Table of contents for 1914 in Auto Express

WELL, that was another quiet year in the motor industry. From the Chinese brand invasion to contradictory electric car grants and road charges in the UK, massive new car launches and even bigger scoops, we’ve covered a lot of ground. The motor show made an interesting resurgence with a host of exciting star cars adorning the halls of Munich in September, while Ford jumping into bed with Renault for an R5-based new Fiesta wasn’t on anyone’s list of predictions a year ago. But how healthy is the automotive industry as a whole? Looking back to our 2025 wish list we made an impassioned plea for ‘legacy’ brands to get creative, because it felt like they were sleepwalking into a scenario where the Chinese incomers were able to upset the status…

MITSUBISHI has revealed that the Outlander PHEV and L200 pick-up will spearhead its UK return. These two models will be available from the summer of 2026 in limited numbers, before the introduction of other models from the brand in the following months. UK specs and prices are still to be confirmed, but the L200 will initially be offered in a high-spec dual-cab format, rivalling the likes of the Ford Ranger, Volkswagen Amarok and Toyota Hilux. The mid-size Outlander PHEV SUV will return in the same high-spec, plug-in hybrid form that its direct predecessor helped to popularise back in 2012. This will come with up to seven seats, and produce 306bhp from its all-wheel-drive powertrain. Mitsubishi’s British comeback is the work of one of the country’s largest vehicle importers and distributors,…

THE Fiat 600 can now offer some of the bad-boy attitude you get with the Abarth 600e, thanks to a new Sport trim level. Both the hybrid and electric versions of the small SUV will be available in the new trim, offering a range of vibrant paint colours contrasted by a black roof, dark-finish 18-inch alloy wheels and bespoke black accents. Inside, the Sport has a black colour scheme, with a unique dashboard and sportier seat upholstery, but buyers don’t get sports suspension, bigger brakes or any other type of performance upgrade as part of the package. The Fiat 600 Hybrid in Sport trim will start from £28,750, or £29,750 if you upgrade from a 100bhp engine to a 134bhp unit. The electric Fiat 600e Sport will cost £29,750, which…

THE new sixth-generation Renault Clio is launching in Europe in 2026, but won’t reach the UK until the next year. To make up for that the French firm has knocked £1,000 off the price of the current Clio supermini, so it now starts from £17,995. That makes the Clio only a few hundred pounds more expensive than key rivals such as the MG3, while the new starting price is nearly £2k less than that of the Vauxhall Corsa and about £3,000 below the Skoda Fabia’s. The Clio remains available with either pure-petrol or full-hybrid power, but there are now four trim levels to choose from: Generation, Techno+, Techno Esprit Alpine and Iconic Esprit Alpine. Entry-level Generation models get 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a seven-inch touchscreen with satnav, wireless Apple…

CONTEXT is everything. Whether it’s knowing how much one loaf of bread costs compared with another, or understanding that a longer route to work will take less time due to prevailing traffic conditions. This kind of information lets us make judgements in an educated and effective manner. So when a car is labelled the ‘baby Ferrari’, it’s all relative. The Amalfi – a so-called “evolution” of the outgoing Roma – is still a £202k, near-200mph 2+2 that can sprint from 0-62mph in 3.3 seconds. This, then, is no diluted, half-fat prancing horse. “The car you see here ushers in significant enough changes to warrant not only a new look, but a new name, too” Replacing the Roma in the Italian manufacturer’s product range, the car you see here ushers in…

IT’S best not to mistake the ‘130’ moniker of this new Skoda Fabia for its rating in horsepower, because that would be underselling this charming little package. In fact, by celebrating 130 years of Skoda, and matching that figure with a 130kW (174bhp) power output, this new range-topper could be the model that finally puts Skoda’s competent, if bland, supermini in the spotlight. Under the skin there are a fair few changes over the existing Fabia, starting with the engine. The 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder motor has been given a subtle increase in power, up from the 148bhp in the range’s previous flagship model. This is due to a number of changes beyond just a tweak to the ECU, including various unique components inside the engine. The result isn’t just more…

WHILE the Renault Megane E-Tech isn’t the freshest model in the company’s electric-car line-up, that’s merely a sign of just how quickly the brand is moving to release new and ever more compelling models. Despite its relative age, having been launched in 2022, the car is still a very strong contender in the electric family hatchback class: it just serves as yet another example that the French firm is on a roll with its EVs. The Megane is appealing due to its style, especially inside, where the cabin successfully combines a modern layout with user-friendly technology. It’s not the biggest EV on the market, so back-seat space isn’t much to write home about, and the ride is on the firm side, but if you can live with these shortcomings, then…

BUYING new tyres is rarely a pleasurable experience. You might swap your rubber to suit the season, but most drivers will only shop for tyres when they fail an MoT, spot wear or get a puncture. As with many aspects of owning a car, shopping around and doing some research before you are desperate to get back on the road could save you a fortune – and most of us will head straight to the Internet in search of the best prices. Even the big fast fit chains such as Kwik Fit offer better deals online than they do to walk-in customers. Where should you start? We’ve done the hard work for you, checking eight online retailers, comparing a spectrum of designs from budget to performance. As well as the…

IT’S quite a bizarre experience in this job to walk into a room of engineers, designers and prototype cars and there not be an ounce of arrogance on show. But standing among the creators of Volkswagen’s all-new ID. Polo, what we sense instead is cautious optimism. Volkswagen knows it under-delivered with its first EVs. Initial models such as the ID.3 and ID.4 fell short of the quality, driving dynamics and reliability expected from a brand like VW, and that’s before we take into account its half-baked approach to tech and ergonomics. This is all about to change, though. Next year’s ID. Polo is the first car in a new era for VW, says the company, driven by a new CEO and a realistic view of who its customers are and…

THOUSANDS of motorists have been wrongly fined for speeding since 2021, says National Highways. A fault with speed cameras on smart motorways meant they were triggered when drivers weren’t breaking the law. The issue largely revolves around what National Highways describes as an “anomaly” on variable speed limit cameras on major roads and smart motorways. This, it says, resulted in “a slight delay between cameras and variable speed signs, leading to some drivers being incorrectly detected as speeding after the limit had changed”. National Highways told Auto Express it’s uncovered 2,650 such wrongful activations since 2021 and that the issue was originally brought to its attention when one case was flagged by Avon and Somerset Police back in January 2025. While, at first, the problem was thought to be isolated…

THIS is our first look at the all-new, pocket-sized Smart #2, the long-awaited successor to the brand’s famous ForTwo city car, which will make its world debut in late 2026 and could cost from around £20k. Smart announced it was returning to its city car origins only a few months ago, and testing is well under way on the new #2. However, the prototypes in these images are test mules sporting the body of the old ForTwo as a disguise, to keep us guessing about the final design. The pictures prove the car will stick to the ForTwo’s ultra-compact dimensions, with almost non-existent front and rear overhangs, and the wheels pushed right out to the car’s corners. It’s also going to be a two-door two-seater like its predecessor. But Smart…

CUPRA’S Chinese-built, all-electric Tavascan’s EU import tariff could be relaxed, which could pave the way for MINI, Smart, Volvo and other European car brands to get a cut in duty, too. The EU’s policy of adding a 20.7 per cent ‘countervailing duty’ on top of the standard 10 per cent tariff for the Chinese-made EV has come under fire from the president of Catalonia’s government. “I would like to call on the European Union to reconsider the tariffs on the Cupra Tavascan,” said Salvador Illa i Roca at the official opening of Cupra’s battery plant in Catalonia’s capital city, Barcelona. “We are hearing positive news. The Catalonia government stands ready to work alongside the Spanish government [to remove] an unfair tariff that penalises strategic investments.” Cupra has lobbied for an…

THESE days, it feels like a new electric SUV is unveiled every five minutes, and just about every mainstream car maker either has one in its range or in the pipeline. Despite its rich history of hybrids, Toyota has been fairly slow on the uptake in the pure-EV market, but joining the updated bZ4X and new C-HR+ is this, the Urban Cruiser. Toyota might be a global automotive giant, but the company looked to Suzuki to help develop the Mk2 Urban Cruiser. A sister model of the new e Vitara, the resulting vehicle sits on a brand-new, dedicated EV platform called Heartect-e that the two firms worked on together. The only major differences between the Urban Cruiser and e Vitara are the front-end design and badges, plus the Suzuki offers…

CUPRA LEON Price new: £32,140 Price used: From £14,000 Engine: 2.0-litre turbo petrol Gearbox: Seven-speed auto Power/torque: 296bhp/400Nm 0-60mph: 5.7 seconds Top speed: 155mph IF one hot hatch literally flies under the radar, it’s the Cupra Leon. It’s a close relative of the VW Golf GTI but, without the weight of expectation that car’s badge carries, the Spanish sibling is something of an unsung hero in comparison. The top-spec VZ3 features a 297bhp version of the VW Group’s EA888 four-cylinder petrol engine. It’s connected to a twin-clutch gearbox that delivers quick shifts, while Dynamic Chassis Control allows you to choose between a sporty or comfortable ride. The most recent exterior update helped to separate the Cupra Leon from the SEAT version, but it’s still a pretty subtle way to have…

THERE is a massive hole in my life, and four in the gravel parking space at the front of my house. The ID. Buzz has gone back to Volkswagen after its six-month, 8,000-mile stint on our long-term test fleet. Only the stony indents where its 2.8-tonne, five-metre-long body once nestled remain. The ID. Buzz is a giant of the passenger-car market, especially in the long-wheelbase form we’ve been testing. But with great space comes great practicality and it’s been a pleasure to conduct family life for half a year without once having to wonder if anything or anyone will fit in the car. With the ID. Buzz, the answer was always yes. It’s not really a car in truth. Despite being based on the MEB platform that VW Group also…

Price: From £783 (plus installation from £350) Contact: andersen-ev.com WITH a constant stream of EVs and plug-in hybrids to review, our road testers need a home charger. Andersen makes stylish, high-quality units so we had its latest Quartz Vision unit fitted to senior test editor Dean Gibson’s house. Buying an Andersen charger is simple: spec up your unit (the Quartz can be had in a range of colours and finishes, with or without a digital display, and with or without a cable), place your deposit (payment plans are offered) and an engineer conducts a survey, either virtually or in person. This will check the suitability of your electricity supply and recommend any works that might need doing. With the space prepared, fitting was simple and took just a morning, while the…

WHEN I was growing up, the cars that made my heart race weren’t necessarily the iconic poster cars. Plenty of young petrolheads were drawn to bright red Ferraris and shrieking Lamborghinis, but my passion was for more humble sports cars. They weren’t about lap times or top speed, but shape, noise, balance and feel instead. They made the thought of driving exciting long before I ever held a licence. Yet along the way, involvement has been replaced by efficiency. Today, gearsticks and clutch pedals have given way to paddles and programming. I can admire these cars, but it’s harder to lust after them. If, like me, you first fell in love with driving because of the sensations – the weight of a manual gearchange, the timing of a downshift and…

CRISIS? What crisis? Throughout 2025, there’s been much talk about the German auto industry being in trouble. But it’s clear that VW will remain the top-selling car brand in Britain, with BMW and Audi also in the top five and Mercedes not far behind. Seoul-sisters Hyundai-Kia have also enjoyed a highly productive 12 months. But my fear for these non-premium Korean brands is that sales will plateau due to two major problems: high retail prices (top versions of the Ioniq 9 cost almost £78k, and the EV9 is more than £82k) and, er, China. The former can be easily solved with the introduction of affordable price tags. The latter is an incurable problem, because sales of more reasonably priced BYD and Omoda cars are both up by around 500 per…

THE brand-new electric ID. Polo might just be around the corner, but customers not ready to make the switch to an EV won’t be left behind. Volkswagen is planning to update the existing combustion-powered Polo, bringing new digital interfaces and more efficient hybrid powertrains. The Polo, plus the SEAT Ibiza, Skoda Fabia and their crossover siblings, are built on VW’s MQB-A0 architecture. However, although the MQB platform has already been updated to an ‘Evo’ generation, only now are the Polo’s A0 underpinnings getting a major upgrade. This should see the combustion-powered Polo able to adopt VW’s new interfaces, plus upgraded driver-assistance systems and over-the-air updates. The changes will also bring benefits under the bonnet, because VW is working on new hybrid powertrains for the Polo. These will include the mild-hybrid…

“The C5 is at its best when we’re dawdling. The engine cuts out for the e-motor to waft us along” CITROEN’S positivity about occupant comfort is laudable but – like the England cricket team or Rachel Reeves’ Budget – eventually it’ll make contact with a brutal reality, in this case British roads. We’re driving the entry-level version of Citroen’s big SUV, the C5 Aircross, through the Chilterns countryside, where potholes seemingly outnumber villages by a factor of 100. This is the Hybrid 145, costing from £30,495 in You! spec. It’s five grand more than the cheapest Dacia Bigster 1.2 manual, but you get a slightly longer car, slightly less boot space and an automatic transmission mating charismatic three-cylinder petrol and e-motor power with the front wheels. The Advanced Comfort suspension,…

BUILDING a car is an expensive and resource heavy process. Now, more than ever, signing off a new model with a multi-billion-dollar development bill can be a very difficult exercise. But what if there were no limits, and the realities of commercial success didn’t get in the way of pure creativity? It’s something we often ponder as a team, so to celebrate the new year we’ve drawn up a list of six cars we’d love to see in showrooms, if money and business logic were no object. Whether they are inspired by a specific former model, a derivative that would give life to a manufacturer’s current line-up, or something totally pie-in-the-sky, we’ve imagined half-a-dozen dream cars from across the motoring spectrum. “I BELIEVE A REBORN SHOOTING BRAKE SHOULD BE ONE…

KIA’S ever-growing electric car family sees the EV4 joining its line-up – and even among a very talented bunch, it’s one of the brand’s most convincing offerings yet. Spacious, largely comfy and competitively priced, it ticks many of the key family-car boxes, yet critically pairs them with a superb real-world range. There’s lots of reasons to recommend the EV4, but if you regularly take on long motorway trips, then look no further. MOTORS & PERFORMANCE FOR now, the EV4 is only available with one powertrain option. This takes the form of a single motor, with 201bhp and 283Nm of torque, that drives the front wheels. In an age of needlessly fast electric family hatchbacks and SUVs, those stats look fairly modest, but in reality the performance they offer is more…

WHILE a forecast of snow might cause excitement among children, it’s likely to strike fear into the heart of many motorists. If you have a rear-wheel-drive car with tyres designed for warmer weather, you might find yourself stuck – or sliding out of control, even after a light dusting. If the thought of being stranded in freezing weather gives you the chills and you don’t want to invest in winter or all-season tyres, snow socks offer a cost-effective alternative that you can keep in your boot and install if you find yourself facing a slippery slope. As the name suggests, they are made of fabric and cover your wheels. The textile adds friction, giving more grip. We tried our old favourite, the AutoSock, against a newcomer from Sparco. Both of…