The mid-sized SUV is definitely the sweet spot right now for buyers looking to go fully electric and there’s no shortage of choice. This is Mercedes’ offering though, and it’s extremely appealing.

The Mercedes-Benz GLC electric is an important car for the brand. Its new electric-first design has replaced the Mercedes-Benz EQC and provides a fully electric drivetrain alternative to the GLC 300e plug-in hybrid model.

As with many of its competitors, the mid-size SUV is the sweet spot for Mercedes, making it one of its most popular models. There’s a huge amount of competition out there right now, with new electric models including the BMW iX3 and the Volvo EX60 – both of which offer a range of over 500 miles on their larger battery models.

While the GLC’s electric range is still respectable at up to 405 miles on the 400 4MATIC model (and 389 miles on the GLC 250), it also excels in other areas, such as technology, performance and build quality. The showpiece being its 39.1-inch Hyperscreen, which covers the dash.

I tried out the flagship Mercedes-Benz GLC 400 4MATIC Premier Edition to see how this new model holds up. Overall, I found this to be the best Mercedes electric model to date and definitely one to consider.

How much is the Mercedes GLC electric?

The Mercedes-Benz GLC starts from £55,495, that’s slightly below the base Volvo EX60 though around two grand more than the BMW iX3. US prices for the GLC are still to be confirmed.

There are two main versions of the GLC, the rear-wheel-drive GLC 250 and the all-wheel-drive GLC 400 4MATIC, which starts from £60,350. The top-specced GLC 4MATIC electric Premier Edition starts from £73,350 and features the larger 94kWh battery to deliver 489hp and a 0-62mph acceleration of 4.3 seconds.

The model I drove was the GLC 4MATIC electric premier edition in Patagonia Red, priced at £73,350. This featured the MBUX Hyperscreen display, augmented head-up display and the Burmester High-End 4D Surround Sound System.

Design and build

This new electric GLC is built on a different platform than the petrol, diesel, and hybrid models, though at first glance, it’s still easy to identify as a GLC. On closer inspection, though, the external design has had a few tweaks.

That front grill is much deeper, enveloping the number plate into the mix and is made up of hundreds of LEDs. The front headlights are the new digital light design with the Mercedes star. This carries through to the rear lights too, which now form a solid bar to include the rear badge.

Otherwise, the profile looks slightly more aerodynamic, with a bigger slope on the rear windows and a longer sloping rear. The 400 4MATIC also sits on larger 21-inch multi-spoke alloys, while the base model has 20-inch alloys.

The car is more curvaceous, with shaping along the door panels and in the bonnet. There’s a large panoramic glass roof too, with liquid crystal molecules that allow you to change between transparent and opaque at the touch of a button, with nine segments and Mercedes logos available to display.

Design wise, it’s perhaps more classic than space age, but that’s no bad thing. It’s a great-looking car, and the Patagonia red metallic finish is particularly striking. It also comes in a Lavender silver colour, which gives a subtle purple finish that is particularly unique.

Inside the Mercedes GLC electric

The interior feels very premium in this model. Seats and upholstery are finished in black leather with a red top stitch, while silver-coloured details highlight the door handles, fans and phone tray.

It’s hard to escape the Hyperscreen though, as this takes over the entirety of the dash, from pillar to pillar. The single glass surface creates a 39.1-inch display with an 8k resolution. I’m sure the actual displays beneath it are separate, but it certainly gives the impression of a singular unit when you use it.

Despite this singularity, there are still three main areas of the display for the driving dynamics, the centre screen and a passenger screen. You can change the driver display between three main views and turn off the rest of the display if you want to remove all distractions, but the idle screen that displays while driving is actually quite calming and I didn’t find it distracting at all.

There are multiple backgrounds to pick from which extend across the full width of the display, so you can customise the look of the Hyperscreen, too.

The system is running the latest MBUX, which features Mercedes’ AI voice assistant and a wide range of applications, from video streaming and gaming to work productivity. The centre area provides a large map when driving, which can also be displayed in the driver area.

For the front passenger, the left side of the screen can be used independently, providing web browsing, video streaming, gaming and more while the car is moving. Cameras ensure that the driver is not distracted by this, though, and will either dim or interrupt the content if they are trying to watch it on the move.

Paired with the Hyperscreen is the Burmester High-End 4D Surround Sound System, with 19 speakers, 7500W and Dolby Atmos capability. Like the picture on the screen, the sound is very impressive, both in power and clarity – especially when playing Spatial Audio content from Apple Music.

Driving

Despite the sheer power and acceleration that the GLC offers, the driving experience is cool, calm and collected. Even when you put your foot to the floor in Sport mode, there’s a refinement to the way the car moves.

Suspension is gentle, even with Sport mode selected, though never wallowy. It holds its place around bends but never shakes you. You can also opt to have Airmatic air suspension on the GLC – the same system as on the S Class – if you want really smooth, but even without it, the car feels likeyou’re driving on a cloud.

For a mid-sized SUV, the GLC does feel big. The size of the car has grown slightly over the ICE models and it’s noticeable on the road. For me, it feels considerably wider than the Volvo and BMW, even if the difference in measurements is small.

Despite this, the car felt extremely agile. It offers a tight turning circle, allowing you to easily manoeuvre it around car parks and other small spaces. In addition to the air suspension option, the ‘refinement package’ adds rear axle steering to the mix, to give the car even greater turning ability.

In addition to the huge Hyperscreen, there’s also a head-up display in the GLC, to allow you to keep your eyes on the road. This is large and clear, encompassing speed and navigation information, as well as speed limits and automated driving control settings.

On the automated options, the GLC offers the Distronic distance assist adaptive cruise control, to control acceleration and braking. It also has standard lane keeping functionality, though not the full steering assist on this model, which provides lane centring.

Other clever driving tech includes the Parking Assist with 360-degree cameras to give you a complete view around the car while parking – or just allow the system to park itself. Meanwhile, the Digital Light headlights do a great job of illuminating the road in the dark, and offer the adaptive high beam assist plus, which uses the LED technology to block certain areas of the beam to avoid dazzling other drivers. It’s a very clever system to watch in action.

Charging and range

Just a year ago, having a range of over 400 miles on an EV would seem impressive, and it’s only down to a few 500+ cars that it seems less so. The fact of the matter is, though, that 400 miles is still a solid number, and still puts it among the longest-range EVs on the market.

The model I tested gave a 393-mile range but without a long drive planned, I didn’t get through a full charge in a week of driving. For most drivers, that could mean charging just once a week if needed. Of course, greater range would reduce any range anxiety almost completely, but for most, the GLC’s range should be off-putting.

Another good thing here is that the GLC has fast charging. Thanks to the 800V battery system, it can reach charging speeds of up to 330kW. That means charging 10-80% in just 22 minutes. It can also charge at slower speeds on 400V DC charging systems and on AC chargers up to 11kW.

Should I buy the Mercedes GLC electric?

With the GLC, Mercedes has made perhaps its most successful move to date from an ICE vehicle to an electric car. This car feels every bit the premium Mercedes, and it’s easy to forget that it’s an EV at times, which is perhaps the biggest compliment for electric cars these days.

It’s a good-looking car, inside and out, and has been beautifully finished. While not everyone will love the Hyperscreen display, for tech fans it’s probably the most impressive dash out there right now – even compared to the BMW’s panoramic vision.

The Mercedes-Benz GLC electric feels like the more refined choice of electric SUV. While it’s quick and heavy on the tech, it projects class over just practicality. For previous GLC petrol or diesel owners, this fully electric version is the perfect step up. Like the Volvo EX60, it’s also going to convert a lot of drivers looking for an electric car that doesn’t shout about being electric.

Hybrid cars have exploded in popularity over the past decade, and are now more sight-after than ever, thanks to how they blend the efficiency of an electric car with the long-range abilities of a petrol or diesel vehicle.

The general premise is that a hybrid car has both an engine and an electric motor. Sometimes the car drives in pure-electric mode, while other times the engine fires up and drinks fuel from the tank in the conventional manner.

Some hybrids can travel dozens of miles on battery power alone, while others only use the moto occasionally – and some have an engine that isn’t really attached to the wheels at all.

Understanding which hybrid is best for you can be tricky. Manufacturers like to describe some systems as “self-charging”, while others quote enormous efficiency figures, such as over 100 miles per gallon, that are rarely achievable during normal, real-world driving. Below we’ve gathered up the four most common hybrid systems and explained exactly how they work, along with examples of cars that use them.

Mild hybrid

Often shortened to MHEV, this is the hybrid technology pioneered by the original Toyota Prius, all the way back in 2000. A quarter of a century has refined the tech, but the fundamentals remain the same. Mild hybrid cars are predominantly driven by their petrol or diesel engine in the conventional way, but their drivetrain also incorporates a small electric motor.

That motor is ready to draw from a small battery and help the engine in certain situations, but cannot drive the car alone. Mild hybrids mostly use their battery and motor to assist the engine during acceleration from low speed, and restarting the engine when the stop-start system is enabled.

Powered by petrol or diesel engines, these cars cannot be plugged in to charge, as instead the small battery is topped-up using regenerative braking whenever the car is coasting is slowing down. Mild hybrid batteries operate at just 48 volts (compared to the 400 or 800 volts of EVs), and tend to be just 0-5 to 1.0 kWh in capacity, which is tiny compared to the circa 50-120 kWh batteries used by most fully-electric vehicles.

Full hybrid

Known as an FHEV, a full hybrid electric vehicle works in a similar way to a mild hybrid, but with a key difference – the motor and battery can drive the car directly.

They can only do so with the engine off for short bursts, but it means a full hybrid car can set off from standstill and handle slow, stop-start city traffic, without the engine. The engine also frequently shuts down when coasting, such as on the motorway, and the battery is then charged by regenerative braking, or by the engine itself. Full hybrids can usually manage just a couple of miles of electric range, but in city traffic that can make a big difference to tailpipe emissions and fuel efficiency.

These are the cars manufacturers like to describe as “self charging hybrids”, since regenerative braking and the engine are used to refill the battery, and they cannot be plugged in for a top-up.

Plug-in hybrid

Now to the hybrid everyone is familiar with – the plug-in hybrid vehicle, or PHEV. These hybrids have far larger batteries than the models covered so far, with capacity generally between 10 and 30 kWh. This means a much larger range too, with dozens of electric-only miles possible in some cases – enough for most drivers to complete their daily commute engine-free, potentially for several days at a time, before plugging back in.

Pair a plug-in hybrid with a cheap home electricity tariff, and you have the potential for incredibly cheap commuting, since charging at night costs significantly less and the engine will barely ever fire into life during shorter local journeys. Some PHEVs can even manage motorway speeds for dozens of miles without consuming a drop of petrol.

Like other hybrids, and EVs, plug-ins use regenerative braking to top up the battery when coasting and braking. The engine can also be used to refill the battery, but this isn’t a particularly efficient use of petrol. These cars also have a ‘hold’ function, where battery use is paused; press this on the motorway, use the engine at its most efficient, then reactivate the hybrid system when you reach city traffic, and drive about with electric power alone.

Manufacturers like to attach enormous, three-figure miles-per-gallon figures to plug-in hybrids. But these are only achievable if you use the battery as much as possible without it running out. That said, regular charging can easily make a PHEV more efficient, and cheaper to run, than an equivalent non-hybrid.

Range-extender hybrid

Now for a lesser-known type of hybrid, but one that is likely to become more popular in the coming years. An early example of the range-extended (also known as the REX, REEV and EREV) is the original BMW i3. As well as being an EV, this car was also available with a small, range-extender engine. This didn’t drive the wheels, but instead acted as a generator that ran on petrol and topped up the battery, increasing range.

That generation of i3 died without a successor, but today several manufacturers are again looking at range-extender tech as a way to improve EV range and alleviate the dreaded range anxiety. Lotus recently announced the Eletre X, a version of its electric SUV with a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine that feeds the battery, boosts range to over 750 miles, and can drive the front axle during motorway cruising.

Volkswagen is also looking at the tech as part of its ID Era concept from 2025, and Mazda builds a range-extender hybrid called the MX-30 R-EV. Chinese brands are also experimenting with range-extender hybrids, and BYD, Yangwang and Leapmotor all make such cars.

Formula E’s new GEN4 racing car can accelerate from 0-62 mph in approximately 1.8 seconds, but the technology behind that performance could eventually help road-going electric cars become faster and more efficient.

The permanent all-wheel-drive car produces up to 600kW, or approximately 815bhp, and recovers energy under braking at rates of up to 700kW.

Although manufacturers do not develop the entire vehicle, they are responsible for areas including the electric motor, inverter, gearbox, differential and the software controlling them.

These are also among the components with the clearest relevance to road-going EVs.

“At the end of the day, the physics you’re dealing with are identical,” Jaguar TCS Racing team principal Ian James told me at the Tokyo E-Prix. “Whether you’re racing on track or developing an electric vehicle for the road, the physics don’t change.”

James describes the relationship as a two-way exchange, with engineers and technology moving between Jaguar’s racing and production-car programmes.

Jaguar’s forthcoming Type 01 provides a particularly tangible example. The company says its all-wheel-drive control software and fast-switching silicon-carbide inverters were informed by Formula E.

An inverter converts the battery’s direct current into the alternating current used by the electric motors. Improving its switching speed and efficiency can sharpen power delivery while reducing energy lost as heat.

Jaguar also says Formula E knowledge has influenced the Type 01’s regenerative braking, range and fast-charging capabilities.

Chasing the final percentage

The challenge is that modern electric racing drivetrains are already exceptionally efficient. James puts Jaguar’s current figure at approximately 97.5%, meaning less than 3% of the energy passing through the powertrain is lost before reaching the wheels.

“The marginal gains we can make through future hardware development will probably begin to tail off,” he explains. “When you’re already in the high 90s, it becomes much more difficult to take the next step.”

Formula E’s powertrain hardware is approved for two-year periods, but manufacturers can update their software between races and make adjustments during a race weekend.

Software determines how efficiently the car deploys its available energy, controls regenerative braking, and manages power delivery across the front and rear axles.

“What underlines Formula E significantly is the work that goes into software,” explains Nyck de Vries, who has raced in both Formula 1 and Formula E.

“I would say it is far ahead of any other championship in terms of software development, because that’s where we can find a small edge over our competition.”

FIA Formula E technical manager Vincent Gaillardot is careful not to claim that the championship invents every component it uses.

Its role is often to take existing technology and operate it in conditions far beyond those experienced by a production vehicle.

“The aim of motorsport is to push everything to the limit,” he says. “We use the cells and the battery in a territory completely outside mass-production usage.

“I’m not sure we say we are developing the technology. We show how far it can go.”

That accelerated development environment may be Formula E’s greatest value to road cars. Engineers can experiment, take risks and evaluate new ideas under the constant pressure of competition.

“Our learning is extremely fast in motorsport,” James says. “Without Formula E, that development would slow down.”

The average EV will never require 815bhp or 700kW of regenerative braking, but learning to control that performance efficiently could help manufacturers make road cars that respond faster, travel further and waste less energy.

Find out more about what the new GEN4 car is capable of at Formula E.

Google has pushed an update to Android Auto that could solve some of the recently reported problems with the popular in-car software.

It all started earlier this summer, with an update to Android Auto 17.2. It seemed to introduce a little bit of instability. I found that myself, with occasional disconnections and unexplained behaviour – and it was widely reported amongst users.

The problems didn't seem to relate to any particular handset or car model, instead it was the software that was a fault. That was acknowledged by Mishaal Rahman from Google on Reddit, with information that a fix was in process.

Now the Android Auto team has updated the app to 17.4 which is said to fix those problems. Shared by a member of the Android Auto team on the Google Support pages, it advises updating the app to the latest version to fix the problem.

So while this latest version of Android Auto doesn't bring any new features, it should make it possible to use the features you already have.

A changing Android Auto

Android Auto has seen some fairly significant changes recently. That not only alters the visual design in some areas to fit in with Material 3 Expressive and more closely match the Pixel phone, but also the move to Gemin, as well as the introduction of Immersive Navigation.

Not all new Android Auto features land at the same time and here in the UK, I've seen Android Auto's Gemini function arrive, drop its logo back to the old microphone, and change its behaviour all in the space of a few months.

Currently when driving I have the old logo, but Gemini works, although it seems less comfortable getting into discussions than it did a few months back. That seems to be experience with Android Auto at the moment – it's a bit random.

I've seem similar with Waze running on Android Auto – sometimes I can see all the controls on the display, but on a recent long drive I found the speedometer was placed behind the incident button. This variability is one of the things that makes Android Auto frustrating.

At least with the latest update, Android Auto should be more reliable and actually work.

We're still waiting for some elements to appear in Android Auto, such as the support for video playback from apps, the evolution into Gemini Intelligence, and widgets. Unfortunately, the roll-out of these changes isn't on a fixed timeline, with some currently limited to the US.

Volvo have continued to impress with its transition to electric vehicles, and none more so than with the Volvo EX60. While the flagship EX90 and ES90 models are exceptional cars, the EX60 is arguably the company’s most important release.

As of June 2025, the XC60 became the best-selling car in Volvo’s 99-year history, with 2.7 million units sold. As the electric successor to this mid-sized SUV, the EX60 has big shoes to fill.

I took one of the first models in the UK out on the roads of Somerset to see how it drives. The good news is that it really impressed me, and despite this being a very crowded section of the market, it could be one of my favourite mid-sized SUVs to date.

Developing a new best seller

The company spent three years developing the EX60, including research with owners of Volvo’s first generation of electric vehicles, the EX40 and EC40. The goal was to create a vehicle with no compromises.

It needed to remove the stress and inconvenience of electric cars by eliminating range anxiety, while keeping the price comparable to the XC60 plug-in hybrid option – often considered a safer bet than pure electrics.

The new vehicle moves away from the traditional engine-centric architecture and is instead built on a new third-generation scalable platform architecture (SPA). Battery technology has been developed in-house, and the entire vehicle is engineered and built in Volvo’s home country of Sweden.

Importantly, this has allowed the flagship P12 version of the EX60 to break the 500-mile range barrier, with a 503 total range figure. Meanwhile, smaller battery versions offer 380 miles from the P6 and 400+ from the P10.

There’s no shortage of tech on board, as its central computer is powered by Nvidia, and its entertainment system is running on Qualcomm hardware in partnership with Google. This has allowed a deep integration of Google Gemini within the car, providing natural language conversations as well as contextual navigation and discovery – so it can say, ‘turn right after the blue car’, or you can ask, ‘what is that building in front of me?’

Price and availability

Starting from £56,860, the EX60 is only £90 more than the XC60 plug-in hybrid model. However, you can pick up the mild hybrid for just £49,860. There are two trim levels: the Plus and the Ultra, and three powertrains.

The base model is the P6, which is rear-wheel-drive with an 83kWh battery, while the P10, starting from £59,860 is all-wheel-drive with a 95kWh battery and the flagship P12, with that 500+ mile range, which starts from £64,860, is also AWD and has a 117kWh battery.

There’s currently no US pricing for the EX60.

Interior

While the outside of the EX60 is very classy, it’s the inside that really impresses. That Scandinavian minimalism is beautifully finished with light grey wood and charcoal textures. There’s a couple of areas of piano black plastic, such as around the B&W central tweeter, but not a lot.

The centre screen is a large 15.04-inch OLED display, gently curved to make it softer and more a part of the surroundings, with just a crystal rolling dial and two buttons for media control below it. If anything, these stand out, as they don’t quite fit the rest of the aesthetic.

That means that, as on previous models, everything from the climate control to the wing mirrors and steering wheel settings is through the main screen. If you’re someone who likes to make these adjustments on the move, that can be a little annoying. Climate controls are readily available along the bottom of the screen, but wing mirrors and fan positions take a couple of presses to find.

Perhaps more interesting, though, is the driver display, an 11.4-inch long thin screen that sits closer to the windscreen than most driver screens. The aim here is to work more like a head-up display, allowing the driver to keep a focus on the road, rather than down inside the car. And it actually works really well.

While it’s not quite as convenient as a HUD in the windscreen, you can keep your focus out further, and I certainly found I spent less time looking at the centre screen than I would on some other cars.

Bose speakers feature on the Plus model but the Ultra version of the EX60 features a Bowers & Wilkins audio system, complete with 28 speakers and 1,820W of power. This is the biggest system we’ve seen in any of the Volvos to date, both in terms of number of speakers and power. It includes speakers in the headrests, so you can isolate audio for just the driver or passenger if required, though for the full effect it’s best to use all the speakers, as it sounds stunning.

Driving experience

Though the car is indeed spacious, it doesn’t appear to have bloated in quite the same way as other mid-sized SUVs. In that way, it still feels relatively compact on the road, so even driving down small country lanes, I didn’t feel it was particularly wide (maybe helped by the fact that the car I had been driving the day before was exceptionally wide).

The steering wheel is quite small and light, with a squared-off top and bottom, which makes it appear more compact. It does provide the adaptive cruise control functions on the left and media controls on the right, with two thumb-stick controls.

As you might expect, the EX60 has plenty of power and really goes when you put your foot down. There’s the option of one-pedal driving here too, with low, high and auto settings available depending on what you prefer. Suspension is solid but still comfortable with no noticeable body roll around corners.

Overall, it’s a solid, well-put-together car that is comfortable enough for long distances but compact enough for quick trips around town.

Should I buy the Volvo EX60?

Volvo have done a great job with the EX60 and produced a car that is a worthy successor to the XC60. It’s a pleasure to drive and feels solidly made, with the safety features Volvo drivers would expect, plus some impressive tech features that you might not.

It definitely sits among the best all-electric mid-sized SUVs on the market right now, though it’s also one of the most expensive. Both the Mercedes GLC electric and BMW iX3 start from £55,495 and £56,050 respectively, and for the equivalent 500-mile-plus models, the BMW iX3 is about two grand cheaper.

There are still advantages to the Volvo though. The interior is far more pared back and clean, while the tech is just as advanced. I suspect in time this will become Volvo’s new best seller, and it will be deservedly so.

The Corvette has been Chevrolet’s iconic sports car since its introduction in 1953, and while its sales have largely been limited to Stateside, it definitely has an international following. Models have only been officially available in the UK since 1999, and only very recently in right-hand-drive versions.

From this year, you can now buy three different Corvettes in Europe, including the rather fabulous E-Ray. The Corvette E-Ray is the first electrified Corvette, though perhaps not what you might be expecting.

To start with, this is a mild hybrid rather than a fully electric model, and the battery contingent here is rather small. It features a 1.9kWh battery, which powers the front axle. The main purpose of this is to boost performance and provide an all-wheel drive experience, rather than just the rear-wheel power that the mid-engine 6.2-litre V8 delivers.

Surprisingly though, you can drive the E-Ray on battery power alone, which is unusual for a mild hybrid vehicle, but don’t expect to be travelling far, or at any speed. The car offers a Stealth mode, which allows you to leave your driveway in silence, travelling up to 45mph at gentle acceleration for a couple of miles before engaging the engine.

There’s also a Shuttle mode, which is limited to 15 mph and designed for repositioning the car on the driveway, or in a garage, without firing up the engine. The difference with Shuttle is that it will never turn on the engine.

Firing up that V8 is a window-rattling experience, so having a way to leave the neighbourhood in silence is particularly handy for the anti-social early starts. It’s also nice knowing that you can avoid adding to that city pollution – at least until you hit the open road.

Price and availability

The Corvette E-Ray 3LZ starts from £158,720 here in the UK, in the US the 3LZ is priced from $121,545, though two lower trim levels are also available in the US from $110,595. The model I tested was priced at £180,498.44. This was finished in the new Roswell Green Metallic paint with jet black Nappa leather interior, competition sport bucket seats, a carbon fibre roof panel, carbon fibre alloys and multiple carbon fibre details, including the splitter, rockers, spoilers and mirrors.

While the roof is removable on the coupe, there’s also a convertible version of the E-Ray, which starts from £164,630. This features a powered, fully retractable hardtop.

Features and spec

Under the hood (well, actually behind the driver) is a 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine, which delivers 495 horsepower. However, that electric motor on the front axle adds another 160 horsepower, giving a total output of 655 horsepower and a 0- 62 mph time of 2.9 seconds.

The car sits on 20-inch alloys at the front and 21-inch alloys at the back, and at over 4.7m long and 2.02m wide, it’s rather large for the UK roads. Luckily there’s plenty of external cameras to help you manoeuvre it through tight spaces, including a handy view of the front splitter, so you don’t dink it on a curb or wall.

There’s also a clever feature called front axle lift, that can raise the front of the car to clear speed bumps, curbs or steep driveways. It can be controlled manually or set by GPS locations saved in the system.

The driving seat on the E-Ray feels more like a fighter pilot layout, thanks to the ‘driver-centric cockpit design’. This includes a 12.7-inch centre display, angled towards the driver, a 14-inch driver display behind the wheel and an additional 6.6-inch touchscreen display to the right of the wheel, for additional information such as trip counters, g-force readouts, electric battery charge and the launch control.

There’s also a head-up display to provide essential driving data and a digital rear-view mirror, which takes its feed from a rear-mounted camera above the rear glass. This is especially handy in this car, as you’d have extremely limited view without it.

There are two phone charging locations in the car, including a tray under the main climate control buttons which features a clip to hold your phone in place, and a second holder behind the armrest. I do like that both will keep your phone in place, even while you throw the car around a corner.

The sound system on the E-Ray is courtesy of Bose Performance Series surround system with 14 speakers. It's plenty powerful enough but not as defined as some high-end systems like Mercedes' Burmester or the Bowers & Wilkins systems in Aston Martin and BMW.

While there’s a cruise control function on the E-Ray, as well as emergency braking, lane assist and collision alerts, there’s no adaptive cruise control here. For a car in 2026, this feels a little strange – especially one that costs this much.

Electric options

The electric options on the E-Ray may at first seem a little disappointing but they are a significant step for the Corvette. Perhaps it’s the name that builds expectations a little too high, leaving people to expect at least some significant electric-only driving.

The fact that you can drive any distance on a mild hybrid is impressive. The downside is that the range is so unbelievably small. Travelling just over a mile took me down to 80% charge, which would suggest around 5 miles would be a maximum, and looking online, it looks like 3-4 miles is more realistic.

To be fair, three to four miles is enough to get you a fair distance from home before starting up that engine and waking the dead. It’s just a shame that the process to move between electric and ICE modes isn’t easier.

On the E-Ray, you can only enter Stealth mode (or Shuttle mode) when the car is turned off. Before you press the start button, you need to press the brake pedal and use the drive mode selector. In theory, you can go back into Stealth mode by turning off the car when at a standstill and reselecting, but it’s not easy.

Another clever part of the hybrid system is how it charges the battery. By pressing the button on the steering wheel, it provides increased resistance on the engine, which is used to charge, and can be back to 100% in a matter of minutes. This is vastly different to most hybrid systems that only charge via braking or deceleration, which can often take hours to gain just a few extra kW of charge.

Of course, the real benefit of the electric battery on the E-Ray is the extra power it gives the car. When you put your foot down in the E-Ray, it’s incredibly quick, and the all-wheel drive means it’s also very stable when accelerating.

On the road

One thing that the E-Ray cannot be accused of is subtlety. The bright green paintwork certainly adds to the spectacle, but even without it, this car stands out. You don’t see many Corvettes in the UK, so when people see one, you certainly get a lot of attention.

It’s probably not a car you’d want to park in your local supermarket car park, not least because it would barely fit in the parking space. This is a car designed for private valets and gated driveways.

In terms of actual driving, the Corvette E-Ray performs extremely well. It’s extremely quick and handles impressively. Steering is responsive, and it breezes through the eight-speed autobox, either automatically or manually using the paddles.

There’s no doubt you’re in a sports car with the E-Ray. You sit low to the road in those bucket seats, and the suspension is firm. Luckily, the braking is also very capable thanks to those large carbon-ceramic brakes, so stopping is well controlled.

A grand tourer, though, this isn’t. I did a couple of longer trips in the E-Ray and started to get uncomfortable in the race seats after a couple of hours. If you plan to do longer journeys, I’d recommend a more comfy seat option.

That 6.2-litre V8 will drink fuel given the chance, and the 70-litre tank full of premium gasoline isn’t cheap to top up. The spec sheet gives a rather eye-opening 7.9 miles per gallon for both the coupe and the convertible, which is about 118 miles from a full tank. However, I found it to be much more economical than that, partly thanks to a neat feature in the Touring drive mode.

In Touring mode, the engine’s Active Fuel Management system works with the front electric motor and at times uses just four of the engine's eight cylinders for efficiency – only swapping back to eight when it demands more power. Using this mode on the motorway, I was able to get the fuel efficiency up to around 23mpg, and around 340 miles from the tank.

Should I buy the Corvette E-Ray?

If you’re looking for a showpiece car, the Corvette E-Ray is a very appealing proposition. It looks great, it sounds great, and it drives like a proper sports car. If you go for the green, you’re guaranteed to stand out, wherever you take it.

The electric part of this car is not what I expected and is actually clever in its delivery. The addition of stealth and shuttle modes is genius, though it would be massively improved by allowing a switch from engine to electric power without turning the car off, and by adding a more powerful battery to get that range up to 30 or 40 miles.

The technology in the E-Ray feels really mixed. In places it’s very modern, such as the multi-camera displays and the wireless charging trays, but then it lacks basic driver assistance functions like adaptive cruise control.

While those with a sensible head might look to the Porsche 911, Aston Martin DB12, or Mercedes-AMG GT, the Corvette line-up feels a little wilder, and that’s no bad thing.

A shock result surfaced at a recent car auction, where a buyer paid $40 million (£29.51m) for a Ferrari Luce. It set a record at RM Sotheby's for a price paid for a new car at auction.

The Ferrari Luce normally costs around $640,000 / £470,000 and in this listing the bidding started at $1,000,000. That it soared to $40,000,000 surprised everyone, even with this model being Tailor Made and heavily customised, while also offering Chassis 0.

That means it's the first production chassis for the Luce, which perhaps explains something about what's happening here. Even though the price is hugely inflated, it has enduring pedigree. It's likely that a collector saw this opportunity and knew that they could make headlines and have something of value in their collection for the future.

There's another dimension to this auction: the car was sold for The Ferrari Foundation, with the auction house waiving the fee, and so all the proceeds are heading to charitable causes. That means everyone is winning – including the buyer who might be able to write this off because of its charitable status.

As for the Ferrari Luce in question, it offers a pearlescent finish (said to be unique in appearance and designed specifically for this car) along with white rims and a Perla Le Mans metallic leather interior.

It's a fusion of black and white, but according to the details, offers many unique elements that are only found on this car.

The Ferrari Luce got something of a mixed reception at its unveiling for not looking like a Ferrari, although T3's Editor Mat Gallagher was impressed with what he saw at the launch.

Regardless of hot takes on the design, the Ferrari Luce hits its sales target for 2026 within two months according to the Financial Times.

While the exterior has been likened to a Nissan, Sir Jony Ive's involvement in the design has been criticised for the minimalist approach, including what looks like an iPad hanging next to the steering wheel.

However, Ferrari didn't set out to produce an electric version of its famous sports cars with sweeping design, it created something completely different. Aimed at ultra wealthy individuals as an electric daily driver, it combines power, performance and practicality. You might not like it, but you probably can't afford it either.

The huge auction price achieved marks another interesting chapter for the Ferrari Luce: in reality, we won't know whether this car was a success or not for another 20 years or more. Will it prove catastrophic, or will it be an icon?

Somewhere in your house, there's probably an old iPad or Android tablet doing very little. The makers of HERMIX NANO reckon you might as well stick it on your dashboard and turn it into a modern infotainment system.

The HERMIX NANO is a compact wireless bridge that sits in your car and connects your phone to a mounted tablet or smartphone. Once it's set up, the tablet behaves more like a proper car display, with wireless CarPlay for iPhone users and Android Auto for Android phones.

That's far more useful than opening Google Maps on an old tablet. You get the familiar driving interface, larger touch targets, navigation, media controls and voice-first controls designed for use behind the wheel.

Setup is designed to be straightforward, too. There's no rewiring or dashboard modification required: connect the NANO to power, pair it through the HERMIX app and connect your phone. Once the initial setup is done, it can connect automatically when you get back into the car.

The cleverest extra is the included 1080p backup camera. Mount it at the rear of the car and HERMIX NANO automatically switches the tablet to the camera feed when you select reverse, turning that old screen into a rather useful reversing display.

That makes the $74 (£55) price a bit more interesting. You're not getting a new car, obviously, but if you've already got a spare tablet and an older vehicle without CarPlay, this is a fairly cheap way of giving the dashboard a much-needed upgrade.

The HERMIX NANO is currently available, on Kickstarter, for $74 (£55), reduced from its stated $99 (£74) price. It's ideal if you've got an old tablet sitting around, although you'll still need a suitable way of mounting it securely in the car.

So, no, you're not exactly turning your old Ford into a Tesla. But for $74, you could make its dashboard feel a bit less old-fashioned.

Aston Martin has revealed the Valen, a limited-edition supercar from the company’s bespoke Q division that sets a new benchmark for road-legal performance.

The Valen is powered by Aston’s familiar 5.2-litre, twin-turbocharged V12 engine, but it’s been tuned to deliver 850PS and 1,000 Nm of torque – making it the most powerful front-engined Aston Martin ever made, and the most powerful front-engined production car too.

Aston claims a 0-60 mph time of 3.0 seconds and a top speed of 214 mph. The company also says significant weight saving has seen 110 kg removed from its regular V12 platform, as used by the Vanquish.

There’s also a new “driver-focused” powertrain calibration and chassis tune, which promises to boost the car’s dynamic capabilities, while a specially tuned titanium exhaust delivers an “intense sound character,” the British car maker says.

The Valen features a body made entirely of carbon fibre, plus bespoke light units unlike those of any other Aston Martin, and a new interior architecture. Limited to 150 examples, the Valen was revealed at The Quail by The Peninsula, A Motorsports Gathering in California, during this year’s Monterey Car Week.

Valen is a name derived from the Latin word valens, which means “strong” or “powerful” – and, of course, it continues Aston’s longstanding tradition of using names beginning with V. The Valen follows several other limited-run supercars from the Q by Aston Martin division, including the Valour and Valiant.

Speaking of the Valen’s design, chief creative officer Marek Reichman said: “Valen gave us the opportunity to explore and express more extreme emotions through a new form language and surface treatment…Valen is a significant departure from what has gone before; sharply sculpted lines to reflect the aggressive dynamics, an attacking stance that emphasises the front-engine rear-drive layout and a bespoke interior design that creates a more sporting cockpit environment.”

The show car attending Monterey this week uses a Q Ultra paint colour called Satin Andromeda Red. Aston explains: “The satin top-coat accentuates the assertive lines in the design with the colour shift from the Andromeda Red remaining highly impactful.” It’s a colour that blends deep red, copper and golden highlights which shift to undertones of blue.

Or, if you prefer, Aston will build your Valen with a fully exposed-carbon body, complete with a herringbone pattern in the carbon weave running down the centre of the car.

Standard-fit features include carbon ceramic brakes, 21-inch magnesium wheels, a carbon prop shaft and an electronic rear limited slip differential.

A theme of the interior is “visual lightness” to reflect the Valen’s reduced weight. Remodelled compared to other current Astons, there’s a slim centre console made from 3D-printed components and housing the same switchgear as the Valhalla supercar. The console is angled towards the driver to create a more cockpit-like environment. Aston Martin’s new Sports Plus seats are available as an option, along with a lightweight carbon performance seat.

Limited to 150 examples, deliveries of the Aston Martin Valen are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2027. A price has not been made public.

Singer is a bespoke car design brand with a mission – to make classic cars look as glorious as they are to drive. It's no surprise therefore that fashion house Louis Vuitton opted to collaborate with the atelier to help celebrate its 130th anniversary.

Two custom Porsche 911 Classic models have been reimagined by Singer in Louis Vuitton colours and themes. And there are motifs and the finest details throughout, synonymous with the label.

The Porsche 911 Classic coupé is finished in Vuitton's trademark saffron and cobalt blue colourway, and has been designed to honour the label's trunks and "art of travel". That includes a roof rack and an interior that just oozes elegance.

At its heart is a Tambour dashboard clock, inspired by the iconic Louis Vuitton watch of the same name. It can also be removed and used as a desk clock when you've arrived at your destination.

The other model of the duo is a Porsche 911 Classic Turbo cabriolet and was styled by the artistic director of women's collections at Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière.

It is finished in an ivory white with touches of brown, and features an interior inspired by classic motorboats.

This time, the Louis Vuitton clock isn't behind the steering wheel as part of the dash, it's positioned at the centre of the console. And behind the seats you can find a luggage compartment that's been designed specifically for the car's shape and form.

Each of the two bespoke automobiles also come with exclusive capsule collections and accessories, including handcrafted jackets and clothing, as well as a 1950s style helmet, sunglasses and luggage.

The 911 Classic even comes with a Louis Vuitton surfboard and skis.

As for pricing though, who knows? Neither brand is saying, and it's unlikely these two cars will be available for sale. They are extremely special edition and clearly things to look at and covet rather than own.

Singer though somewhat specialises in customising classic Porsche vehicles to a super high spec, so if you do have a Porsche 911 lying around, and the bank balance of a minor country, you could always commission your own bespoke car.

We can dream.

People have complained for years that technology is taking the thrill out of driving, but I never really believed them. Yes, technology has made driving easier with everything from ABS brakes to sat navs, but the sheer thrill of driving is still possible. I’ve tested numerous advanced tech vehicles, including battery-electric cars, and found the experience incredible.

Last month, I took the Caterham 360R on a road trip to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It was a couple of hundred miles of motorways, A roads and country lanes, and despite it being one of the hottest days of the year so far, I loved it.

The Caterham 360R is a race-spec version of one of its mid-range cars. Starting from £38,490, my model featured the R pack, including sports suspension, 15-inch alloys, racing seats complete with four-point harnesses, an anti-roll bar and a Momo steering wheel. It was finished in a unique bluish-purple that changed in the light and came factory-built rather than in kit form, putting the price up to £45,985.

Back to basics

What is perhaps more noticeable about the Caterham is what it doesn’t have. There’s no stereo, and therefore no entertainment or sat-nav – there is a 12V socket under the dash though, should you need to plug your phone in with an adaptor.

There’s a basic fan, but no climate control and certainly no air conditioning. There’s no power steering or automatic gearbox. I was lucky that this model included the optional windshield and a canvas roof that can be popped on in case of inclement conditions – not that I needed it in the July heatwave.

The result of all this, though, is a car with almost zero distractions. I drove for nearly three hours, focused on the road and the cars around me. While I had navigation on my phone, I actually didn’t miss the sound of the radio blaring once.

A track car for the road

Caterhams provide you with one of the most direct connections to the road of any road-legal car. It’s closer to riding a motorcycle than anything else. The 360R isn’t the most powerful in the Caterham range, but it will still do 0-60 in 4.8 seconds with 180bhp and a top speed of 130mph from its 2.0-litre Ford Duratec engine. The car weighs just 560kg (depending on exact spec), giving it a 321 bhp per tonne power-to-weight ratio. The result is pure enjoyment.

This car isn’t about getting from A to B; it’s about the journey. It’s not as practical or comfortable as a Mazda MX-5 (a car that has the perfect balance between fun and practicality), but it’s a car you take out on the weekend, just for the drive. It’s loud, hot and fun, and you’re bound to turn some heads while you’re at it.

I was initially a little concerned about parking the Caterham, as there’s no real way to lock it. After all, even with the roof up, the doors just unclip. But then I realised there’s nothing inside that people could really steal. On the side of the 360R is a big red kill switch. If you remove this and put it in your pocket with the keys, there’s little chance of the car going anywhere either.

Old Porsches

While at Goodwood, I also drove another low-tech vehicle. This time it was a real classic from Porsche’s heritage fleet. The Porsche 356 Speedster is a 1956 open-top version of the first car to bear the Porsche name. This car predated the automatic choke by a long way, so even the art of keeping the engine running is a necessary skill, and in terms of safety tech, there weren’t even seat belts in this model. Such an experience to drive though, and absolutely beautiful to look at.

It’s worth remembering that some tech advances have made the driving experience safer and more comfortable. Seat belt technology, airbags, traction control and tyre tech all help to keep the car out of the ditch and prevent serious injury when things do go wrong.

Then there’s the tech we use to make driving easier. Manual gearboxes are perhaps the last true manual part on modern cars, and even they are becoming few and far between. And when automatic gearboxes have now got so good, it makes sense – not least when you’re sat in traffic, not having to constantly dip the clutch is a welcome relief.

Automation of driving

Future cars will see the whole driving experience removed for most journeys. Autonomous driving systems will allow you to take your concentration off the road and enjoy a film, a chat or even a nap. Level 2 systems already offered by the likes of Mercedes, BMW and Tesla can take over the major driving functions for large proportions of your journey – only needing to take back control if something goes wrong.

For those monotonous drives such as to and from work, or a long road trip across the country, technology can take the pain out of driving, and that’s a good thing. Technology can also make driving more fun, providing entertainment and ease of driving, so you can arrive cool and relaxed when you finish your journey.

If you’re really looking for a proper driving experience that will leave you grinning from ear to ear though, you are best to remove the tech as much as possible. Driving the Caterham 360R on any road is a true experience and one you won’t forget. So while it won’t suit everyone, it’s the perfect antidote to the modern tech mobiles.

If you want something a little more practical, it also comes in an S-pack version, with comfy seats and with the option of a larger chassis to give you a little more room. Keep it in the garage for the weekend when you feel the need for a proper drive.

Jaguar has revealed images of the Type 01 interior for the first time, ahead of this weekend's Pebble Beach Concours. While the initial reaction to the relaunch was extreme, recent reports of Type 01 prototypes have been favourable, and this interior is only likely to add to the appeal.

While the images don't show anything radically different to the initial prototypes, it's far more developed and feels far more luxurious than before. It still features that central spine, dividing both front and rear passengers, but in the calm, warm hues of this interior it looks less stark, and the overall aesthetic feels almost Range Rover-like.

The dashboard is perhaps the most interesting part, as it shows a large display behind the steering wheel and a smaller vertical display in the centre that looks to be showing climate and seat controls.

According to the press release, there is a digital rear-view mirror positioned at the base of the windscreen rather than at the top, much like the panoramic vision display in the BMW Neue Klasse models.

There are also some stylish touches similar to those we've seen on the exterior of the prototype. The Jaguar leaper is embossed in the doors, with a brass-like finish that complements the warm tones.

It's clean and simple, giving the air of luxury that you'd expect from a Jaguar. I'm sure there will be some bolder colours on launch, but this feels like a reveal that will satisfy even those die-hard Jaguar traditionalists, while still intriguing a new audience.

We'll have to wait until 6 October for the full car reveal, but I'm sure this won't be the last tease we have before then.

The camper van has long represented the ultimate in travel freedom, and none more so than the VW camper. With a history that stretches back to 1947, through early Westfalia conversions to the ‘Splittie’ and on to the modern-day California, which is now produced in-house.

While the ID. Buzz has been VW’s all-electric van solution since 2022, the latest California models offer only diesel, petrol and plug-in hybrid solutions. They do come with many of the tech advances of the electric cars though, from adaptive cruise controls and parking assist to the digital cockpit and connected services.

To see how this modern camper performed, I took it on a 2,000-mile road trip across Europe to test out not just its driving capabilities, but also its skills on the campsite. Having previously tested Mercedes-Benz’s Marco Polo, I was interested to see how advanced this new VW camper really was. While it’s not perfect, it’s still one of the best small campers on the market.

Price and availability

The VW California starts from £64,432 for the base ‘California Beach Camper’ model but also comes in the upgraded ‘California Coast’ and top-specced ‘California Ocean’ models.

The Ocean starts from £78,748 and, on top of the Coast’s full kitchen with coolbox, electric pop-up roof and rear-view camera, also offers LED Matrix headlights, satellite navigation, additional storage and ambient lighting. The California comes in a choice of three engines: the diesel 2.0 TDI, the petrol 2.0 TSI and a 1.5 eHybrid.

On top of the standard colours, you can have the California in a split two-tone paint finish, which feels extra classy, while the seats inside have the California branding on them.

Options include powered sliding doors, now on both sides, a retractable towbar, and adaptive chassis control. The Ocean petrol TSI model I tested with all the extras cost £88,006.

While there isn’t an electric drivetrain for the California at this time, there is now a Good Night Package for the ID. Buzz that turns it into a ‘camper lite’, and many third-party companies are offering full Buzz camper conversions.

Long-distance driver

The California is a great van for long-distance driving. It’s a fairly compact size, with a height of just under two metres (197.2 cm), a width of 194.1 cm (225.2 including mirrors) and a length of 517.3cm. It has that van-like driving position that elevates you and sits you upright, giving you a clear vision of the road. The driver and passenger seats both have armrests and plenty of adjustment, though manual, not electronic.

The long sloping windscreen feels spacious, and only in a tight corner do the pillars restrict the vision slightly. Wing mirrors are large to allow a plentiful view along the sides of the car and the rear view mirror offers a clear view out the back – provided you’re not overpacked. It would have been nice to have the option of a digital rearview mirror here, for that reason though.

With a 7-speed automatic gearbox, the driving is smooth, but with two people and luggage inside, the 203 horsepower 2.0 litre TSI engine at times felt a little underpowered. Building up speed on France’s autoroutes required quite a kick-down and some high revs for it to really move. There is a sport mode and manual gear changes via paddles on the steering wheel, which really help.

For long-distance driving, the adaptive cruise control is a real help, and the VW system works well. There’s some basic lane assistance too, which gives some resistance if you stray over the line without indicating, but not the full lane centring. Again, a shame that this isn’t at least an option.

The California uses VW’s digital cockpit and combines a 12.9-inch centre screen with a large driver display that feels similar to the ID Buzz. The operating system gives you quick access to all the necessary driving controls, and the driving display can be customised to suit what you want to show. You can also wirelessly connect to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

I was a little surprised that the tray for your phone doesn't provide wireless charging, but you can easily plug it into one of the USB-C ports directly below it. One nice feature is that you can use the California’s data connection to provide a Wi-Fi hotspot for passengers, which is useful while on the road and while camping.

The only real disappointment was the speaker system in the California Ocean. For a top-of-the-range model, it would be nice to at least have the option to put a more powerful speaker system in, as the supplied system is a little tinny.

Camping

There’s a 3-room concept to the California’s design, which shows a clever use of space for a relatively small camper van. The front seats swivel around to open up the van to a living space, with the back seats pushed back and the table brought inside.

Having sliding doors on both sides of the California does allow you quicker access to things, and saves walking around the van. Both of these doors are electric and open with a light squeeze of the handle. Interestingly, the boot access isn’t electric and is pretty heavy to close – which seems an odd decision.

The pop-up roof opens via the quick buttons next to the centre screen in the front of the van, giving you a lot of extra headroom in the living area, as well as a dedicated sleeping area with the bed pulled down.

Compared to the roof section in the Marco Polo, the California feels more thought out, not needing the thermal inserts but having zipped sections with mosquito netting on the sides and front. This allows you to get plenty of airflow through the van when sleeping and helps you stay relatively cool, even in very hot weather.

The blinds provided in the California for the front windscreen and front windows are impressive, too. The side blinds attach magnetically, while the front blind uses collapsible tent poles to keep it rigid.

The in-built mattress is quite thin, and although helped by the sprung base, isn’t the most comfortable to sleep on. I’d recommend a mattress topper if you’re doing more than a couple of nights on this. There are USB-C ports up top and reading lights, so you can keep your phone plugged in or read a few chapters before dozing off.

You can also turn the downstairs living area into another bed, with a fold-out mattress that sits on top of the rear seats. This is really simple to set up, however, the mattress is even harder than the top one, and as you don’t get the full width of the van, there’s less room for two people. This space is better for a single sleeper or young kids.

The third space is actually outside of the California. The side awning creates an outdoor living space for you to place the provided chairs and table. Meanwhile, the kitchenette, with its gas hob, sink and coolbox, has a small fold-out table, where you can prepare food or add an electric hob.

App and digital display

In the back of the California is a small touchscreen display for the camping controls, which is a nice touch. The main display shows the current status of the leisure battery as well as the fresh and waste water levels. A press of the main button, which looks a bit like an old iPad button, gives you more options, while you can also access the settings and the aircon.

The aircon button here is a bit of a false promise, as it will only work while the van’s ignition is on. When the California is parked and turned off, in camping mode the aircon isn’t usable. This is because the aircon runs from the main battery and not the leisure battery.

Even when the van is plugged in, it will drain the van’s battery if used without the engine running. This means on a hot night, you’re limited to the heated ventilation to blow air through the van, or a breeze through the open windows.

The Grand California offers a roof air conditioning system for £2,238 to provide cooling when plugged in, but this isn’t available for the California models.

In addition to the digital display, there’s a dedicated app, so you can control the same functions on your phone via a Bluetooth connection to the California. So, you can check the battery levels, turn on the coolbox, change the lighting or select camping mode, all from your phone.

The app also includes camping information, route planning with campsites marked, an online operating manual and how-to videos. It would be helpful if the operating manual and videos were available offline, though, as some campsites I visited didn’t have great signal or Wi-Fi.

An electric future…

It’s hard to imagine that a fully electric drivetrain version of the California isn’t on its way. Or that a new camper version of the ID Buzz isn’t in the planning. The only downside with an all-electric van at this stage would be the range, with the ID Buzz only offering around 274 miles. Should this reach that magic 400-mile number, it would be hard to see why anyone would choose anything else.

The other advantage of an electric van is that you wouldn’t need to run a separate leisure battery for the coolbox and lighting – it could all run off the main battery. Also, running an air con system would be possible, as there’s no separation of the ignition system and the leisure system.

Should I buy the VW California?

There’s a reason why the VW California remains one of the most popular camper vans in the world, and this latest version has upped the ante with some impressive new features.

The dual sliding doors are really useful for opening up the back of the van and the living space is very flexible, thanks to the moving table, the rotating front seats and the pop-up roof.

Travelling as a couple, or a couple plus young kids, there’s enough room inside to eat and sleep for a week or more. Yet, you still have a very manageable-sized van that you can park in a normal-sized parking space if needed (just about).

The VW California shows its years of experience in the way it has been designed, with slick details turning it from a driving machine into a sleeping one. From the blinds and the slot-in mosquito nets on the rear windows to the coolbox and the way the lower bed sets up, it’s all done in style.

The digital cockpit in the California is a welcome addition, and the driving assistance features, such as the adaptive cruise control and parking assist, are extremely handy.

At times though, the top-specced California Ocean still feels a little basic for a van that costs nearly £90k. From the manual seat adjustments and manually closing boot to the sound system, it would be nice to have some more premium options here without resorting to a third-party outfitter.

I’m excited to see what an electric California could bring in the future, or an ID Buzz camper – whichever route VW go down. For now though, the California remains a top pick for the campgrounds.

Some of the benefits of driving an electric car are obvious. There’s the lower fuel cost when home-charging overnight, and how most can be pre-warmed or cooled before you get in. But one of the most convenient features of an EV is also one you might have overlooked – V2L.

This stands for Vehicle to Load, and it’s a system where domestic appliances can be charged and powered directly from an electric car. Since EVs are essentially massive batteries on wheels – and most journeys not requiring a full charge to reach the destination – some of that electricity can be put to good use elsewhere, and that’s when V2L gets to work.

What is V2L?

In short, Vehicle to Load lets the traction battery – the big battery that drives the car, as opposed to the much smaller one used to power ancillaries – supply external AC electricity. Since a typical EV battery capacity is around 50 to 100 kWh, it can be used to power or charge a huge range of products and appliances, while using only a tiny bit of your car’s range.

For context, a 100-watt device like a typical television theoretically consumes about 0.1 kWh per hour of use – so just a fraction of your EV’s capacity. This means that even a modestly sized EV with a partially charged battery can easily run a TV, power camping equipment or charge a couple of electric bicycles without sacrificing a chunk of range.

This electricity is usually delivered in one of two ways. Some EVs have a domestic socket in the cabin or boot, so you just turn the car on, plug in the appliance, and it works exactly as it would at home. I remember doing this with a Honda e back in 2020, when an Xbox could be powered from a three-pin socket in the cabin, then plugged into the dashboard display with an HDMI cable for a bit of gaming at the charge station.

The other way V2L works is with an adapter that plugs into the car’s charge port. Usually sold separately, these cost from around £100 and basically give your car a domestic outlet, ready for powering appliances or charging devices.

An important point is that cars with V2G generally let you set a minimum battery level, so you’ll always have enough energy to get home or to your next charge stop – no need to worry about accidentally draining the battery.

What can V2L actually be used for?

V2L is one of those features that's easy to overlook or even dismiss entirely until you’ve tried it. But once you’ve used your EV to power a camping stove, a kettle, a television, a device charging station or power tools, you’ll quickly realise how useful the technology can be.

Use cases can be as simple as powering a laptop while you’re at a charge station, or as demanding as powering a bunch of camping equipment – from an inflatable mattress pump, to a coffee machine, a small fridge, a portable induction hob, or a projector and speakers for campsite movie night.

The limitation is rarely battery capacity, since EV batteries are so large, but is instead power output. V2L systems typically provide an output of a few kilowatts. This is fine for charging devices and powering things like televisions and an induction hob, but powerful items like kettles can outstrip supply. So you can’t simply hook up a multi-outlet extension cable and treat the EV like your house. But with a bit of research and planning, V2L can still transform how your car is used while parked.

Which electric cars have V2L?

V2L is increasingly common right across the EV market. Cars using the E-GMP platform of Kia, Hyundai and Genesis all have it, along with cars from BYD, Volvo, Polestar, Volkswagen, MG and Renault, among others.

What’s the difference between V2L, V2H and V2G?

There are quite a few ways to use the battery of an electric car, aside from merely driving it. We’ve covered V2L, but it’s worth quickly mentioning some other ‘V2’ systems. V2H stands for Vehicle to Home, and is where the car’s battery can be used to supply a house, via a bidirectional charging setup.

In theory, all you need to do is hook the EV up to your wall charger, and its battery can be used to run your house – plus, if the EV was charged using a cheap overnight tariff, then tasked with powering your home during pricier daytime hours, you’ll save some money. That said, such a setup requires a compatible car, charger and home electrical installation.

V2G stands for Vehicle to Grid, and is where energy stored in your electric car can be sent back to the national electricity grid, via your home charger. In theory, this could help balance grid demand and let owners take advantage of variable electricity prices, but this isn’t widely available for now.

Collectively, these technologies are known as V2X.

Should your next EV have V2L?

Unless you have a very specific use case, V2L remains a nice bonus rather than a must-have feature. If you work outside with power tools and can’t always rely on a nearby domestic socket, then V2L could be a game-changer. But for most people it’ll be a nice-to-have feature on the odd occasion they remember to use it.

That said, if you’re especially outdoorsy, charging e-bikes and powering camping gear from your EV could quickly become second nature, and a must-have for your next electric car.

Formula E’s new GEN4 car is considerably faster than its predecessor, but outright performance creates an unusual problem for the championship.

The technology most relevant to electric road cars is often demonstrated when drivers are forced to conserve energy, not when they simply drive as quickly as possible.

From the 2026/27 season, Formula E will address both sides of GEN4’s character using two race formats.

The new E-Prix Unleashed format will be a 30-minute sprint using GEN4’s high-downforce aerodynamic configuration, and it will feature a six-minute Attack Mode period and no mandatory Pit Boost stop.

The conventional E-Prix will last 45 minutes and use the low-downforce bodywork to reduce drag. It will also include eight minutes of Attack Mode and a mandatory Pit Boost stop.

Formula E says the shorter format has been designed to reveal GEN4’s raw performance, such as its permanent all-wheel-drive that produces up to 600kW (~815bhp) and its acceleration from 0-62mph in around 1.8 seconds.

“The GEN4 car is a brutal car from a performance point of view,” Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds told me at the Tokyo E-Prix. “We want to be able to show the car in its most powerful state.”

Less restraint, fewer lessons?

The sprint should make GEN4 easier to appreciate as a racing car. Qualifying position will become more important, energy conservation less prominent, and drivers will have greater freedom to exploit its speed.

However, Andretti Formula E driver Jake Dennis believes that may make the shorter race less useful for learning about efficiency.

“We only learn so much by driving flat out,” he explains. “You learn a small amount compared with what you learn through efficiency driving.”

During a traditional Formula E race, drivers begin with considerably less stored energy than the car will use before reaching the chequered flag.

The remainder must be recovered through regenerative braking, forcing teams to optimise the motor, inverter and energy-management software.

Drivers must also decide where to save that energy and where deploying it could help them overtake or defend their position, which are technical and strategic challenges with the clearest relevance to road-going EVs.

Dennis says having both formats is nevertheless a positive step.

“One is based on all-out performance and showing what the car is capable of,” he says. “The other is more about efficiency, manufacturers learning and what works best for road cars.”

Dodds makes a similar distinction. Formula E needs the sprint to demonstrate that an electric racing car can deliver extraordinary speed, but it cannot abandon the energy management that separates it from other championships.

“We’re an electric racing series,” he says. “It isn’t just about how fast you can go.”

“It is about how you manage and conserve energy, and how you recharge energy during the race. You can’t show that in a sprint race.”

E-Prix Unleashed may therefore teach manufacturers less about maximising range, but that is not necessarily a flaw.

GEN4 was designed to make Formula E’s performance impossible to dismiss, and the sprint gives it space to do precisely that.

The longer E-Prix can then tackle the harder and potentially more valuable question of how to achieve more with a limited quantity of energy.

Before GEN4 arrives, Formula E’s current GEN3 Evo car will make its swansong at the season-ending London E-Prix this weekend.

For more information, head over to Formula E.

A Formula E car can cross the finish line with just 0.1% of its battery remaining, which might sound precarious, but it is usually the result of extraordinarily precise planning rather than luck.

“The car is the smartest piece of technology we have,” Andretti Formula E driver Jake Dennis told me at the Tokyo E-Prix. “It is always telling you when to lift and brake, using lights and beeps in your ears.”

Before a race, teams use simulations to calculate how much energy the car should consume on each lap and where the driver should accelerate, coast and brake.

“At some point, you simply have to trust and follow the car,” Dennis says. “It is a serious piece of equipment.”

The calculation is complicated by the fact that a Formula E car uses considerably more energy during a race than it carries at the start.

“One of the things I love about Formula E is that we start with roughly 50% of the energy actually required to complete the race,” Jaguar TCS Racing team principal Ian James explains.

“Everything else comes through regenerative braking and the energy-management strategy we deploy. That’s something you could never do with a combustion engine.”

That does not mean the battery begins the race half-charged. Instead, the figure compares the energy initially available with the total amount used throughout the event.

During braking, the car’s electric motors become generators, converting some of its kinetic energy back into electricity.

Formula E says its current GEN3 Evo cars recover nearly 50% of the energy required for a race this way.

Saving before spending

Software calculates the theoretically quickest way to use that energy, but the driver must account for competitors, overtaking and track position.

“The engineers have simulations that calculate the fastest way to get from A to B around the lap,” Dennis says.

“It is then up to us drivers to teach or show them a little about raceability, because numbers can never fully calculate what it’s like to have a race car behind you.”

A driver may therefore conserve energy in one section and deploy it somewhere else where defending or overtaking is more important.

Formula E veteran Nyck de Vries says this is not a skill drivers usually develop while progressing through junior championships.

“We aren’t used to managing energy, managing the draft and saving before spending,” he explains. “It is a very important skill, and some drivers are better at it than others.”

The final 0.1%, then, is not merely what happens to be left in the battery.

It represents how closely the team has predicted the race and how successfully the driver has followed (and occasionally overridden) that plan.

Seiko has expanded its 5 Sports watch line-up with the new Seiko 5 Sports x Honda Motocompo Limited Edition. Created in partnership with Honda, the timepiece celebrates the 45th anniversary of the Honda Motocompo, and it does it in bright yellow style.

Launched in 1981, the Honda Motocompo was the smallest folding scooter or ‘trunk bike’ of its time. Despite originally launching as just a factory add-on and being discontinued in 1983, the Motocompo became popular for its retro design and small size which allowed it to fit into a car trunk.

Now, Seiko and Honda are bringing it back in the form of a watch. The new Seiko 5 Sports x Honda Motocompo Limited Edition pays homage to the Motocompo but where you’ll really see that celebration is via the caseback.

When you flip the Seiko 5 Sports x Honda Motocompo Limited Edition over, you’ll see the caseback has a layer of red paint that gives a nod to the Motocompo’s colour. It has a bold Honda logo which sits atop an engraving of the Motocompo in its folded down form. A serial number is also etched on the back.

But back to the front of the Seiko 5 Sports x Honda Motocompo Limited Edition which is hard to miss. Sitting in a 36mm stainless steel case, this watch has a bright yellow dial with black lines and a grey strip running through the middle. The Honda logo sits at nine o’clock while a day/date window sits at three.

‘Automatic’ is printed just above six o’clock in Honda’s signature font. Black numerals and indices loop around the dial which are coated in Lumibrite to enhance its visibility in low light. It’s definitely not a dial you’ll forget anytime soon.

The Seiko 5 Sports x Honda Motocompo Limited Edition has a stop seconds hand function, which is powered by the 4R36 automatic calibre movement. This gives the watch 41 hours of power reserve. Additional engravings appear on the crown which says ‘TURN’ and the nylon strap which says ‘Insertion Point’.

Limited to just 8,000 pieces worldwide, the Seiko 5 Sports x Honda Motocompo Limited Edition is available to pre-order for £340 at Seiko.

Apple CarPlay has been available in cars since 2015, but until now, it hasn’t been available on boats.

That’s all about to change for those on the water. MasterCraft Boat Holdings’ premier pontoon brands – Crest and Balise Pontoons – has announced a partnership with the marine navigation app Savvy Navvy. Yes, that’s really what it’s called and what a name it is.

What boats will get CarPlay and when?

Anyway, back to the story. MacRumors picked up the news after it was announced during Crest Marine's annual dealer meeting and published on Business Wire.

The partnership will allow Crest and Balise boaters to sync the Savvy Navvy mobile app directly to the helm to access nautical charts, smart routing, active GPS tracking, live weather forecasts, and tidal data. The navigation screen will appear on the same screen as other CarPlay or Android Auto apps, and there’s a choice of day, night or satellite views to select from.

According to Jelte Liebrand, CEO of Savvy Navvy: “Boaters have been asking for a modern infotainment system for years. Plan your trip on the couch, step aboard, and it is already at the helm. No complicated ways to synchronise things; it just works.

"Savvy Navvy for CarPlay works on iOS and Android with any compatible display. I’m thrilled to see Crest and Balise put CarPlay in front of their boaters.”

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with Savvy Navvy compatibility will come standard on all new Balise and Crest Conquest and Caribbean models launching next month.

Boaters who buy a new 2027 Balise or Crest with CarPlay or Android Auto functionality will also get access to Savvy Navvy Premium, unlocking the range of features available within the app.

Apple Maps will be the native mapping service in Ford's next electric car, expanding Apple's foothold in automotive, while also raising the competition with Google's in-car mapping.

Importantly, this is standalone Apple Maps, using Apple's MapKit for Automotive SDK, so it will work without the need for a smartphone for the first time.

That will see Apple Maps completely integrated into the car, providing natural language searching, turn-by-turn navigation and traffic information, while there will also be detailed location information.

MapKit for Automotive SDK allows Ford to customise the look and feel of Apple Maps so it will fit with the rest of the interface, while it will also benefit from special EV routing options and battery preconditioning, to aid efficient charging when on the road.

Ford has also outlined that will be using the information in Apple Maps to develop its BlueCruise handsfree driving system, designed to let you take your hands off the wheel when driving on "highways". Ford's BlueCruise remains the only legal "hands off, eyes on" system that's approved in the UK.

Although it offers natural language searching, it's not clear what system that will be - it's unilkely to bundle in Siri with the maps, so it's likely that it will use the new Ford AI assistant that was announced earlier in the year.

Although Apple Maps will work without a smartphone, Ford is going to continue to support Apple CarPlay and it's likely that the brand will also support Android Auto.

Speaking of Google, the Mountain View company current leads Apple with in-car software, with many brands using Android Automotive which offers a native experience for a suite of Google services, including Google Maps with Gemini voice support.

Ford has used Android Automotive as the base system for its vehicles for some time and it's not clear whether this new announcement marks a departure from Android Automotive, or whether Apple Maps is simply going to be layered on top of an Android foundation.

Car makers, having initially embraced smartphone-based systems like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, now seem to be rethinking their strategy. Brands like Mercedes and BMW are keen to own the user experience, offering support for all the apps that a driver might want from their phone, so they don't just plug in and go.

The option to have Apple Maps as a native experience might prove popular: if car brands can offer the Apple navigation that iPhone owners are used to, they may decide not to connect their phone to use Apple CarPlay and instead use more native systems on the car instead.

That might avoid one of the most jarring experiences when driving and that's the mismatch in software when moving from CarPlay back to the car's own software systems.

Apple Maps is expected to make its debut in Ford's new midsize EV, slated for launch in 2027, with a $30,000 price tag.

Google has pushed the button on the huge Immersive Navigation update that's now rolling out to Google Maps users. The new navigation visuals have been reported by multiple users, and importantly it's available to those who aren't using the beta version.

That means that this is a real update, although it's not currently universal and it's likely to move from region to region. Google said that Immersive Navigation was its "biggest navigation update in over a decade" when the feature was first shown off in March 2026.

The update isn't limited to Android users, with some reporting that they have it on iPhone and it should also benefit those using Android Auto, as well as Apple CarPlay.

Immersive Navigation uses Gemini to bring maps to life and give a more realistic view of what the world looks like. It uses a 3D view with better spatial understanding, with Maps adding useful details for navigation when they are relevant.

This is thanks to Gemini being able to interpret Steet View and aerial photos to make your navigation richer and that should lead to clearer directions, with a map that's instantly recognisable compared to the world around you.

Although Immersive Navigation was said to arrive immediately when it was announced in March, we're only at the stage where people are seeing it. Additional features announced, such as Ask Maps, have been accessible for a while, while everything hinges on having Gemini in Google Maps.

That's not something that everyone has yet. In the availability information from Google's original announcement it said that Immersive Navigation was coming to the US before expanding - although from experience we know that other regions might have to wait for some time.

Mixed into this update, it's also reported that people are seeing the new speedometer in Android Auto. This was first spotted last week, bringing an additional detail to help keep your driving on the right side of the law.

Immersive Navigation could represent a huge step forward in mapping so this roll-out could be slow to make sure that Google gets everything right. Be sure to share the experience if you've got access to the update in the comments below.

As much as I love the experience of driving a car, there's a lot to be said for sitting in the passenger seat. That's especially true of the new 2027 BMW i7 (G70 LCI). This luxury saloon has had a significant upgrade on the original BMW i7 that launched back in 2022 – which is still an excellent vehicle.

For the driver, the i7 now features a similar Panoramic iDrive system as the other Neue Klasse models, such as the BMW iX3, iX5 and the upcoming BMW i3. It has also had some styling changes on the outside, with a reprofiled kidney grille, new crystal glass on the daytime running LEDs, and new two-tone paint combinations, but it's still the passenger that really gets spoilt in this car.

It's no surprise that the BMW i7 has been a popular executive limo. It offers extreme comfort for the rear passengers, and this updated model has made it even better. I spent a day with one of the first models in the country for an exclusive look around. It reminded me just how much I like this car, and how those new features really add up.

iDrive second display

You don't need to be sitting in the back in the BMW i7 to experience luxury, as that front passenger seat now has its very own screen. In addition to the 17.9-inch angled central display, it features a large 14.6-inch passenger display in the same style.

This means that in addition to the extremely comfortable Merino leather seat (or other chosen fabric), with massage function, heating and cooling, you can watch content on your very own big-screen display.

The screen has been designed so that it can't be watched by the driver, for safety reasons. In addition to the fact that its positioning is out of the driver's eyeline, it features not only a privacy shield protector, but will also dim if the built-in camera detects the driver looking at it.

Back seat

As nice as those front seats are, it's the back where you really want to be, and for maximum effect, the one not behind the driver. Both sides have a new screen in the door handles that provides adjustments to the seat position, including leg support, heating and massage functions, plus lighting and the blinds on the side windows, back window and panoramic (Sky Lounge) roof.

If you are sitting behind the front passenger seat, the comfort gets even greater thanks to the Executive Lounge seats. With a single press of a button on the screen, the seat lies right back, and the front passenger seat folds forward, giving you extra space and even a footrest.

The central armrest has a tray for charging your phone, and there's even an option to add a fridge, should you need to keep those refreshments cool on the journey. On a long journey, you could just as easily get some rest in the back of the i7, as much as you could do a day's work – work tray tables are also available as an option.

Entertainment

As much as you could sleep or work in the BMW i7, the biggest reason not to is the entertainment on offer. BMW has upgraded its Theatre Screen display, so the massive 31.3-inch display now has an 8K resolution, so you can watch your content in style.

The Theatre Screen folds down from the roof automatically (controlled from the side displays or the driver), while closing the blinds at the same time. The screen is running the latest BMW operating system X, and includes gaming options, streaming apps such as TiVo and YouTube, plus video conferencing options and an HDMI input so that you can connect your own device to the screen.

All this premium visual entertainment is paired with one of the best audio systems in existence. It features the Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound System, with 36 speakers and 1965 watts of power. This also delivers Dolby Atmos sound to make those movies on the Theatre Screen truly cinematic.

Entertainment on wheels

When it comes to long car journeys, I often prefer to be the one at the wheel, but if I could do them in the BMW i7, I'd definitely opt for the back seat. The rear of this car is a cross between a business class plane seat, a cinema and a games machine. As nice as the new Panoramic iDrive system looks for the driver, it's definitely in the back where the magic happens.

The new BMW i7 is available to order now, with prices starting from £104,230 in the UK and $115,550 in the US. The model I tried was the 60 xDrive M Sport at £120,335.

Chinese car maker XPeng has revealed the L03, a coupe-SUV aimed to deliver supercar styling in a practical package, and with the choice of being a full EV or range-extender hybrid.

There’s no price or exact release date yet – and not much in the way of specification, either – but XPeng says the L03 is coming to 65 global markets at once, including the UK.

The car represents XPeng’s “In Europe, for Europe” design approach, and comes from a team led by JuanMa Lopez, former Ferrai exterior design chief. Expected to sit below the XPeng G6, the L03 is a little smaller and with a sleeker, more tapered roof line.

There are hints of Polestar and Porsche all over the exterior, while the interior will be familiar to anyone who has spent time in a G6 (XPeng, that is, not Gulfstream). It’s a minimal cabin with lots of clean surfaces, a letterbox-shaped display behind the steering wheel, and a large, 15.6-inch central touchscreen for the infotainment system.

XPeng says there are 37 separate storage spaces spread across the cabin, so good luck finding your sunglasses, and what’s described as “generous cargo capacity”. The L03 also benefits from “immersive ambient lighting, intelligent climate control and lounge-style seating”.

There’s no news on power, range or performance, but XPeng says the L03 will be available as both a full EV and a range-extender hybrid, called the L03 Power X. The latter will see an electric drivetrain joined by a small engine used as an onboard generator to add power into the battery and increase the overall range.

Since it sits below the G6, the L03 is expected to use a 400-volt electric architecture (instead of the G6’s 800-volt setup), and while battery capacities haven’t been confirmed, a choice of 58 kWh and 71 kWh is expected, with range figures likely landing in the region of 270 to 320 miles for the EV, and around double that for the range-extender variant.

While the official range remains under wraps, XPeng is keen to talk about the L03’s computing power. It says the car uses a system called Next Generation Pilot, which is based on a “physical-world foundation model” that XPeng plans to roll out progressively through Europe in 2027.

The company explains: “Unlike conventional [Advanced Driver Assistance Systems] that focus on individual driving assistance functions, XPeng NGP (VLA 2.0) is designed to understand and navigate highly complex real-world driving scenarios, bringing intelligent driving closer to how humans perceive and respond to the road.”

The L03’s intelligence comes from a trio of XPeng’s own Turing AI Chips that deliver up to a combined 2,250 TOPS of computing power.

Standing for Trillions of Operations per Second, that TOPS figure is significant, given how cars like the Tesla Model X, Polestar 3 and Lotus Eletre run at about 500 TOPS. Mercedes’ MB.OS has a figure of around 1,000 TOPS, while JLR says its next-generation vehicle system with Nvidia Drive Thor also runs at up to 2,250 TOPS. For context, an iPhone 16 Pro runs at 35 TOPS.

As well as driver assistance, all that power is also used to run the L03’s new intelligent cockpit experience, with a new operating system called XOS 6. This features a next-generation AI voice assistant, which XPeng says has been rebuilt to support more natural conversations, contextual understanding and “seamless multilingual interaction”.

XPeng added: “Rather than responding only to commands, the system can interpret user intent and intelligently adjust vehicle functions accordingly, creating a more intuitive and human-centred cockpit experience. The new capabilities will be introduced to users through future OTA updates.”

An all-new member of the Range Rover family has just been revealed, in the form of the all-electric Range Rover GT.

Pitched as a luxury grand tourer with an electric drivetrain, sloping roofline and minimalist interior, the Range Rover GT is not a replacement to the aging Velar, but will instead become the fifth pillar of the Range Rover family. These include the small Evoque, the Velar, the Sport and the full-size Range Rover.

It is testament to the strength of the Range Rover brand that JLR feels it can shuffle the Velar and Sport along slightly, then slot in an all-new model without cannibalising other members of the family.

The big question is, can the same be said for Jaguar? Although neither have been fully revealed just yet, both the Range Rover GT and Jaguar Type 01 are up-market electric GT cruisers that will surely be targeting a similar demographic. It’ll be fascinating to see how that plays out – and what the price difference might be, since the Jaguar is expected to be the pricier of the two.

Back to the Range Rover GT, and while there are no performance figures available yet, imagery shows a refined, simple interior. Looking more like a concept car than a production-ready vehicle, the GT’s cabin features a large central touchscreen on the dashboard with little in the way of physical switchgear. This is joined by a letterbox-shaped driver display behind the steering wheel, lounge-like seating for four or five depending on configuration, and a steering wheel with ‘hidden-until-lit’ buttons that only illuminated when needed.

JLR described the Range Rover GT as having “class-leading” rear seat legroom, and the standard-fit four-seat option with large central armrest and touchscreen suggests this is more of a luxurious elevated saloon car than a family-friendly SUV.

JLR says of the cabin: “The interior of Range Rover GT is shaped by the same reductive principles that define its exterior proportions: purity, precision and quiet modernity…A woven textile, part of a suite of beautiful materials, wraps the dashboard in a single, cohesive gesture - tactile, architectural, and designed to hide speakers from within.

Hinting at an improved voice assistant, JLR describes the GT’s interior as being a “sanctuary of calm, with a focus on reduced visual and acoustic noise and natural conversational access to more vehicle functions than ever before.”

To be built in Halewood in northern England, the Range Rover GT is the first of its family to use the new EMA platform. It’ll be available as an EV initially with, JLR says, the option of adding a hybrid version later. Although not confirmed, the new platform is expected to be used by upcoming models of Land Rover, including the rumoured Defender Sport.

As for when the Range Rover GT will be available to buy, JLR says prototype vehicles are undertaking their final on-road testing now, and more details about the car will be revealed later in 2026.

Google could be about to roll-out a speedometer feature in Google Maps on Android Auto, letting you see the speed limit at a glance. The feature has been available in CarPlay for a couple of years, while it's also available in Google Maps on Android phones.

Sometimes, the disparity between Android Auto's offering and the native Android offering is remarkable. There are a number of apps that have great features on the phone, that aren't supported through the projected version on Android Auto.

For example, Waze on the phone supports ETA sharing, but the Android Auto version does not. It's almost as though the developers forget that you're going to be using the app in a car.

That's how it's felt with Google Maps for some time, with the phone app offering a speedometer when driving, but Android Auto missing out.

Sure, if you're in a car then there's a speedometer in the dash, but sometimes you just want that information centralised – especially if you regularly drive between countries that use imperial and metric systems.

Well, it appears that the Android Auto system might finally be catching up with Apple CarPlay (which got it in 2024). Drivers on Reddit (via 9to5Google) are reporting that the speedo has appeared.

That speedo also appears to be linked to national signage, with a rectangular design in Canada and a round design in Europe. That will help glanceability.

The bad news is that this only seems to appear when navigating: if you're one of the many drivers who likes to keep the map open in Android Auto when just driving around, then you won't get the full experience. Hopefully, Google will offer it as a toggle option like it does with traffic.

The other bit of bad news is that currently this appears to be in the beta release, so there's no telling when it's actually going to roll-out to drivers. Google doesn't have a great history with bringing timely updates to Android Auto, so it wouldn't be a surprise if it takes some time to actually land in your region.

Google Maps seems to be adopting features from Waze. Seeing as both are owned by Google, it's sometimes hard to see why both still exist, instead of having one unified experience.

It's not every day that Aston Martin unveils an entirely new car, let alone one that hasn't been teased and leaked for months beforehand, but today it's announcing an SUV to potentially complement the DBX – except there's a major asterisk to that.

You see, this is what's being politely called a "digital-only" launch, which is a euphemistic way of saying that the newly announced Dreadnought will only exist in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 when it comes out later this year.

Unsurprisingly, for a car that's going to be featured in the world of a military shooter, it's a military-grade SUV that's intended to get people around big maps quickly, and was designed "without the restraints of the physical world".

That was apparently a great bit of fun for Aston's designers, although it's not like the end result is the maddest-looking car you've ever seen. It apparently sports "advanced armour technologies", which is almost certainly a way of saying that it'll be able to take quite a lot of punishment in-game before it gives up on you.

If there's one bit of the car that is hard to argue with, I'd say it's that paint job, which is indeed peak Aston Martin, using the brand's iconic Chiltern Green colour to really rich effect.

In design terms, you can tell that the lack of real-world shackles did indeed let Aston Martin go a little crazy – it's a wild-looking slice of car, raised up on enormous tyres and with a really interesting, sleek look despite its size.

Right now, it's a little unclear whether the car will be featured in the game's singleplayer campaign, but we do know that it'll be in the big new map being added for the DMZ extraction shooter mode and the returning Warzone battle royale mode. In each case, players will be able to use it to get around the map nice and quickly.

I'm expecting to learn quite a lot more about Modern Warfare 4 in the next few weeks, too. Lord knows that Xbox (which has now owned COD for quite a while) will be desperate for a big win in terms of the game's sales. It won't be on Game Pass, as we know, but with the last couple of COD entries having failed to capture the zeitgeist, and Battlefield 6 having a fairly stellar time, this is a big entry for the biggest traditional shooter brand in the land.

Electric cars designers certainly like to add flourishes that remind you of their electrification. Rather than slapping an EV motor and drive train into a standard chassis, manufacturers seem to think we would rather drive full sized equivalents of a Matchbox toy.

Angles, neon colours, space age LED lighting, there are numerous things that make a modern electric vehicle stand out. Some like it, some not. Designer Wini Camacho though wants to take things further. Much. Further.

As revealed on Designboom, the Audio Zero concept car is something altogether different. Essentially made from four tube-like elements and a sphere, it is a single-seater that can be imagined as either a coupé or open top roadster, and while it is very much a vision of a future for EVs, it also embraces the physical in its controls.

The design specs the vehicle as measuring 3.1 by 1.85-metres, and so it would be an ideal run around for city dwellers. You're likely to attract some interesting glances if you're parked outside Aldi, we'd say.

Not least because there doesn't seem to be any space for the shopping.

Of course, this is a design project not a real car (yet), with Wini submitting they're work to the website. The designer does have a history of motor design, however, having been part of the team behind the Denza concept shown in Beijing in 2012.

We've since seen other vehicles from the BYD-owned Denza brand – not least the Denza Z9 GT, which recently took us up the Goodwood Hillclimb at considerable speed.

That too is a sleek EV with a very modern styling, and while the Audi Zero is a whole lot more outlandish, it's not completely outrageous to suggest that some of its ideas could end up in production cars somewhere down the line.

Introducing the VW ID Cross, the car that you're likely to see everywhere in 2027. Not only is it the car to tempt those on the verge of transitioning to electric, but it could also be the model that jettisons VW's electric presence.

Volkswagen literally translates as the people's car, and it's as much a mantra as it is a brand name for the Wolfsburg-based German manufacturer. Cars such as the Beetle, Polo and Golf epitomised the idea with cars that everyone loved to drive and most could afford.

The new electric VW lineup is promising a return to form here, with smaller and more affordable electric models, including a new electric Polo and Polo GTI, but there's also this model, which could be the biggest hit of them all.

The VW ID Cross is a city car, or compact SUV, providing a practical and well-specced family car with a price starting at just €28,000 (around £24,000). UK prices are still to be confirmed but will hopefully be under £30k.

Its design was first revealed as a concept prototype back in September 2025, and I got to drive the camouflaged version back in March 2026. However, this is the first time the full car has been revealed.

Based on the new MEB+ platform, the ID Cross is a front-wheel-drive system, and comes with either a 37kWh or 52kWh battery to give up to 211 horsepower (155kW). That also means a range of up to 270 miles (190 for the smaller battery), which is plenty for a city car.

The interior is similar to the new ID Polo models, with a clean and straightforward design, inspired by the 1980s VW designs. There's a new multifunction steering wheel, physical buttons for the climate control beneath the 10.25-inch central screen, and a very cool retro mode on the displays that mimics the old Golf Mark I instrument panels.

Not only is there plenty of space inside for up to five passengers, but there's a 475-litre luggage compartment, with a hidden lower storage area, and an additional 25-litre 'frunk' storage under the bonnet.

The ID Cross goes on sale in Germany this Autumn, with UK sales to follow shortly after.

"Make sure your head is against the headrest when we hit the start line, this thing can give you whiplash." Comforting words from the professional racing driver behind the wheel, as we prepared to race the Denza Z9 GT up the hill climb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

To look at this four-door grand tourer, brake-neck speed wouldn't be your first thought. It looks expensive, and inside it is beautifully finished with just about every gadget under the sun. From its massage seats with ventilation and heating, finished in Nappa leather, to the digital side mirrors and Devialet audio system, and even a storage box that can be cooled like a fridge or heated to keep food and drink at the right temperature.

Under the hood, though, this car has a lot more in common with the high-performance Denza Z supercar, which has been revealed over on the stand. The Z9 GT features a tri-motor setup, giving it a jaw-dropping 1156 horsepower.

A passerby, as we cued for the starting line, thought he'd misheard when we told him the power. That's more than the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT and gives it a 0-62 mph acceleration time of just 2.7 seconds.

As we pootled to the start line with the air con on high, my seat massage kneading my spine and a live feed of the Festival of Speed track coming from YouTube on my passenger display, I could imagine doing long distances in this car.

While the range figure is a fairly standard 373 miles, it does support BYD's flash charging of up to 1500kW to charge from 10% to 97% in just 9 minutes. Provided you can find one of the new flash chargers, of course.

As the light turned to green on the starting line and my driver floored the accelerator (complete with boost mode), the calm interior suddenly became very different. Pure power pinned me back to the seat and then threw me forward as those large ceramic brakes kicked in before the first turn.

The handline was seriously impressive and we crossed the finish line in well under a minute. A grand tourer with a wild side, the Denza Z9 GT is a killer combo, and the good news is that it's coming to the UK.

Expected to arrive later this year, prices will start from £105,000. Whether it will tempt people away from the likes of the Taycan, Audi E-tron GT or the Lotus Emeya, is yet to be seen, but it will certainly give them a run for their money – and a fast one at that!

Waze is making a number of updates that's going to allow for more personalised routes, better navigation for motorcycle riders, and better Gemini support, both for reporting road updates and to help find the exact spot you want.

Waze has also detailed that it will offer a "Less Chatty" mode, although that's been in the app for a couple of months. It's a useful option that cuts down on the interruptions, especially useful when you're driving in a familiar area.

However, in the image that Waze supplied detailing Less Chatty mode, there's another setting called "Smart Mute". There's no description about what this option does, but it could solve one of Waze's biggest problems.

The app can be a little frustrating when you're driving in a familiar areas and it's constantly telling you which turns to take – or when it talks over the top of a podcast that you're listening to.

That's perhaps something that plays into the new personalised navigation option. This is already live in my version and is designed to take into account previous drives when plotting a route.

The example that Waze gives is that if you prefer major roads over minor roads it will aim to use that as the option for the route. When driving with the platform, I often find that in my local area it immediately directs you to the main road, but taking a few turns through back streets is often faster – hopefully, Waze's personalised routes will now take this into account for my routing.

Motorcycle Mode is designed to boost the navigation experience for those on two wheels, taking into account routes that bikes can fit down where other traffic might not be generally sent. It also claims to take into account the road surface to help motorcyclists avoid broken road surfaces.

However, the Motorcycle Mode is listed as only presently being available in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and the Philippines, with more countries to come in the future.

Finally, Gemini gets a boost, enhancing the existing reporting system so you can just say what the problem is quickly and easily without too much of a distraction. This already exists for reporting incidents and has now expanded to road closures too.

Extending Gemini's use, you'll also be able to find your destination using natural language. That's designed to help you find what you're looking for when you don't know the name or location. That might be to find a fuel station with the lowest price or to find parking near a particular place you're driving to.

Some of the options appear to already be in Waze, others are rolling out to Android and iPhone versions. It appears to be a phased roll-out: I currently have personalised routes, but there's no sign of Gemini for searching.

It's also not clear if these features will be limited to the Waze app or if they will also appear when using Waze in Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. We'll hopefully find out soon.

If you thought today's electric cars were starting to look a bit samey, the Amble One is here to shake things up. Revealed by new mobility startup Amble, it's a concept that blends the practicality of an SUV with the futuristic styling of something you'd expect to see exploring the surface of Mars.

The brains behind it is Julian Hoenig, a designer who previously spent years at Apple before moving into the automotive world. That influence is immediately obvious.

The Amble One adopts an ultra-clean, minimalist aesthetic, with smooth body panels, soft curves and an expansive glasshouse that gives it a distinctly premium feel. It looks less like a traditional car and more like a beautifully designed piece of consumer tech that just happens to have four wheels.

This isn't your usual concept car, though. This one has been designed with versatility in mind. The Amble One, aiming to please all, uses a modular platform that can be adapted for everything from family transport to commercial work or outdoor adventures.

The cabin has been designed to be flexible too, with configurable seating and a clean, uncluttered dashboard that puts the emphasis on space rather than buttons. It's a really practical take on futuristic design.

The vehicle has generous ground clearance, chunky tyres and proportions that suggest it could cope with rough terrain just as comfortably as city streets. It genuinely looks like it could trundle across another planet without anyone batting an eyelid.

Of course, there's no suggestion you'll actually be driving one across the Red Planet anytime soon. Instead, Amble says the design aims to encourage people to spend more time outdoors, creating a vehicle that can transition effortlessly between weekday commuting and weekend exploration. It's a refreshing change from the race to produce ever-faster electric SUVs.

Amble has told T3 that deliveries are planned to begin in 2028, with the price starting at a very reasonable €20,000 (around £17,000 at today's exchange rate). It's definitely one of the more intriguing EV concepts to appear this year.

The new Zenvo Aurora may have just rewritten the rulebook on what hypercars can be. The Danish marque's latest creation is now entering its final stages of development, and on paper at least it looks utterly bonkers.

Sitting behind the driver is a brand-new 6.6-litre quad-turbocharged V12 called Mjølner – yes, named after Thor's hammer – producing a staggering 1,250bhp on its own.

Add in three electric motors and total output climbs to an almost unbelievable 1,850bhp, making it the most powerful production V12 powertrain ever created.

That's enough muscle to make even established hypercar royalty look a little underpowered. The all-wheel-drive Aurora Tur is targeting a top speed of around 280mph (450km/h), while Zenvo claims it'll sprint from 0-62mph in just 2.3 seconds and hit 248mph in only 17 seconds. Those are numbers that edge into rocket-launch territory rather than everyday motoring.

Despite the outrageous figures, Zenvo says the engine has been engineered with more than outright power in mind. Developed alongside MAHLE Powertrain, the V12 revs to 9,800rpm and uses advanced jet-ignition technology.

This improves combustion efficiency while helping it comply with increasingly strict emissions regulations. It shows that even the maddest supercars can't completely ignore modern environmental rules.

The Aurora itself is an all-new machine rather than an evolution of Zenvo's previous cars. Built around a lightweight carbon-fibre monocoque, it will be offered in two flavours: the road-focused, all-wheel-drive Tur and the lighter, rear-wheel-drive Agil. This sacrifices some hybrid assistance in favour of maximum track performance. Production will be limited to just 100 cars in total, making it as exclusive as it is outrageous.

Of course, exclusivity doesn't come cheap. Prices start from more than €2.8 million before you've even considered personalisation, putting the Aurora firmly into collector territory.

Still, if you've got that sort of money lying around, it's hard to imagine a more theatrical way to spend it. After all, there aren't many cars that can genuinely claim to have the heart of a fighter jet wrapped in something roughly the size of a go-kart.

Volvo has announced that it is adding native Apple Music support to some of its recent models, giving easier access to one of the world's most popular streaming apps.

Apple Music will join the likes of Spotify, Tidal and YouTube Music, meaning subscribers can listen to high quality music on Volvo's comprehensive in-car audio systems.

Support for Dolby Atmos and spatial audio tracks will make better use of the car's speakers, with more immersive audio for a better listening experience.

Until now, Apple Music has not been supported natively on Volvo's Android Automotive-based infotainment system. That would see users having to connect a smartphone to use the app via mirroring, rather than being able to access the app directly.

To encourage people to use Apple Music, Volvo is giving customers a three-month free trail (eligibility is limited to new Apple Music users), but existing subscribers will be able to dive right in after the update.

Support for Apple Music will come to the following models from 2020 onwards:

• EX90
• ES90
• XC90
• S90
• V90
• XC60
• S60
• V60
• XC40
• EX40
• EC40

The new Volvo EX60 will already have Apple Music installed when ordered cars start to arrive this summer.

Once you have the update, you'll just have to sign into your Apple account and the app will then stream as normal.

Volvo has one of the best in-car sound systems, working with Bowers & Wilkins for an enhanced system in the EX60, EX90 and ES90 models. These electric cars are also quieter on the road than combustion models, so the sound is even more impressive.

Volvo uses Android Automotive to power its car's entertainment and was one of the first manufacturers to sign-up to the vehicle-specific version of Android. The same platform is used by Polestar and it's not too much of a leap to suggest that Polestar might also offer Apple Music in the future too.

Previously, there's been some parity in the music offering between these two brands, such as offering the Abbey Road app, again, part of the tie up with Bowers & Wilkins.

Whether this is specific work that Volvo has done to bring Apple Music to their cars, or whether this is part of a bigger push from Google isn't clear, but if you've got a recent Volvo, your music options have just expanded.

The update will arrive over the air to the models listed above.

Getting from A to B has never offered more choice. Electric vehicles are becoming more capable, e-bikes and scooters are more refined than ever, and in-car technology is making every journey safer, easier and more enjoyable.

The Getting Around category celebrates the products that impressed the T3 test team most over the past year. Every winner has earned its place through extensive hands-on testing, standing out not only for innovation but also for performance, usability and value.

From practical, everyday transport to aspirational machines that showcase the latest advances in engineering and design, these are the products we'd happily recommend to anyone looking to upgrade the way they travel.

Read on to discover the T3 Awards 2026 Getting Around winners.

Best Electric Bike or Scooter

Fiido Nomads

Not every electric bike is designed to shave seconds off a commute or conquer technical mountain trails. The Fiido Nomads takes a different approach, prioritising comfort, versatility and the freedom to explore wherever the road (or track) leads.

It combines a relaxed riding position with chunky tyres, generous carrying capacity and a long-range battery, making it equally capable of tackling daily errands, weekend bikepacking trips or leisurely rides beyond the tarmac. It's the sort of e-bike that encourages you to take the scenic route rather than the quickest one.

The Nomads is easy to ride, confidence-inspiring and packed with thoughtful touches that make everyday use a pleasure. It strikes an excellent balance between utility and enjoyment without becoming overly complicated or prohibitively expensive.

The best electric bikes make you want to ride more often, and that's exactly what the Fiido Nomads achieves. For combining impressive range, all-terrain versatility and outstanding value in one adventure-ready package, it's our Best Electric Bike or Scooter winner for the T3 Awards 2026.

Best Electric Bike or Scooter Shortlist

Scott Solace eRIDE 20, Acer Predator Extreme eScooter, New Brompton Electric T Line, Fiido Nomads, Orbea Gain M20i

Highly commended

Scott Solace eRIDE 20

Best car

Aston Martin DB12 S

How do you improve on a car like the Aston Martin DB12? Well, Aston found a way with the DB12 S , giving its 4.0-litre V8 an extra tune, reducing the weight with a titanium exhaust option, putting carbon ceramic brakes as standard and upgrading the handling.

The result is a meaner and more agile car, which is still as much of a joy to look at as it is to drive. There's still a luxury interior, complete with the latest Apple CarPlay Ultra connectivity and the option of the Bowers & Wilkins sound system.

As we said in the review: "The differences here may be subtle, but in almost every way, the DB12 S is that little bit better."

Highly Commended: Porsche 911 Turbo S

Best electric car

BMW iX3

The BMW iX3 is the first of the 'Neue Klasse' or new class of electric vehicles. This goes further than just the design. The cars have been rebuilt from the ground up, with new electric drivetrains, batteries, and technology.

In practical terms, this means faster charging and longer range, with the iX3 offering over 500 miles of range on a single charge and 400kW charging, so it can add up to 231 miles in just 10 minutes.

On the inside, it uses the BMW Panoramic iDrive system, which includes a thin projected display along the bottom of the windscreen for essential driving widgets and an angled centre display in addition to the head-up display. While it may sound a little gimmicky, it's actually incredibly useful.

While BMW's former electric models were very much top of their game, the new iX3 paints a very promising picture for what's to come. It's an excellent electric SUV and a worthy winner of our best electric car award.

Highly Commended: Mercedes-Benz CLA

Best dashcam

Nextbase IQ

Dashcams have become an essential part of modern driving, and while all offer the basics of video capture to give you evidence of any accidents, some go that little bit further.

The Nextbase iQ is one such device, as it works more like a complete car security system than just a simple dash cam. Coming in 1K, 2K and 4K versions, you can also add a supplementary rear-facing camera for full coverage.

Smart features include the Smart Sense Parking to keep an eye on your car while it's parked up, the Guardian Mode to set limits on speed and location, with notifications if it does, and the voice-activated Witness Mode to share live footage in case of emergencies.

Though the Nextbase iQ is a few years old now, it remains our top pick and is a worthy winner of the Best Sat Nav award.

Highly Commended: 70mai 4K A810 Lite

Every few weeks there's another headline promising a miracle battery breakthrough. This one is different because it doesn't reinvent the battery at all, it just gives it a hug.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered that keeping lithium-ion batteries under a carefully controlled amount of pressure can dramatically extend their lifespan. During charging and discharging, batteries constantly expand and contract, creating tiny mechanical stresses that slowly wear them out.

By using pneumatic "bellows" to maintain a constant pressure, the team found they could double a battery's working life without changing its chemistry or materials. The trick is finding the sweet spot.

Too much pressure causes lithium to build up where it shouldn't, while too little allows parts of the battery to crack. Get it just right, however, and the cells stay healthier for far longer.

That's a much bigger deal than it first sounds. Battery researchers often celebrate lifespan improvements of five or ten percent, so doubling longevity is eye-catching, especially when it comes from mechanical engineering rather than chemistry.

If the approach can be scaled from the lab into production vehicles, it could mean EV batteries that last significantly longer before needing replacement, reducing both ownership costs and the demand for mining materials such as nickel and cobalt.

Before you start squeezing your phone to make it last longer, though, don't. The pressure has to be applied evenly and constantly using a specially designed system built into the battery pack.

Still, it's refreshing to see a breakthrough that doesn't rely on a brand-new wonder material. Progress isn't always about invention, it can - it seems - be about knowing exactly how hard to push.

Artificial intelligence has become the buzzword of 2026, but while plenty of companies are still working out how to use it, Formula E is already putting it to work in a surprisingly practical way.

Speaking to T3 ahead of the Shanghai E-Prix, Formula E Chief Technology Officer Dan Cherowbrier revealed that the all-electric racing championship has been using Google's Gemini AI to optimise its global logistics operation, helping reduce both costs and carbon emissions.

"We used all the data that we had," Cherowbrier explained. "We put that into Gemini and got [it] to help us understand what we had on these planes."

"Could it go by sea freight? If we go by sea freight, we need more of it. It's much cheaper, much better for the environment, but we need to make more of them."

That analysis helped Formula E reduce the number of cargo planes needed to transport equipment between races from three to two, while also identifying other ways to rethink how the championship moves around the globe.

Smarter logistics, smaller footprint

One example involved the championship's Porsche Taycan safety cars. Rather than flying the same vehicles around the world, Formula E now keeps multiple cars in different regions, allowing them to be used locally throughout the season instead.

"We've now got cars in different regions, so we're not flying them around the world anymore," Cherowbrier said. "It sounds simple, but it's a big saving in terms of both cost and carbon."

For Cherowbrier, it's a good example of how AI can support sustainability without compromising performance.

"Our approach to sustainability is trying to tell the world that sustainability is not a compromise," he said. "Often what's good for the planet is also good for your pocket."

The next engineer could be AI

The use of AI extends beyond logistics, though. Cherowbrier believes motorsport engineering itself is on the cusp of a fundamental shift, with AI becoming an increasingly important tool for teams developing the next generation of electric race cars.

"I think we're going to see a world where AI is at the fringes of what we're doing now," he said. "The technology is going leaps and bounds. Most people's implementation of it is not."

Looking ahead, he expects AI to become an integral part of race engineering, helping teams analyse data, model performance and accelerate development in ways that simply weren't possible before.

"I think you're going to see AI engineers working with individual teams," he said. "It's not currently in our regulations, but we're looking at it."

Perhaps his boldest prediction is how quickly product development itself could evolve, with Cherowbrier believing AI could dramatically shorten engineering cycles from annual to almost hourly.

"I'll tell you what will change," he said. "The speed of change. This idea that change is made every year or every generation will go out the window. I think iterative development, fail fast, learn, go again, will be hourly or daily, not yearly."

As software becomes just as important as hardware in modern electric vehicles, including Formula E's Gen 4 cars, the tools used to optimise a global racing championship today could eventually shape how tomorrow's consumer EVs are designed, developed and even manufactured.

The Shanghai E-Prix is happening this weekend. Find out more at Formula E.

British electric car startup McMurtry made headlines the world over in 2022 when its tiny EV blasted its way up the Goodwood hill climb, before breaking the TopGear Test Track record in 2025 and later being the first car to drive upside down.

That was all in prototype form, and now McMurtry is ready to put the Spéirling into production. While McMurtry says 95 percent of its components are new, the overall look of the track-ready single-seater remains – and so too does the outrageous performance, which its makers describe as “truly accessible F1-level” that “any driver can enjoy”.

The all-electric track car is powered by a 100 kWh battery pack and a motor sending 1,000 bhp to the rear wheels, enough to blast it to 60 mph in 1.55 seconds and on to a top speed of 190 mph. That’s impressive enough, but what sets the Spéirling apart from any other car is its ‘Downforce-on-Demand’ system, which uses powerful fans to suck the car to the road.

Instead of relying solely on conventional downforce, which only works at speed with air passing over and under wings and diffusers, the Spéirling’s fan system generates up to 2,000 kg of downforce at every speed. It even works while stationary, hence its ability to literally drive upside down, since that 2,000 kg is more than the car’s weight of around 1,350 kg.

McMurtry says the Spéirling Pure – the name of the £995,000 production car – can generate 3G in corners and under braking, and the battery can deliver the pace of an LMP2 race car for between 25 and 31 miles. After that, it’ll charge up from 20 to 95 percent in between 20 and 60 minutes, depending on ambient temperature and charger capacity.

Many race tracks now have charging infrastructure, but if a charger isn’t available during your track day, McMurtry offers a portable 100 kWh power bank that will refill the car, then charge back up using a standard three-phase outlet.

Leaning further into the Spéirling’s usability, McMurtry says a driver and their "competent friend” or technician can handle a track day with no other support – something that often isn’t true with similarly capable racecars. Alternatively, McMurtry is also offering full factory support to customers who want to simply arrive and drive.

There will also be advanced driver training offered to Spéirling customers, helping them get the most out of their car. The first training event will take customers to Sweden for lessons in low-grip driving on ice, before experiencing the Spéirling and its unique downforce performance on track.

An owners’ club created by McMurtry also promises global track support, with all logistics for international events at “premier racing circuits” taken care of. Owners will also be invited to provide feedback into the development of McMustry’s future vehicles.

The McMurtry Spéirling Pure is available to order now, priced from £995,000 (or around $1,15m in the US), plus local taxes, shipping and options. The latter includes air conditioning and extensive exterior and interior customisation.

Thomas Yates, McMurtry co-founder and manager director, said:”The Spéirling Pure marks the beginning of a new era in track driving with mind-bending performance to suit all levels of owner, from weekend enthusiasts to professional drivers. In production form, the car is significantly more usable, but no less outrageous. In terms of exhilaration, grip, acceleration, sound, aesthetics and technology, we offer something that no other manufacturer is able to.”

BMW has revealed the all-new X5 SUV – and for the first time ever, it’s a car available with five distinct drivetrains, including two mild hybrids, a plug-in hybrid, an EV and even a hydrogen fuel cell model.

To be built at BMW’s Spartanburg factory in South Carolina, US, the new X5 is the third member of BMW’s Neue Klasse family, following the smaller iX3 and i3. But, while the new car shares its design, platform and technology with those models, the X5 is significant in its own right – not least because more than three million have been sold since BMW’s first SUV arrived in 1999.

Announced in the US this week, the new X5 family will go into production in August, with the first combustion-engine models arriving with customers in November. The electric and plug-in hybrid versions can be ordered from October, with deliveries beginning in early 2027. UK deliveries are expected to begin in the spring of 2027, but prices aren’t known for now.

Here are eight things you need to know about the new BMW X5 and iX5.

1. There are five models, including EV and hydrogen

A first in BMW history – and surely a first among all other car makers, too – is how five distinct versions of the X5, each powered differently, will be produced and sold at the same time.

These include mild-hybrid variants of X5 powered by BMW’s three-litre, six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, two plug-in petrol hybrid models, the all-electric iX5 and, coming later, a version of the iX5 powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.

The twin-turbo mild hybrid petrol and diesel cars have 400 and 313 horsepower respectively, with an electrical system that produces 18hp. Acceleration to 62 mph is 6.1 seconds for the diesel and 5.3 seconds for the petrol.

There are then two models of plug-in hybrid, called the X5 50e xDrive and the X5 M60e xDrive. Both combine a six-cylinder, three-litre petrol engine with a 145 kW electric motor. The former has a total output of 489 hp and 700 Nm, a 0-62 mph time of 5.0 seconds and a WLTP electric range of 53 to 63 miles. The latter puts out a more potent 612hp and 800 Nm, with a 0-62 mph time of just 4.5 seconds and an electric range of 50 to 61 miles.

Just one electric version will be available at launch. It’s called the iX5 60 xDrive and it has an 800-volt electrical architecture, a huge 141 kWh battery pack and a pair of electric motors to produce a combined 578 hp and 805 Nm of torque. BMW says the 0-62mph time is 4.6 seconds and the WLTP range is between 401 and 525 miles.

A version of iX5 powered by a hydrogen fuel cell drivetrain developed in cooperation with Toyota “will make its market debut at a later stage,” BMW says, without giving further details.

2. Panoramic iDrive display is fitted as standard

First seen in the iX3, BMW’s new Panoramic iDrive will also feature in the cabin of the iX5. A major feature of the Neue Klasse family, the projection display sits just below the windscreen and stretches across the entire width of the dashboard. It’s customisable interface shows driver information like speed, fuel, range and navigation, plus media and the interface of BMW’s AI-powered voice assistant.

There’s also a 3D head-up display projected onto the windscreen ahead of the driver, a 17.9-inch central touchscreen for the infotainment system, and a new 14.6-inch passenger display that includes video streaming, gaming, music and video calls for the front-seat passenger. All screens run BMW’s new Operating System X.

3. The iX5 has a range of 525 miles

Building on the 500-mile range of the iX3, the bigger iX5 uses an even larger battery to eke out up to 525 miles from a change. BMW has hedged this slightly, by offering a WLTP range figure of between 401 and 525 miles, but if the iX5 can manage anything between those two during normal driving it’ll be mightily impressive.

4. The 800-volt system charges at 460 kW

Another stand-out figure for the iX5 is its charge rate, which at 460 kW is greater than just about any other electric car on sale.

Most public chargers in the UK offer electricity at no more than 300 or 350 kW, so to see BMW claim 460 kWh for the iX5 is a big deal – and it’ll help deliver decent charge times, despite the car’s enormous 141 kWH battery pack.

It’ll put iX5 drivers in the strange position of knowing their car will charge more quickly one day in the future, once chargers capable of delivering the full 460 kWh are more widely available.

BMW says the iX5 can charge from 10 to 80 percent in 23 minutes, and claims up to 217 miles of range can be added in 10 minutes.

5. The plug-in hybrid has 63 miles of EV range

BMW says the plug-in variants of X5 have an electric-only WLTP range of 53 to 63 miles, depending on how they are being driven. That’s for the X5 50e, while the more powerful X5 M60e manages a claimed 50 to 61 miles of electric range.

Although PHEVs are rarely driven exclusively in electric mode, that few dozen miles of range theoretically means many X5 hybrid drivers will be able to complete their daily commute, school run and other local errands without ever using the engine.

Charge the battery up at night (using a low-cost EV tariff, ideally) and the car could cost very little to run, while keeping the engine and fuel tank in reserve for longer journeys.

6. BMW has reinvented the door handle for the X5

There are no conventional handles on the doors of the new X5 and iX5. There aren’t even any recessed or pop-out handles either. Instead, BMW has fitted a set of “Winglet” handles at the top of each door, just below the windows. These are fixed and do not move, and instead operate the doors with a press. Powered soft-close doors that open and close themselves are available as an optional extra.

Although BMW hasn’t expanded on their use, it’s likely that these winglet handles are more aerodynamically efficient than conventional handles. They also won’t suffer from being frozen shut, as pop-out handles can be susceptible to in extremely cold conditions.

7. The iX5 stops more smoothly than you can

First seen on the smaller iX3, the iX5 and iX5 Hydrogen also features BMW Soft-Stop, which “executes the smoothest stopping action every provided by BMW,” the company claimed.

Soft-Stop is a part of BMW’s Symbiotic Drive system, a Level 2 advanced driver assistance system that BMW says “provides intelligent support tailored to individual driver behaviour.”

8. There’s support for Dolby Atmos

A 12-speaker, 265-watt sound system is fitted as standard, but as an option this can be upgraded to a surround sound system by Bowers & Wilkins.

This features a seven-band equaliser, 18 speakers and 760 watts of power. Upgrading to this system also unlocks support for Dolby Atmos content, which creates a three-dimensional sound scape that effectively puts the listeners in a sphere of sound.

I know what you’re thinking. Didn’t the Polestar 3 only just come out? Well yes, and T3 had its first drive just a year ago, in June 2024.

But 12 months is a long time in the electric car world, and already Polestar has given its biggest car a huge technological upgrade, while keeping the exterior (and interior) practically unchanged.

The big news here is how the car’s electrical architecture has been upgraded from 400 to 800 volts. This allows it to charge much more quickly than before, with the official maximum rate up from 250 kW to 350 kW. Polestar says that’s good for a 25 percent reduction in real-world charge time, and the 10-80 percent time is down from 30 to 22 minutes – but, as you know and as I discovered, this can vary somewhat in what really is the real world.

There’s also a new battery with a slightly smaller capacity but improved chemistry, more powerful motors developed in-house by Polestar itself, and new performance figures across the board. The base model has a single motor driving the rear wheels and a smaller battery (92 kWh) than its dual-motor siblings. Range for that entry-level car has fallen rather noticeably from a claimed 438 miles to 374 miles, but power is up from 295 to 329 bhp and the 0-62 mph sprint has fallen by 1.2 seconds to 6.3.

Both dual motor cars have a 106 kWh battery (down slightly from 111 kWh in the original Polestar 3), but range has increased from 395 to 404 miles in the standard car. Power is also up, from 482 to 536bhp and the 0-62 mph sprint is down from 4.8 to 4.5 seconds. Lastly, the flagship variant, called the Polestar 3 Performance and driven here for this feature, has had a huge power boost, up from 517 to a whopping 680 bhp. That’s taken the 0-62 mph time down from 4.5 to a supercar-bothering 3.8 seconds.

Polestar has upgraded the 3’s computer, too. It’s now the Nvidia Drive AGX Orin processor, which the Swedish carmaker claims boosts processing power significantly, from 30 to 254 TOPS (trillions of operations per second). This 8x increase in computing power will, Polestar says, “enable faster, more intelligent management of active safety systems, battery performance, and sensor data.”

Helpfully, this new computer is available as a free retrofit upgrade to buyers of the original Polestar 3. So, while they’ll miss out on the 800-volt system, faster charger and extra power of the new car, their car will at least get a shiny new brain.

Back to the new car, and I’ve just spent a few weeks with the Performance edition. It’s properly quick – of course it is, given the 680 bhp output – but not intimidatingly so. Polestars have always been engaging to drive, and the latest 3 is no different. It’s a joy to cruise in, but equally enjoyable when you want to press on down a winding road you know well. It has a remarkable amount of composure for such a big car, aided by the relatively low seating position and roofline (again, for such a car), and minimal body roll.

As before, the interior is wonderful. It’s one of those cabins that beckons you in from your first glance through the window, and which you never want to leave. The car I borrowed had Polestar’s optional Bowers & Wilkins sound system – all 1,610 watts and 25 speakers of it, with support for Dolby Atmos and Abbey Road Studios Mode.

The former uses speakers in the headrests and roof lining – and a whole heap of clever software – to surround you in a sphere of sound. It’s a wonderful experience, and possibly the most enjoyable car stereo system I’ve ever experienced. For quality and power it’s on par with the five-figure Naim systems used by Bentley, but with the Atmos tech boosting immersion to another level.

The latter is accessible when not playing Atmos content. It gives you four distinct sound profiles to pick from, each mimicking Abbey Road Studios in differing setups, called Intimate, Open, Energised and Expansive. It’s a fun system to tinker with, especially when playing older records with less production.

One downside of playing high-quality Dolby Atmos tracks through the in-built Tidal app is the size of the files, and how they often overwhelm the car’s 5G data connection. Music frequently stopped playing while it buffered, even when the system showed four bars of 5G data. Disappointingly, this occurred across several days and on journeys through three counties of Southern England, so likely can’t be blamed on a bit of patchy 5G coverage.

Back to the interior, and it’s a seriously nice place to be. The fabrics are lovely, the design is aesthetically pleasing, the seats are comfortable and the whole thing projects a wonderful air of calm. It’s a fantastic place to spend a few hours.

Only an over-reliance on the touchscreen lets it down a little, since you need to tap at the display to adjust the door mirrors and steering wheel, as well as the cabin temperature and almost everything else too. It’s a very good infotainment system, with baked-in Google Maps and one of the best menu designs of any car. But skipping physical mirror controls on a £92,000 car – as the P3 Performance is – is hard to justify.

The Polestar 3’s range was also underwhelming. I know manufacturer’s figures can’t be relied upon, but when the brochure says 373 miles and the car itself says just 250 miles with 90 percent charge, owners would rightly be disappointed. I optimistically blamed this on the car producing a figure based on the lead-foot driving of the previous journalist. But after a week of steady town errands and a motorway cruise between Kent and Surrey, the car estimated just 260 miles would be possible from 100 percent.

The car calculated this while plugged into a 300 kW charger, where I'd hoped to see it flex its new 800-volt muscles. Since it’s capable of 350 kW charging – and no one else was using the charge – I thought I’d see some big figures. Instead, it only managed to hit 154 kW while charging from 17 to 47 percent, which took 13 minutes. I know the car can do much more, so I’m forced to blame the lacklustre performance on the charger.

As is so often the case in the life of an automotive journalist, I’m left telling readers not to buy the fully-loaded car provided by the manufacturer. Yes, 680 horsepower is an awful lot of horses, and yes, the wheels, gold details, chassis tuning and other trinkets of the Performance model make it hugely desirable. But the range isn’t good enough – especially when the BMW iX3 I drove recently indicated over 500 miles being available – and the price is too high as a result. The dual-motor Polestar 3 (£84,540 and 402 miles) on smaller wheels for a softer ride is probably the better option.

Ultimately, the new Polestar 3 demonstrates what’s possible with a facelift in the EV age. A whole new electrical architecture, new batteries, new motors and a new brain too. But while on paper this translates into more speed, more range and faster charging, in the real world the upgrades are harder to spot.

You might have the ultimate offroader, but what happens when you want to sleep on the trail? Sure, you could use a roof tent or just sleep under canvas, but if you're looking for a little more comfort and convenience, then this off-road trailer could be just the thing.

The Adventure Pro Mini 2.0 is a rugged camping trailer designed for use once you're off the Tarmac and into the rough stuff. The aim is to be able to take it anywhere your 4x4 will go and it comes from Kingdom Camping.

I'm not going to call it a caravan, but for those in the UK, this is definitely a caravan with a difference, more like a compact mobile living pod, fully equipped with everything you need to survive in the wild.

It's equipped with rock sliders to protect it on the move, while it features independent suspension for the wheels, wrapped in 33-inch offroad tyres.

While the outside has a contour-style design, there's checker plate for protection on the lower sections and a rack on the top – where the 400W solar panel sits. There's also a connector for Starlink on the roof to keep you connected (you'll have to supply the antenna).

There's a 2,000W inverter onboard and a 300Ah battery as well as electrical hook-up, with 110V sockets inside, a 12V aircon system and fridge freezer. There's even an integrated 24-inch Roku TV, as well as wireless charging.

The cabinetry in the cook area to the rear is power-coated aluminium, giving you plenty of storage, while there's a sink with hot and cold water.

There's no fixed bed, with the idea being that you deploy the tri-fold mattress for sleeping on the floor, with an additional fold-away bunk built in. That means you can move the bed out of the way to provide more stowage space or just living space if the weather is poor.

Cooking takes place outside, with a pull-out cooktop, while there's an outside shower too, so you can wash the trail dust off at the end of a hard day.

If the trailer in its stock form isn't palatial enough, there's a range of upgrades, including a larger battery, air suspension, a dehumidifier, 360-degree cameras and a whole lot more.

The price comes in at a surprisingly affordable $42,500, with a lead time of 6-10 weeks on orders. Delivery is listed as $2 per mile.

If post-apocalyptic caravans are your thing and delivery from Indiana looks inhibitive, then why not check out the Crawler TRC 458i or the Polydrops P21X, too?

If you love your cars, there's a lot of gadgets that you can add to your motor to improve it, or at least make life a little easier.

That's especially true if you've got an electric car, with home charging options that can save you hundreds in bills compared to public chargers.

Then there's vehicle maintenance, cleaning and upkeep. With the right tools, all of this becomes a breeze and you can keep your car looking shiny and new.

While all of this comes at a price, Amazon Prime Day has some great deals on a range of car accessories that can help keep the cost down. I've been trawling the deals pages and found these top deals that are well worth a look.

• View all auto deals on Amazon.co.uk

Waze has added World Cup notifications to its popular driving app, upsetting just about everyone in the process. For those who couldn't care less it's a distraction, for those who love the game it's a horrific spoiler that will ruin the tournament.

Users have been reporting the new alerts which pop-up like other hazards – such as a flooded road or a traffic accident – you know, stuff that's actually related to driving.

When Waze adds new features they are often on by default and just added to the ever growing list of details that Waze wants to tell you. While normally they are about things like speed limit changes or speed bumps, the addition of World Cup alerts has nothing to do with driving.

That's divided the community, with many weighing in on Reddit to say you can turn it off, which you can.

Just head into Settings > Alerts and reports > Reports and toggle it off. While you're there, you can get rid of half a dozen other alerts that you probably don't need.

Some users are reporting that they had an alert to ask if they wanted it, but that seems inconsistent.

The reaction to this addition is interesting, because the only people who like it seem to be those with no interest in soccer at all. For those fair-weather fans joining in the fun who want to keep up with what's happening without actually watching any of the games, it's perfect, if a little distracting.

"I don't follow Football at all, but I really like the way they've implemented this. It's cute and a nice touch," said one Redditor.

However, for dyed-in-the-wool football fans, this is a non-starter from Waze. The best thing about the World Cup is sitting down to watch the games, see how the superstars play in their national teams and how players from your club perform on the world stage.

If I want to follow a game while driving, I'll turn on the radio and listen to it, but I suspect that many fans will watch the games when they have time, even if it's just the highlights.

There's no doubt that this is a distraction, a spoiler, and probably a bad idea.

Fortunately, it's easy to turn this latest addition off, so whether you love or loathe the beautiful game, it's easy to get rid of.

For its 2026 facelift, the Porsche Taycan is gaining a simulated gear shift system for the first time.

Controlled with paddles behind the steering wheel, the system gives Porsche’s EV the feeling of shifting gears in a regular car.

Called E-Shift, the system also comes with a newer version of Porsche’s Electric Sport Sound, which the company says is “more emotive” than on previous models of Taycan.

When switched into E-Shift mode, a virtual rev counter appears on the driver display. A pull of the paddles is accommodated by “noticeable shift jerks,” Porsche says, and there are eight virtual gears to work through while accelerating and braking.

Although we haven’t driven it yet, the system sounds similar to that of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, where the single-gear electric drivetrain is controlled in a way that resembles a conventional car with gears. In the Taycan’s case, there are eight gears and a circa-7,500 rpm rev limiter.

Porsche explains: “The gear changes are simulated realistically: noticeable gear-shift jerks, gear-specific drag torque – comparable to the engine-braking behaviour of a combustion-engined car – and a virtual rev limiter ensures authentic feedback.”

The E-Shift system is available as an option on all variants and body styles of 2026 Taycan, with each variant – GTS, Turbo, etc. – producing its own distinct soundtrack. That sound changes when the E-Shift system is engaged, and is emitted both inside and outside the car.

To get the new virtual gearshift system on your new Taycan, you’ll need to tick a box for the ‘E-Shift including GT-sports steering wheel with paddles’. Basically, the new steering wheel with paddles is an optional extra, and with that installed you gain access to the E-Shift system. It’s then activated via an additional mode switch on the steering wheel, so you decide when you want your Taycan to behave like a regular EV, and when you want to be more engaged via the simulated gear shifts.

For the 2026 facelift, Porsche has slightly increased range, too. The maximum WLTP range is now up to 434 miles, an increase of 12 miles thanks to the optional new summer tyre, which has less rolling resistance.

There’s also an upgraded infotainment system with the new Porsche Digital Interaction suite, featuring widgets that provide quick access to commonly used functions, such as navigation, media, and phone.

Lastly, Porsche is now offering the Manthey Kits for Taycan directly from the factory. These bring a series of race car-inspired upgrades to the EV, including extensive aerodynamic, chassis and powertrain optimisations, which Porsche claims contribute to “significantly” increasing the performance of the flagship Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach Package.

With every box ticked, the new car has set a Nurburgring lap time of 6:55.533. The Manthey Kits are available in left-hand-drive only and by special order through Porsche Centres.

Xiaomi, the Chinese technology company that has expanded from smartphones to electric cars in the blink of an eye, has just revealed a robotic EV charger.

Designed for use with home chargers, like the one in your garage, Xiaomi’s new robotic arm automatically reaches out to your parked car, attaches the charge cable and starts the charge process.

Then, when the battery is full, the charger disconnects and moves away from your car, ready for you to leave. And instead of merely hanging there waiting for the next charge, the robotic arm tidily folds up into a box until it’s next needed.

If this sounds familiar then you’re likely thinking of a robotic charger arm revealed by Tesla back in 2015. The company showed off a functioning prototype, describing the arm like a “solid metal snake”. But, although not officially cancelled, information on the charger has since been removed from Tesla’s website and little has been said since the August 2015 demo.

Xiaomi’s version looks to be near-production ready – at least more so than Tesla’s prototype was – and will work with its SU7 and YU7 electric cars when it arrives in the fourth quarter of 2026. Drivers won’t need to lift a finger, since once they’ve parked up the arm will swing into action and charge the car as needed.

It can also be controlled by a smartphone app, reports Car News China, which also cited Xiaomi as saying the demo was filmed in a real-world setting, suggesting that it’s almost production-ready.

No word yet on price, but we can imagine such a charger will be rather expensive – even though, at the equivalent of about £45,000, Xiaomi’s SU7 car is surprisingly affordable in its home market. It also isn’t clear if the robotic charger will work with other EVs or just those from Xiaomi.

Between this and Porsche’s upcoming wireless charger for its electric Cayenne SUV, it’s an interesting time for home EV chargers.

If you're going to build a camping trailer for the electric age, making it look like a giant brick probably isn't the best place to start. That's why the new Polydrops P21X looks more like something from a futuristic Mars expedition than a traditional caravan.

The angular trailer has been designed for EV owners. That aerodynamic shape is intended to reduce the range hit that normally comes with towing.

Even the best electric cars can lose a good chunk of their range with a standard trailer attached. olydrops hasn't abandoned ruggedness in pursuit of efficiency, either. The P21X rides on chunky off-road tyres, features increased ground clearance and is built to head well beyond the average campsite.

Inside, there's room for up to four people to sleep, while solar panels and onboard battery storage help keep essential systems running once you've reached your destination.

This is ideal for anyone who loves the idea of electric road trips but doesn't want to spend their weekends parked next to a charging station.

Electric vehicles have become increasingly capable adventure machines, but camping trailers haven't always kept pace. Most existing options were designed long before EVs arrived, meaning efficiency was rarely a priority.

The P21X feels like part of a new generation of products being designed around electric vehicles from the outset. Rather than forcing EV owners to compromise, it embraces the strengths and weaknesses of battery-powered travel and attempts to work with them.

Perhaps the most interesting thing isn't the trailer itself, but what it represents. As EV adoption grows, we're likely to see more accessories, campers and outdoor gear built specifically for electric adventures. The P21X may look unusual today, but in a few years it could end up looking surprisingly normal.

One of the biggest challenges for self-driving cars isn't navigating busy city streets or complex junctions but coping with changing light. Confused advanced camera systems may about to get a whole lot clearer.

Researchers at Penn State University have developed a new light-adaptive sensor designed to work more like the human eye. Instead of struggling when lighting conditions change, the technology automatically adjusts in real time. This helps cameras maintain accuracy from bright daylight to dusk or near darkness.

Early tests showed more than 95% visual accuracy across different lighting conditions. Promising stuff.

The breakthrough takes inspiration from the rods and cones in our eyes, which constantly adapt as light levels change. By mimicking that process, the sensor could help autonomous vehicles recognise pedestrians, cyclists and obstacles more consistently, even when visibility is poor.

Night-time is still one of the toughest environments for driver-assistance and autonomous driving systems. Existing cameras can lose accuracy in the face of glare, darkness, fog or sudden changes in brightness. This is why carmakers continue investing heavily in new sensor technology.

While this latest development won't instantly create fully autonomous cars, it could become an important piece of the puzzle. Better vision means better hazard detection, faster reactions and improved safety when conditions are less than ideal.

For drivers, that could eventually mean cars that spot danger before you do – even on the darkest roads. And if self-driving technology is ever going to become truly mainstream, learning to see at night may prove just as important as learning to drive during the day.

Video playback has finally come to Apple CarPlay after its first announcement in 2025. During WWDC 2026, Apple confirmed the news in a supporting video for developers, saying that the video category was being added.

There's a big catch though: Apple goes on to say "in new cars that support the video in car feature". This means that your current CarPlay vehicle is unlikely to support the video function.

This support for video is going to come in two forms. If an app supports AirPlay streaming then that will be coming to CarPlay in iOS 27, so you can just select the CarPlay display in AirPlay from your phone.

But this will go further, allowing video apps to appear so that movies can be watched when the car is parked, with a UI to navigate that app on the car's screen. This is likely where Apple TV support will come in.

Throughout this announcement, Apple makes a point of saying that this will only work with cars that support the "video in car feature". It's outlined that AirPlay support is needed in the car, which is likely the hardware barrier to this on older vehicles.

That's the bad news here: if your car doesn't support AirPlay then you're not going to be getting the video functions in iOS 27 – even if you will benefit from other enhancements like the new and smarter Siri.

There are some other small details in the announcement too, similar to those we saw from Google's update to Android Auto. It will also be possible to run compatible video apps in audio-only mode, meaning that you can move from watching a podcast to just listening to it.

Because Apple CarPlay is linked to the iOS version, don't expect the update to arrive until September 2026, when it will land on devices back to iPhone 11.

While you'll need a new car to support Apple's video in car feature, it's expected to be widely supported in future vehicles. Some third-party head units already support AirPlay as a separate feature from CarPlay – whether they will be able to support the new feature remains to be seen.

There's sure to be plenty more news about video on CarPlay over the coming months as apps move to support the feature and testing progresses through the iOS developer beta.

At the same time, we can expect a wide number of car manufacturers to apply for certification to bring AirPlay to their vehicles.

Google is rolling out a change in Google Maps that will make the interface cleaner when driving. The change will address how Google Maps handles incident report pop-ups in Android Auto.

In 2024, Google incorporated one of Waze's features into Google Maps, with incident reports appearing on the Android Auto display – and asking drivers if the incident was still there. It typically refers to things like lane closures or crashes and it's a common feature on Waze.

But those notifications were always a bit of a distraction: they were too large, wanted a response and sometimes that meant other UI elements were lost. That's all set to change.

As spotted by 9to5Google, the new pop-up will appear over the estimated time, with much smaller buttons to confirm or deny. This is less of a distraction, while it also preserves all the information you expect on the screen.

According to the source, this new style of pop-up has been seen on different orientations of the Android Auto display.

At the moment it's not clear if this is part of the recent Android Auto update or if this is an update that's come from Google Maps.

Android Auto recently moved to version 17, with the promise that a number of new features will be coming in the future.

That includes things like customisable widgets, Dolby Atmos, Gemini Intelligence as well as its highlight feature – support for video – which should be starting with YouTube.

While the framework is in place for these new elements, none of the features have yet dropped into place. That might be because Google is waiting for the Android 17 push, so we're expecting Android Auto to get a lot of new features later in 2026.

While we wait for the bigger functionality push, we'll take this small update to Google Maps as a win. It does leave me wondering whether Google will also do anything to improve the number of distractions in Waze itself.

Audi has revealed a spiritual successor to the R8 supercar, in the form of the stunning new Nuvolari – a hybrid V8 powered two-seater with 1,000 horsepower and packed with F1 knowhow.

Limited to just 499 examples, the Nuvolari comes soon after the Concept C show car. While that suggested what a future generation of TT sports car might look like, the Nuvolari turns things up to 11 to become a fully-fledged supercar.

Power comes from a twin-turbocharged 4.0 litre V8 engine – which revs to 10,000 rpm and outputs 789 bhp all on its own – and three electric motors. They produce 148 bhp each, with two on the front axle and one mounted between the engine and gearbox. They’re fed by a 7.3 kWh battery pack that gains charge as the car is driven, using regenerative braking.

The drivetrain is closely related to that of the Lamborghini Temerario (both companies are part of the Volkswagen Group), but the Audi actually produces a little more power than the Lambo, thanks to a different torque map and a battery that’s twice the size of the Temerario’s.

Audi says the Nuvolari can accelerate to 62 mph in 2.6 seconds and 124 mph (200 km/h) in 6.8 seconds. Top speed is described as being more than 217 mph (350 km/h). These figures mean the Nuvolari is the fastest and most powerful road-going Audi the company has ever made.

Named after 1930s Italian racing driver Tazio Nuvolari, the new Audi will square up against the Ferrari 849 Testarossa and Aston Martin Valhalla – two more triple-motor hybrid supercars that come from manufacturers with Formula One teams.

On that note, chief technology officer Rouven Mohr, who recently moved to Audi from Lamborghini, said: “Formula 1 is a key impulse to bring innovations to the road quickly and with precision…our entire team has once again demonstrated its technical expertise, innovative strength, and dedication. This is reflected not only in the vehicle’s performance and its Formula 1-inspired technologies, but also in the ability to transfer innovations quickly and precisely into a production vehicle.”

Since the two front motors can operate independently, they’re able to precisely manage how much power, torque and regenerative braking is delivered to each of the front wheels. Known as variable torque vectoring, this, Audi says delivers “agile corner and stability at high speeds.”

More F1 tech is found on the bodywork. Audi says almost all of the Nuvolari’s exterior components are made from carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP), and that all carbon fibre components have been “developed using Formula 1 expertise.”

Similarly, the car’s active aerodynamics have been developed with motorsport knowhow. The company said: “The system adjusts downforce, drag, and aerodynamic balance in response to driving conditions – ensuring maximum stability and precise vehicle control…Each exterior element serves a clearly defined aerodynamic function, from the front splitter to the rear diffuser.”

Audi even says its Formula 1 drivers “provided targeted feedback during the development phase to fine-tune aerodynamic performance.”

Inside, the cabin is described as having a “reduced architecture” that “concentrates all controls on essential functions and positions them directly within the driver’s field of view.” Audi hasn’t revealed much of the interior for now, but early images show a touchscreen cascading from the dashboard to the centre console, an all-digital display behind the steering wheel, and physical switchgear for certain functions.

Audi hasn’t said how much the Nuvolari will cost but it’s expected to start from about £500,000 – well beyond even the later V10-powered version of R8, which started at about £130,000. Deliveries are due to start in the first half of 2027.

Lotus has confirmed its new Eletre X will be coming to Europe, and the range-extender hybrid SUV could be coming to the UK soon too.

You’re probably familiar with the Eletre, the big electric SUV from Lotus that T3 reviewed back in 2024 and in R form produces almost 1,000 horsepower. That car is still available, but it’s now joined by the Eletre X, which combines a battery and electric motors with a 2.0-litre petrol engine.

The result is a sporty SUV that still has lots of power – a combined 952 PS and 935 Nm of torque, which are both truly massive – but the total range is now 745 miles. That’s around double the claimed range of the all-electric Eletre and turns the car from an EV with the usual hint of range anxiety into a seriously long-legged SUV.

Also clever is how the Eletre X has a relatively small 70 kWh battery pack (down from 112 kWh in the electric version), which can fill from 20 to 80 percent in a claimed nine minutes. The smaller capacity helps here, and so does the car’s class-leading 900-volt electrical architecture and 426 kW maximum charge rate – more than anything today’s UK rapid chargers can deliver.

The Eletre X has a 150 kW onboard generator, powered by the turbocharged engine and its 52-litre fuel tank. This continuously replenishes the battery while driving, and can also send power directly to the front wheels when the car deems that the most efficient thing to do.

Shut the engine down, and Lotus says the Eletre X can still manage a respectable 217 miles on battery power alone. But the genius here is how the battery and engine combine to deliver that 745-mile headline figure.

Performance remains impressive, with a claimed 0-62 mph time of 3.3 seconds and an even more impressive 50 to 100 mph time of 3.9 seconds. Lotus says the Eletre X, with its smaller battery, is up to 120 kg lighter than the fully-electric Eletre 900, despite the addition of an engine.

Lotus explained how the hybrid system works: “The engine operates primarily as part of an intelligent onboard power generation system, replenishing available energy during longer journeys and sustained high-load driving. That same system intelligently adapts energy deployment depending on speed, battery state of charge and drive demand, operating across multiple drive scenarios, balancing pure EV driving, onboard power generation and hybrid assistance to optimise performance, efficiency and real-world usability.”

If this all sounds familiar, you might be thinking of the RX version of the original BMW i3. That small EV was offered with a small motorbike engine that acted as a generator, topping up the battery and increasing range. It didn’t drive the wheels, as the Lotus can, but it was a similar approach to aiding EV range – and arrived a decade before the Eletre X. So-called range-extender hybrids could well come back into fashion, as drivers seek EVs with the range (and fuel availability) of a petrol car.

Already available in China, the Lotus Eletre X is now coming to Europe. It’s available to order now, and deliveries are expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2026. Prices vary by country and currency, but land at about €122,000 for the Eletre X H1000 (which has 952 PS), and €99,000 for the less powerful (550 PS) Eletre X H550.

The latter is about £85,500, so that’s roughly where we hope UK prices will land when the Eletre X comes here at a later date.

You can now drive your own car like you're in Mario Kart thanks to a recent update from Nintendo that brings compatibility with Apple CarPlay.

The Nintendo Music app has been updated (via 9to5Mac), so that it can now be used in CarPlay. That means you can fire up the Mario Kart soundtrack while you're driving just like you're in the game.

Of course, you'll need to make sure that you don't actually drive like you're in Mario Kart, or you're unlikely to stay on the road for long. And we don't condone throwing bananas out of the window, either.

The update to Nintendo Music also includes Siri integration, while there's a dedicated iPad app now as well, meaning you don't have to use the upscaled iPhone app.

Siri integration means that you can search for songs using your voice so it's easier to find the track that you're looking for.

It's not just Apple that benefits, it's also available in Android Auto.

To use the Nintendo Music app you'll need Nintendo Switch Online membership, while the tracks covered include hits from NES right up to the latest Switch 2 games.

That includes Mario Kart World, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Super Mario, Wii Sports, Donkey Kong and more.

There are also some interesting features, such as the ability to extend a song for up to an hour loop of the soundtrack. That's just what happens in games and some might find that it makes for great concentration or relaxation music.

For those wanting to avoid spoilers you can omit particular games, while fans of Animal Crossing will be excited by the fact you can match the music to the time of day.

The Nintendo Music app remains something of an anomaly, but there are plenty of fans who appreciate it, with lots of positive reviews. It's certainly cheaper than the Legend of Zelda LP, that's for sure.

So when you're not playing Mario Kart on your Nintendo Switch 2, you can just fire up the soundtrack in your car and bring a little fun to the drive.