What Car?

news A new pay-per-mile tax for electric car drivers will be announced in this month’s Budget in an attempt to offset fuel duty losses... Electric car drivers will be hit with a pay-per-mile tax as part of a number of economic reforms to be announced in the winter Budget on 26 November. The pay-per-mile plans, which have been confirmed as accurate to What Car?

advice As new car sales continue to grow, we share how you can find the right model for you and how you can buy it at the best possible price... Nearly two million new cars were sold in the UK during 2024. And for many, a new car represents not only status – the latest styling and technology – but also peace of mind that parts are unlikely to fail and, if they do, it’s backed by a lengthy manufacturer’s warranty.

news The RAC has labelled rising numbers of unsafe vehicles on UK roads as a “cause for alarm”... The number of drivers penalised for driving unroadworthy vehicles on UK roads has risen by 52% in just 12 months, according to data analysed by the RAC. Using data from a freedom of information request, the breakdown service provider found that 13,109 drivers received penalty points in 2024 for driving cars that were unsafe for road use, up from 8614 the year before.

news From 2026, questions about life-saving first aid will be included in the DVSA’s driving theory test... The driving theory test will soon include questions about life-saving first aid, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has decided. From early 2026, people taking the test will need to know the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use a defibrillator in an emergency, building on the first aid content already included in the test.

It’s usually perfectly lawful to take your company car abroad on holiday as long as you adhere to a few rules. Just follow the seven simple steps listed here to enjoy driving abroad legally... Your company car is no different from any other vehicle, so taking it abroad is no problem – provided you’ve sorted all the relevant paperwork beforehand.

news Vauxhall will reveal a new GSE concept car next month, and it’ll be a high-performance racing-inspired model... Vauxhall will reveal a new high-performance GSE-badged concept car at next month’s Munich motor show. The model’s final name has yet to be revealed, but it will be fully electric.

news Kia has simplified its Picanto range, added a new potent engine option for the XCeed and axed the Ceed from its lineup... As Albert Einstein once said, "everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler". This might have been the philosophy in the minds of the team at Kia when it decided to streamline the Kia Picanto and Kia XCeed models, which are now available with simpler trim line-ups and engine options – but also with more standard kit than before.

news Expected government proposals could also see drink-drive limit reduced in England and Wales... Drivers over 70 could be subject to compulsory eye tests – and face having their licence revoked if they fail – under new proposals being considered by the government. The plans are expected to form part of a new road safety strategy due to be unveiled in the autumn in response to growing frustrations that the number of deaths and serious injuries on the road remain stubbornly high.

news Would you like to be one of the first people in the UK to see the all-new Nissan Leaf electric hatchback?... We’re offering a small number of What Car? readers the opportunity to attend an exclusive preview of this exciting new model on Tuesday 19 August in Battersea, London. The new Nissan Leaf is the third-generation model of what is widely considered to be the first mass-market electric car, and it brings significant upgrades over its predecessors.

news The Ford Focus is going off sale soon, but you can still lease a new one for a keen price with our deals... When it first arrived in 1998, the Ford Focus was something of a trailblazer, coming in to replace the longstanding Ford Escort small family car. Now, you could describe it as a household name – but all good things must come to an end, and the Focus will stop being produced in November.