WELCOME

January 2026

Volkswagen T-Roc

Second generation of this small SUV promises greater space and sophistication On sale January 2026 Price from £32,000 (est)

Volvo ES90

All-new electric executive car has a luxurious interior, a long official range and ultra-fast charging On sale January 2026 Price from £69,760

Mercedes-Benz CLA

Electric version of this new entry-level executive car still impresses for range and efficiency on UK roads On sale Now Price from £45,615

Suzuki e-Vitara

First electric car from the Japanese brand takes a no-nonsense approach to win favour On sale Now Price from £29,999

Alfa Romeo Tonale

A mid-life update for the family SUV majors on subtle changes to the styling, interior and engines On sale January 2026 Price from £39,000 (est)

Vauxhall Frontera Electric

Cheapest electric model in Vauxhall’s line-up is a virtual twin of the Citroën e-C3 Aircross On sale Now Price from £23,995

Alpine A390

All-new electric sports SUV promises agility and driving pleasure; can it deliver? On sale Early 2026 Price from £60,000 (est)

Hyundai Ioniq 6 N

Electric performance saloon promises ferocious performance and fast charging On sale Early 2026 Price from £66,000 (est)

Kia K4

New family car’s bold styling masks traditional tech and fuss-free interior design to ruffle the Volkswagen Golf’s feathers On sale Early 2026 Price from £25,995

Smart #5

Largest model yet from Smart is an upmarket electric SUV that goes big on power and range On sale Now Price from £39,800

Headlight brightness set for review

NEWS

Dieselgate draws in six more car brands

A MAJOR LAWSUIT has begun that’s aimed at

THE NEWS IN NUMBERS

10 The number of new models Chinese brand

Gov’t to simplify private EV street charger installation

The Government is looking at ditching the need

Toyota’s new Century brand to take on Bentley, Rolls-Royce

TOYOTA HAS REINVENTED the ‘Century’ name as a

WHAT CAR? ON YOUTUBE

SCAN THE QR CODE TO CHECK OUT OUR LATEST VIDEOS ONLINE

COMING SOON

FAMILY CAR

ULTRA-RAPID EV CHARGERS RATED

The fastest public chargers can make for quick top-ups of electric cars. But which networks deliver the best performance?

Renault Twingo

French brand’s retro spree continues with a fresh take on a 1990s design icon On sale 2027 Price from £19,000 (est)

Porsche Macan Electric GTS

Electric sports SUV line-up expands with the most driver-focused variant yet On sale 2026 Price from £89,065

Toyota Aygo X and C-HR+

Our reader jury scrutinises Toyota’s new hybrid small car and electric family SUV

50 BEST CARS YOU DON’T HAVE TO PLUG IN

With filling stations everywhere, ever-improving efficiency and a price advantage over most plug-in rivals, petrol, diesel and conventional hybrid cars still have much in their favour. Here are our favourites

TOP FIVE

A small hatchback, a coupé, a family SUV and two seven-seaters; the five best non-plug-in cars you can buy today are about as diverse as you could possibly imagine

Champagne tastes on a beer budget

These entry-level small hatchbacks offer far more than you might expect for the money – but which one should a discerning buyer of modest means choose? Let’s find out

Land Rover Defender 110

D350 Sedona Edition

Vauxhall Grandland

Electric Ultimate

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate

E300de Urban Edition

Alfa Romeo Junior

Ibrida Intensa

Volkswagen Passat

1.5 TSI eHybrid 204 DSG Life

Mazda CX-80

2.5 e-Skyactiv PHEV AWD Homura

Tesla Model 3

Performance Dual Motor

Skoda Enyaq

This electric SUV is our newly crowned Used Car of the Year. Here’s everything you need to know about buying one

Concentrated flavours

The Hyundai i10 and Toyota Aygo X offer two very different takes on economical small car motoring, but which is the best used buy?

SMALL CARS

1 RENAULT CLIO Our pick 1.0 TCe 90

FAMILY CARS

1 TOYOTA COROLLA Our pick 1.8Hybrid Icon List

HOT HATCHES

1 MERCEDES-AMG A45 Our pick S Plus List

SMALL SUVs

1 LEXUS LBX Our pick 1.5 Premium Plus

FAMILY SUVs

1 KIA SPORTAGE Our pick 1.6 T-GDi Pure

SEVEN-SEATERS

1 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Our pick 1.6THybrid Premium

EXECUTIVE CARS

1 TESLA MODEL 3 Our pick RWD List

LUXURY CARS

1 BMW X7 Our pick xDrive40i M Sport

PLUG-IN HYBRIDS

1 MG HS Our pick 1.5T Plug-in Hybrid

ELECTRIC CARS

1 RENAULT 5 Our pick Comfort Range Techno

SMALL ELECTRIC SUVs

1 KIA EV3 Our pick 58.3kWh Air List

FAMILY ELECTRIC SUVs

1 SKODA ELROQ Our pick 85 Edition List

ESTATES

1 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Our pick 1.5 TSI eHybrid

COUPÉS/CONVERTIBLES

1 BMW 4 SERIES COUPÉ Our pick 420i

SPORTS SUVs

1 PORSCHE CAYENNE COUPÉ Our pick S List

SPORTS CARS

1 PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN Our pick GTS 4.0

PERFORMANCE CARS

1 BMW M3TOURING Our pick xDrive Competition List

WHAT CAR? DATA

STAR RATINGS ★★★★★ Outstanding ★★★★☆ Above average ★★★☆☆

456 MODELS TO CHOOSE AND SPEC?

NEW CARS THIS MONTH

Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Alpine, Aston Martin, Audi

Audi

Audi, Bentley, BMW

BMW

BMW Alpina, BYD, Chery, Chevrolet, Citroën

Citroën, Cupra

Cupra, Dacia, DS, Ferrari, Fiat

Fiat, Ford, Genesis, GWM

Honda, Hyundai

Hyundai, Ineos, Jaecoo, Jeep, KGM, Kia

Kia, Lamborghini, Land Rover

Land Rover, Leapmotor, Lexus

Lexus, Lotus, Maserati, Maxus, Mazda

Mazda, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz, MG, Mini

Mini, Nissan, Omoda, Peugeot

Peugeot, Polestar, Porsche

Porsche, Renault, Rolls-Royce, Seat

Seat, Seres, Skoda

Skoda, Skywell, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki

Suzuki, Tesla, Toyota, Vauxhall

Vauxhall, Volkswagen

Volkswagen, Volvo

Volvo, Xpeng

WHAT CAR? BRITAIN’S BIGGEST AND BEST CAR BUYER’S GUIDE

Everything you need to know every month

WHAT CAR? GONE BUT NOT FORGOT TEN

RECENT DEPARTURES FROM DATA