly notice how the values attributed to some of the second-hand models almost appear reasonable in today’s overpriced car market. Nowadays, it’s very easy to spend close to six figures on a performance BMW or an electric Mercedes SUV. However, while the price tags of…

IT’S been less than three years since BYD set out its stall in the UK with the Atto 3. We tested that car against the Kia Niro, and it came away with a victory. Since then, the Chinese maker has gone on to expand its line-up to eight models, including all-electric and plug-in hybrid choices. The Atto 2 is based on the same electric running gear as the Atto 3 and Dolphin, and it slots into the range between those models, in terms of both size and price. Front-wheel drive is fitted as standard on the Atto 2, and there are two battery sizes, with a 51kWh pack in the Boost model and a 65kWh unit in the Comfort car. A PHEV arrives in 2026 ENGINES & PERFORMANCE AS well…

WITH all the spray foams and prewashes, it’s easy to forget that you still need to get hands on with a mitt in a bucket of soapy water. Many drivers just use washing-up liquid, but household detergents are likely to strip protective waxes off your paint. A dedicated car shampoo will not only look after your car, but many are also so inexpensive they could actually end up only costing you the same per wash as a generous squirt of Fairy liquid. We test seven products here, ranging from the very cheapest to some high-end products to see if these offer an advantage. Unlike our separate ceramic shampoo test, we were not checking for the effects of any claimed protective coatings here and only tested the cleaning power and ease of…

WELCOME to 2026, in which I’m expecting yet another major political U-turn, more public transport inefficiency and rip-offs, a renaissance in the threatened – but now seemingly safe – small-car sector, and lots of great deals from a leasing industry offering some new models for pennies per hour. In other words, I make no apologies for returning to the Government’s proposed ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered cars in 48 months. It’s the most controversial, discriminatory, unachievable motoring-related ‘policy’ in living memory. What we’re talking about is one of the ultimate examples of state-sponsored, consumer-unfriendly bullying by a regime needlessly picking a fight with a large group of decent people (in this case, tens of millions of motorists) – just as it did with pensioners, farmers and…

“WHAT we’re working on now is really the next big thing for us: the new 208,” Peugeot brand CEO Alain Favey told Auto Express in an exclusive interview. He said the recent Polygon concept – a small hatchback which gives big hints to the 208’s design and technology – fired the starting gun on the new hatch’s introduction, with an unveiling likely at October’s Paris Motor Show. The 208 will be the first model on a new ‘STLA’ electric-car chassis. “The car is on STLA Small and will it be launched as a BEV,” Favey said. “We were first with STLA Medium as well [beneath the 3008 SUV]. It’s Peugeot’s role to bring innovation among Europe’s mainstream brands.” The new chassis incorporates ‘Hypersquare’ steer-by-wire, where the mechanical link between the…

“ENOUGH is enough” – that’s the response to new data from the House of Commons Library, which reveals that three-quarters of car theft cases go unsolved in England and Wales. Commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, the figures show that of the almost 122,000 cases of car theft reported in England and Wales between April 2024 and March 2025, as many as 92,958 resulted in a suspect failing to be identified. Only just over two per cent of cases (2,831) resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed, with the remainder unsolved due to problems such as insufficient evidence or an incomplete investigation. Despite being the most highly funded police force in the UK, the Metropolitan Police had the worst record solving car crime; a shocking 88 per cent of the…

PRICING for the new A390 – the second pure-electric car from Alpine – has just been announced. Three versions will be on sale very soon with first customer deliveries expected by spring. Kicking off the range is the £61,390 GT, followed by the £65,390 Premiere Edition and the flagship £69,390 GTS. This makes the Alpine A390 far cheaper than its closest competitor, the Porsche Macan Electric. The A390 is a little more expensive than the BMW iX3 and the new electric Mercedes GLC, but in true Alpine fashion, it’s claimed to be more driver-focused than its rivals. All A390s come with a triple-motor set-up (two at the rear and one up front); the GT and Premiere Edition have 395bhp and 661Nm of torque, while the range-topping GTS gets 464bhp and…

THE medium-sized electric van market is filled with both well established names such as the Ford E-Transit Custom, and newcomers like the Farizon SV. This means the new Kia PV5 Cargo is a bit of an oddity; it’s a newcomer, but from a brand that’s very well known in the car world. For now, the PV5 Cargo is available exclusively as a panel van, but Kia plans to bring in a number of variants including a crew and chassis cab model. There’s also the PV5 Passenger, which is an MPV in a similar mould to Ford’s Transit-based Tourneo. While the PV5’s exterior has a certain sci-fi flair about it that perhaps draws a little inspiration from the Tesla Cybertruck, the interior follows a very similar design to Kia’s electric cars.…

WHEN it comes to assessing a family car, one thing is paramount: practicality. And I’m delighted to say that the Volvo EX30 makes us a very happy family. But practicality is about more than just space. Because, truth is, with just myself, my wife and our 11-year-old daughter to worry about, we don’t need a huge amount of room. We’re probably the ideal group for the Volvo: our daughter no longer needs a bulky child seat and we don’t have to carry the tons of kit a toddler needs. So, although the EX30 isn’t the most spacious car of its type, it suits us fine. That much was proved over the recent half-term break, when we drove up to visit friends in Northumberland. I’m more than six feet tall, but…

Price: £219.95 Rating:  Contact: thule.com SWEDISH brand Thule may be most well known for its range of bike racks and roof boxes, but with the introduction of the new Palm high-back booster seat, it now claims to offer a “complete car-seat range” as well. Aimed at children from 100 to 150cm tall, it acts as a transition between a traditional child seat and a backless booster. Installation is simple thanks to guiding Isofix anchor points that extend from the base of the seat, while its lightweight (7.14kg) construction makes moving it between vehicles easy. Once clicked into place, the seat slides back and nestles tight against the rear of the car seat; there is some movement in the Palm’s backrest, which doesn’t give the overarching feeling of solidity, but once our child…

IT can be easy to see a person selling a car as little more than an obstacle between you and your potential new purchase. However, just as it is as a rule in general life, treating people with respect is everything when buying a used car privately. I know I’m not your parent, but you’ll have to forgive me because this column doubles up as a lecture on good manners. So why exactly am I taking the moral high ground? Well, after a family member informed me of a recent car-selling experience, it got me thinking about how we treat the person on the other side of a transaction. The exchange in question involved the potential buyer rocking up to my relative’s house, not even bothering to knock on the…

THE first prototype of the new Volkswagen ID. Cross has been spotted testing. The sighting comes just a couple of months after the concept model of the ruggedly handsome small electric SUV was revealed and only a few weeks after we got behind the wheel of the ID. Cross Concept ourselves. As the name suggests, the ID. Cross is the all-electric alternative to the popular VW T-Cross, which means the EV will rival the likes of the Renault 4, Ford Puma Gen-E and Citroen e-C3 Aircross. It appears this prototype has borrowed its petrol-powered sibling’s grille design, and possibly its front bumper as well, to serve as a disguise. However, VW’s efforts don’t conceal all that much, and it’s pretty obvious from these images of the prototype that the road-going…

A 200million Euro (£176m) investment in a state-of-the-art research and development centre should make Hyundai Group cars even better, and more suited to European drivers, according to the man heading up the entire project. The three group brands – Hyundai, Kia and Genesis – will all benefit from a new 25,000-square-metre site next to the firm’s existing European HQ in Frankfurt, featuring hi-tech labs, simulators and chambers capable of testing cars in extreme temperatures and recreating driving conditions from across the globe. “Some big brands are pulling back and reducing investments and projects, but we are going down a different path,” Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre managing director Tyrone Johnson explained to Auto Express. “Europe is the most diverse market in the world – you have Cyprus and Italy through…

“We’re driving the entry-level #5 Pro here, but there’s such a long list of standard kit on board that you don’t feel short changed in the slightest” THINK of Smart, and you’re likely to have instant visions of a quirky two-seat city car, possibly a rear-engined roadster if you’re more familiar with the brand. But Smart isn’t about city cars any more. Sure, there’s a new two-seat urban machine in the pipeline, but at the moment the UK line-up comprises three electric SUVs, with the largest of the lot being the #5 we’re driving here. At 4.7 metres, it’s 2.2 metres longer than the old ForTwo, and this places it firmly within the compact premium electric SUV class. It certainly has the proportions of one, with the boxy styling giving…

THIS is going to be a very big year for the Volkswagen Polo. We recently learned that the humble supermini is set to receive several major upgrades, including its first-ever hybrid powertrain, plus the hugely important ID. Polo EV will arrive to finally fulfil the brand’s long-held promise of an affordable small electric car. But 2025 was also an important moment in the history of the Polo, because it celebrated its 50th birthday last year. So, as brands often do when their cars reach such a milestone, VW created the limited-run Edition 50 for anyone “keen to own a piece of Volkswagen and automotive history”. You might have hoped that the designers and product team took this opportunity to honour the life and times of the Polo by giving the…

AS we embark on the new year, it’s time to get ready for the most exciting, potentially game-changing new cars due over the next 12 months. And petrolheads should rejoice, because they’re not all EVs! Better still, we’re not just talking about frugal four-cylinder motors, such such as the one that’ll go in the new Dacia C-Neo family wagon. Mighty V8s will be providing the brute force for the bonkers Bentley Supersports and the show-stopping Toyota GR GT. Some important EVs will also finally be arriving in 2026, from the Renault Twingo to Ferrari’s first EV. We’re also going to find out if the idea of electric sports cars has legs, with the Alpine A110 and Porsche Boxster/Cayman hopefully offering real thrills with zero tailpipe emissions. One of the most…

THE Vauxhall Frontera is a direct replacement for the Vauxhall Crossland, a car so forgettable that you’d be forgiven for not even remembering what it looks like. You’re more likely to recognise the Frontera name from Vauxhall’s nineties SUV. That car was a rebadged Isuzu, and this new version is also a joint production, because it’s largely identical to the Mk2 Citroen C3 Aircross. The new Frontera only comes with front-wheel drive, but there are hybrid petrol and all-electric powertrains to choose from. The petrol version comes with 109bhp or 143bhp, while the electric has 111bhp, but the option of 44kWh or 54kWh batteries. MOTORS & PERFORMANCE THE 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine in the Frontera is one that’s used across the spectrum of Stellantis brands. It has been uprated…

WE all like to keep our phones nearby these days, and if your car doesn’t have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, then you will rely on a dashboard mount to keep it within reach in the car. Having it secured means you will be able to legally interact with it when safe to do so, and it will let you keep an eye on nav screens or skip through music tracks easily while you’re on the move. If you are on a longer journey though, you will notice that using several apps at once and having the phone’s screen live constantly will rip through your battery. You could simply plug the phone in using a cable, but it’s easier and more convenient to use a wireless charger built into the…