BEST MILD HYBRIDS

WELCOME May 2025

56 You’re spoilt for choice when it comes

MG S5 EV

Replacement for the ZS EV sharpens MG’s challenge at the affordable end of the electric SUV market On sale Now Price from £28,495

Dacia Bigster

Romanian brand’s largest model yet is a family SUV with a small SUV price tag and the option of hybrid power On sale May Price from £24,995

BMW iX

Refresh for BMW’s range-topping electric SUV includes larger batteries and faster charging On sale Now Price from £75,315

Tesla Model Y

Promised improvements to ride and refinement aim to make Tesla’s best-selling car stronger than ever On sale June Price from £44,990

Skoda Enyaq

Sensible electric family SUV gets a nip and tuck to keep it in touch with younger competition On sale Now Price from £39,000

Land Rover Defender Octa

Mighty V8-powered SUV has the power and equipment to demolish the roughest terrain On sale Now Price from £145,300

Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida

Italian brand’s smallest SUV gets a mild hybrid petrol engine option On sale Now Price from £27,895

Skoda Elroq

This electric SUV has already impressed us in range-topping form, but are the cheaper versions just as good? On sale Now Price from £31,500

NEXT MONTH

ON SALE 15 MAY

Road repair spend must be revealed

Councils told to spell out how they’re using their share of a £1.6bn road maintenance fund, or lose some of it

More pick-up trucks reclassified as cars

It’s not just double cabs that have been

WHAT CAR? ON YOUTUBE

SCAN THE QR CODE TO CHECK OUT OUR

THE NEWS IN NUMBERS

45% Drop in Tesla sales in Europe

A new Toyota Land Cruiser

A new Toyota Land Cruiser is set to

InstaVolt opens UK’s largest rapid EV charging hub

INSTAVOLT HAS OPENED the UK’s largest rapid public

Mercedes-Benz CLA

EXECUTIVE CAR

Leapmotor C10 REEV

New family SUV employs range-extender EV technology in pursuit of fuel economy On sale Late 2025 Price from £36,500 (est)

Nissan Micra

Reborn small hatch goes electric and shares underpinnings with the Renault 5 On sale Late 2025 Price from £23,000 (est)

Toyota C-HR+

Family SUV line-up grows with a new, larger, electric model that’s closely related to the bZ4X On sale Winter Price from £42,000 (est)

Peugeot 408 Hybrid

New entry-level petrol engine has electrical assistance to bring an improvement in fuel economy On sale Now Price from £34,265

BMW 3 Series

Long-running executive saloon is reinvented with the option of a fully electric version On sale 2026 Price from £45,000 (est)

TIPS ON TAKING YOUR CAR ABROAD

Planning a motoring holiday in Europe this year? It’s worth doing some preparation beforehand to ensure your trip goes smoothly

PUBLIC EV CHARGERS: STATED RATES VERSUS REALITY

Drivers of electric cars often find that public rapid chargers deliver power much slower than their advertised pak rate. We find out why and put some to the test

Ford Puma Gen-E

Will this new small electric SUV be a hit like its petrol sibling? Let’s see what some of our readers think of it

Commuting a sentence

With the daily urban melee as our testing ground, we find out if the cheapest electric cars can still take the misery out of getting to work

West meets East

Chinese models are really starting to make their presence felt in the UK, selling on merit as well as price. Let’s see which of these plug-in hybrid family SUVs makes the most sense for British buyers

BEST PLUG-IN HYBRIDS

Top up their batteries regularly and these models promise a high proportion of electric-only running

BEST REGULAR HYBRIDS

These models can nip along for a while on pure electric power, with no need to ever be plugged in

HYBRIDS COMING SOON

If none of our recommended hybrids is right for you, one of these upcoming models might suit better

HYBRIDS COMING SOON

SUMMER 2025 Audi A5 The first

Suzuki Swift

1.2 Mild Hybrid Ultra

Volvo EC40

Single Motor Extended Range Plus

Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer

Electric Ultimate

Skoda Kodiaq

1.5 TSI 150 e-TEC SE L (7 Seats)

BYD Seal

390kW Excellence AWD

Peugeot e-208

51kWh GT

Mini Countryman E

Exclusive Level 2

Renault Scenic

Long Range Iconic

BMW i4

If you’re after a classy alternative to a Tesla Model 3, this slick German electric saloon fits the bill

The old razzle dazzle

It takes a certain something to stand out in the small SUV crowd, and these two shine in their own different ways. We find out which is the best used buy

‘We’ve got Best Buys for every need’

THE WHAT CAR? TEAM

SMALL CARS

1 RENAULT CLIO Our pick 1.0

FAMILY CARS

1 TOYOTA COROLLA Our pick

HOT HATCHES

1 MERCEDES-AMG A45 Our pick

SMALL SUVs

1 LEXUS LBX Our pick 1.5

FAMILY SUVs

1 KIA SPORTAGE Our pick 1.6

SEVEN-SEATERS

1 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Our pick 1.6THybrid

EXECUTIVE CARS

1 TESLA MODEL 3 Our pick

LUXURY CARS

1 BMW X7 Our pick xDrive40i

ELECTRIC CARS

1 RENAULT 5 Our pick 52kWh

SMALL ELECTRIC SUVs

1 KIA EV3 Our pick Standard

FAMILY ELECTRIC SUVs

1 SKODA ELROQ Our pick 85

ESTATES

1 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Our pick 1.5

COUPÉS/CONVERTIBLES

1 BMW 4 SERIES Our pick

SPORTS SUVs

1 PORSCHE CAYENNE COUPÉ Our pick

SPORTS CARS

1 PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN Our pick

PERFORMANCE CARS

1 BMW M3TOURING Our pick xDrive

DATA

Our A-Zof new cars lists every model on sale, including all the important data and our road test verdicts

NEW CARS THIS MONTH

446 MODELS TO CHOOSE AND SPEC

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

RECENT DEPARTURES FROM DATA