Top Car

How much does it cost to charge an electric car?

Of course, the prices vary, but with the grant, you can expect to pay around £400 for a home charger. The not-so-good news is that the government pulled the plug on the funding for this scheme for home-owners who reside in single-unit properties (bungalows, detached, semi-detached and terraced housing) in April 2022. As a result, you’re now only eligible for the grant if you’re the owner of a flat or apartment with dedicated off-street parking or live in rented accommodation (and have the landlord’s permission). If you live in Scotland, bear in mind that the authorities there will add an…

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Volvo S90, XC40 PHEV and Cross Country estates axed in UK

Volvo has removed four models from UK dealerships as it “consolidates” its line-up in the run-up towards going all-electric in 2030. The Volvo V60 Cross Country estate, Volvo V90 Cross Country estate, Volvo S90 saloon and Volvo XC40 Recharge PHEV crossover can no longer be ordered from the factory. The Swedish manufacturer cited reductions in sales volumes and its electrification programme as reasons for their retirements.  The firm said it had no immediate plans to phase out the regular V90 and V60 estates, though. Autocar has approached Volvo for current sales figures for each model. In 2016, the Cross Country version of the Volvo S60 saloon was axed…

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BMW M3 CS Review (2023)

The front seats are M Carbon buckets, though they are electrically adjustable, a point that Hacker uses to highlight again that this is not an M3 devoid of creature comforts. To that end, and unlike in the M4 CSL, the rear bench remains intact.  In total around 15% of the car has been changed over the M3 Competition (although the price has gone up by 35%, to an eye-watering £115,900), Hacker saying this is not a better M3 but a different flavour of the M3, one in dynamic positioning terms that settles nicely between the M3 Competition and M4 CSL.…

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From the archive: on this day in 2000

As the US giant revealed 10 bold concept cars after the millennium, we flew over to try the most significant.  Having bought the budding Hummer brand from military-machinery maker AM General, GM crafted a smaller, more stylish mega-SUV, which was “the most fun to drive and thrilling to be in” of our quintet.  We hoped that the H2 would stay faithful to this “remarkable” concept, and indeed it did, selling well from 2002. Next was a preview of Cadillac’s Mercedes S-Class rival, the angular Imaj, with a supercharged V8 and an interior like a private jet.  The DTS eventually went…

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Renault Austral 2023 UK first drive

The Renault Austral is a new C-segment SUV, 4.5 metres long, replacing the Kadjar and arriving in British showrooms imminently.  Renault says it has learnt from the latest Mégane that its customers like simplicity, and this is a market overflowing with rivals, including the big-selling (and related) Nissan Qashqai, so there are only three variants, all with the same powertrain, priced from £34,695 to £39,495. Our test car is a top-end Iconic Esprit Alpine. The powertrain is pretty complex and, unlike the platform (the Renault-Nissan-Mistubishi Alliance CMF-C/D that underpins loads of things) is bespoke to Renault in general and, at the moment, this Renault in particular.  It’s…

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New 2024 Aston Martin Vantage will be “complete hooligan”

The reinvented Aston Martin Vantage will be styled to be a “complete hooligan” as part of a plan to make it even sportier, chief creative officer Marek Reichman has told Autocar. Although the Vantage will undergo a similar interior overhaul to the DB12, it will be differentiated by its character on the road. Given the high-riding DBX 707 offers Vantage-baiting levels of performance and the DB12 has been given a power boost and significant handling upgrade over the DB11 it replaces, “you get more sporty anyway”, said Reichman, when it came to creating the next Vantage. “The next Vantage can separate…

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Caterham to reveal radical Project V electric car concept in July

Beyond confirming that it won’t have a long bonnet and won’t be “bulky”, Jannarelly stopped short of giving strong clues as to the shape and size of the new model, although he did point to the slimness and simplicity of an EV architecture as facilitators for improved packaging and compactness. Jannarelly’s commitment to lightness and simplicity tallies with Caterham CEO Bob Laishley’s passion for maintaining the brand’s hallmarks. “This will definitely not be a Seven,” Laishley previously said about the EV. “But it will have all the characteristics today’s Caterham customers know well: lightness, simplicity, agility and performance.” He continued:…

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The fastest production cars in the world

=8. Rimac Nevera – 258mph If ever there was a car that put to bed the myth that electric cars are slow, it’s the Rimac Nevera. The Croatian hypercar has clocked 258mph, making it the joint fastest electric car in the world. It’s also the world’s fastest accelerating production car over the quarter mile (8.582sec), can accelerate from 0-62mph in 1.95sec and 0-100mph in 4.3sec. If there’s a caveat, it’s that customer cars are limited to ‘just’ 219mph, but Rimac can override this to achieve V-max at official Rimac events. 6. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport – 267.8mph Not happy to have…

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