Table of contents for 1895 in Auto Express

TYRES are not the sexiest of topics, and I think most drivers would admit to underestimating their importance – or more specifically not giving sufficient consideration to the quality of tyres they fit to their cars. We publish our annual summer tyre test this week, and it throws up a host of things to take into account when choosing your next set. Arguably the biggest one is that there’s much more to it than price. The presumption from the uninitiated would be that quality goes up in line with cost. But that isn’t always the case; we found the most affordable tyre was certainly not the worst, and the second cheapest of the nine tyres we tested made it to the podium. There was £50 between our most and least…

JUST when you thought Bugatti’s W16 era was done and dusted, the ultra-high-end brand has squeezed out one more model for a discerning customer. The Bugatti Brouillard is a creation from the firm’s new Solitaire program, which will offer one-off commissions. The Brouillard is based on the open-top Mistral, itself a one-of-99 special edition celebrating the end of the W16 era. This means the Brouillard shares all the same fundamental underpinnings, but in place of the open cockpit is a closed cabin with a unique part-clear roof and central spine. All of the Brouillard’s external panels, including more pronounced wheelarches, are unique and give the car a more muscular look. A fixed ‘ducktail’ spoiler replaces the Mistral’s active wing, but the manufacturer says that it doesn’t negatively affect the car’s…

THE next Vauxhall Corsa is due to arrive in late 2026, but we might get our first glimpse of the all-new supermini thanks to a racy concept car the brand will reveal at the Munich Motor Show next month. Vauxhall is keeping its cards close to its chest, but the teaser image below shows a motorsport-inspired steering wheel. Other pictures indicate the unnamed show car’s design will be very similar to the Vauxhall Experimental concept from 2023 when it’s unveiled in Germany.…

“This is now a big car, and a heavy one at over 2.1 tonnes, but it drives as if it’s hundreds of kilos lighter” LIFE is pretty difficult for premium car brands such as Audi these days. Gone is the era of gentle evolution, and instead constant, relentless innovation is required, largely around the goal of profitable mass production of battery electric models. Yet this can’t come at the expense of the combustion-powered models customers are still asking for, and that’s why we’re testing another all-new Audi A6 – the key difference here being that this is the latest combustion-engined variant. Together with the sleek Avant estate, this new saloon joins the all-electric A6 e-tron that was launched last year in both Sportback and Avant bodystyles, creating a spread of…

SOON, we won’t recognise the Mercedes small-car range. While the A-Class may have had a stay of execution, before long, the B-Class, GLA and GLB – plus their electric EQ equivalents – will be replaced or consigned to the history books. Until then, however, the German brand is doing its utmost to maintain interest in its pint-sized hatchbacks and SUVs, sneaking a well equipped Urban Edition trim on to certain model lines, including the intriguing seven-seat EQB. Aside from the slightly dowdy-looking Sport Edition, this blingy Urban-themed special is the most affordable EQB variant. It’s only available in front-wheel-drive 250+ guise, and with a price tag of £55,070, it’s £2,260 more than the base model, but almost £3k less than the AMG Line Premium, which has the same exterior styling…

SPACE. The final frontier, and – by some strange coincidence – also probably the main reason you might buy a KGM Actyon. These are the voyages of the Korean SUV, and I’ve enjoyed them in what could very well be the roomiest interior in the class. At six-feet two inches, I’m quite a bit taller than Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise (William Shatner is 5 foot 8 inches and 94 years old, in case you were wondering) but I’ve still got a good 10cm of space above my head in any of the Actyon’s seats. Even a particularly monstrous family of Klingons would have sufficient headroom and legroom. KGM hasn’t made a car that’s bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, like the phone…

9th Ceat Sport Drive WE had no previous experience of Ceat, but the SportDrive performed tolerably well overall, yet it was well off the pace of its rivals in the wet. In the crucial straight-line wet braking test, it took more than 6m longer to stop than the best – 33.6 metres versus 27.5m. It was more than 2.5m adrift of the eighth-placed tyre. On the wet handling circuit, the shortfall in performance was less acute but inescapable. In contrast to all the other tyres, the Golf GTI felt light at the wheel on the Ceat tyres, generating little cornering grip and scrabbling for traction. It was very tentative, offering little to work with, demanding gentle throttle and steering inputs to maintain balance. The Ceat was last in all the…

“THINK OF IT AS A PURE-ELECTRIC 4X4 TO SIT ALONGSIDE THE CURRENT VELAR, WHICH WILL CONTINUE IN PRODUCTION” A GROUNDBREAKING, mid-size electric Range Rover will go public in early 2026, bringing JLR’s four-year new model drought to a spectacular end. This Range Rover EV – not to be confused with the electrified version of the flagship Range Rover, which comes to market at a similar time – will introduce a fresh design language and tech plumbed into a brand-new vehicle architecture known as EMA (Electric Modular Architecture). Think of it as a pure-electric 4x4 to sit alongside the current Velar, which will continue in production at JLR’s Solihull plant. But the EMA-based car will not be called Velar, underlining its differentiation, and it’ll be built on a revamped, hi-tech production…

THINK the fuss over carbon footprints is a load of hot air? Tell that to BMW, which claims to have slashed the environmental impact of producing its all-new iX3 electric SUV by more than a third. Despite manufacturing EVs being more energy intensive than making ICE cars, BMW calculates the iX3 will break even with its X3 petrol equivalent after just 12,428 miles (20,000 km) of driving. That means the average UK driver covering 7,000 miles a year will have paid off an iX3’s embedded carbon debt in less than two years. And they’ll have enjoyed every mile, if their experience lives up to our prototype drive. The roll-out of BMW’s ‘Neue Klasse’ vehicles, starting with the iX3 that arrives in the UK in March 2026, will trigger the reduced…

HONDA has revealed an update for the Civic, with the Toyota Corolla rival now entering its fourth year on sale. All three trim levels are reduced in price by more than £1,900, with the entry-level Elegance model now costing £33,795, the mid-spec Sport £35,395 and the range-topping Advance £38,695. The revised Civic’s looks are also “refined in response to customer feedback”, says Honda (and to keep the Civic looking fresh alongside the upcoming Prelude, which arrives next year). There’s a more aggressive front bumper and lower grille, with the latter finished in gloss black, and a new upper grille and trim around the headlights for what the brand calls a “sharper, sportier look”. The car loses its front fog lights to “further streamline the design”, with improved LED headlights ensuring…

WE can get into the argument over whether cars like a Rolls-Royce Cullinan should even exist, but if we consider it on its own merits, the recently updated Cullinan Series II is an incredible vehicle. Operating above a Range Rover or Bentley Bentayga in the automotive pecking order, the Cullinan is a car that its maker refuses to call an SUV. Instead, it offers a genuine Rolls-Royce experience with a higher driving position. The Cullinan arrived in 2018, and the Series II introduces updates that focus on its styling, interior and tech, rather than its fundamental mechanics. The changes are most obvious outside, where the controversial styling has been given a more distinctive face around the traditional pantheon grille. The headlights are slimmer and feature a much larger daytime running…

FOR a manufacturer with a history that goes back to the very first motor car 140 years ago, it’s incredible to think that Mercedes choosing to buy a tuning firm that was started by two of its own employees in an old mill in rural eastern Germany could transform public perception of the brand in just over 25 years. Nevertheless, AMG did what some deemed impossible, because it injected excitement into Mercedes which, at the time, was burdened with the image of being relatively old-fashioned and stuffy, despite its investment in technology – something the car maker continues to do today. To really get to the core of what AMG represents and how its merger with Mercedes has brought a whole new audience and image for the brand, we visited…

RATHER than adapting its existing city car, the i10, for its smallest EV, Hyundai has chosen a more characterful starting point for the Inster: the Korean-market Casper. That cheeky styling, complete with big, round headlamps, bulbous bumpers and chunky roof rails, gives it lots of personality, which is a surefire way to stand out among a group of rivals that have mostly appeared out of nowhere in very little time. Whether you’re looking at more established small EVs such as the Fiat 500e and MINI Cooper Electric, or newcomers like the superb Renault 5 E-Tech and Fiat Grande Panda, they all have an instantly recognisable appearance, so going toe-to-toe with those contenders on style gets the Inster off to a great start. ENGINES & PERFORMANCE BUYERS can select one of…

PORSCHE, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes, Lotus, Audi. These are just a few of the legendary marques that the ‘godfather’ of high-performance driver training, Paul Ripley, has worked with over the years. His reputation for transforming drivers through a blend of precision, discipline and performance insight is well earned, and something colleagues at both Auto Express and sister brand evo have experienced first-hand. So, when I had the chance to follow them with our Audi A3 Sportback a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t hesitate. This wasn’t about a leisurely drive – it was about real, technical driving. Observation. Planning. Hazard perception. Judgement. And ultimately, controlled, confident performance behind the wheel. A great opportunity to try out the A3. North Yorkshire offers the perfect terrain to test both car and driver:…

THE subject of our 2025 summer tyre test is the best-selling 18-inch tyre, the 225/40 R18. It’s three years since we last put this size through the comprehensive Auto Express test regime and back then there were Covid-related supply issues that saw some big names absent. It was a close contest, with the Bridgestone Potenza Sport just seeing off the Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric 6 for the win, with the Maxxis Victra Sport 5 a healthy third. Both Bridgestone and Goodyear are back again this year and they’re up against a strong group. Among the competition are Michelin with the Pilot Sport 5, and Continental with its SportContact 7, while Pirelli fields the latest PZ5 version of the P Zero. There’s also new product in the shape of the Hankook Ventus Evo K137,…

A CLOSE contest right down to ninth spot, with the top eight covered by just two percentage points, showing that these are all good-quality tyres. The ninth-placed Ceat SportDrive delivers acceptable performance but, significantly, is well short of the standard in wet braking and on the wet circuit. Yet it’s more expensive than the majority of the tyres here, so ranks low on both performance and value for money. Eighth is a disappointing result for Continental, which comes up a bit short in the wet, while seventh is a good finish for the Yokohama, another product that’s better in the dry than the wet. The Goodyear is an impressive tyre whose sixth place overall reflects the strength of the competition this year. Kumho surprised with fifth overall. Despite lowly placings…

1 EVGRANT £1,500 OFF Citroen e-C3 now from £20,595 2 EVGRANT £1,500 OFF Renault 5 now from £21,495 3 EVGRANT £1,500 OFF Nissan Micra now from £21,495 4 EVGRANT £1,500 OFF Vauxhall Grandland from £34,555 THE hatchback of the moment, the Renault 5, is among 19 cars from Renault, Alpine, Citroen, Nissan and Vauxhall confirmed as eligible for the Government’s Electric Car Grant, dropping the starting price of the retro R5 range to just £21,495. But no car has yet qualified for the higher £3,750 amount, with all 19 coming in at the lower £1,500 level. Buyers will now be able to secure a grant on a new R5, as well as other Renault EVs such as the R4, the Megane hatch and the Scenic SUV. Renault has confirmed that the R5’s sporty sibling,…

THE TV, radio and internet were dominated early this month by the ongoing car finance scandal. Lenders have put aside billions of pounds in potential compensation for consumers, but the recent court ruling has shaken things up a bit, meaning fewer people could be eligible. It now looks as if only those who had previously signed up to a finance deal involving a Discretionary Commission Arrangement (DCA), or potentially those whose finance agreement involved “excessive” levels of commission, will be able to claim. Here we answer your questions and explain why the outcome may be more positive than it might seem. WHAT DID THE SUPREME COURT RULE? In early August, the UK’s highest court, the Supreme Court, overturned a Court of Appeal ruling from 2024, which concluded that any part…

WE’RE big advocates for small electric cars here at Auto Express. Compact dimensions, nippy performance and zero tailpipe emissions make them perfect for those living in busy cities and tiny villages alike. And with the traditional petrol-powered end of the market still shrinking, there’s a perfect opportunity for these compact EVs to scoop up traditional small-car buyers. On paper, the BYD Dolphin Surf offers an impressive spec for the money. Both in terms of standard equipment and powertrain numbers, it’s one to take the fight to the likes of the Renault 5 E-Tech and Fiat Grande Panda. It’s even close enough in value to make smaller EVs such as the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03 a little harder to justify. That value would be wasted if the Surf were poor…

CUPRA TAVASCAN RANGE anxiety is not what it was when mainstream electric cars first hit the roads, but it’s still a concern for many drivers considering the switch. So as a final goodbye, I thought it was worth highlighting how we found the Tavascan’s range over its seven months with us. Having got the keys in mid-December, we weren’t achieving anything like the maker’s claimed 352 miles throughout winter; in my first report the estimate when fully charged was 283 miles. It rose steadily as the weather warmed up and, as you can see from the picture above, we managed to improve that initial reading by nearly 100 miles, with a peak of 380. I wouldn’t say we drove the Tavascan over-conservatively either, and with a mix including more motorway…

WET OUR scoring is weighted towards wet-weather performance because here in the UK you’re most likely to find the limit of a tyre’s grip on rain-soaked roads. The key test is straight-line wet braking, measured on an evenly wetted surface from 50 to 12mph (not zero, to eliminate anti-lock interference), the result being the average of a number of runs. We also test wet cornering, taking the average of a number of laps around a 50-metre wetted circle, and undertake laps of a wet handling circuit too. We not only measure lap times, but also assess each tyre’s grip, traction and dynamic balance at the limit tackling the circuit’s challenging mix of fast and slow turns. Plus there are two deep-water tests that measure aquaplaning performance. In straight-line aquaplaning we…

I HAD the fortune (some might harshly say misfortune) of driving a 2016 Skoda Fabia Mk3 recently. It was a fairly humdrum experience with nothing exciting to report, but maybe more importantly there was nothing that was actively frustrating. With today’s new cars required by law to have electronic driver-assistance tech that offers varying degrees of interference and annoyance, the Fabia was refreshingly simple – just turn it on, stick it in gear, and off you go. It also had Apple CarPlay, which I was surprised by, so all I had to do was plug my phone into the USB socket and hey presto, there was up-to-date navigation with live traffic information on the touchscreen. That screen was part of Skoda’s Bolero infotainment system, which also featured Bluetooth phone connectivity…

IF you’re in the market for an EV, makers are scrabbling to drop prices and meet the Government’s £37,000 limit for grants of up to £3,750. While we await full details of the scheme, we’ve found an enticing three-car garage from the Auto Express classifieds of an EV, a PHEV and a mild hybrid for less than £37k. 1 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTE £10,890 THE seventh generation of the Volkswagen Golf is lauded as one of the best in the model’s long, illustrious history, and the GTE plug-in hybrid is a great showcase of the iconic German hatchback’s flexibility. It offers Golf GTI-rivalling pace with 204bhp and a 7.6-second 0-62mph time, yet only emits 39g/km of CO2 and has a very practical 31-mile all-electric range. We found a 95,000-mile car in…

SO what can mum, dad and two kids who love nice cars, foreign holidays and fancy restaurants actually get for their money in balmy August 2025? How about spending around £1,500 this month (and the following 47) on one of the cheapest, lowest-spec, 8,000 miles-per-annum Range Rover diesels currently available for lease? Total leasing costs (after putting down a deposit) during those four years are in excess of £80,000. To that, add expenditure on essentials such as annual Group 50 insurance cover, fuel, maintenance, plus a few other standing and running costs. To be on the safe side, best to make sure you’ve got circa £100,000 to lease and run this car, before handing it back 48 months from now. If they’re keen to just get away from it all…