Dive deep into the world of cars with our best features of 2025
Our car feature highlights of 2025 show what an exciting and varied year it’s been…
Features are a chance for the Auto Express team to get behind the headlines for a deep dive into the interesting issues that shape the car industry. In 2025 we pulled out all the stops and delivered some outstanding tests, investigations and pieces of analysis that kept you informed.
Below we’ve assembled our feature highlights of the year from our giant car infotainment test, to our coverage of the part-worn tyre scandal, our Chinese car special and the results of the 2025 Driver Power survey where you told us about the cars you own. We crammed a lot into 12 months and are already looking forward to doing the same in 2026.
January
25 superstar cars for 2025
While this list will suggest otherwise, here at Auto Express we mostly like to look forward, not backwards. That’s why we started this year as we do any other, by picking out our 25 star cars for 2025.
Back in January, we teed up the most exciting models due this year, from the Citroen C5 Aircross and Nissan Leaf, to the Audi Q3 and Fiat Grande Panda. Also included was the car that would ultimately be crowned Auto Express Car of the Year at our annual New Car Awards bash in July: the multi-talented Skoda Elroq.
Many of the models we picked out have had repeated coverage in the pages of Auto Express over the course of the past 12 months. Whether that’s to announce their transformation from concept to production car, to reveal first specifications, prices, or our first impressions behind the wheel, our look ahead revealed all we knew about the 25 most important cars for 2025.
At the time, we suggested that EVs would “remain the primary focus” for many makers, blissfully unaware of how the market would mature. Fast-forward 12 months and we’ve seen several brands row back on plans to go electric-only, with many re-animating their ICE and hybrid plans.
Almost all of the models we touted for 2025 have now hit the road, although we are still waiting for a couple – chiefly the Cupra Raval and VW ID. Polo twins – to be revealed in full.
Cadillac has yet to make in-roads into Europe; the all-electric Lyriq SUV is due here soon, but news of exactly where or when has fallen quiet.
However, one of the cars on the list is still yet to break cover, and if truth be told, it’s the one we had our greatest reservations about back in January. Not helped by a huge cyber-attack in the summer, Jaguar’s reinvention is no closer to being defined than it was this time last year. The firm showed its four-door GT concept again at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and just last week we had our first hands-on experience of the prototype, but timescales are sliding on this crucial model.
The same cannot be said of MG, which featured in our list with its as-then-unnamed successor to the ZS EV. It materialised as the MGS5, after which the maker launched three further electric cars, plus a handful of additional variants; the British-born Chinese brand continues to climb to previously unseen heights.
We’ll be looking ahead to 2026 in January. But will that Jaguar be any closer to production?
iDrive puts function ahead of spectacle
The BMW iDrive infotainment system has been one of the tech class leaders ever since it launched back in 2001. So when the maker teed up an all-new version, and one that will be the face of its entertainment offering for years to come, we couldn’t wait to try it out.
The new digital instrument cluster, 17.9-inch central touchscreen display, multifunction steering wheel and head-up display work together for an immersive experience. Our first taste on a virtual-reality rig was positive. “It’s clear the brand hasn’t sacrificed ergonomics for spectacle”, we said.
February
Which infotainment passed the screen test?
One of the biggest complaints we hear from readers of Auto Express, is that the technology in their cars is too complicated, distracting, or a bit of both. So to confirm your findings, or put any myths to rest, we assembled 10 cars from 10 different manufacturers, to see which offered the most intuitive (and less distracting) infotainment systems.
Our team of testers, who had varying levels of experience with new-car tech, were asked to complete tasks such as turning off the lane-keep assist system, selecting ‘home’ on the in-built sat-nav, and raising the cabin temperature by two degrees. Seemingly simple jobs such as switching on the heated seats and tuning the stereo to BBC Radio 4 were also included.
On top of all that, we also assessed the voice- recognition systems in the various cars, using pre-determined phrases such as “What’s the weather like today?” or “Where’s the nearest fuel station?” Every task was undertaken at a set speed and under test conditions on closed roads.
In order to rank the distraction factor, we took an average of our three drivers’ task times, producing a single representative ‘distraction time’ for each of the 10 models. The results, while not quite unanimous, crowned the latest Skoda Superb as the car with the most intuitive controls, with it coming first or second in half of the predefined tests. Our judges hailed the Czech saloon as the overall champion with “no real areas for criticism”.
The Mercedes E-Class, MINI Countryman and Volvo EC40 are also worthy of a mention. A mix of slow process speeds, temperamental responses and unintuitive menus relegated Ford, Peugeot and Genesis to eighth, ninth and 10th places respectively.
What we did discover, however, is that certain individuals “respond differently to particular systems”. The upshot is that if you’re going to spend the next two or three years driving a car day in, day out, it’s essential to try out he infotainment system before you buy. That’s the only real way to ensure you won’t be unduly distracted and end up putting yourself or other road users at risk.
BMW M starts popular Fast Brands features
We kicked off our popular Fast Brands series in February with a deep dive into the past, present and future of BMW M. The sub-brand, whose roots were in motorsport, is now one of the world’s most famous performance-car producers.
We headed to Munich to catch up with M’s head of engineering, drool over its back-catalogue and drive the latest M5 Touring. It was so successful, we’ve since covered everything from Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division to Mercedes-AMG, plus everything in between…
March
New vs used
In March we listed our best ‘New vs Used’ buys – the latter of which have rarely been as tempting, due to the continued crashing of second-hand car prices. We didn’t just show the best buys category by category, but also shared tips on how to get the most from your new (or used) purchase, with a step-by-step guide of how to make sure you get the best price possible while avoiding pitfalls. Did you end up securing your own second-hand star? We’d love to know!
April
The brit awards on four wheels
What is the state of the British car industry in 2025? Our special took a deep dive into where all our favourite brands are heading, and why any rumours of the UK losing its way are totally unfounded. We looked at the country’s thriving car factories, starting with Nissan’s Sunderland plant, which is making huge strides when it comes to world-class EV production – both of the cars and their batteries.
It’ll be here that the new Leaf and Juke EV will be built in 2026, with Nissan working to localise as much of the manufacturing as possible to keep the cradle-to-grave carbon footprint lean. In subsequent months, the Government’s electric car grant was announced, incentivising exactly this type of thinking; as it transpired, the new Leaf will be eligible for the full £3,750 grant.
We also headed to Crewe to catch up with Bentley’s fresh ‘dream factory’, where it’ll build a new all-electric SUV. Being a Bentley, the standards for aspects such as its paint quality, interior finish, woodwork and craftsmanship must work alongside cutting-edge manufacturing technology. As we found out, combining these elements is something only the UK and its talent pool could pull off – now we just need to see the car it’ll build!
One of the UK’s most glamorous manufacturers, Aston Martin, was also given the chance to lay out its future, and why it’s approaching electrification with gusto. Its sports-car models have yet to adopt this tech, but its new carbon-fibre hypercar, the Valhalla, is a different beast. With this, Aston plans to show Ferrari and Lamborghini a thing or two about how to build hybrid halo models.
Finally, we counted down the 50 best British cars ever, and crowned what might be not only the UK’s finest moment, but also the greatest car of all time. Trawling through all the team’s favourite memories with everything from the McLaren F1 to the Ford Cortina, we hailed a true icon: the original Mini.
To celebrate, we took it back to its spiritual home in Oxford, where the Cowley plant continues to supply the world with petrol-powered MINI models. We brought two of its relatives along to see how much the brand has changed over the years, and why the charm and innovation seen on that original is still clear in the new-age model that continues to be so popular to this day.
Behind the scenes at Hyundai’s N division
We continued our ‘Fast Brands’ series in April with a focus on Hyundai’s fast-rising N division. We already knew it as a company capable of building special road cars, but a look behind the scenes showed this road and motorsport outfit as an example of how quickly a brand can set itself up to produce world-class performance cars.
Most exciting of all? The promise it shows for petrolheads well into the EV era – its Ioniq 5 N (and forthcoming Ioniq 6 N) set a new benchmark for fast and focused EVs.
Part-worn tyres: cheap or chancy?
The Auto Express consumer team investigated second-hand tyre dealers to ascertain whether it was a good idea to buy used rubber. The benefits might be obvious – lower costs being the main one – but what about the pitfalls? Tyre age, not just the wear, is a key concern and we found not every retailer is following the rules and providing safe rubber. If you need new tyres but are on a budget, make sure to follow our top tips.
May
Manual models are an endangered species
Auto Express proved the death of the manual gearbox isn't a petrolhead conspiracy theory, after data we collected showed that a dwindling number of cars are still available with three pedals.
At the time of writing, there were just 96 models on sale with a manual transmission, which represented less than a fifth of the cars in showrooms now, compared to three years ago when almost a third of all models were available as a manual. But there are several reasons for this decline, not just the rise of EVs.
Hydro is top product as Tom takes helm
Our Car Product Awards help readers to pick the very best kit for their car. This year, the overall winner was the Hydro V2 Spray Bottle, which doesn’t sound particularly sexy, but one thing our testing team noted is that it’s great to use with snow foam, making it ideal for the many motorists who don’t own a pressure washer.
These were also the first awards handed out by our new products editor, Tom Barnard, who was handed the reins by Kim Adams after more than 25 years at Auto Express.
Your EV could power your house and more
Those big battery packs electric cars use are good for more than getting you to the shops and back. Bi-directional charging is the tech that can turn an EV into essentially a giant powerbank that can run small electric appliances, store and send energy back to the grid, top up another EV and even power an entire house.
We found only a limited number of EVs boast bi-directional charging abilities, but it should become more common now it’s billed as one of the key sustainable future energy solutions.
June
Lotus boss plays down worries
This year hasn’t been a good one for Lotus. The brand’s EV rebirth hasn’t been going to plan for some time now, and it’s now desperately trying to work hybrid power to its line-up.
In June, we spoke to the then-managing director Matt Windle, who left the role last month. He acknowledged that sales hadn’t grown at the rate Lotus wanted.
But Windle also said that he was still excited by the opportunity the brand had. “We’ve got the best products in our history, for technology, for quality,” he told us.
Mercedes GLE tops Driver Power 2025
The Auto Express team tests hundreds of cars each year and covers thousands of miles to find out everything we possibly can about them. But you, our incredible readers, are the only people who really know what these cars are like to live with, how reliable they truly are, how much they cost to maintain, or if all of the wheels spontaneously fall off after 12,000 miles.
And that’s why we’ve been collecting owners’ feedback for 25 years with the Driver Power New Car Survey, using your real-world experience to create our list of the top 50 best cars to own, and the best car manufacturers. Many thousands of motorists filled out the survey once again this year, and we say a big thank you to all those who did.
This year’s survey included 10 categories covering every facet of the ownership experience, and after we crunched all the numbers for all the cars, the verdict was the Mercedes GLE is the best car to own. It won by a landslide too, topping the table in an astonishing six categories, coming second in two more, and third in another, with owners praising the large premium SUV’s overall quality, ride and handling, and style.
The previous-generation Vauxhall Grandland came in second place, with top-notch scores in five categories; owners complemented the design and interior of later facelifted models, plus the mid-size SUV’s practicality.
Taking the third spot on the podium was the latest Vauxhall Astra. One of Britain’s favourite family cars scooped an impressive roster of six top fives and four top 10s in the various categories. Its greatest triumph was first place in the ride and handling category. Fourth place went to the Ford Kuga and fifth was the Mercedes C-Class.
Meanwhile, Subaru topped the Driver Power brands list for the second year in a row, finishing first in an incredible seven out of our 10 categories, with top scores in ride and handling, plus quality and reliability. The only blemish on Subaru’s scoresheet was running costs.
Mercedes finished second in the rankings, followed by Lexus in third, Vauxhall in fourth and Land Rover completing the top five.
Debate over our fave hot Fords
The back catalogue of fast Fords is one of the most illustrious and diverse in the motoring world, and our team had trouble whittling it down to our best 10. Obviously the Le Mans-winning, Ferrari-humiliating GT40 made the list, as well as the rally-bred RS200 and wild-spoilered Escort RS Cosworth.
The even more powerful Mk2 Focus RS with its bulging wheelarches featured of course, along with the brilliant-to-drive Fiesta ST hot hatch. Now you understand why no one could agree!
July
Elroq on top in new car honours
Following on from the excellent Citroen e-C3’s win in 2024, in July the automotive industry stopped to find out what would be crowned the Auto Express Car of the Year in 2025. As ever, it was a tall order to pick a single winner from a year that’s given us plenty of fantastic new cars in so many segments.
The Kia Picanto beat 2024’s winner, the Hyundai i10, to claim victory as the City Car of the Year. Then there was the Honda Civic Type R, bowing out ahead of its last year on sale with a well deserved win as 2025’s champion Hot Hatch.
BMW must have been happy with its showing because the 2 Series won Coupe of the Year, the 5 Series won Premium Hybrid of the Year, and the X3 took the Mid-size Premium SUV of the Year award. The wonderful iX even secured two wins, taking home the prize for Large Premium SUV and Premium Electric Car of the Year.
At the top end of the award categories, the venerable Bentley Flying Spur won the Luxury Car of the Year title and the mind-blowing McLaren Artura secured the coveted Performance Car of the Year prize.
As for the big one, there were plenty of contenders. The Renault 4 and 5 EVs won Small SUV of the Year and Affordable Electric Car of the Year respectively, and were in with a shout. Then there was the Fiat Grande Panda, which we love thanks to its design, drive and price, crowning it Supermini of the Year for 2025.
But in the end, our judges were unanimous, awarding Auto Express Car of the Year 2025 to the Skoda Elroq. Condensing much of what made its Enyaq sister great into a smaller, more affordable package, the Elroq was a tough act to beat. Cabin fit and finish is impressive and overall comfort and refinement are up there with the best in its class.
Then there’s the technical stuff. The entry-level Elroq is fitted with a 52kWh battery for 233 miles of range, but switch to the 59kWh unit and you’ll get 265 miles per charge, or the 77kWh option delivers 355 miles. There’s even a vRS version with 335bhp and dual-motor all-wheel drive.
Skoda’s success didn’t end with the outright win, either. The Octavia dominated the Family Car of the Year category, the Superb Estate won Estate Car of the Year, and the Kodiaq took Large SUV of the Year. Our overall champion also secured the Mid-size SUV of the Year title. What a year for the Czech brand.
Bargain EV mega-test
Back in July, we gathered together six electric superminis to find out which went furthest on a charge. We could have had long-distance cruisers like the Tesla Model 3 and Volkswagen ID.7 but not having to worry about stopping to charge every few hours should apply to all EV buyers, not just those looking for more expensive cars.
The models we tested were the Renault 5, BYD Dolphin Surf, Fiat Grande Panda, Hyundai Inster, Dacia Spring, and the Leapmotor T03. Our route was a mix of motorway, rural and urban driving – making sure the cars had a realistic trip. The figures were fascinating.
The Hyundai went furthest, managing 184 miles, but only offered a middling 3.8 miles per kWh. Then there was the BYD, which covered 168 miles at a slightly better 3.9mi/kWh. The Renault topped 143 miles – only one mile more than the Leapmotor, on 142. Fifth was the Fiat, at 134 miles. The Dacia had the smallest battery and its 109 miles range was shortest, but it was also most efficient at 4.4mi/kWh.
August
We name 100 best cars on sale now
Our list of the 100 best cars on sale showed just how competitive the new-car market is right now. Finding 10 cars to fill 10 different categories might sound easy, but we had a tough time picking our favourites – from small cars to luxury models. We also selected a host of cracking second-hand alternatives from the Auto Express Buy a Car service.
We were confident that any of the 100 cars would serve as inspiration to anyone asking us that perennial question: “Which car should I buy next?”
Fast Brands: Merc-AMG in the spotlight
In the sixth edition of our ‘Fast Brands’ series, we took a deep dive into the history of Mercedes-AMG, with one eye on its future, too. We sent consumer reporter Tom Jervis to AMG’s headquarters in Affalterbach, Germany, to get the full story.
After checking out ‘Red Pig’, which was AMG’s first race car – based on the 300 SEL saloon – we had a go in the thunderous SLS Black and the brutish AMG GT. We learned that while the engines have defined every AMG model to date, its “rock ‘n’ roll” EV future shouldn’t be dismissed.
Pirelli pips rivals to triumph in tyre test
Buying new tyres is an incredibly important and often undervalued part of car ownership. After all, they’re the only part of the car that makes contact with the road.
Choosing the right tyre is crucial, not just for safety, but for efficiency, performance and refinement, too. We checked all these attributes and more during our summer tyre test, and out of our nine entries, it was the pricey but exceptionally capable Pirelli P Zero that scored the best overall.
September
Dieselgate scandal: a decade further on
September marked 10 years since the ‘Dieselgate’ scandal began. Between 2008 and 2015, Volkswagen Group fitted cars with ‘defeat devices’ to dupe emissions tests. The fallout saw the public lose trust in diesel cars, from all brands; the popularity of the fuel has slumped since, and market share is forecast to fall as low as two per cent by 2028. By 2035, it will disappear completely as the UK moves to EV-only new-car sales.
Towcar awards see Passat scoop gold
We went caravan crazy in September and joined forces with the Caravan and Motorhome Club to crown our Towcar of the Year for 2026. We had all sorts to test over four days at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire; key parameters such as payloads, handling, practicality and efficiency helped us narrow down the best vehicle to pair with your beloved home from home.
There are more EVs for sale than ever before, and many of them tout an ability for towing. We included our widest variety of pure-electric models ever in this year’s test; as well as the Volkswagen ID. Buzz and the humongous Kia EV9, we had our recently crowned Premium SUV of the Year, the BMW iX.
A common theme with the EVs was their significant (and instant) torque, which was useful on uphill sections of our test route. A combination of the BMW’s 537bhp output, refined ride and 426-mile (trailer-free!) range meant it was the clear winner in its category.
Plug-in hybrids are a great base for a towcar because not only do they offer that same electric punch, they also mix a long range with the ability to cover chunky motorway journeys using the back-up petrol engine. The Volvo XC90 T8 beat all-comers in the shape of the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid and Range Rover Sport P550e, making light work of even the heaviest caravan we could find.
The Volkswagen Multivan won the Large Family Towcar award for the fourth year in a row – proving you don’t necessarily need an SUV to do the job. Its massive 3,672-litre maximum loadspace also means you don’t need to store unnecessary clobber in the caravan, and while we tested it in petrol form, we reckon the diesel model would have been even better.
The Bentley Bentayga and Isuzu D-Max represented the two ends of our towcar spectrum, but each impressed in its own right. The former scooped Best luxury Towcar, while the latter took home the Best Pick-up. The Best Family Towcar? That went to the impressive Volkswagen Passat, which also secured the overall Towcar of the Year award.
The Passat impressed us with its tidy folding tow hook and excellent trailer-manoeuvring system, while the huge boot of the estate-only Volkswagen was another big plus. Capping off our trailer-pulling extravaganza we decided to find out how well EVs stack up in the real world. Our route from Bristol to Land’s End saw the otherwise excellent EV9’s 287-mile predicted range fall to 150 miles.
October
Are today’s cars getting too big?
Are cars getting too big? We reported that the bloating effect on models of all shapes and sizes has been exacerbated by the rise in SUVs. But there’s concern about whether this is a risk for our march towards decarbonisation and improving safety. For a physical demonstration, we compared the external dimensions and internal accommodation of two Fiats separated by 50 years – and found that cars are just far less space-efficient than they used to be.
Chinese car special – all the brands new to the UK
One massive shift in the new-car market in 2025 has been the influx of Chinese brands keen to snap up valuable market share in the UK; the effect has been so bewildering that it’s been tough to keep up with who’s who. So, in an attempt to clear the air we decided on a Chinese-car deep dive to establish which brands are worth a look, and those that aren’t.
The cornerstone of our special was the Chinese Power List, ranking all of the brands – whether they wear a new Chinese badge or not – that we think are making the biggest impact in the UK.
BYD, with its colossal scale and the speed with which it is launching new models, was a strong runner-up, with our study revealing the company’s plans for European domination across all segments – not just the mainstream.
But it was MG that topped our list. Already a brand that has multiple models in the UK’s top-seller lists, it has launched no fewer than four new cars in 2025 alone. But it’s about more than just scale – as we reported, MG’s integration into the British automotive sector, whether it be through its Longbridge Research and Development facility or the Marylebone design centre, has driven its success. Rather than simply relying on the brand awareness that comes with the MG logo, the Chinese maker has created a new era of MG in its own right.
But can the Chinese offer something the established mainstream can’t? One area that these companies appear to be doubling-down on is that of the hybrid SUV. This part of the new-car market has skyrocketed in recent years, and has expanded into lots of different forms – far beyond something resembling the humble Toyota RAV4.
In order to find out what these cars were really capable of, and in typically British weather conditions, we took five new offerings to see what they were like to drive, and to find out exactly how efficient they were. Although some, such as the Haval Jolyon Pro, left a sour taste, the MG HS and BYD Seal U DM-i impressed us. Watch out Europe – the Chinese aren’t prepared to wait!
November
Used Car Award stars named
Every year, we announce not only the winners of our New Car Awards, but also those that deserve special attention as sterling second-hand buys. Last month, we declared the winners of our 2025 Used Car Awards, acknowledging almost 100 models across 19 different classes.
The small-car categories saw models such as the Fiat 500e, Skoda Fabia and Hyundai Ioniq triumph, while the Vauxhall Insignia and Skoda Octavia took the top gongs in our Best Used Family Car and Best Used Estate Car categories, respectively. The seven-seat Dacia Jogger was our favourite Used MPV.
SUVs continue to win the hearts and minds of the British public, and we declared there are no finer used examples than the Ford Puma, Dacia Duster and Kia Sorento. The BMW 3 Series took the Best Used Compact Exec crown and the Jaguar I-Pace EV won best Best Used Executive Car, while our Best Used Luxury Car award for 2025 went to the Audi A8. Hugely expensive to buy when new, it lost thousands the moment it left the showroom, making it a fantastic second-hand choice.
MINI and Mercedes took home silverware in the Best Used Convertible and Best Used Coupe categories, while the evergreen Porsche 911 scooped the Best Used Sports Car crown. The Ford Fiesta ST romped to victory in the Best Used Hot Hatchback category, courtesy of a unanimous decision from our judges.
The only car to win two classes was the Jaguar I-Pace, which added the Best Used Electric Car prize to its Best Executive gong. The previous-generation Toyota Yaris won the Best Used Hybrid Car accolade, while the Ford Transit Custom was crowned Best Used Van.
But there could only be one overall winner, and for 2025 we announced the BMW 3 Series as our Used Car of the Year. Our judges said: “The 3 Series is celebrating its 50th birthday, but it’s as good today as it’s been over any of the previous five decades.”
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