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Hot hatches

Toyota's big plan for the crazy Yaris M Concept and its 450bhp engine
Toyota GR Yaris M Concept - front

Toyota's big plan for the crazy Yaris M Concept and its 450bhp engine

The Yaris M Concept is the test bed for Toyota’s next-generation sports car engine
News
26 Mar 2026
Car Deal of the Day: hot Volkswagen Golf R Estate offers pace and space for £301 a month
VW Golf R Estate - front cornering

Car Deal of the Day: hot Volkswagen Golf R Estate offers pace and space for £301 a month

High performance doesn’t normally come this cheap – the Volkswagen Golf R Estate is our Deal of the Day for 25 March.
News
25 Mar 2026
Long-term test: Volkswagen Golf R
VW Golf R - face-off with the GTI Edition 50

Long-term test: Volkswagen Golf R

Final report: As flagship Golf leaves our fleet, we decide: is it the ultimate version of Mk8.5?
Long-term tests
25 Mar 2026
New Audi RS 3 Competition Limited hot hatch needs to be a very 'special' edition at £93,000
Audi RS 3 Competition Limited - front

New Audi RS 3 Competition Limited hot hatch needs to be a very 'special' edition at £93,000

The Audi RS 3 Competition Limited celebrates the brand’s iconic five-cylinder engine, but it’s extraordinarily expensive
News
10 Mar 2026
Long-term test: MINI John Cooper Works
MINI John Cooper Works - header with photography

Long-term test: MINI John Cooper Works

Final report: Photos give our man time to focus on the JCW’s looks
Long-term tests
4 Mar 2026
Three-car garage: hot Audi RS 3, SQ7 and e-tron GT for £91,000
Audi three-car garage - header image

Three-car garage: hot Audi RS 3, SQ7 and e-tron GT for £91,000

Audi is known for nailing the everyday supercar recipe, but what if you could put together a perfect three-car line-up for less than a new 630bhp RS 5…
Features
28 Feb 2026
MINI 1965 Victory Edition special celebrates iconic rally win, with stickers
MINI 1965 Victory Edition - dynamic front 3/4

MINI 1965 Victory Edition special celebrates iconic rally win, with stickers

With what is literally a stickers-and-stripes special, MINI wants to remind us it’s still sporty
News
27 Feb 2026
Car Deal of the Day: hot Volkswagen Golf R for a cool £327 per month
Volkswagen Golf R - full froint

Car Deal of the Day: hot Volkswagen Golf R for a cool £327 per month

Volkswagen’s flagship hot hatch is hard to resist on this great-value £327-a-month lease deal
News
14 Feb 2026
Skoda Fabia 130 vs MINI Cooper S: can the Czech hot hatch topple the British icon?
Skoda Fabia 130 vs MINI Cooper S - front 3/4

Skoda Fabia 130 vs MINI Cooper S: can the Czech hot hatch topple the British icon?

Skoda’s 130 special is the most powerful new Fabia you can get. How does it shape up against MINI’s Cooper S?
Car group tests
14 Feb 2026
Car Deal of the Day: 429bhp MG4 XPower is just £222 per month
MG4 EV XPower UK

Car Deal of the Day: 429bhp MG4 XPower is just £222 per month

The MG4 XPower offers explosive performance for a very low price. It’s our Deal of the Day for 13 February.
News
13 Feb 2026
New Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Fire & Ice review: plenty of purple but the price is a hurdle
Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Fire & Ice - front

New Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Fire & Ice review: plenty of purple but the price is a hurdle

The new Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Fire & Ice costs a hefty premium over the standard GTX, but you'll definitely stand out from the crowd
Road tests
5 Feb 2026
Long-term test: Honda Civic Type R
Honda Civic Type R - Civic and Golf

Long-term test: Honda Civic Type R

Final report: Type R gets a standing ovation as it bows out of the UK on a high
Long-term tests
4 Feb 2026
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What it takes to set a Nurburgring lap record, from the man who did it in a VW Golf
Richard Ingram Golf GTI opinion

What it takes to set a Nurburgring lap record, from the man who did it in a VW Golf

VW’s mission was to make the Golf GTI Edition 50 its fastest car ever around the Nordschleife – no matter what it took
Opinion
3 Feb 2026
Honda HRC could bring Type R joy to the masses
Alastair HRC opinion

Honda HRC could bring Type R joy to the masses

Alastair Crooks argues that Honda’s new performance sub-brand could rival the biggest names
Opinion
2 Feb 2026
New Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 2026 review: great to drive and easy to live with
Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 - Richard Ingram

New Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 2026 review: great to drive and easy to live with

The new Volkswagen Golf GTI is both the most powerful and most expensive GTI ever, but what's it like on the road?
Road tests
30 Jan 2026
New Abarth 600e Competizione and Turismo variants join hot EV’s line-up
Abarth 600e Competizione - front

New Abarth 600e Competizione and Turismo variants join hot EV’s line-up

The Abarth 600e gets a shake-up with new Turismo and Competizione variants
News
30 Jan 2026
The petrol hot hatch isn't dead yet! VW Golf GTI and R to live on
Volkswagen Golf GTI - front corner tracking, low

The petrol hot hatch isn't dead yet! VW Golf GTI and R to live on

Volkswagen is developing the EA888 2.0-litre turbo engine for new emissions regs, meaning new hot hatches are in the works
News
27 Jan 2026
New high-performance BYD getting ready to rumble this spring
BYD Ocean-M on display at Beijing Motor Show - front static

New high-performance BYD getting ready to rumble this spring

Chinese giant BYD is gearing up to announce new performance model within next two months, Auto Express understands
News
23 Jan 2026
Toyota GR Yaris Sébastien Ogier 9x World Champion Edition is a super-rare dream for rally fans
Toyota GR Yaris Sebastien Ogier - front static

Toyota GR Yaris Sébastien Ogier 9x World Champion Edition is a super-rare dream for rally fans

Toyota celebrates Sébastien Ogier’s 9th WRC title with special edition GR Yaris with aero tweaks and a bespoke drive mode
News
22 Jan 2026
Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 is the most expensive GTI ever
Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 - front

Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 is the most expensive GTI ever

Fastest Golf GTI to date has cracked a Nurburgring record
News
12 Jan 2026
Three-car garage: Toyota RAV4, Renault Zoe and a Hyundai i30 N for under £55,000
Three-car garage for £55k - header image

Three-car garage: Toyota RAV4, Renault Zoe and a Hyundai i30 N for under £55,000

These three cars have just gained hi-tech new alternatives, but at these prices they’re still great options
Features
12 Jan 2026
Wild Nissan Aura Nismo RS Concept previews future hot hatch
Nissan Aura Nismo RS Concept - dynamic front 3/4 in tunnel

Wild Nissan Aura Nismo RS Concept previews future hot hatch

The Aura Nismo RS Concept uses the 201bhp e-Power powertrain from the X-Trail Nismo
News
9 Jan 2026
New Honda Civic Type R concept has us yearning for a UK comeback
Honda Civic Type R concept car - front

New Honda Civic Type R concept has us yearning for a UK comeback

New Honda Prelude S+ Shift technology is coming to the Civic
News
9 Jan 2026
A new Renault Clio RS isn’t likely, but this hot hatch might fill that gap
Clio Renaultsport 200 EDC Lux badge

A new Renault Clio RS isn’t likely, but this hot hatch might fill that gap

Strict emissions rules are strangling the business case for a modern-day version of the Clio RS
News
9 Jan 2026
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New Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR is an ultra-hot hatch with Nürburgring roots
Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR - front 3/4

New Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR is an ultra-hot hatch with Nürburgring roots

Only 100 examples of fearsome hot hatch are earmarked for Europe, with another 100 to be sold in Japan
News
9 Jan 2026
Hot Kia EV3 GT gets 288bhp and all-wheel-drive
Kia EV3 GT - front

Hot Kia EV3 GT gets 288bhp and all-wheel-drive

Flagship GT will offer more power, more driven wheels and a few sporty design elements
News
9 Jan 2026
New Skoda Fabia 130 2026 review: a likeable warm hatch, but it’s no vRS
Skoda Fabia 130 - front tracking

New Skoda Fabia 130 2026 review: a likeable warm hatch, but it’s no vRS

The new 130 is the hottest Fabia we’ve seen in a while, but it’s also one of the most expensive
Road tests
29 Dec 2025
Nissan Micra Nismo hot hatch due as brand takes walk on the wild side
NIssan Micra Nismo exclusive image

Nissan Micra Nismo hot hatch due as brand takes walk on the wild side

A hot Nissan Micra would leverage the work done for the closely-related Alpine A290, and our exclusive image previews how it could look
News
16 Dec 2025
Volkswagen Golf R32 vs Alfa Romeo 147 GTA: retro V6 hot hatch battle
Volkswagen Golf R32 vs Alfa Romeo 147 GTA - front 3/4

Volkswagen Golf R32 vs Alfa Romeo 147 GTA: retro V6 hot hatch battle

The Volkswagen Golf R32 and Alfa Romeo 147 GTA each took a different approach to the big-engined hot-hatch formula. But which is king – Teutonic titan…
Car group tests
6 Dec 2025
Peugeot GTi masterplan revealed as boss rules out hot SUVs
Peugeot E-208 GTI

Peugeot GTi masterplan revealed as boss rules out hot SUVs

Peugeot boss Alain Favey is rebooting GTi – and we ask him if SUVs and hybrids will follow the hot E-208
News
5 Dec 2025
Abarth 500 could gain hot petrol variant
Abarth 500e - front

Abarth 500 could gain hot petrol variant

Latest Fiat 500 Hybrid could pave the way for a new generation of combustion-engined hot hatchbacks
News
26 Nov 2025
New Cupra Leon VZ review: Spanish brand’s most fun hot hatch yet
New Cupra Leon VZ - front 3/4

New Cupra Leon VZ review: Spanish brand’s most fun hot hatch yet

The new Cupra Leon VZ produces 320bhp with plenty of grip and agility
Road tests
25 Nov 2025
Best used hot hatchbacks to buy 2026
Best used hot hatchbacks - header image

Best used hot hatchbacks to buy 2026

Our picks for the best used hot hatchbacks in the UK
Best cars & vans
19 Nov 2025
New track-ready Cupra Leon VZ TCR hot hatch has 321bhp and no back seats, if you like
CUPRA Leon VZ TCR and CUPRA Leon VZ - front and rear

New track-ready Cupra Leon VZ TCR hot hatch has 321bhp and no back seats, if you like

The limited-edition hot hatch has been inspired by Cupra’s championship-winning Leon touring car racer
News
13 Nov 2025
The scariest cars we've ever driven
Scariest cars we've ever driven - header image, 2025

The scariest cars we've ever driven

The Auto Express team have cast their minds back to the scariest cars they’ve had to endure
Best cars & vans
31 Oct 2025
Audi RS 3 review
Audi RS 3 Sportback - front

Audi RS 3 review

The latest Audi RS 3 is a sensational hot hatch with a powertrain to match, but the interior could be more premium at this price point
In-depth reviews
15 Oct 2025
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