Autocar

Autocar is the car nut’s weekly fix, delivering you a unique mix of the latest news, opinion, features, first drives of new cars and in-depth road tests – all complemented by the best photography in the business. No other magazine covers the subject you love with such enthusiasm, insight and quality every week of the year. Autocar stands for the highest quality in car journalism – and is rewarded with access to the best new cars and the biggest news stories before any of the opposition which we share with you, our readers, every week.

AUTOCAR ARCHIVE

IT’S TIME McLAREN PUT ITS CARDS ON THE TABLE

Meanwhile, online…

NEUE KLASSE 4 SERIES TO GET PETROL, EV AND M4 • BMW will cover all bases with upcoming rakish alternative to 3 Series

SLEEKER SUVs ON THE WAY

ID POLO REVEALS VW’S NEW-ERA CABIN DESIGN • Sub-£22k EV brings back physical controls and raises perceived quality

SKODA INSIDERS KEEN TO BRING BACK FABIA vRS

TWINGO-BASED NISSAN WAVE TO TAP RETRO LOOK • New Renault-twinned electric city car will draw on design of Pike models

TWO-SEAT SMART #2 DUE THIS YEAR

RENAULT BOSS BACKS 4x4 R4

MITSUBISHI TEES UP UK CARS

MERCEDES DESIGN CHIEF WAGENER TO LEAVE FIRM • The man who has defined the brand’s look will quit this month after 28 years

FORD CALLS FOR UK TO FOLLOW EU IN EV ROLLBACK

WAGENER’S GREATEST HITS

IT’S GOOD TO TALK – ESPECIALLY FOR VEHICLES

‘UNBELIEVABLE OFFERS’ IN STORE FOR BUYERS IN 2026 • Experts predict a strong buyers’ market this year, particularly for EVs

Unfinished business

BENTLEY URBAN EV SHAPES UP •  Crewe’s first electric car sheds chunky camouflage as production nears

BYD PRIMES PLUG-IN HYBRID SUPERMINI

Steve Cropley

Matt Prior

Damien Smith

THE ILLUSION OF CHOICE

YOUR VIEWS

Next week’s issue • ON SALE 14 JANUARY

Autocar

Accelerate into 2026 with 3 ISSUES FOR £3! • Here’s a resolution you’ll want to keep: spend more time doing something you love – catching up on the latest insights and road tests in Autocar magazine.

SKODA FABIA 130 • Mk4 supermini gets warmed up for winter

CUPRA LEON VZ • Cupra celebrates racing success with 321bhp special-edition hot hatch

XPENG G6 • New battery and 451kW charging among 20,000 claimed developments

KIA EV5 • Newcomer aims to convert legions of Sportage fans to electric motoring

AUDI Q3 • Big-selling small SUV has a new look. Does it have a new purpose too?

Testing, testing

NEW CARS 2026 • Our special report on more than 150 star new arrivals this year covers everything from a city car renaissance to a £1.8m V12 British hypercar

EXECUTIVE SHOWDOWN • Mid-sized saloons from BMW and Mercedes will make their greatest leaps in a generation – while batting off an ever-larger array of rivals

PERFORMANCE HEROES • Electrification has made power cheap, forcing sports car makers to knuckle down on those intangibles that foster driver engagement

MICRO MACHINES • For years we were told small cars had become uneconomical to make and couldn’t easily be electrified. Now it seems that wasn’t entirely true

HOT HATCH REVIVAL • Who said the everyday performance car is dead? Here’s a whole new generation of souped-up family runarounds for us to look forward to

THE LUXURY OF SILENCE • The posh EV market tanked and many brands pushed back their plans in response – but time marches on, and the ICE age won’t last forever…

GREEN ON GREEN LANES • Electric motors are ideal for mud-pluggers, with their enormous, linear and finely controlled torque – and plenty are now taking advantage

MAKE OR BREAK FOR VW • Wolfsburg is back in its...