Car Reviews

We get to grips with the BMW X3 M50 xDrive – the range-topping version of the German brand’s best-selling family SUV… Back in the 1980s there was a series of TV adverts for fresh cream cakes. The slogan was “naughty but nice”. After a week with the flagship M50 xDrive …

We spend some quality time with the Skoda Elroq – one of our favourite family EVs on the market… The last time I tested a Skoda EV was in 2021. It was the impressive Enyaq – the brand’s first electric car. Apart from a “coupe” version of the Enyaq, there’s …

We get to grips with the upgraded Isuzu D-Max pick-up truck in top-end V-Cross spec… If you’re a farmer or tradesperson in need of a rugged, reliable 4×4 workhorse of a pick-up, then the choice these days is likely to be between a Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, KGM Musso or …

Smart’s all-electric renaissance continues with the sleek #3 family SUV… The Smart #3 (pronounced “Hashtag Three”) is the second model from the brand which is now a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Chinese giant Geely (also the owner of Volvo, Polestar and Lotus). Unusually, the Smart #3 has few direct …

We get to grips with the very capable Subaru Forester, now in its sixth generation… Subaru is still something of a hidden gem in the UK. Elsewhere, in countries such as the US and Australia, the Japanese company’s cars are more appreciated and sell in much bigger numbers. The brand’s …

We take the 2025 World Urban Car award-winner – the BYD Dolphin Surf – for a drive in its natural habitat… It’s taken a while, but the democratisation of electric vehicle ownership has finally shifted up a gear. For years, the biggest barrier to switching for many drivers has been …

We get behind the wheel of a bold SUV that sets a new benchmark for plug-in hybrids… Before we begin, a bit of background about Omoda, which is one half of a “dual brand” created by Chery International – China’s largest vehicle exporter for more than 20 years. Launched only …

I recently spent a week road testing the revelation that is the fifth-generation Toyota Prius… When it was launched in 1997, the pioneering Prius may not have been the most attractive of cars, but it was the first mass-produced petrol-electric hybrid, and several million have been produced. Now in its …

We get behind the wheel of the surprise package that is the Hyundai Inster – the South Korean brand’s smallest EV… Once in a while I get to road test a new car I know little about, and it proves to be something of a revelation. The cute, all-electric Hyundai …

We spend a memorable week with the MG Cyberster – the only all-electric roadster on the UK market… If cars were chosen purely for kerb appeal, then MG is onto a winner with the stunning Cyberster. I was loaned a Cyberster for a week and I can’t remember the last …