Say hello to the BMW iX4. Although, looking from the front, you might feel like you know it already. It’s a more style-conscious sibling to the BMW iX3, our 2026 Premium Electric Car of the Year, which it’ll be built alongside at BMW’s Debrecen, Hungary factory. 

Although nothing seems to have been done to the front, the iX4 is a visual departure from the iX3 from the B-pillar rearwards. It gets a sloping roofline typical of previous cars we’ve seen from BMW that it describes as ‘Sports Activity Coupes’.

From a technical standpoint, there aren’t any surprises. Aside from not bothering with an equivalent of the rear-wheel drive iX3 40, the iX4’s powertrain line-up mirrors that of its marginally more practical counterpart. 

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/bmw/368277/all-new-bmw-ix4-arrives-514-mile-range-and-604bhp

Failure is not an option. Two years after Jaguar broke the internet with its derided ‘Copy Nothing’ relaunch video and subsequent Type 00 concept, here is the first production car of the company’s all-new electric era.

The Type 01 is a four-door Gran Turismo, a throwback to a romantic past when wealthy motorists crossed continents in big, high-performance petrol coupés. But who buys a big coupé these days, and – more pointedly – who buys a new Jaguar?

No one since early 2025, when Jaguar euthanised its range and burned down its house. The bold ambition is to rebuild it as the fourth luxury stable in JLR’s house of brands, alongside Range Rover, Defender and – a leap this – Discovery. And that means hugely “elevated” prices, to use Jaguar’s euphemism, with the Type 01 likely to cost from around £120,000.

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/jaguar/gt/365043/new-jaguar-type-01-revealed-last-british-brands-luxury-ev-future-begins-now

Verdict: 4.5 stars

The Polestar 5 is a brilliant GT car, and a fitting flagship for the brand. It’s fast, fun and luxuriously appointed, with bags of head and legroom no matter where you’re sitting. If you can, we’d suggest upgrading to the Performance model; not for the added straight-line speed, but the brilliant MagneRide adaptive dampers, which transform the car’s ride and handling. In this guise, the 5 is a true Porsche Taycan troubler.

Read the full review: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/polestar/5/360472/polestar-5-review

There’s a lot to like about the Renault Twingo. It’s super-stylish, fun to drive and very affordable, and it’s about to get more appealing than ever. 

Renault has announced a new ‘Twingobay’ panoramic roof for the car, with a 0.7m² surface area and rounded edges. The unusual, almost egg-shaped panel enhances rather than detracts from the Twingo’s nineties-inspired styling, we reckon.

It isn’t just a plain chunk of glass, either: around the edges it features the ‘Twingo graphic alphabet’, with elements including an N in the shape of the car’s headlight, while G is represented by a geolocation-style symbol. “This exclusive detail brings to mind the playful, offbeat world of Twingo, while creating a distinctive visual signature,” Renault says.

The multi-layer roof is intended to work well across all seasons without the need for a space-sapping blind, blocking out 99.9 per cent of UV rays on sunnier days while keeping heat in when it’s cooler outside. 

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/renault/twingo/370591/renault-twingo-gains-unusual-twingobay-panoramic-roof

The Renault Espace could be about to receive the same retro-inspired rebirth as the R5, R4 and Twingo, with the new E-Space concept putting a contemporary spin on the French firm’s pioneering people-carrier from the eighties.

Renault says the striking new E-Space concept – designed to honour the original Espace that was launched in 1984 – reflects its ambition to continue creating ‘cars for living’, or ‘voitures à vivre’ in French. It’s been part of the brand’s heritage stretching all the way back to the Renault 16, and evidently it’s an ethos that lives on today.

As with the revolutionary first-generation Espace, the E-Space concept is a ‘monovolume’ design, meaning it’s a ‘one-box’ people carrier with its stubby wedge-shaped nose that flows into a huge cockpit/glasshouse. This shape prioritises functionality and maximises interior space, but maintains a surprisingly aerodynamic profile. 

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/370586/new-renault-e-space-concept-reimagines-revolutionary-espace-mpv

I once made the mistake of buying and running a Mercedes S-Class. It felt weirdly underwhelming; more like a barge than a car. Not that I’m the only paying customer falling out of love with luxury saloons. Lately, they’ve been selling so atrociously that their registration figures are in danger of becoming statistically irrelevant.

In the UK over the past decade, sales of such cars have more than halved. In 2025, fewer than three buyers per day bought a BMW i7 – despite it being by far the number-one seller in the sector. Its S-Class arch-rival couldn’t even find two paying customers daily. At best, each luxury saloon only sells in the hundreds per year – even when they’re the ‘most popular’ models in their elite (allegedly) sector.

All this means that of the two million-plus new cars sold in the UK last year, 99.8 per cent of them were NOT luxury saloons. In that sense, the business case for designing, building and trying to sell such high-priced vehicles that sit very much on the fringe has to be seriously questioned in the mid-2020s. The evidence clearly shows that worryingly few buyers want them. My guess is that as times, trends and tastes change, people don’t really want to be seen in them.

Why should we care? Because UK PLC, British companies such as Bentley and Rolls-Royce and plenty of Brit workers have long had roles to play in this niche sector that was always quite small, but has shrunk further still over the past decade.

Now countless Jag workers are joining in as they start playing the tricky luxury saloon game for the first time. Will the “reimagined” (its word) Coventry firm be able to grow this tiny market next year and beyond, or will it be content merely stealing a few sales (not that there are many to steal) from the German and British firms who’ve occupied this highly specialised field for countless decades? None of us on the outside (or, I suspect, on the inside at Jaguar HQ or at its franchised dealer network) know for sure, because this is such new, unknown territory for the firm and its retailers seeking younger, wealthier, saloon car-loving buyers who are happy to wear Jag badges.

As I exclusively revealed in Auto Express about 14 years ago, Rolls-Royce – even back then – was quietly thinking of doing the unthinkable by gently moving away from increasingly out-of-fashion saloons and into more popular, on-trend SUVs. And that is exactly what it did. The same goes for Bentley.

The new Jaguar Type 01 four-door GT (née saloon) will be revealed this week, and deliveries to customers paying circa-£125,000 will begin in 2027. The maker has plans for more models in due course – SUVs included – but the proposed launch rollout is an interesting one. I wish the company, its one-model (for now) range and its workers luck in 2027. They’re going to need a lot of it.

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/opinion/370579/its-hard-see-how-jaguar-type-01-will-be-huge-success

By Mike Rutherford

*Auto Express Exclusive Image used above is a digital render based on disguised prototypes of the Type 01 that our editors have seen and ridden in . The final production car's reveal takes place in New York on October 6.

Fuel prices are heavily influenced by oil prices, and oil prices are highly sensitive to changes around the world such as war, trade disputes or natural disasters.

Of course, for countries that produce their own oil, this is usually far less of a problem than for the nations that import it. For a sense of perspective, we’ve taken a look at fill-ups around the world to find out if the UK really has it that bad. These prices are according to data from September 2026.

Cost of a tankful (55 litres) around the world

As you're probably guessed, the cost of petrol varies a lot from country to country.

Top 5 countries with the cheapest petrol

1. Libya: £0.99
2. Iran: £1.21
3. Venezuela: £1.43
4. Angola: £13.58
5. Kuwait: £14.30

Top 5 countries with the most expensive petrol

1. Hong Kong: £183
2. Malawi: £135
3. Norway: £129
4. Denmark: £119
5. Netherlands: £115

At the time of writing, the UK finds itself towards the bottom of the global pricing league table with a 55-litre fill-up costing £95. While we may still grumble, you might spare a thought for the people of Hong Kong when you next visit the pumps.

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/how-to-find-cheapest-petrol-and-diesel

This is the all-new petrol-powered BMW 3 Series, the German brand’s critically important compact executive saloon that’ll sit alongside the all-electric i3 in the range. ICE versions will arrive in UK showrooms in the second quarter of 2027 priced from £44,975. 

While the two look similar, the 3 Series and i3 are very different entities under the skin. In place of the new i3’s bespoke electric architecture, the latest ICE-powered 3 Series will retain a platform optimised for petrol powertrains. It’ll arrive in the UK with two engine options, both with a 48V mild-hybrid system.

The range of powertrains will expand in future, and we expect to see a Touring estate bodystyle in time, too. For now, BMW’s next-gen 3 Series is poised to take the fight to Audi’s A5 saloon and Mercedes’ recently updated C-Class. 

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/bmw/3-series/370392/new-bmw-3-series-revealed-petrol-power-i3-design-and-smaller-audi-a5

The totem of socially unacceptable, gas-guzzling SUVs – the Range Rover Sport – is embracing electric power, good for a 374-mile range, but with little sacrifice on performance. 

On sale now from £109,810 and with deliveries starting in early 2027, the Range Rover Sport Electric’s torque wave peaks at 850Nm, 100Nm more turning force than the 4.4-litre V8 SV edition musters. The SUV is also stiffer and has a lower centre of gravity, thanks to a mighty battery between the wheels.

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/land-rover/range-rover-sport/364686/new-range-rover-sport-electric-arrives-374-mile-range-and

This is the all-new Nissan Pixo, a city car set to join an increasingly crowded field of efficient, funky and affordable electric cars in early 2027. 

At a touch under 3.8 metres long, it will rival models such as the new Honda Super-N, Renault Twingo, Dacia Spring and Volkswagen’s forthcoming ID.up!, as well as a growing number of Chinese cars that generally cost a similar amount, yet have larger footprints, such as the BYD Dolphin Surf.

As with all cars in this segment, pricing will be key. While Nissan won’t reveal any official details on cost until December, the Pixo will need to start somewhere in the region of £18,000 to £20,000 to be competitive. As it’s built in Europe, though, it does have a good chance of qualifying for at least the first band of the UK Government’s Electric Car Grant, which could take £1,500 off the asking price.

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/nissan/364857/new-nissan-pixo-revealed-electric-city-targets-sub-ps20k-cheapness

Verdict 4.5 stars

With this black, low-flying missile, Brabus has finally elevated itself from specialist tuner to luxurious low-volume manufacturer. It's just a shame that company founder Bodo Buschmann isn't here to see it.

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/road-tests/370444/new-brabus-bodo-review-v12-supercar-loud-powerful-and-unashamedly-aggressive

Verdict: 3.5 stars

The Aion UT straddles multiple areas of the new car market. It’s bigger and more expensive than a Renault 5 or MG4 Urban, while undercutting larger cars like the Volkswagen ID.3 or Cupra Born. As a package, however, there’s plenty to like: it’s spacious, decent enough to drive and proved very efficient during our test. The interior feels light, airy and mostly well built, but there are some fundamental UX issues that can’t (and won’t) be fixed overnight. Appealing finance offers sweeten the deal.

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/aion/ut/370435/aion-ut-review

Verdict: 3 stars

As well as being one of the most famous American muscle cars, the Charger is also one of the last. Only the Ford Mustang remains as a direct competitor, and the Dodge differentiates itself by being bigger, more practical and available with a choice of EV and petrol power. 

Its roominess is a plus but its sheer size holds it back on European roads; at more than 2m wide, it’s a big beast, and its weight has an impact on its dynamics, too. Nonetheless, this is a characterful car and a likeable one. In left-hand drive only, without availability in mainstream dealers, it’s a purchase for those who really want something out of the ordinary. They’ll find there’s plenty to like about the Charger but it’s likely to remain a rare sight on British roads. 

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/dodge/370452/new-dodge-charger-2026-review-real-us-muscle-makes-some-uk-sense

Volkswagen’s most powerful GTI yet has been revealed, but it might not be in the form you quite expect. Producing an impressive 322bhp, driven by the rear wheels no less, the new Volkswagen ID.3 GTI will give the iconic nameplate some serious firepower when it hits the road in spring 2027.

The ID.3 GTI builds on the heavily improved package of the new ID.3 Neo, which itself introduces some fundamental changes to the styling, interior and technology of VW’s electric hatchback.

For its transformation into a hot hatch, though, the new model has dug into the GTI playbook, with plenty of red highlights, honeycomb grilles and a new 20-inch wheel design. However, look closely and you’ll see lots of ID.3-specific elements that should help turn the sometimes awkward-looking hatch into something more dynamically capable. 

These include new side sills and a redesigned rear bumper insert to help it look lower and wider, while the body-coloured roof and boot panel – the latter only recently available on the ID.3 Neo – disguise some of the styling cues that didn’t seem to resonate with customers first time around.

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/volkswagen/id3/367753/new-volkswagen-id3-gti-most-powerful-gti-ever-has-arrived

Verdict: 4 stars

Audi has pulled a rabbit out of the hat with the Nuvolari, delivering a genuinely thrilling R8 successor with a big helping hand from Lamborghini. However, at around £500,000, the price tag for this Temerario twin is undeniably astronomical. It lifts the maker’s supercar to new heights – in more ways than one.

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/audi/370440/new-audi-nuvolari-review-stunning-ps500k-supercar-makes-r8-seem-slow

‘Box on Wheels’ might sound like an endearing term for an old Volvo, but here, it’s the official name of a new vehicle.

Revealed at the IAA Transportation Hannover commercial vehicle show, the BOW or ‘Box on Wheels’ is a collaboration between Stellantis Pro and Chinese Robotics company UQI. It’s described as “an autonomous, fully electric logistics concept vehicle designed to explore new approaches to urban operations.” 

It’s a familiar concept we’re most used to seeing in futuristic films (both dystopian and utopian), although this one is more than just a prop. Along with a static version on the Stellantis stand at the Hannover show, there’s also a BOW. demo model outside of the exhibition area for visitors to experience. 

Giving some idea of the intended uses for the vehicle, Stellantis says that the BOW. “opens new possibilities for goods distribution, city logistics and operations within controlled environments such as factories, hospitals and airports.”

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/370430/new-stellantis-bow-van-quite-literally-box-wheels

The Volvo XC60 and Volvo XC90 now boast among the longest ranges of any plug-in hybrids in the world, thanks to the addition of a new powertrain that should allow owners to do an entire week’s worth of commuting without using a drop of petrol.

Volvo’s new, aptly named ‘long-range plug-in hybrid’ powertrain provides up to 124 miles of pure-electric driving range in the mid-size XC60 and 99 miles in the larger, seven-seat XC90 – two-and-a-half times what the brand’s old PHEV set-up could deliver in the pair. In-house range-extender rivals from Lotus and Zeekr can top it for electric range, however: the Chinese Eletre X packs a significantly bigger battery for more than 200-miles of zero emissions running.

According to Volvo, with this new powertrain the XC60 can cover up to 770 miles on a full tank of petrol and a fully charged battery, while the XC90 is good for more than 680 miles non-stop. 

What makes this possible is a massive new 41.2kWh battery (37.9kWh usable capacity), which is more than double the size of the unit these cars used to have – and slightly larger than even the formidable plug-in hybrid Range Rover Sport’s 38.2kWh gross battery.  

For other plug-in hybrid rivals, the BMW X3 uses a 19.7kWh battery that provides up to 56 miles of zero-emission driving, the all-new BMW X5 gets a 26.5kWh battery pack good for around 60 miles in EV mode, and the latest Audi Q7 should offer a similar range from its 25.8kWh power pack.

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/volvo/xc60/370429/new-volvo-xc60-phev-boasts-whopping-124-miles-ev-range

The Volkswagen XL1 may have looked like a land speed record breaker, but its brief was far more serious – to maximise efficiency. Now, almost 25 years on from the unveiling of the original prototype, VW is once again looking to make the world’s most economical car with the aptly named Mission Efficiency. 

Our first look at the Volkswagen Mission Efficiency comes in one of Vienna Airport’s many car parks, and sat alongside it is the production XL1 from 2013. Immediately the similarities in design shaped by the ever-present laws of aerodynamics are clear, although there’s one major difference.

The XL1 came from a time when diesel ruled the world in terms of efficiency, with a two-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine (essentially half of the commonly used 1.6-litre TDI found in many VW products of the time). Despite the inclusion of a small electric motor, power stood at just 40bhp, but then it was able to return over 300mpg. The Mission Efficiency however, is all-electric. 

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/volkswagen/370419/stunning-volkswagen-mission-efficiency-unveiled-xl1-successor-500-mile-ev-range

After years of trying to convince its customers that plug-in hybrid performance cars are the future, Mercedes-AMG has revealed a throwback to simpler times with the limited-run CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung. Combining a V8 engine, rear-wheel drive and a wider body than the regular Mercedes CLE, this aggressive new model is limited to just 30 units, and will sell for an undisclosed amount. 

Meaning ‘custom made’ in German, the Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung is both rarer and even more heavily modified than AMG’s recent Black Series cars. However, this line of cars is a key form of inspiration, because the 646 will join the ranks of predecessors including the CLK and C 63 Black Series.

The most important element of the CLE 646’s technical make-up is the engine, which is AMG’s brand-new 4.0-litre flat-plane-crank V8. This unit is about to be rolled out across several new AMG models, and comes with a range of new technologies to unlock lots of performance while still adhering to European emissions laws.

With twin turbochargers, it can produce as much as 636bhp at 6,000rpm, and a peak 850Nm of torque. This new unit isn’t totally hybrid-free, however, because Merc’s integrated starter generator is still fitted as part of a 48V electrical system. This can add as much as 23bhp and 205Nm of torque to the driveline, but the system is designed primarily to improve efficiency rather than performance.

Read more: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/mercedes/cle/370403/new-mercedes-amg-cle-646-spezialanfertigung-gets-wild-style-and-monster-power

Families looking for dependable everyday transport can’t go wrong with the Toyota RAV4. The compact SUV is the Japanese company’s best-selling model globally, having established a reputation over 30 years of development.

In that time it’s transitioned from petrol and diesel to hybrid power; in the UK, the only version you can buy is a plug-in hybrid. The all-new RAV4 is hitting showrooms now, so how better to rate the newcomer than by lining it up against two tough challengers?

First up is the Mitsubishi Outlander, a car that set the template for plug-in hybrid SUVs. Now in its fourth generation, the Outlander is back in UK showrooms after a near five-year hiatus, and it also comes exclusively as a PHEV. 

Finally, there is the Hyundai Tucson. We have long been fans of this five-seat SUV, and at the top of the range is a plug-in powertrain that delivers performance on a par with its rivals in this test, but at a lower price. Does the Toyota RAV4 have what it takes to steal victory over its rivals here?

Verdict

Winner: Toyota RAV4

A long electric range and excellent fuel efficiency help the Toyota RAV4 to seal victory, but that’s not the limit of its talents. It’s a practical and versatile five-seat family SUV that’s good to drive, while mid-range Design trim offers plenty of kit. 

The RAV4 gets pricey at the top of the range, especially if you want four-wheel drive, but overall Toyota’s latest family SUV is a convincing plug-in hybrid with practicality to spare.

Runner-up: Mitsubishi Outlander

As the company makes a welcome return to the UK, the Outlander PHEV is a strong contender in the family SUV class that deserves to be on any buyer’s shortlist. The top-spec Diamond is very generously equipped for the money, and while the hybrid system isn’t as efficient as the Toyota’s, standard four-wheel drive and an engaging driving experience are highlights.

We’d avoid the cramped seven-seat version if you need an SUV with a third row for regular use.

Third place: Hyundai Tucson

There's still plenty to like about the Hyundai Tucson, but the PHEV has older tech when compared with its rivals here, which means more frequent charging is needed to make the most of its plug-in powertrain. It offers good value for money in N Line Edition trim, but we would choose the Hybrid version for better value for money and fuel efficiency that’s likely to better the PHEV’s once the battery has run down. The all-new Tucson will have a tough act to follow.

Full test: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-group-tests/370381/hyundai-tucson-vs-toyota-rav4-vs-mitsubishi-outlander-family-phev-elite