The Car Expert

Coronavirus: Should I take a payment holiday on my car finance?

Car finance advice

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26 April 2020

Car owners with secured finance on their vehicle (PCP, HP or conditional sale) or on a lease (personal contract hire) who have had their household incomes impacted by the coronavirus pandemic will be offered the chance to take a three-month ‘payment holiday’ to help them manage through the next few weeks of lockdown. But should you take up this offer?

While the idea of not paying off your car finance bill for the next three months may sound attractive, especially if you are struggling with a sudden reduction in your salary, there are a number of things to consider first. Your finance company is supposed to discuss these implications with you before agreeing to a payment holiday, but for the best independent and impartial advice, The Car Expert is here to help.

Table of contents

If you’d like to hear more tips and advice on car finance and the coronavirus pandemic, have a listen to my podcast on BBC Radio 4’s Money Box programme.

First, let’s start by explaining what a payment holiday is really all about:

What is a payment holiday?

A three-month payment holiday means that you don’t make your normal car finance payments for three months. This may be very helpful for your short-term cashflow, as it could save you hundreds of pounds per month at a time when your income has fallen by at least that much or more. However, there is definitely a catch. You will save money now, but you will end up paying more – possibly a lot more – later on.

It’s important to remember that you will still have to make up for those three months later on – those payments don’t just disappear. You can choose to either extend your finance agreement by three months, or you can pay extra per month one your payment holiday ends to keep to your original end date. We’ll look at the implications of each of these in a moment.

The name ‘payment holiday’ has become very popular in the media, but actually it’s a terrible description. A holiday conjures up a carefree escape from your everyday headaches, before returning to life as normal refreshed and ready to carry on. This isn’t like that. In fact, the only thing a car finance payment holiday has in common with any other holiday is that it will involve unexpected expenses and end up costing more than you expected it to when you booked it…

A ‘payment deferral’ is what the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is the UK’s financial services regulator, calls it. However, even that doesn’t really cover the full implications. A deferral implies that you are simply pushing your costs back a few months, but that those costs won’t change. That almost certainly won’t be the case. The same applies to ‘payment freeze’ or pretty much any other description. Whatever you want to call it, just remember that you’re saving money now but you will pay more eventually as a result.

Who is eligible for a car finance payment holiday?

To be eligible for the payment deferral, you must have a current car finance or lease agreement, which will probably be one of the following:

Other forms of paying for your car, such as a personal loan or your credit card, are not covered. Plus this only applies to consumers (personal use purchasers) rather than businesses.

In addition, this support is directly related to the current coronavirus pandemic. Your household must be experiencing – or reasonably expect to experience – temporary payment difficulties as a result of coronavirus. If you are in financial difficulties for any other reason, it doesn’t apply to you. If you’re not in financial trouble and don’t have an expectation that you will be anytime soon, you’re also not covered by this.

Note that I said your household rather than you. If your own income is unaffected but anyone else in your household is in difficulty (spouse/partner, other family members, etc.), and that’s causing your overall household to struggle, then you still qualify.

Payment holiday available for coronavirus-related car finance difficulties — You may be eligible for a payment holiday if anyone in your household is in financial difficulty.

Why should I consider a payment holiday?

If your household income has been cut as a result of you being put on furlough, or if you’ve lost work because you’re a freelancer or self-employed, then paying your normal monthly bills could become difficult very quickly. Many people have already seen their income cut by hundreds of pounds per month, and many more are facing the same prospect very soon.

If you have a car on finance, it’s probably taking up a big chunk of your monthly income. Not having to make that payment for the next three months could help relieve that strain in the short term. For many people, it will be a much-needed financial lifeline.

But you need to consider the implications of taking that lifeline, so let’s look at those now.

What are the problems with taking a payment holiday?

A three-month payment holiday will introduce additional cost to your overall car finance agreement. How much extra will depend on your particular circumstances, but you could be up for any of the following:

Interest

The finance company can still charge you interest for the three months of your payment holiday. Depending on how much you have borrowed, this could be £100 a month. You don’t have to pay it back now, but you will have to pay it back eventually. And if it gets deferred to the end of your agreement (which could be in a couple of years’ time), that interest will keep going up.

I recently saw a hire purchase finance agreement where a customer is usually paying about £44/month in interest, but will end up paying £63 for each month of his payment holiday as the interest is being deferred to the end of his agreement, which won’t be for another four years.

You can negotiate how and when you repay this additional interest with your finance company. The sooner you can clear it, the less it will cost you – much like your credit card payments. The finance company does not have to agree to this, but it is obviously in their interest to make sure you can repay your debt so they should at least be happy to discuss options with you.

Of course, if you’re lucky enough to have a 0% APR finance agreement, then this won’t apply to you. But that is an exception, rather than a rule.

Monthly payments

If you are extending your agreement by three months, your monthly payments should return to their normal amount when your payment holiday ends – however, your agreement will run for three months longer to compensate. You can negotiate with the finance company to add the extra interest above into your payments rather than paying it in one hit if you prefer.

If you would rather keep to your original end date, you will have to increase your monthly payments to compensate for the three months where you paid nothing during your payment holiday. Depending on how many months you have left on your agreement, that could easily add another £50 or more to your monthly car finance payment, increasing your expenses at a time when the world is still gradually recovering and your financial position may still be precarious.

The FCA has told finance companies that they can’t modify agreements to unfairly take advantage of the current situation. In other words, they are allowed to modify your finance agreement to reflect new dates or repayments, but they can’t charge you any fees and they can’t fiddle with your payments to allow for the sudden fall in used car values that have resulted from the coronavirus.

Running costs

For most people on car finance, extending your agreement by three months will almost certainly trigger some extra costs that you wouldn’t have had to pay if your agreement ended on its original date. These include any or all of the following:

annual service
MOT inspection
road tax
car insurance
extended warranty
breakdown cover

Most people with a PCP car finance agreement would normally be able to give the car back or part-exchange it just before its next service is due. However, by extending your finance agreement for three months, you may now find that you need to have it done. That could easily cost hundreds of pounds that you will now have to pay.

Similarly, it may mean that you need to pay for an MOT test, even allowing for the government offering all vehicles a six-month exemption over the next year. If you bought a new car on a three-year PCP and thought you wouldn’t have to worry about an MOT test, you’ll now probably have to get that done. The test itself might only cost £50 or so, but it could potentially get much more expensive if the inspection reveals that you need new tyres or any repairs to keep your car legal.

Road tax and car insurance are expenses that you’d have to pay anyway, but it may still cost you more money if you have to renew them and then cancel them a few months later. The DVLA will steal a month’s worth of road tax from you because they can get away with it, and your car insurer will charge you an admin fee to tranfer your insurance from your current car to your next car.

Extended warranty and breakdown cover are optional costs, since you don’t have to have either, but it’s still worth bearing in mind – especially if you have to pay for them and then only get a partial refund when cancelling a few months later.

Do I have any other options?

Quite possibly, yes. A three-month payment holiday is not the only means of support that a finance company can offer you, and the best option will depend on your circumstances. If you call your finance company to request a payment holiday, they are obliged to discuss your particular circumstances to see if there are any other alternatives that may be more helpful to you.

This might mean waiving interest or offering you reduced monthly payments for a period of months, rather than paying nothing at all. If your agreement is ending reasonably soon, they might suggest voluntary termination or offer you a shorter deferral period instead of the publicised three-month payment holiday. The FCA is clear that finance companies must consider both your immediate situation and your overall agreement, and that they must act in your best interests.

Summary

As I said earlier, for many people a payment holiday on their car finance will be an absolute financial lifeline. That’s fine, and that’s what it’s there for. However, there will inevitably be a lot of people who think they should take it just because it’s available, and that’s almost certainly the wrong approach to take.

If you quickly add up all the extra interest and additional running costs that are likely to affect you by taking a payment holiday on your car finance, it could easily add thousands of pounds to the overall cost of your car. You need to consider these numbers carefully to decide whether you think it’s still a good idea to take that payment holiday now.

Also bear in mind that there are offers of support on other household expenses available as well. It may be that taking a payment holiday on your mortgage or your credit card is a better bet for your specific needs, rather than your car finance.

Talk to your finance company. Yes, you’ll probably spend a lot of time on hold in a queue, but it’s not like you can go to the pub so you may as well stick with it. Ask them questions – even if you’re worried that they’re stupid questions. Listen to what they suggest or offer, but don’t make immediate decisions. Do the same for any other loans and finance agreements you have.

Once you have gathered information about all them, sit down and work out what’s likely to be the best choice for you. Everyone’s situation is different, so what works best for you might not be the same thing as what works best for others. Stay cool and look at all your options, and you’ll work out the best path (or least-worst path) for your needs.

If you’d like to hear more tips and advice on car finance and the coronavirus pandemic, have a listen to my podcast on BBC Radio 4’s Money Box programme.

More car finance news, tips and advice at The Car Expert

Porsche Macan

Stuart Masson

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24 April 2020

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Summary

The Porsche Macan is a mid-size premium SUV that sits below the Cayenne in the company’s SUV range. It was launched back in 2014, having its latest facelift in Autumn 2021. The Macan shares its basic platform with the original Audi Q5 (2008), but with extensive modifcations by Porsche.

The Macan is available with a selection of turbocharged petrol engines (not just the Macan Turbo model). A 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine was previously available, but was discontinued in the wake of parent company Volkswagen’s infamous Dieselgate emissions-cheating scandal.

The Porsche Macan range has received strongly positive reviews from across the UK motoring media, although the top-spec Turbo model tends to score a bit lower than other models in the range. It is highly praised for its driving dynamics, while also being refined and comfortable. The main criticisms have been that (like any Porsche) it tends to be expensive once you start adding too many optional extras, and that many of those extra-cost options are standard on plenty of cheaper cars.

A facelifted version of the current Macan arrived in the UK in Autumn 2021, with an updated interior and some minor cosmetic changes.

The Macan will eventually be succeeded by the new Porsche Macan Electric, which was launched in 2024, but Porsche appears to be in no rush to bring production of the petrol model to an end.

As of June 2025, the Porsche Macan holds a New Car Expert Rating of E, with a score of 49%. While it still gets favourable media reviews and drives better than most SUVs from other brands, the ownership experience is let down by high running costs and below-average reliability. Exhaust emissions are also high, while the Macan’s Euro NCAP safety rating has long expired, which drags down its safety score in our ratings.

Macan highlights

Sports car performance
Refined and comfortable cabin
Sleek exterior
Good quality infotainment
Excellent driving position

Macan lowlights

High running costs
Top-of-the-range models very expensive
Some optional features should be standard
Other SUV rivals are more practical
Heavy weight hinders agility

Key specifications

Body style: Medium SUV/crossover
Engines: petrol
Price: From £53,400 on-road

Launched: Spring 2014
Last updated: Autumn 2021
Replacement due: 2026?

Image gallery

Media reviews

Highlighted reviews and road tests from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

Featured reviews

“The Porsche Macan drives extremely well and has the right image, but it’s thirsty and less comfortable than it should be.”

Model reviewed: Range overview

Score: 8 / 10

Read full review

Auto Express

Jordan Katsianis

“The Porsche Macan is a practical, roomy SUV that’s also quick and fun-to-drive. The interior has also been brought into line with alternatives thanks to 2021 updates.”

Model reviewed: Range overview

Score: 9 / 10

Read full review

Carwow

More reviews

“The Macan S is a more compelling option than the four-cylinder base car, offering a new world of performance in comparison.”
Author: Ryan Hirons
Read review

Auto Express

Model reviewed: Macan T
Score: 8 / 10
“Creating a space for the driver-focused Macan T within Porsche’s sporty mid-sized SUV lineup was always going to be a difficult task. It’s not the pick of the range, but the T still manages to highlight the Macan’s excellent driving dynamics at a lower price point. It’s biggest problem? The more exciting V6-powered S is only slightly pricier.” (Alastair Crooks)
Read review

Model reviewed: 2.0-litre petrol automatic (2022 model)
Score: 8 / 10
“Porsche continues its incremental upgrades to the Macan range, making it as appealing as it ever was. In terms of ride and handling, it’s in a class of one in the SUV segment, while the quality and tech impresses, too. The only downside to this entry-level model is its engine – more power has been added, but it still lacks the character that we’d hope for from a Porsche.” (Alex Ingram)
Read review

Model reviewed: 2.9-litre petrol automatic GTS
Score: 8 / 10
“Faster, more refined, better equipped and better than ever to drive, the new Porsche Macan GTS has an awful lot going for it in theory. But then, it needs to be good to carry the flag for one of Porsche’s biggest-selling vehicles, especially as the range’s new top dog. Despite its pretty high running costs, the new GTS manages to pull it off.” (Steve Sutcliffe)
Read review

Model reviewed: Turbo
Score: 9 / 10
“The Porsche Macan Turbo may have a new powertrain, but there’s nothing new about how impressive this SUV is. It’s still a showcase of how to launch a bona-fide performance SUV, blending pace and agility with genuine comfort and refinement.” (James Brodie)
Read review

Model reviewed: 2.0-litre petrol automatic (2019 model)
Score: 9 / 10
“The Porsche Macan is still one of the sweetest premium SUVs to drive. The entry-level 2.0-litre petrol engine doesn’t tingle with presence, but its strong reserves of torque mean you won’t miss the V6 diesel all too much.” (James Brodie)
Read review

Auto Trader

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The refreshed Macan follows the well-trodden path of ‘blink and you’ll miss them’ updates to the design, but there are some tasty treats in store under the bonnet.”
Read review

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“It’s beautifully made, has cracking performance and handling, and will also keep the family comfortable. Some will bemoan the lack of diesel options, but it’s the most fun you can have in a small SUV.”
Read review

Car

Model reviewed: 2021 Macan GTS
Score: 8 / 10
“It’s even better value than the old Turbo. Objectively it’s a fast thing. But the AMG CL63 sounds like thunder and the Alfa Stelvio feels a bit more fun. But then again, the X3 M rides poorly and is very very expensive.”
Read review

Model reviewed: Turbo
Score: 10 / 10
“And what they do get is a genuinely fast, comfortable, physics-bending, fruity-sounding, five-person carrying, luggage-fitting, do-anything kinda car. And there really aren’t many of those around.”
Read review

Model reviewed: 2.0-litre petrol automatic
Score: 8 / 10
“On the one hand, deep down, the Macan’s related to an Audi Q5 and now you’re most likely to buy it with a 2.0-litre engine. On the other, its dynamic abilities are way beyond your expectations of an SUV. Add in the badge, the refinement, the comfort, the top-notch interior, and with good reason it’ll continue to be Porsche’s best-selling model.”
Read review

Car Keys

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre petrol automatic S
Score: 8 / 10
“The Porsche Macan S gets four stars here on the basis of what I imagine it would be like on the standard 18-inch wheels. On 20-inch wheels, it barely qualifies for two.”
Read review

Carbuyer

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Porsche Macan looks great, drives fantastically for an SUV and is even quite capable off-road.” (Andy Goodwin)
Read review

Carwow

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“The Porsche Macan is a practical, roomy SUV that’s also quick and fun-to-drive. A smart-looking infotainment screen is standard, but basic models look plasticky inside.”
Read review

Company Car Today

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre petrol automatic S
“The Porsche Macan S is rapid, handles with a poise and entertainment that an SUV really shouldn’t be capable of and costs less than £50,000.”
Read review

Daily Mail

Model reviewed: Macan Turbo
Score: 8 / 10
“A rocket ship of a crossover, she goes like stink, but you’ll be paying big-time for the pleasure” (Chris Evans)
Read review

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre petrol automatic S
“If you hate that computer-style scrolling through endless options, you’ll love this car. It has buttons. Lots of pushbuttons. You just know this is a real engineer’s car.”
Read review

Evo

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“Rivals have caught up, but the Porsche Macan remains an engaging and appealing sports SUV”
Read review

Model reviewed: 2.9-litre petrol V6 automatic GTS
Score: 8 / 10
“Porsche’s mid-sized Macan GTS remains the most impressive SUV to drive with a tad more polish and tech”
Read review

Model reviewed: Turbo
Score: 7 / 10
“All the usual Macan virtues, but no longer the best performance SUV to drive”
Read review

Honest John

Model reviewed: (range review)
Score: 10 / 10
“The Porsche Macan is the best-handling SUV money can buy. It might be pricier than rivals, but if you like driving and your budget stretches far enough it is very easy to recommend.”
Read review

“The Porsche Macan remains a well designed and immensely capable high-performance crossover – and one that’s comfortable and practical, too.”
Read review

Motoring Research

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Porsche Macan is a sports car in an SUV suit. It’s starting to show its age, despite a recent facelift, but is still the driver’s choice.”
Read review

Parkers

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8.4 / 10
“Owning a Porsche Macan will be a special thing for most buyers, such is its breadth of talent. However, it’ll also satisfy owners as a genuinely talented family car with good interior space, a quality feel and big boot.”
Read review

The Sun

Model reviewed: Range overview
“The Porsche Macan consistently defies the laws of physics, to take it beyond the boundaries of any other SUV”
Read review

The Sunday Times

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre petrol automatic GTS
Score: 8 / 10
“An SUV that thinks it’s a sports car”
Read review

The Telegraph

Model reviewed: GTS
Score: 8 / 10
“Not cheap, nor economical, and the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the drivetrain and suspension might put a few off, but this family SUV is a proper sporting machine with great dynamics and decent feedback, along with room for four and some luggage. It seems well built and it also looks terrific.”
Read review

Score: 8 / 10
“The second generation Macan is lightly refreshed rather than entirely transformed. This base model is neither fast nor a substitute for the deleted diesel model, but is likeable and capable nonetheless.”
Read review

Top Gear

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“For stunning breadth of ability underlined by sporting nous, no small SUV gets close”
Read review

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre petrol automatic GTS
“There’s something oddly appealing about the Porsche Macan GTS’s defiantly sporting bent, Alcantara and all. We shouldn’t really like it, but we rather do.”
Read review

Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Overall score: 5 stars
Date tested: December 2014
Date expired: January 2021
Read the full Euro NCAP review

Adult protection: 88%
Child protection: 87%
Vulnerable road users: 60%
Safety assist: 66%

No safety rating

The Porsche Macau was originally crash tested by Euro NCAP back in 2014 and awarded a five-star rating. However, this rating expired in January 2021 and is no longer valid as the car no longer meets the standards required for such a rating. This is normal practice, as Euro NCAP reviews its ratings on most cars annually with most ratings expiring after about six or seven years.

However, if you are comparing a used Macon to vehicles of similar age, whose ratings will have probably also expired, its safety rating score is still useful.

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

No eco rating

As of June 2025, the Porsche Macan has not been lab tested by Green NCAP.

Reliability rating

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

Total claims: 182
Average repair cost: £539.23
Last updated: April 2025

Reliability score

All data based on MotorEasy average workshop costs for extended car warranty claims

The Porsche Macan has a below-average reliability score, according to workshop and warranty data provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our partners at MotorEasy.

The average repair bill for Macao faults is more than £500, which is not bad for a car of this price and performance but more than the cost of a typical used car warranty, so that’s something to bear in mind. Repair costs in most categories are also higher than average.

If you’re looking at a used Porsche Macan, make sure any extended warranty cover you purchase covers all of these potential problem areas.

Running cost rating

Monthly cost of ownership data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by Clear Vehicle Data

Fuel consumption	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Petrol models	27 mpg	E	25 – 28 mpg	E – E

CO₂ output	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Petrol models	241 g/km	D	228 – 259 g/km	D – D

Insurance group	Average	Score	Variation	Score
All models	50	F	50 – 50	F – F

Service and maintenance	Cost	Score
Year 1	£475	D
Year 2	£1,123	D
Year 3	£1,765	D
Year 4	£2,293	D
Year 5	£2,911	D
Overall	£8,567	D

The Porsche Macan is an expensive car to own and run, according to whole-life cost numbers provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our data partner, Clear Vehicle Data.

Fuel consumption is poor, while insurance premiums are inevitably going to be expensive. Service and maintenance costs are more expensive than most cars as well.

Security rating

Independent vehicle theft and security ratings from Thatcham Research

Rating: Superior | Good | Basic | Poor | Unacceptable
Relay Attack: Pass

Date: 2019

Awards

Trophies, prizes and awards that the Porsche Macan has received

2025

Autotrader Awards – Most Fun Car to Drive

2022

Carbuyer Awards – Best Used Hot SUV

2021

Carbuyer Awards – Best Used Hot SUV

2014

Auto Express Awards – Best Compact SUV

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Buy a Porsche Macan

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Coronavirus: Payment freeze for car finance announced

Stuart Masson

-

24 April 2020

0

UPDATED: The FCA guidance was formally published on Friday 24 April 2020 with no significant changes from the original draft, and will go into effect from Monday 27 April 2020.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced that car finance lenders should offer their customers a three-month payment freeze if they are struggling to manage their car finance bills as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

There are also specific directives to deal with making sure customers are not penalised if they are unable to make payments, to manage balloon payments at the end of a PCP, and to make sure finance companies don’t try to rewrite contracts that unfairly penalise customers because car values have fallen.

What sort of car finance agreements are covered?

The new guidance will apply to all regulated car finance and leasing agreements, such as:

It does not apply to personal loans or other forms of finance that are not secured against the vehicle. It is also only or consumer finance agreements, rather than business loans.

Who is eligible for a payment holiday?

The FCA has stated that it expects all car finance lenders to offer support measures to any customer currently facing financial difficulty, as well as anyone who expects to experience dificulty, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Customers who were already in financial difficulties unrelated to coronavirus are not covered, although similar support measures have always been available for customers in financial difficulty and should continue to be offered.

Should you take a payment holiday? Have a read of our guide to whether a car finance payment holiday is right for you.

What exactly am I entitled to?

The FCA has issued guidance on several points, which are:

The FCA expects lenders to provide a three-month payment freeze to customers who are having temporary difficulties meeting finance or leasing payments due to coronavirus.
If customers are experiencing temporary financial difficulties due to coronavirus, firms should not take steps to end the agreement or repossess the vehicle.
Lenders should not change customer contracts in a way that is unfair. For example, firms should not try to use temporary depreciation of car prices caused by the coronavirus situation to recalculate PCP balloon payments at the end of the term. Lenders must act fairly where terms are adjusted.
Where a customer wishes to keep their vehicle at the end of their PCP agreement, but does not have the cash to cover the balloon payment due to coronavirus-related financial difficulties, lenders should work with the customer to find an appropriate solution.

What exactly is a ‘payment freeze’?

A payment freeze (or payment holiday) means that the lender allows the customer to make no payments for a specified time – in this case, three months. It’s not automatically applied, so you’ll have to contact your finance company to request it.

However, there are still some things you need to keep in mind – mainly that, like most holidays, it will probably up being more expensive than you intended…

You will still be charged interest for the three months where you are not making any payments (because you have still borrowed the money, you’re just not repaying it). On a loan of thousands of pounds, this could amount to hundreds of pounds extra that you will have to pay back at some point.

If a payment freeze means you are pushing your agreement end date back by three months, that also means that you may incur extra expenses on your car – like road tax, car insurance, another annual service, an MOT inspection, breakdown cover and so on. These costs could add up to considerable extra financial expense, so you may save a bit now but have to eventually spend a lot more as a result.

That doesn’t sound as good as I’d hoped…

Again, a lot of holidays are better in theory than reality. You need to weigh up what you will save now against what it may cost you down the line to decide whether a payment holiday is right for you.

A three-month payment freeze is just one of the options that may be available to you. It could be that your lender offers you reduced payments for a longer period, rather than nothing for three months. Or it could be another option, like a shorter payment holiday, or waiving interest charges, or something else. You may also be able to take a three-month payment holiday now and then pay larger instalments afterwards so that your finance agreement still ends on its original date, rather than being pushed back three months.

The new FCA guidance tells lenders that they must discuss your situation with you and suggest alternative options, like those above, if they would be more favourable to you.

So how do I get the payment holiday?

You need to call your lender and tell them that you’d like to apply for coronavirus support. They’ll have to discuss your situation, as mentioned above, and inform you of your options. A payment freeze may be the best way forward or they may suggest an alternative. Make sure you keep asking questions until you’re completely happy that you clearly understand your options and their implications.

Once you confirm how you’d like to proceed, they will probably need to modify your finance agreement. This means there will be paperwork that the finance company needs to send you, and that you will need to sign and send back. It can’t be agreed and actioned over the phone or online. Yes, it’s a pain and it slows the process down considerably, but that’s how the laws written a long time before anyone had ever heard of coronavirus and they’re not going to change anytime soon.

You will receive new contract paperwork, just as you would when starting any new contract, This will outline your monthly payments, interest rate, end date and so on. Check these carefully to make sure the numbers are what you are expecting and that you’re happy with everthing – again, errors can easily occur even when everydoby is acting with best efforts and intentions.

It’s quite likely that taking a payment holiday will trigger automatic default notices and warning letters, even though the FCA has said that customers will not be penalised or pursued for not making payments. Again, this relates to the Consumer Credit Act, which is the relevant law for car finance, and the finance companies are still obliged to follow the law. The law says that they most contact you in a specific manner with specific in the event of any missed payments, so those laws still have to be obeyed.

If you get any default notices after taking coronavirus support assistance from your lender, don’t panic but do get on the phone to them straightaway to make sure everything is OK. With so many customers potentially applying for support at the same time, there’s always the possibility that errors will occur.

What if my PCP agreement is due to end shortly?

Obviously, with dealerships closed for the foreseeable future, it’s impossible for customers to part-exchange their old car and settle their finance agreement as would normally be the case.

You still have the options of paying off the balloon payment and keeping the car, or handing the car back to the finance company. However, the current situation means that you may want to consider your options carefully.

If you had been planning to pay off the balloon and keep the car, bear in mind that used car values have already taken a sharp fall and are likely to continue falling for a while. That means you are probably paying a lot more than the car is worth if you want to keep it. You may be able to hand the car back now and buy a similar car for less money once dealerships eventually re-open.

If you were planning to give the car back to the finance company, you can still do so. However, they may struggle to physically collect the vehicle and can’t ask you to drop it off to a collection centre so alternative arrangements may need to be made.

The finance company may require you to stop driving the car, park it off the street if you are able to and then contact the DVLA, cancel the road tax and declare the car SORN (Statutory Off-Road Notification). You should also be able to cancel your insurance and the finance company will insure the car until they are able to collect it. If this isn’t feasible for you (for example, you don’t have off-street parking), then you can insist that the finance company makes arrangements to cover any road tax costs you incur.

What about voluntary termination?

Your existing voluntary termination rights continue as normal, so if you have a PCP or HP agreement, you can voluntarily terminate your agreement having repaid 50% of your Total Amount Payable. If you have a lease or an unsecured loan, you don’t have voluntary termination rights.

For more information, read our comprehensive guide to voluntary termination.

Can my car be repossessed?

If your financial hardship is related to the current coronavirus pandemic, the FCA has instructed finance companies not to terminate your agreement or try to repossess your car (either with or without a court order).

If your financial hardship pre-dates the coronavirus situation and the finance company has previously advised that it intends to repossess the vehicle, you’re not covered by the latest guidance and it could still happen.

What if things haven’t improved in three months?

The FCA will review the situation over the next three months, and may revise its guidance if it feels it’s necessary. It is critical that you maintain contact with your finance company if your financial position is not improving so that any additional measure can be agreed sooner rather than later.

The new guidance will hopefully be finalised and published by Friday 24 April, and then come into effect immediately afterwards. The regulator has instructed finance companies to clearly communicate with customers, as well as publishing on their website, that a payment freeze option is available in the circumstances outlined above.

Bear in mind that the lenders are all currently dealing with higher-than-normal call volumes (I know all call centres tend to say that all the time, but this time it’s actually true!), so it may take a while to get hold of them. But stick with it and don’t put it off. Get your finances sorted as soon as you feel you may be in difficulty and you have a much better chance of getting through it in the best possible shape.

Should you take a payment holiday? Have a read of our guide to whether a car finance payment holiday is right for you.

More car finance news and advice at The Car Expert

Land Rover adds new plug-in hybrid models

Model update

Darren Cassey

-

22 April 2020

0

Land Rover adds new plug-in hybrid models

A new plug-in hybrid powertrain has been launched for the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque, promising an all-electric range of around 40 miles.

The petrol-electric unit, which is the same in both models, uses a three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine combined with an electric motor that sits on the rear axle. They produce a combined 309hp and 540Nm of torque.

Badged P300e, it promises impressive economy and low running costs. The Evoque emits 32-38g/km of CO₂ and is capable of up to 202mpg and a claimed 41-mile all-electric range. The Discovery Sport emits 32-38g/km of CO₂, can hit 143.5-175.5mpg, and travel up to 38 miles on electric power.

Performance-wise, the Evoque can go from 0-60mph in 6.1 seconds while the Discovery Sport takes 6.6 seconds. Both are capable of travelling up to 84mph on electric power.

Both models will be appealing to business users. The Evoque P300e is eligible for a 6% benefit-in-kind (BIK) rate in 2020/21, rising to 8% in 2022/23. The Discovery Sport P300e, meanwhile, has a BIK rate of 10% rising to 12% over the same period.

There are three drive modes available. The default mode is Hybrid, which automatically combines the electric and petrol power as necessary, with the ability to intelligently mix power for maximum efficiency if a destination has been put into the sat nav. There’s also EV mode to run solely on electric power, and Save, which prioritises the petrol engine to keep the battery charged.

Land Rover says the 15kWh battery has been placed between the rear seats so that it doesn’t affect interior space, and can be charged to 80% within 30 minutes at a 32kW public charger, or just under 90 minutes using the supplied 7kW home charger.

Both are available to order now, with Evoque P300e starting at £43,850 and the Discovery Sport P300e starting from £45,370. Delivery dates for the new plug-in hybrid models have not yet been published, and will potentially be uncertain due to factory shutdowns resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

Mini Convertible (2016 to 2024)

Stuart Masson

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21 April 2020

0

Summary

The Mini Convertible was a small cabriolet based on the three-door Mini hatch. This model is the third generation of the resurrected Mini, launched in early 2016 and facelifted a couple of times, most recently in early 2021. The Convertible has now been removed from sale as the new fourth-generation Mini range is now available in the UK.

Unlike the Mini hatch, which was built in the UK, the Convertible was built in the Netherlands. The Mini Convertible range consisted of the Cooper and Cooper S models, which are both covered here, and the high-performance John Cooper Works model, which is not included here.

There were few direct rivals for the Mini Convertible, as other similar-sized four-seater cabriolets had largely disappeared from the marketplace during this Mini’s time on sale. The Mazda MX-5 has a similar price and performance but is a two-seat roadster with even less practicality, while other four-seaters were significantly larger and more expensive.

The Mini Convertible received positive reviews from across the UK motoring media, although the top-spec Cooper S tended to score more poorly than the lower-level models. It was particularly praised for its driving experience and interior quality. The only major criticisms related to its limited practicality and harsh ride on Cooper S models.

No longer in production, the Mini Convertible holds a Used Car Expert Rating of B with a score of 69%. In fact, it has a straight set of B grades in all the categories we have data for.

Mini Convertible highlights

Fun to drive
Impressive interior trim
Sensible running costs
Agile handling
More boot space than regular Mini

Mini Convertible lowlights

Not very practical day-to-day
Rigid ride comfort
Significantly more expensive than regular Mini

Key specifications

Body style: Small convertible
Engines: petrol
Price when new: From £25,890 on-road

Launched: Spring 2016
Last updated: Winter 2020/21
Discontinued: 2024

Image gallery

Media reviews

Highlighted reviews and road tests from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

Auto Express

Model reviewed:
Score: 10 / 10
“Now into its third-generation, and in facelifted format, the current MINI Convertible is easily the best yet. It’s the biggest and most spacious model ever, but it’s also more upmarket and has a terrific range of turbocharged power units that have improved both power and economy.”
Read review

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 10 / 10
“The Mini Convertible is our favourite small rag-top thanks to its practicality, fun and premium feel.”
Read review

Model reviewed: 2.0-litre petrol manual Cooper S
Score: 8 / 10
“Judged on its merits as a small and fun drop-top, the Mini Cooper S Convertible hits the sweet spot. It boasts an excellent blend of performance and value. This isn’t the particular Mini Convertible we’d choose, however – the regular Cooper version serves up very nearly as much fun, is more affordable and is cheaper to run. It’s where our money would go.”
Read review

Model reviewed: 1.5-litre petrol manual Cooper
Score: 8 / 10
“Part of the fun of a convertible is hearing the engine noise a little more, but the Cooper is a little disappointing here. Since the Cooper S can sound a bit over-the-top with its poppy exhaust, we had high hopes for the thrumming three-cylinder, but it’s very quiet and is drowned out by wind noise. The fluttering turbo wastegate when you lift off is fun, though.”
Read review

Model reviewed: 2.0-litre petrol automatic Cooper S
Score: 8 / 10
“It’s quiet on the move with the roof up and, should the weather change, the canvas top can be lowered at speeds of less than 18mph. Do that and you can check how long you’ve had the roof down in the infotainment system with a counter than measures the number of hours the roof has been lowered – should you really want to.”
Read review

Auto Trader

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Mini Convertible delivers everything a soft-top buyer could want. It’s stylish and bursting with personality, has a classy cabin and cool tech features. It’s also one of the cheapest drop-tops around, and great fun to drive.”
Read review

Car

Model reviewed: 2.0-litre petrol manual Cooper S
Score: 6 / 10
“There’s much to like about the Mini Convertible, but one critical downside of the Cooper S is the poor ride quality and the tremors you feel from the topless body. It adds a harshness to the low-speed driving experience that simply feels unnecessary.”
Read review

Car Keys

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“Although it may not be quite as refined or as go-kart-like to drive as the Hatch, the Mini Convertible still manages to be a decent car to drive – especially those wanting a city car to use with the roof down.”
Read review

Carbuyer

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“This Mini Convertible is the best yet, delivering the driving fun and style of the hatchback with the added thrill of top-down motoring.”
Read review

Carwow

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7 / 10
“The Mini Convertible takes the standard hard-top’s plush cabin and adds infinite headroom – with the roof down, anyway – but sadly it’s even less practical and quite a lot more expensive…”
Read review

Evo

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“Drop-top image may not be to all tastes, but Mini’s latest convertible is as good to drive as the hatch.”
Read review

Heycar

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“There will be many occasions when you’ll be overjoyed you chose the Mini Convertible over the regular tin-top version. Crucially, there will be few occasions when you regret the decision. It’s good with the roof up and great with the roof down, with space for four and an image that’s a match for cars costing twice as much.”
Read review

Honest John

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“If you want real fun then a Mazda MX-5 is a better choice of soft top, but the Mini Convertible is a more practical choice that’s still enjoyable. It’s a true convertible, too, unlike the Fiat 500C and the DS 3 Cabriolet, plus there are dozens of customisation options and details to make it your own. “
Read review

Model reviewed: Range overview
“All in all, the little Mini can get seriously expensive but even then, it’s hard not to recommend it over its opposition. Only a Mazda MX-5 beats the MINI for thrills behind the wheel but since that car is strictly two-seater most will rule it out on practicality grounds alone.”
Read review

Parkers

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8.6 / 10
“The Mini Convertible is one of a few four-seat cars with a proper folding soft-top, unlike its glorified-sunroofed rivals from Fiat and DS. By no means is it a proper four-seater, but it does feel every inch the Mini with a darty driving experience that hasn’t become too compromised in losing its roof.”
Read review

The Sunday Times

Model reviewed: 1.5-litre petrol manual Cooper
Score: 8 / 10
“Feel the joy of the wind playing havoc with your hair”
Read review

The Telegraph

Model reviewed: 2.0-litre petrol manual Cooper S
Score: 6 / 10
“Can feel a bit wobbly over harsh surfaces, and while the boot is bigger than before access is still tricky. Great fun on a smooth road, though, and with more than enough style to appeal to its target audience.”
Read review

Top Gear

Model reviewed: 2.0-litre petrol manual Cooper S
“When the roof’s open, it’s a bit of a rucksack on the car’s tail, which reduces the rear-view mirror to nothing more than an ornament. But air-flow management is fine: at motorway speeds there’s not much buffeting, at least in the front seats. That’s even without the wind blocker net.”
Read review

Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

No safety rating

The Mini Convertible was not tested by Euro NCAP during its production life.

The three-door Mini hatch was tested back in 2014 and scored a four-star rating, but this score was not applied to the Mini Convertible as the vehicle structure was significantly altered by removing the roof.

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

Model tested: 1.5-litre petrol automatic

Overall score: 2.5 stars
Date tested: February 2021
Read the full Green NCAP review

Clean Air Index: 4.2 / 10
Energy Efficiency Index: 4.6 / 10
Greenhouse Gas Index: 3.8 / 10

The Mini Convertible has not been tested by Green NCAP. However, its economy and emissions will be broadly similar to the Mini hatch.

The Mini Cooper 1.5-litre petrol automatic hatch received a 2.5 star rating from Green NCAP in February 2021. We are currently updating our Euro NCAP database, as the organisation changed its rating system and we need to change our database accordingly to be able to display the new scores.

Green NCAP said: “The Mini hatch is tested here in its latest form and with the three-cylinder turbocharged 1.5 litre petrol engine. The car has a gasoline particulate filter (GPF) and a three-way catalyst and, on the whole, these work well to curb pollutant emissions.

“NO_x is especially well controlled in all tests and the GPF helps to keep particulate number down. Ammonia, NH₃, is the weak point and in the high-load highway test emissions of this unregulated greenhouse gas are high enough to negate the positive scores gained for the good control of other pollutants. Energy efficiency is unexceptional. N₂O and CH₄ are well controlled but emissions of CO₂ result in modest scores in the tests.

“Overall, the car’s indexes are consistent in all three areas of assessment and lead to a 2½ star rating.

This rating only applies to the 1.5-litre petrol automatic version of the Mini hatch, and does not imply similar ratings for other engine and gearbox combinations in the range.

Reliability rating

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

Total claims: 63
Average repair cost: £419.71
Last updated: April 2025

Reliability score

All data based on MotorEasy average workshop costs for extended car warranty claims

The Mini Convertible is better than average in its reliability score, according to exclusive extended warranty data provided to us by our commercial partner, MotorEasy. This applies to all three generations of the Mini Convertible, not just the current model. This is worth bearing in mind if you are planning to buy a used car.

The good news is that the most common problems are relatively inexpensive, according to the claims data. The most expensive problems – gearbox issues, shown in red – can be cripplingly expensive with an average repair cost of £2,600, but thankfully they are rare.

Running cost rating

Monthly cost of ownership data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by Clear Vehicle Data

Fuel consumption	Average	Score
Petrol models	44 mpg	C

CO₂ output	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Petrol models	146 g/km	C

Insurance group	Average	Score	Variation	Score
All models	26	C

Service and maintenance	Cost	Score
Year 1	£173	B
Year 2	£473	B
Year 3	£751	B
Year 4	£1,005	B
Year 5	£1,334	B
Overall	£3,736	B

The Mini Convertible is a relatively affordable car to own and run, according to whole-life cost numbers provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our data partner, Clear Vehicle Data.

Fuel consumption is only average, which is disappointing for a small car. However, the news is much better for other costs. Servicing over the first five years should be excellent, while insurance premiums should also be very good – although with quite a wide variation, depending on which model you choose.

Awards

Trophies, prizes and awards that the Mini Convertible has received

2023

Auto Express Awards – Best Convertible
Carbuyer Awards – Best Convertible + Best Used Convertible

2022

Carbuyer Awards – Best Convertible + Best Used Convertible

2021

Auto Express Awards – Best Convertible
Carbuyer Awards – Best Convertible + Best Used Convertible

2020

Auto Express Awards – Best Convertible
Carbuyer Awards – Best Convertible

2019

Auto Express Awards – Best Convertible
Carbuyer Awards – Best Convertible

2018

Auto Express Awards – Best Convertible
Carbuyer Awards – Best Convertible

2017

Carbuyer Awards – Best Convertible

2016

Auto Express Awards – Best Convertible

Similar cars

If you’re looking at the Mini Convertible, you might also be interested in these alternatives

Abarth 124 Spider | Audi A3 Cabriolet | Fiat 124 Spider | Fiat 500C | Mazda MX-5

More Mini ratings, reviews, news and features

More news, reviews and information about the Mini Convertible at The Car Expert

Mini Cooper Convertible

Everything you need to know about Mini

Electric Mini Convertible set for April arrival

Mini John Cooper Works models updated

Buy a Mini Convertible

If you’re looking to buy a used Mini Convertible, The Car Expert’s partners can help you find the right car

Find your next used car with Motors. Find out more

Find your next new or used car with Auto Trader. Find out more

Find your next new or used car with Carwow. Find out more

Skoda Kamiq test drive

The Car Expert staff

-

16 April 2020

0

If you’re a fan of regular hatchbacks, and roll your eyes every time there is talk of an ‘all-new’ crossover, you’re not alone. However, if you have this mindset you’re in the minority, as buyers absolutely love them, and the choice has never been better if you’re in the market for one of these models.

There’s also now a new kid on the block – the Skoda Kamiq. It’s a car that should be rather good – given it’s the sibling product to the excellent SEAT Arona, and is the junior to the Skoda Karoq and Skoda Kodiaq, which are two of the best crossovers and SUVs around. But can it live up to the expectation?

More Skoda reviews, ratings, news and features

Skoda Kamiq review

What’s new about the Skoda Kamiq?

While this is an new model for Skoda, it’s a predictable affair inside and outside as the Kamiq shares plenty in common with other models in the range – notably the Scala hatchback. That means it features the latest in safety technology and also in connectivity, with the model available with an integrated eSIM, which grants access to a host of online services.

Elsewhere, it’s arguably got some of the boldest styling in the Skoda range, with the separate LED daytime running lights being slotted above the regular headlight, and also running into a prominent front grille.

How does it look?

While the Kamiq is a bespoke model, it looks and feels like a raised hatchback, rather than a proper crossover. That’s because it lacks the chunky styling of models like the Volkswagen T-Cross – not featuring the typical black plastic cladding you usually find with these cars. The absence of ‘rugged’ styling might put off some buyers.

Elsewhere the styling is perhaps slightly more divisive than what’s typical of a Skoda, with the separated headlights and running lights giving the car a bolder look. While looks will always be subjective, we’re not fans of how the back looks. Its short rear overhang is at odds with the front, while how the boot of the car curves in gives the impression that it’s been involved in a light rear-end collision.

What’s the spec like?

Four trims are offered on the Kamiq – S, SE, SE L and a new sporty-looking Monte Carlo grade.

While standard equipment is generous, and includes a six-inch touchscreen, LED headlights, 16-inch alloy wheels and autonomous emergency braking, we would recommend the mid-spec SE version. This brings larger alloys, as well as cruise control, rear parking sensors and automatic lights and wipers. It also adds a larger eight-inch touchscreen, which features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity.

Prices start from £17,700 – pitching it as one of the pricier small crossovers, though it easily justifies its cost. An SE version will set you back a minimum of £19,135, and even with a couple of options, it still means you get a lot of car for under £20,000. Unless you do a lot of miles each year, we think it’s hard to justify spending the additional £2,000 spend for this diesel, though, over a similarly powerful petrol.

Safety-wise, the Skoda Kamiq scores well. It was awarded a five-star rating by Euro NCAP in 2019.

What’s it like inside?

While Skoda might be the ‘budget’ brand in the Volkswagen Group umbrella, the Kamiq’s cabin feels far from that, with plenty of soft-touch plastics giving the model a higher-quality feel than you would expect from its least expensive crossover. If you choose a top-spec model, you’re also greeted by a whole bundle of technology – including a nine-inch touchscreen and digital dials.

Skoda Kamiq review – interior and dashboard

But where it really impresses is on the spaciousness front – particularly in the rear, where there is enough room for even tall adults to sit comfortably. In typical Skoda ‘Simply Clever’ fashion, it’s also packed with useful touches – including baggage hooks, an umbrella for if you get caught out in the rain and underfloor storage. The 400-litre boot isn’t the largest in its class, though it offers more room than mid-size family hatchbacks such as the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf.

What’s under the bonnet?

The engine choice is quite plentiful with the Kamiq – particularly when it comes to petrol options. The choice is between a 1.0-litre unit available with 95hp or 115hp and a more powerful 150hp 1.5-litre engine.

But powering our test car is a 1.6-litre diesel engine. It’s offered with either a six-speed manual transmission or, in the case of our car, a seven-speed DSG automatic.

This is the only diesel option, and produces 115hp and 250Nm of torque, with 0-60mph arriving in 10 seconds, and maxed out it would reach a claimed top speed of 119mph. It’s the most efficient engine option – returning up to 53.3mpg (easily achievable, we saw higher on our test route) and having CO₂ emissions of 112g/km.

What’s it like to drive?

For such a compact crossover, the Kamiq behaves behind the wheel like a much larger model – impressing with its refinement and comfort, with a supple suspension set up on our test car’s 17-inch alloy wheels.

It’s not a car that will be bought for fun – particularly in this diesel automatic configuration – but it has a sharp turn in and there’s limited body roll, and feels better to drive than many other models in this class.

However, unless an automatic gearbox is a must-have, we would recommend choosing the six-speed manual gearbox instead, as this DSG auto can be slow to respond and could be smoother – particularly around town.

Verdict

Skoda is a manufacturer that consistently produces some of the best affordable new cars on sale, and this new Kamiq is no exception. Despite being the smallest of the Czech firm’s crossovers, its impressive spaciousness, comfort and technology mean it will suit plenty of buyers that would usually be looking at much larger and expensive models.

However, this diesel automatic option tested here doesn’t show the Kamiq at its best, as it makes it both pricey and not especially smooth. Instead, stick with a more affordable petrol option and you will have one of the best small crossovers on sale.

The Car Expert is yet to publish an Expert Rating analysis for the Skoda Kamiq, but we hope to do so by next week. The data we have gathered from the UK motoring media so far suggests that the Kamiq ranks in the top half of the small SUV sector, although some way behind the class-leading Ford Puma and the Kamiq’s closely-related cousin, the Volkswagen T-Cross.

More Skoda reviews, ratings, news and features

Key specifications

Model as tested: Skoda Kamiq 1.6 TDI 115 DSG SE
Price (as tested): £27,290
Engine: 1.6-litre diesel
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 115 hp
Torque: 250 Nm
Top speed: 119 mph
0-60mph: 10.2 seconds
Fuel economy: 53.3 – 48.7 mpg
CO₂ emissions: 112g/km
Euro NCAP safety rating: Five stars (2019)

Renault Captur

Stuart Masson

-

15 April 2020

0

Summary

The Renault Captur is a small crossover vehicle, based on the same platform as the latest Renault Clio and Nissan Juke.

The current model is the second-generation Captur, which was launched at the 2019 Frankfurt motor show and arrived on UK roads in early 2020. It received a substantial update and restyle in the summer of 2024.

Media reviews for the Captur have been generally mildly positive, which is considered a significant improvement over the original model. Reviews for the updated 2024 version highlight a range of minor improvements, but they’re not transformative.

The Captur was originally available with either petrol or diesel power, but the diesel engine was dropped after a few years. The updated 2024 range offers both petrol and regular hybrid power, while a plug-in hybrid was launched in 2020 but dropped as part of the 2024 model update.

The Renault Captur has received praise for its practicality, stylish interior and competitive pricing. However, it has been criticised for an underwhelming driving experience, underperforming engines and interior build quality.

As of December 2025, the Renault Captur has a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 70%. It gets top marks for its reliability record, running costs and low CO₂ emissions, while its safety rating is also good. Media review scores, however, have been average, while Renault’s new car warranty offering is poor.

Captur highlights

Five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating
Low running costs
Refined, roomy and comfy interior
Attractive exterior looks
Competitively priced

Captur lowlights

Fiddly infotainment
Too much wind noise
Rather bland performance

Key specifications

Body style: Small SUV/crossover
Engines: petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid
Price: From £22,495 on-road

Launched: Winter 2019/20
Last updated: Winter 2020/21
Replacement due: TBA

Image gallery

Media reviews

Highlighted reviews and road tests from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

Featured reviews

“The Renault Captur is a great example of a small SUV that has a good amount of technology and practicality.”

Model reviewed: 1.2-litre petrol/electric hybrid Techno

Score: 7.4 / 10

Read full review

The Car Expert

“The Renault Captur is a handsome little SUV with great infotainment, but it’s not that comfortable around town.”

Model reviewed: Range overview

Score: 8 / 10

Read full review

Carwow

Mario Christou

More reviews

The Car Expert

Model reviewed: Range overview
“It’s rare for a car to absolutely nail its brief, but the Renault Captur manages it and feels far more well-rounded than just about all of its rivals.”
Read review

Auto Express

Model reviewed: Facelift range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“Revamped looks keep this small SUV looking fresh, but its age is starting to show in places.”
Author: Shane Wilkinson, Alex Ingram
Read review

Model reviewed: 1.6-litre petrol/electric plug-in hybrid E-Tech
Score: 7 / 10
“The Renault Captur remains our favourite small SUV, but as a private buyer, unless you’re committed to taking your first steps towards full electrification, we’d stick with the marginally better to live with and much cheaper petrol version.”
Read review

Auto Trader

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Renault Captur is one of the most popular small SUVs on the market, and it’s easy to see why. It’s one of the most practical cars of its type, making it a good choice for buyers with a small family, while its exemplary comfort and impressive cabin quality also mark it out against rivals.”
Read review

Model reviewed: 1.6-litre petrol-electric plug-in hybrid automatic E-Tech
Score: 8 / 10
“The electrified Renault Captur E-Tech hybrid offers usable electric-only range and significant tax advantages without the range anxiety of a full EV.”
Read review

Business Car

Model reviewed: 1.6-litre petrol-electric plug-in hybrid automatic E-Tech Launch Edition
Score: 7 / 10
“The Renault Captur is a very easy model to like, thanks to its sophisticated interior style and impressive quality. Complete with digitised instrumentation, stylish, floating gear-shifter centre console, and neatly arranged piano key switches, it delivers a very impressive cabin ambience.”
Read review

Car

Model reviewed: 1.3-litre petrol manual
Score: 8 / 10
“If you want a small crossover, the Renault Captur should be right near the top of your list.”
Read review

Car Keys

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The crossover market is rather crowded already, and there’s only a place for the best to succeed, and the Renault Captur appears to be one of them. Thanks to improved interior space, better engines and a much more stylish cabin, the Captur is certainly a far more compelling option than before.”
Read review

Carbuyer

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8.6 / 10
“The Renault Captur is one of the crossovers to beat, thanks to low running costs and plenty of style.”
Author: Charlie Harvey Tom Gumbrell
Read review

Company Car Today

Model reviewed: 1.6-litre petrol/electric plug-in hybrid E-Tech 160 Launch Edition
“Will make good sense for company car drivers – as long as it is properly plugged in and charged as much as possible.”
Read review

Model reviewed: 1.3-litre automatic Iconic
“Auto gearbox aside, the Renault Captur is an appealing car with classy looks inside and out, great levels of tech and is easy to use. The increased practicality from the larger boot just makes the car even easier to recommend.”
Read review

Daily Mirror

Model reviewed: 1.3-litre petrol manual Iconic
Score: 6 / 10
“Compact SUV gets bigger and better.”
Read review

Discover EV

Model reviewed: 1.6-litre petrol/electric plug-in hybrid
“If you want to be more responsible, ecological and economical, the Renault Captur E-Tech plug-in hybrid is a good choice and will hopefully warm you up to the idea of owning an EV further down the line.”
Read review

Fleetworld

Model reviewed: Range overview
“Trailblazing B-SUV adds clever technology, and a forthcoming hybrid version to make sure business users take note.”
Read review

Heycar

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“The Renault Captur is a feel-good small SUV with a bright cabin and plenty of customisation options. Like its predecessor, it might not be the most fun car to drive, but it’s comfortable, good value for money and cheap to run.”
Read review

Honest John

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“In a bid to appeal to a youthful market, the 2020 Renault Captur is offered in as many as 90 different colour combinations, with buyers able to choose from different colours for the bodywork, roof, door mirrors and skid plates.”
Read review

Model reviewed: Range review
“But now on to the ‘All-New’ Capture, improved in every respect and brought bang up to date with optional Autonomous Level 2 self-driving features in top models.”
Read review

Parkers

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8.8 / 10
“Renault’s popular crossover has matured”
Read review

The Sun

Model reviewed: 1.0-litre petrol manual
“The Captur is a handsome all-rounder but it won’t rock your world. No one will ever walk into a pub and say, ‘F***ing hell, lads. Look what I’ve just bought. A Renault Captur’.”
Read review

The Sunday Times

Model reviewed: 1.3-litre petrol manual S Edition
Score: 8 / 10
“Not quite the most rounded small SUV, but a very competent one nevertheless.”
Read review

The Telegraph

Model reviewed: 1.6-litre petrol-electric plug-in hybrid E-Tech Launch Edition
Score: 8 / 10
“The Renault Captur E-Tech really is an enjoyable and compromise-free entry to electric motoring for swathes of the UK’s motorists – company car users and retail buyers alike.”
Read review

Model reviewed: 1.0-litre petrol manual TCe 100 Iconic
Score: 8 / 10
“A litany of niggles stop it from being a great car, but the new Renault Captur is still a good one, and most importantly, it’s talented in areas that are important in a small SUV like this one. If you’re planning to buy one as a family hauler, though, you might like to upgrade to an engine with more poke.”
Read review

Model reviewed: 1.3-litre petrol manual S Edition
Score: 8 / 10
“The Mk2 Renault Captur is a solid attempt to address the shortcomings of the first generation, so it feels stiffer and stronger, the ride is more comfortable and the interior is genuinely top class. None of this makes the Captur a clear market leader, but it’s there or thereabouts in every aspect.”
Read review

Top Gear

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“Jumped-up Renault Clio is miles less tinny than the old one. Breaks no rules, but it’s good-looking, refined and comfy”
Read review

Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Overall score: 5 stars
Date tested: December 2019
Read the full Euro NCAP review

Adult protection: 96%
Child protection: 83%
Vulnerable road users: 75%
Safety assist: 74%

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

Model tested: 1.3-litre petrol manual 130hp

Overall score: 3 stars
Date tested: November 2020
Read the full Green NCAP review

Clean Air Index: 5.1 / 10
Energy Efficiency Index: 5.3 / 10

Running cost rating

Monthly cost of ownership data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by Clear Vehicle Data

Fuel consumption	Average	Score
Petrol models	48 mpg	C
Diesel models	70 mpg	A
Hybrid models	60 mpg	B
Plug-in hybrid models	197 mpg	A

CO₂ output	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Petrol models	135 g/km	C
Diesel models	126 g/km	B
Hybrid models	106 g/km	A
Plug-in hybrid models	33 g/km	A

Battery range	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Plug-in hybrid models	30 miles	E

Insurance group	Average	Score	Variation	Score
All models	16	A

Service and maintenance	Cost	Score
Year 1	£195	B
Year 2	£569	C
Year 3	£888	C
Year 4	£1,096	C
Year 5	£1,524	C
Overall	£4,272	C

The Renault Captur is a relatively affordable car to own and run, according to whole-life cost numbers provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our data partner, Clear Vehicle Data.

Fuel consumption is good, although the results are helped by the plug-in hybrid model and the now-discontinued diesel versions. The standard petrol engines are only average for fuel consumption and emissions.

Servicing costs are not as good as many others in this segment, but insurance costs should be very competitive.

Reliability rating

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

Total claims: 64
Average repair cost: £311.45
Last updated: April 2025

Reliability score

All data based on MotorEasy average workshop costs for extended car warranty claims

The Renault Captur has an excellent reliability score as of December 2025, according to exclusive workshop and extended warranty data provided by our partners at MotorEasy. This score covers both the current-generation Captur and the original (pre-2019) version.

Be aware of engine problems – they are expensive, with an average repair bill of about £1,000. Fortunately, they don’t appear too common, and other problem areas are much cheaper to repair.

If you’re looking at a used Renault Captur, make sure any extended warranty cover you purchase covers all of the potential problem areas shown above.

Warranty rating

New car warranty information for the Renault Captur

Overall ratingD28%
Petrol or diesel modelsE15%
Electric or hybrid modelsC50%
New car warranty duration3 years
New car warranty mileage60,000 miles
Battery warranty duration8 years
Battery warranty mileage100,000 miles

Renault’s new car warranty is pretty much the bare minimum, and falls short of many rivals. The duration is three years with a limit of 60,000 miles, while some other brands offer up to seven years.

In addition to the standard new car warranty, the Captur hybrid models have an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty for the battery components.

Warranty on a used Renault Captur

If you are buying an ‘Approved Used’ Renault Captur from an official Renault dealership, you will get a minimum 12-month warranty included.
If you are buying a used Renault Captur from an independent dealership, any warranty offered will vary and will probably be managed by a third-party warranty company.
If you are buying a used Renault Captur from a private seller, there are no warranty protections beyond any remaining portion of the original new car warranty.

If you’re looking to buy any used car that is approaching the end of its warranty period, a used car warranty is usually a worthwhile investment. Check out The Car Expert’s guide to the best used car warranty providers, which will probably be cheaper than a warranty sold by a dealer.

Recalls

Official DVSA safety recalls that have been issued for the Renault Captur

Date: May 2020
Recall number: R/2020/129
Model types: All
Build dates: 08/2019 to 09/2019
Number of vehicles affected: 22
Defect: Possible detachment of the fixed glass sunroof while driving.
Remedy: Check the bonding and, if required, replace the fixed glass sunroof.

As of September 2024 (our most recent data point), there has been one DVSA vehicle safety recall on the Renault Captur, which only affected a handful of cars. However, recall information is updated very regularly, so this may have changed.

Not all vehicles are affected by recalls. You can check to see if your car is included in any of the above recalls by visiting the DVLA website or contacting your local Renault dealer.

If your car is affected by a recall, the vehicle must be repaired and you should not be charged for any work required. If you are buying a used Captur, you should insist that any outstanding recall work is completed before you take delivery of the vehicle.

Everything you need to know about UK vehicle recalls

Awards

Trophies, prizes and awards that the Renault Captur has received

2022

DrivingElectric Awards – Best Small Hybrid Car

2021

Auto Express Awards – Best Small SUV
Auto Trader New Car Awards – Best Car for City Drivers
Carbuyer Awards – Best Small Family Car
Fleet World Awards – Best Fleet Small SUV

2020

Auto Express Awards – Best Small SUV
Carbuyer Awards – Best Small Family Car

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Renault Arkana gets price hike and trim changes

Renault adds new trim to Captur range

More top ratings awarded, but green tests to get tougher

Renault releases details of Clio and Captur hybrid models

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Buy a Renault Captur

If you want to buy a new or used Renault Captur, The Car Expert’s partners can help you find the right car.

Find your next used car with Motors. Find out more

Find your next new or used car with Auto Trader. Find out more

Find your next new or used car with Carwow. Find out more

Lease a Renault Captur

If you’re looking to lease a new Renault Captur, The Car Expert’s partners can help you find a competitive deal.

Personal contract hire deals from Leasing.com. Find out more

Personal contract hire deals from Carwow. Find out more

Personal contract hire deals from Select Car Leasing. Find out more

Subscribe to a Renault Captur

If you’re interested in a car subscription, The Car Expert’s partners can help. (PS: What’s a car subscription?)

Car subscriptions from SelfDrive.
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Car subscriptions from Cocoon.
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Car subscriptions from Just Vehicle Solutions.
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Volvo XC40 Recharge plug-in hybrid test drive

Darren Cassey

-

14 April 2020

0

Volvo XC40 Recharge plug-in hybrid test drive

Volvo’s big on electrification, and therefore the XC40 Recharge T5 marks an important milestone for the Swedish car maker, because it means all of its model line-up now has an electrified option.

It’s also the first time the firm’s new Recharge branding has been applied to a car. It’ll refer to all plug-in electrified Volvos that go on sale from hereon in, such as the forthcoming all-electric XC40.

The XC40 is already a hugely popular model for Volvo, and with enticing company car tax on this hybrid variant, it could be a huge seller.

More Volvo reviews, ratings, news and features

Volvo XC40 Recharge test drive

What’s new about the Volvo XC40 Recharge?

Volvo’s other plug-in hybrid models, which wear T8 rather than T5 badging, use a 2.0-litre petrol engine to power the front wheels and an electric motor to power the rears, resulting in all-wheel-drive. However, the T5’s powertrain is all located on the front axle, meaning it’s front-wheel-drive only.

Other than the powertrain it’s all largely familiar from the existing XC40 line-up, with few exterior or interior changes to differentiate this low-emission model from the rest of the range. That’s no bad thing for the most part, because it looks great inside and out.

Volvo XC40 Recharge T5 plug-in hybrid - front

Volvo XC40 Recharge T5 plug-in hybrid - rear

How does it look?

Volvo’s smart and sophisticated design language lends itself well to its smallest SUV, though it’s easily the least elegant in the line-up compared with the XC60 and XC90. It’s a good-looking thing, though, with its chunky front end giving it a bold look, and Volvo’s signature ‘Thor’s Hammer’ daytime running lights as distinctive as ever.

For those who like to personalise their cars, there are plenty of paint options to choose from including dual-tone combinations, as well as stylish alloy wheel designs. Fortunately for those who don’t want to break the bank, the XC40 is one of those rare premium models that still looks good in its most basic specifications.

What’s the spec like?

Prices for the T5 start at £40,905, with it only available from the R-Design trim level and above. Standard XC40 equipment includes climate control, cruise control, automatic LED headlights, a nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and Volvo’s impressive array of safety features.

However, our test car was in Inscription specification, with prices starting at £41,255. This trim level adds extras such as leather upholstery, luxury floor mats, 19-inch alloy wheels, a gloss black front grille with chrome inserts, and a rear parking camera.

There’s no denying the XC40 T5 Inscription is expensive, but it does go a long way to justify the price with decent equipment levels.

Safety-wise, the plug-in hybrid models get exactly the same equipment as the regular petrol and diesel models. That’s no chore, since the Volvo XC40 is one of the safest small SUVs on the market. It received a five-star rating from Euro NCAP in 2018 with outstanding scores in every category.

What’s it like inside?

Over the past few years we’ve been spoiled by Volvo’s interiors. They’re genuinely unique in design, with a lovely minimalist feel that’s been inspired by the firm’s Scandinavian roots. The portrait-oriented touchscreen is great, but it does take a while to learn your way around.

However, this being on the lower end of the Volvo’s range does show in some ways. While there are few cheap materials on show, the general ambience isn’t quite so plush as other models in the line-up. However, it makes up for it in practicality, because boot space is unaffected by those extra batteries, unlike some rivals.

Volvo XC40 Recharge T5 plug-in hybrid - interior and dashboard

Volvo XC40 Recharge T5 plug-in hybrid - charging plug

What’s under the bonnet?

The T5 powertrain comprises of a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor, both of which are located at the front of the car and power the front wheels. The electric motor is powered by a 10.7kWh battery, which runs up the spine of the car so that rear boot space isn’t impacted.

The end result is a useful 28 miles of all-electric range, meaning that if you’re able to top it up regularly then a good number of people could drive to work and back without ever bothering the petrol engine. There are also different drive modes on offer that let you adapt the powertrain for power, efficiency, off-road driving, or just force it to stay in electric mode. You can also choose to use the engine to recharge the batteries on the move, which is useful on long motorway drives.

What’s it like to drive?

As you’d expect from the Swedes, a serene, refined drive is the order of the day. Electrification suits Volvo because the quiet surge of power only amplifies the feeling of relaxation and solid build quality.

Unlike some hybrids, the Volvo is keen to keep you in electric mode as much as possible when you’ve got plenty of charge, so you won’t find the engine kicking in annoyingly around town. When you do get the petrol unit going, though, it’s largely unobtrusive noise-wise, but there are some subtle but noticeable vibrations transmitted to the cabin, which is a shame.

Volvo XC40 Recharge T5 plug-in hybrid - road test, front

Volvo XC40 Recharge T5 plug-in hybrid - road test, rear

Verdict

Overall, the Volvo XC40 Recharge T5 is a very likeable thing. From the moment you silently set off in electric mode it’s clear that refinement was high on the agenda for the plug-in hybrid model, and it succeeds for the most part. It also augers well for the forthcoming full-electric model that is set to arrive in the UK next year.

With such appealing company car tax, the high initial price is easier to stomach, and those looking for a comfortable, practical companion that actively calms you as you drive will be well-served here. Keep the batteries topped up, and running costs should be low, too.

More Volvo reviews, ratings, news and features

Similar cars

Key specifications

Model as tested: Volvo XC40 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T5
Price (on-road): £40,905
Engine: 1.5-litre petrol plus electric motor
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 260 hp
Torque: 425 Nm
Top speed: 143 mph
0-60mph: 7.1 seconds
Fuel economy (combined): 119.1 – 139.4 mpg
CO₂ emissions: 47 – 55 g/km
Euro NCAP safety rating: 5 stars (2018)

Lexus LC upgraded for more comfort

Model update

Darren Cassey

-

14 April 2020

0

The Lexus LC coupé has been given an update for the 2020 model year, making it more comfortable and more enjoyable to drive.

At the same time, Lexus has upgraded the gearbox and infotainment system on its flagship GT model, as well as introducing new colours and alloy wheels.

The suspension has received the most comprehensive overhaul, with new parts contributing to the LC’s unsprung weight dropping by 10kg for a better driving experience. This has been achieved through the use of aluminium lower arms, hollowed-out anti-roll bars and a new high-strength material for the coil springs. Opt for the 21-inch alloy wheels and they’re lighter, too.

The updated suspension has also been honed for a more comfortable ride, while the rear anti-roll bar’s rigidity was increased to improve turn-in.

Meanwhile, cornering stability has been improved with the addition of a new ‘active cornering assist’ function, which uses the brakes on the inner wheel of a turn to keep the front end from washing out.

Transmission upgrades include updated software in the V8-powered Lexus LC 500 model that holds on to gears under everyday acceleration rather than shifting regularly, while the LC 500h hybrid’s system is now more likely to shift to second than third out of a tight bend to improve acceleration.

On the outside, a new Blazing Carnelian colour is available, while the Terrane Khaki can now be chosen across the range, previously exclusively on the LC Limited Edition. Inside, a new Flare Red leather package replaces Dark Rose, while a new Manhattan Orange Alcantara option has been added.

The infotainment system now gets Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard.

There are two LC engine options, both of which remain unchanged. The LC 500 has a 5.0-litre V8 engine making 458bhp, and the LC 500h gets a 3.5-litre V6 and electric motor combination making 349bhp.

The 2020 Lexus LC Coupe pricing will be revealed at the beginning of May, with the first customer deliveries due in July.

More Lexus news, ratings, reviews and features

What is a car insurance write-off?

Stuart Masson

-

14 April 2020

0

If a car is involved in an accident and sustains enough damage, an insurer may deem it to be a ‘write-off’. However, this term has several different elements to it – and they can be confusing at times.

Depending on the severity of the damage, it may be acceptable and perfectly legal for a car that has been written off by an insurance company to be repaired and returned to the road. Whether or not it’s a wise idea to buy a car that has previously been written off is a different story, however.

In this article, we will look through the ins and outs of a car insurance write-off and explain what it means to you.

What does a ‘write-off’ mean, exactly?

When a car is ‘written off’, it means one of two things. Either the vehicle has been damaged beyond repair and can’t be returned to the road, or it could be repaired to an acceptable standard but it isn’t cost-effective to do so (the cost of the repair is more than the value of the car).

Insurers will likely hand you a cash payout in either situation. In certain cases, you may be offered the chance to buy your car for its scrap value, which may be no more than a few hundred pounds. This may be of interest if the car is rare or unique, or you are interested in repairing it yourself, but won’t be of use to most people.

When will my insurer write a car off?

Most obviously, a car insurance company will declare a car to be written off after an accident resulting in significant damage. The insurance assessors and repair centre will make this decision. Once a car has been declared a write-off, its status cannot be altered.

An insurance company may write off a car if it has been stolen and not recovered after a certain period of time. The insurer pays the owner for the value of the vehicle, which is written off. Even if the car is subsequently recovered, it will still be classed as a write-off regardless of its condition. These cars may often only have light damage, and will usually be declared as a ‘Cat N’ (see below).

You are required to inform the DVLA that your car has been written off. If you don’t, you could face a £1,000 fine.

What is a car insurance write-off? — (PA)

What are the insurance write-off categories?

There are four different levels of write-off, depending on the extent of the car’s damage. They are as follows:

Category A

A car deemed a Category A (known as ‘Cat A’) write-off is one that’s destined for the scrapper and has been deemed completely unsafe to appear on the road, even if it appears to have some salvageable parts. This happens after the most serious of incidents – for example, a serious fire – where the car’s damage is so extensive that the only safe solution is to scrap the whole thing.

The entire car (or what’s left of it) must be destroyed, with no part of the vehicle whatsoever allowed to be used on a public road again.

Category B

When a car is declared ‘Cat B’, this means its body shell must be destroyed, although other parts can be salvaged for reuse on other cars. This generally happens when the car has suffered severe damage to one area but another area of the car is unaffected, such as a head-on collision that destroys the front of the car but leaves the rear untouched.

The core structure of the car (body shell and any structural components) must be scrapped, but non-structural parts like panels and trim pieces can be stripped off and used again if they have not been damaged.

Category S

Formerly dubbed ‘Cat C’, what is now called ‘Cat S’ is a car that has suffered structural damage but is not terminally broken. Though it doesn’t need to be scrapped, it does require specialist professional repair before it can be used on the road again. The repairs will almost certainly be very expensive, so will usually cost more than the car is worth.

Although the car has suffered structural damage (such as damage to a crumple zone), if the vehicle is properly repaired then there is no reason why it won’t be as safe as it was prior to the accident. Cars are built in a very modular way, so even fairly major components can be replaced or repaired without affecting the rest of the vehicle – if the job is done properly.

However, it’s important to be aware that there is no legal requirement for the repairs to be inspected before the car returns to the road, so you have no guarantee that the repairs have been conducted to a suitable standard.

Category N

‘Cat N’ means a vehicle has suffered damage that is non-structural but has been deemed too expensive to repair by the insurer. Cars under this are usually fixable, though non-structural doesn’t necessarily mean driveable — as it could indicate a fault with its electronics, steering, brakes or other mechanical components.

In a Cat S or Cat N write-off situation, the insurance company will usually pay the owner the market value of the vehicle and send the car off to be auctioned. Depending on the nature of the damage, it may be stripped for parts and the remainder scrapped, or it may be bought by a business or individual who will repair it and put it back on the road, which is perfectly legal.

Even light damage can lead to a write-off

A car does not need to have a lot of visible damage to be declared a write-off. The slightly damaged blue Mini in the image below was actually my car and was declared a Cat N write-off last year, even though the damage looks very light and the car was still driveable. An old lady drove into it while it was parked in a supermarket car park, a collision at probably less than 10mph.

The Mini needed a complete new front bumper assembly (which obviously needed to be painted) and the black plastic wheel arch assembly. Although some minor damage to the bonnet is visible under the left headlight, the real problem was that the whole bonnet had been moved ever so slightly in the impact, which damaged the hinges and mountings. That would mean a new bonnet, which as you can see incorporates the headlights and grille. There was also some scratching to the front left wheel and a cut on the tyre sidewall, which would require a new tyre.

The cost of all those repairs and new parts was easily more than the value of a 14-year-old Mini Cooper, so the insurance company declared it a Cat N write-off. It was bought from a damaged car auction, repaired and sold by a used car dealer a month or so later.

Mini Cooper Category N insurance write-off — It might look like very minor damage, but it was enough for the insurance company to write this Mini off (Category N).

Should I buy a written-off car?

Buying an insurance write-off can be a risky business. Even though a Cat N or Cat S car is legally allowed to be repaired and continue its life on the roads, there is no formal inspection requirement to ensure that the repairs have been carried out to an acceptable standard. This is particularly important for a Cat S car, which has suffered some level of structural damage.

If you’re buying from a used car dealer, they are obliged to declare that the car is a Cat S or Cat N. It must also be clearly stated in any advertisement. On the hand, if you’re buying privately, there are no such safeguards. It’s always worth the £20 or so to get a vehicle history check, which will tell you if the car has previously been written off.

If you’re considering buying a car insurance write-off, a Cat S or Cat N car should be considerably cheaper than a similar car that hasn’t been written off. To give you an idea, the Category N Mini above was advertised by a dealer (after being repaired) for about 25% less than the payout I got from the insurance company. If you allow for a bit of haggling in the purchase, the buyer probably paid at least 30% less than an equivalent car.

Of course, you might save some money if you buy a Cat S or Cat N car, but you’ll inevitably lose it again when you come to eventually sell the car down the track. Plus, you may well find that your car insurance premium is higher because the car is a former write-off. Overall, you might not end up saving very much at all.

While getting a mechanical inspection is a good idea when buying any used car, it’s especially important for a write-off. These vehicles may have been in relatively serious collisions and suffered unseen damage, so paying the extra for a professional to properly check the chassis and underpinnings is a great idea.

The real risk is buying a car that’s been poorly repaired. Personally, I wouldn’t touch a Cat S car regardless of price, but if you are considering it then at least be very aware of what you’re doing.

More car insurance news and advice at The Car Expert

This article was originally published in April 2019, and was last updated in April 2020.

Caterham reveals retro-themed Super Seven 1600

Model update

Jack Evans

-

13 April 2020

0

Caterham reveals retro-themed Super Seven 1600

Caterham has launched another retro-inspired version of its famous Seven sports car – the Super Seven 1600.

Drawing looks from classic roadsters of the 1970s, the Super Seven packs several retro styling touches including classic flared wheel arches, 14-inch alloy wheels and a rear carrier akin to that fitted to traditional Caterham models.

Inside, the Super Seven features a wooden-rimmed steering wheel as well as classically tailored leather seats.

It’s also offered in two chassis sizes, with both standard (S3) and wide (SV) incorporating the retro looks. The model uses a 1.6-litre Ford Sigma engine driven through a five-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels, with 135hp and 165Nm of torque equating to a 0-60mph time of 5.0 seconds and a top speed of 122mph.

It also includes DCOE throttle body injection – the type found on rally cars of the 1970s.

Graham Macdonald, Caterham CEO, said: “Caterham has always been about individuality and the quality engineering that makes the Seven peerless when it comes to the driving experience.

“Ownership of any specification of Caterham Seven is a mark of distinction and a ticket to driving adventure, but our heritage line of models holds a special place in the hearts of the true brand enthusiasts. Both of our most recent retro-inspired Sevens – the Sprint and Super Sprint – sold out in record time so we know the appeal for these cars is strong.

“We’re excited to introduce the most powerful Super Seven ever built, a reimagining of a true modern icon, delivering exactly what the original was designed to offer – a focus on driving feel and race-inspired upgrades but with some touches of luxury to the finishes.”

Prices for the Super Seven start from £33,495. Caterham also offers finance packages in conjunction with Santander Consumer Finance.

More Caterham news, ratings, reviews and features

Mitsubishi ASX (2010 to 2021)

Stuart Masson

-

13 April 2020

0

Summary

The Mitsubishi ASX is a small SUV that was the smallest model in the Mitsubishi SUV line-up. It was on sale from 2010 until 2021 when Mitsubishi withdrew from the UK market, with at least four facelifts over the decade to try and keep it competitive with newer rivals.

The most recent update to the ASX came in the second half of 2019, which provided a significantly altered look to the front end of the vehicle. The interior has also had incremental updates with every facelift. The ASX was given a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP when it was launched, but this expired a couple of years ago and is no longer valid.

The ASX was praised for its off-road ability compared to most small crossover models, and the infotainment system on the latest models was at least competitive. However, the driving dynamics and engine performance were both rated poorly, and overall the ASX was one of the lowest-ranked new cars in terms of media reviews while it was on sale.

No longer on sale, the Mitsubishi ASX holds a Used Car Expert Rating of E, with a score of 54%. It gets good grades for its low running costs and its reliability record is average, but its safety rating has long expired and its media review scores were dire.

More Mitsubishi Expert Ratings, reviews, news and features

ASX highlights

Good infotainment system
Durable build quality
Alluring low-cost price
Well-equipped with practical features
Talented off-roader

ASX lowlights

Easily surpassed by newer rivals
Dated interior design
Dull driving experience
Poor steering dynamics
Clunky gearbox and noisy engine

Key specifications

Body style: Small SUV/crossover
Engines: petrol
Price when new: From £21,035 on-road

Launched: Summer 2010
Last updated: Summer 2019
Discontinued: Autumn 2021

Image gallery

Media reviews

Highlighted reviews and road tests from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

The Car Expert

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
The latest updates do not add much but the Mitsubishi ASX is still a good value SUV, particularly if you are looking for all-wheel-drive.
Read review

Auto Express

Model reviewed: 2.0-litre petrol automatic AWD Dynamic
Score: 4 / 10
“Despite an extensive facelift, a new engine and extra kit, the Mitsubishi ASX is feeling its age. If you’re after a small crossover with good road manners, lots of kit and space for the family, there’s better value to be had elsewhere.”
Read review

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 4 / 10
“The Mitsubishi ASX is a decent-looking and well-equipped crossover that struggles to match newer rivals on the road”
Read review

Auto Trader

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“The Mitsubishi ASX’s updates certainly bring it up to modern standards when it comes to looks, and it’s well-equipped with features for a very reasonable price. But the modern trappings can’t hide an ageing car that really struggles to match numerous very capable rivals in terms of its driving experience.”
Read review

Car

Model reviewed: 2.0-litre petrol automatic
Score: 4 / 10
“Build and material quality is typical of Japanese manufacturers – not necessarily the plushest, but it does feel pretty bombproof inside and it’s easy to imagine that ten years on, everything will still be working as well as it did on day one.”
Read review

Carbuyer

Model reviewed: (range review)
Score: 5.4 / 10
“The Mitsubishi ASX is a tough and practical small SUV but a recent facelift can’t fully disguise its advancing years.”
Read review

Carwow

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 5 / 10
“The Mitsubishi ASX has a decent infotainment system and comes with a long list of standard kit, but it feels too dated in important areas to recommend ahead of newer alternatives.”
Read review

Honest John

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“The updated model adopts the chunkier design language of the rest of the Mitsubishi range, while the interior has been revised with a new eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system. DAB, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across the range.”
Read review

Parkers

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 4.8 / 10
“Compact SUV lags behind main rivals, despite extensive facelift”
Read review

The Telegraph

Model reviewed: 2.2-litre diesel automatic 5
Score: 4 / 10
“A reliable and practical car from a well-regarded Japanese manufacturer, but a rattly passenger experience makes this model feel a little long in the tooth. Hard to recommend over more refined – and popular – mainstream rivals.”
Read review

Top Gear

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 5 / 10
“It’s not that the Mitsubishi ASX is truly bad by any stretch of the imagination, it’s just that its competition is newer. And better.”
Read review

Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Overall score: 5 stars
Date tested: February 2011
Date expired: January 2018
Read the full Euro NCAP review

Adult protection: 86%
Child protection: 78%
Vulnerable road users: 60%
Safety assist: 71%

Notes on safety rating

The Mitsubishi ASX was originally crash tested by Euro NCAP way back in 2011 and awarded a five-star rating. However, this rating expired in January 2018 and is no longer valid as the car no longer meets the standards required for such a rating. This is normal practice, as Euro NCAP reviews its ratings on most cars annually with most ratings expiring after about six or seven years.

Although the rating has now expired, the score is still useful if you are comparing a used ASX to vehicles of similar age – whose ratings will have probably also expired.

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

No eco rating

The Mitsubishi ASX was not lab tested by Green NCAP during its production life.

Reliability rating

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

Total claims: 27
Average repair cost: £491.12
Last updated: April 2025

Reliability score

All data based on MotorEasy average workshop costs for extended car warranty claims

The Mitsubishi ASX has a better-than-average reliability score, according to warranty data provided by our partner MotorEasy.

The most commonly reported problems for ASX owners to date are related to the engine – and unfortunately these are also some of the most expensive faults with an average repair bill of more than £850. Gearbox repairs have been similarly expensive, although have not been as common to date.

If you’re looking at a used Mitsubishi ASX, make sure any extended warranty cover you purchase covers all of the potential problem areas shown above.

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Ferrari 812 Superfast (2017 to 2023)

Stuart Masson

-

10 April 2020

0

Summary

The Ferrari 812 Superfast was a high-performance two-seat sports car and the flagship of the ‘regular’ Ferrari range. it was launched in 2017 as a replacement for the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, and remained in production until 2023 after which it was itself replaced by the latest Ferrari 12Cilindri.

The coupé 812 Superfast was joined in 2019 by the targa-roofed Ferrari 812 GTS, which hit UK streets in summer 2020. An ever-higher-performance version called the 812 Competizione came along a couple of years after that.

The 812 Superfast received mostly outstanding reviews from the UK motoring media over its life (with the notable exception of Jeremy Clarkson), with particular praise for its performance and comfort. The only criticisms were related to its expense and lack of practicality, neither of which are likely to bother potential customers.

As of January 2025, the Ferrari 812 Superfast and 812 GTS have a Used Car Expert Rating of E, with a score of 53%. Inevitably, the best results are for the car’s media reviews, while the score is dragged down by high running costs. However, anyone who can afford a used 812 Superfast is likely to be fairly comfortable with the required financial obligations.

Key specifications

Body style: Coupé and targa
Engine: petrol V12
Price when new: From £263,098 on-road

Launched: Spring 2017
Last updated: Summer 2020
Ended production: Autumn 2023

Image gallery

Media reviews

Highlighted reviews and road tests from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

Auto Express+

Model reviewed: 812 GTS
Score: 10 / 10
“As a potential farewell to Ferrari’s series production V12 engine in pure petrol form, the 812 GTS is a fitting sign-off that stays true to the brand’s values. The performance is truly astonishing, but it’s how it delivers it and the sensations it conjures as part of the experience that makes this an impossible car not to fall for. Bravo Ferrari.”
Read review

Model reviewed: Range review
Score: 10 / 10
“A replacement for the Ferrari F12, the 812 Superfast goes straight into the brand’s hall of fame as an all-time great.”
Read review

Auto Trader+

Model reviewed: 812 Superfast coupé
Score: 10 / 10
“The Ferrari 812 Superfast is the successor to the F12berlinetta. It is Ferrari’s fastest car built for the road instead of track, with its most powerful V12 engine to date. Yet it has ample boot space for proper luggage and is comfortable enough for long distances. Is this the ultimate Ferrari?”
Read review

Car+

Model reviewed: 812 GTS
Score: 10 / 10
“The Ferrari 812 GTS might be a familiar enough kind of concept, but no one else – not Aston, certainly not Bentley – gives an open-topped V12 GT such searing aggression. Think of the 812 GTS more as a supercar that breaks with convention than a sporting GT and you’ll have some idea what to expect when you flatten that throttle on a damp road.”
Author: Ben Barry
Read review

Model reviewed: 812 Superfast coupé
Score: 10 / 10
“The Ferrari 812 fulfils the tough brief in a dazzling fashion. Easier to live with in normal driving than the 488 but utterly absorbing when stretched, it blurs the lines between GT and supercar to the point where it lacks a rival that can match its breadth of ability.”
Author: Matt Joy
Read review

Carbuyer+

Model reviewed: 812 Superfast coupé
Score: 8 / 10
“The Ferrari 812 Superfast is so astonishingly good it makes one question how supercars can possibly improve”
Author: Richard Ingram
Read review

Evo+

Model reviewed: 812 GTS
Score: 10 / 10
“The Ferrari 812 GTS offers a wonderful combination of near-hypercar pace and open-air driving.”
Author: Adam Towler
Read review

Model reviewed: 812 Superfast coupé
“The pinnacle of front-engined Ferrari engineering, the 812 melds mind-warping performance with a chassis that draws you into the action”
Read review

Model reviewed: 812 Superfast coupé
Score: 10 / 10
“Faster, louder, even more exciting than the F12. But not as pretty to look at, which is a shame”
Author: Steve Sutcliffe
Read review

Parkers+

Model reviewed: GTS
Score: 9.6 / 10
“The Ferrari 812 GTS is a more friendly approach to the exhilarating 812 Superfast”
Author: Lawrence Cheung
Read review

Model reviewed: 812 Superfast coupé
Score: 9.4 / 10
“Expensive to buy and inevitably expensive to run, the Ferrari 812 Superfast is nonetheless a spectacular machine without peer, and is unlikely to leave a lucky buyer anything other than completely thrilled.”
Author: Matt Joy
Read review

The Sun+

Model reviewed: 812 Superfast coupé
“The Ferrari 812 Superfast may have a daft name… but it is super fast, and super cool”
Read review

The Sunday Times+

Model reviewed: 812 Superfast coupé
“As a thing, the Ferrari 812 Superfast is as brilliant as an Astute-class attack sub. Which is to say, very brilliant indeed. But it is too big and too powerful and too flashily expensive for those who simply want a very nice grand tourer.”
Author: Jeremy Clarkson
Read review

Model reviewed: 812 Superfast coupé
Score: 8 / 10
“Equally adept as serene grand tourer or V12-powered track weapon”
Read review

The Telegraph+

Model reviewed: 812 Superfast coupé
Score: 10 / 10
“Super. And very, very fast. But, as with all modern Ferraris, the 812 Superfast is as mild-mannered and controllable as you like in day-to-day driving, but when unleashed it is simply astounding.”
Author: Paul Hudson
Read review

Top Gear+

Model reviewed: 812 Superfast coupé
Score: 9 / 10
“The Ferrari 812 Superfast is a ruddy triumph. You just have to celebrate that someone, somewhere, still thinks it’s worth engineering and developing a car like this. A car unlike any other.”
Read review

Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

No safety rating

The Ferrari 812 range was not tested by Euro NCAP during its production life.

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

No eco rating

The Ferrari 812 Superfast and 812 GTS were not lab tested by Green NCAP during their production lives.

Reliability rating

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

No reliability rating

As of January 2025, we don’t have enough reliability data on the Ferrari 812 Superfast and 812 GTS to generate a reliability rating.

The Car Expert’s reliability information is provided exclusively to us using workshop and extended warranty data from our partner, MotorEasy, sourced from both official dealerships and independent workshops.

As soon as MotorEasy has sufficient data on the 812 range, we’ll publish the score here.

Running cost rating

Monthly cost of ownership data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by Clear Vehicle Data

Fuel consumption	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Petrol models	17 mpg	E	17 – 18 mpg	E – E

CO₂ output	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Petrol models	370 g/km	D	366 – 373 g/km	D – D

Insurance group	Average	Score	Variation	Score
All models	50	F	50 – 50	F – F

The Ferrari 812 Superfast is a very expensive car to own and run, according to whole-life cost numbers provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our data partner, Clear Vehicle Data.

The car’s fuel economy of 17 mpg is one of the poorest fuel consumption stats in our Expert Rating Index, and insurance premiums are in the most expensive bracket too.

Awards

Trophies, prizes and awards that the Ferrari 812 Superfast has received

2018

Red Dot Awards – Outstanding design quality
GQ Car Awards – The Most Super Superfast Supercar Award

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If you’re looking to buy a used Ferrari 812 Superfast or 812 GTS, The Car Expert’s partners can help you find the right car.

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Car companies causing ‘undue stress’ over servicing demands

The Car Expert staff

-

9 April 2020

2

A number of car companies are causing ‘unnecessary stress’ for customers who can’t get their vehicles serviced during the coronavirus lockdown.

Car owners are worried that missing a service could invalidate their warranty. In normal circumstances, car manufacturers penalise owners who miss service intervals by revoking their cover.

Some car manufacturers have come out with blanket extensions to calm worried owners, but other brands are refusing to budge.

AA president Edmund King said: “In these uncertain times, everyone should be following government guidance concerning non-essential travel. For the majority of car owners with a vehicle under warranty that is rarely being used, it should not be essential to have a standard service now.

“Expecting drivers to go for a standard maintenance service during lockdown is against the spirit of government advice. We felt that the government took a sensible and pragmatic approach to MOTs and believe that manufacturers should show similar flexibility and common sense.

“Telling drivers to do something seemingly contrary to government advice may also add unnecessary stress to owners.”

Car dealerships were shut by the government on March 23, but their workshops and garages have remained open. This is designed to keep key workers on the move and not for the general public to have their cars serviced.

An MOT extension of six months and lasting for a year came into place on March 30 to stop drivers worrying about getting their annual roadworthiness inspection done, and experts believe this should set a precedent for servicing too.

PA Media contacted every UK car manufacturer and asked what sort of leeway they were offering customers when it came to getting their cars serviced.

The Volkswagen Group – including Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and SEAT – wouldn’t offer a blanket extension. All the brands said they would deal with issues on a ‘case-by-case basis’. Porsche, part of the same group, said customers who made a request for a service in writing that couldn’t be completed due to the lockdown ‘would not be penalised’.

Alongside the VW Group, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Honda and Jeep have all refused to issue an automatic extension. Advice from those brands varied, with most asking customers to contact the firm’s respective customer services department.

BMW, Citroën, Dacia, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Peugeot, Vauxhall and Volvo have all issued blanket extensions for their customers who would have needed to get a service during the lockdown. These vary in time and mileage, but will give customers peace of mind.

Kia has put no limit on either time or mileage within which customers need to get their car serviced. A Kia spokesman said: “We don’t know how long it will go on for so we don’t want to put false limits on the length of time, so that people don’t need to worry about getting their car serviced – people can’t have it done right now, we understand that, and they shouldn’t worry.

“People need to look after their car wherever possible if they can by checking the oil and tyres, but car servicing is not important right now – what is important is staying home and protecting the NHS.”

MG and Rolls-Royce both failed to respond to PA Media’s request for comment.

Car manufacturers offering service interval extensions

Maker / Time extension / Mileage allowed

BMW – Three months / 2,000 miles
Citroen – Three months / 1,800 miles
Dacia – One month / Not specified
Ford – Three months / 1,000 miles
Hyundai – Three months / 1,500 miles
Jaguar – Two months / 2,000 miles
Kia – Not specified / Not specified
Land Rover – Two months / 2,000 miles
Mazda – Not specified / 1,875 miles
Mercedes – Three months / 3,728 miles
Nissan – Not specified / Not specified
Peugeot – Three months / 1,800 miles
Renault – One month / Not specified
Vauxhall – Three months / 1,800 miles
Volvo – Three months / Not specified

More car maintenance information and advice at The Car Expert

Volkswagen delivered ‘damning’ High Court ruling over dieselgate scandal

Car manufacturer news

The Car Expert staff

-

8 April 2020

0

Volkswagen’s disregard for public health “in pursuit of profit and market dominance” by installing unlawful defeat devices in its diesel vehicles has been exposed in a “damning” High Court ruling, lawyers representing thousands of motorists have said.

Around 90,000 motorists who bought or leased Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT and Skoda diesel vehicles took legal action for compensation following revelations about the “dieselgate” emissions scandal five years ago.

Their lawyers say Volkswagen cheated European emissions standards, which were designed “to save lives”, by installing unlawful “defeat devices” in its diesel vehicles, meaning the vehicles were emitting up to 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen dioxide when out on the road.

In September 2015, Volkswagen Group announced that 11 million vehicles worldwide, including almost 1.2 million in the UK, were affected, prompting a flurry of litigation around the world.

The aftermath of the scandal has seen VW pay out more than 30 billion euros (£26 billion) in fines, recall costs and civil settlements, and has led to criminal charges by German prosecutors against current and former senior employees.

‘Decisive’ High Court ruling

The English litigation was filed back in 2016, but reached what lawyers described as “a decisive court battle” at a preliminary hearing in December when the High Court was asked to decide whether software installed in VW cars was a “defeat device” under EU regulations.

In a judgment delivered remotely on Monday, Mr Justice Waksman ruled that “the software function in issue in this case is indeed a defeat device” under EU regulations.

The judge said he was “far from alone in this conclusion”, referring to “numerous courts and other bodies in various other jurisdictions (which) agree that the software function here is a defeat device”.

The judge also stated that “a software function which enables a vehicle to pass the test because (artificially) it operates the vehicle in a way which is bound to pass the test and in which it does not operate on the road is a fundamental subversion of the test and the objective behind it”.

Gareth Pope, head of group litigation at Slater and Gordon, which represents around 70,000 claimants, welcomed the “damning judgment”, which he said “confirms what our clients have known for a long time, but which VW has refused to accept: Namely that VW fitted defeat devices into millions of vehicles in the UK in order to cheat emissions tests”.

He added: “The case exposed VW’s approach to this litigation and its customers, refusing to admit wrongdoing and compensate its customers in favour of running drawn-out and pointless litigation.

“The court’s conclusion that the existence of software was a ‘fundamental subversion’ of tests designed to limit pollution and make our air safe to breathe exposes VW’s disregard for EU emissions regulations and public health in pursuit of profit and market dominance.

“VW’s utter failure to convince the court of the merits of its case means that now is surely time for it to settle these claims and put this shameful episode behind it.”

Bozena Michalowska Howells, a solicitor from law firm Leigh Day which also represented some of the claimants against VW, said the ruling was “hugely significant for our clients who have been battling for four years to hold Volkswagen to account”.

She called on VW “to now do the right thing and put their customers first by entering into settlement negotiations so that our clients are not forced to drag VW through the courts and be faced with further years of litigation to determine their losses”.

Volkswagen still denies wrongdoing

A VW spokeswoman said the company was “considering carefully the grounds on which it may seek to appeal today’s decision”.

She added: “While Volkswagen is disappointed that the outcome was not in our favour, the judgment relates only to preliminary issues.

“To be clear, today’s decision does not determine liability or any issues of causation or loss for any of the causes of action claimed. These remain to be determined by the court as the case continues.

“Volkswagen remains confident in our case that we are not liable to the claimants as alleged and the claimants did not suffer any loss. We will continue to defend our position robustly.

“Nothing in this decision today changes this. We look forward to making progress with defending the remainder of the case.”

More Volkswagen news, reviews, ratings and features

Coronavirus: Are we heading for a car finance meltdown?

Car finance advice

Stuart Masson

-

8 April 2020

0

There have been many promises made by the government and by different industries to support consumers and industries that have been hit by the global coronavirus pandemic. But one sector that hasn’t received much of a mention is the car finance sector.

But this enormous sector – now up to £48 billion a year – is under unprecedented pressure as huge numbers of customers face a loss of income due to the nationwide lockdown caused by the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

While the government was quick to ensure that all homeowners were able to take a three-month payment holiday from their mortgages, followed by provisions to protect renters, there has been no announcement whatsoever to protect and manage car finance debt. Yet for millions of households, car payments are the second-largest monthly expense after their mortgage/rent payment.

There are two big problems that customers have been asking us about:

Difficulty in keeping up with car finance payments due to coronavirus-related loss of income
Expiring PCP car finance agreement or PCH lease agreement, and no way to change their car because dealers are all closed

Your car finance agreement has no provision for loss of income

Many people are now finding out for the first time that there is nothing in a car finance agreement to cover you for loss of employment. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an individual job loss or a nationwide layoff, you still have to make your payments every month.

We’ve talked about this a lot for several years now, pretty much whenever we talk about car finance. Across the car industry, the response has always been that people shouldn’t borrow beyond their means, and should always have money saved up to cover themselves in case of sudden financial hardship. It’s not the industry’s fault, they insist.

Well, the industry is about to find that tens of millions of car finance customers are facing some level of financial hardship. There could be a massive problem if millions of customers can’t make their car payments over the next couple of months. Various sources have told The Car Expert that customer enquiries regarding financial hardship have increased 20-30 fold (even more in some cases) in the last couple of weeks. There is concern for the ability of some lenders to survive this pandemic if dealerships remain closed for more than a couple of months.

What if your PCP agreement is expiring and you can’t change your car?

Thousands of car owners will have PCP agreements that expire in April and May. Normally, all they’d need to do is head down to their dealership of choice to part-exchange their car on another one and start a new PCP. But they can’t do that because dealerships are closed.

Once again, many people are about to find out for the first time that a PCP balloon payment is a direct debit like their normal monthly payments. If you don’t take action, the lender will try to take the money from your account. Since you probably don’t have the thousands of pounds in your account to cover it, you will default on the payment. That triggers a default response from the finance company, and probably a penalty fee from your bank as well.

If you have a balloon payment that is due to be paid in the next few weeks, call your finance company ASAP to see if they can make alternative arrangements. If you’re not sure about how many payments you have left before the balloon is due, check it right now so you know where you stand. Come back and read the rest of this later.

The Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) has provided some useful additional information about this, which we’ve posted at the end of the article. If you know who your lender is but you don’t have their contact details to hand, the FLA has a handy contact list for all the major car finance companies.

closed dealership | The Car Expert — It’s hard to part-exchange your old car on a new one if the dealers are all closed.

Car companies lack any proactive initiatives

The car manufacturers and their associated finance companies appear to have made no effort to come up with initiatives of their own to support their customers, which is no great surprise. The industry has always been great at taking as much of your money as it can get, but terrible at helping you out when you need it.

I spent several hours trawling through coronavirus/Covid-19 information on dozens of UK car company websites on the weekend to try and find out what policies they all had regarding customers with expiring PCP agreements and customers struggling with payments, and they were almost universally terrible. Despite loudly providing support for servicing, warranties, roadside assistance and other measures, initiatives for car finance were completely non-existent.

Most didn’t have any Covid-19 car finance information on their front page, so when you eventually clicked through to the right section, it basically amounted to “Call us if you are in financial difficulty” rather than providing any across-the-board policies that give customers clear guidance. This is then usually followed by “We’re experiencing high call volumes and reduced staffing, so please don’t call us”. This is not remotely helpful.

We are in the middle of a national economic crisis, with up to half of all employees expected to furloughed or laid off within weeks. The car industry’s “call us to explain why we should help you” approach is not providing sufficient guidance and assurance to millions of consumers with large amounts of car finance debt. For most households, car payments are their second-largest monthly expense and millions of people are very stressed. Having to keep paying a few hundred pounds per month on a car could easily be enough to drive tens of thousands of people into bankruptcy.

Car manufacturers and dealers are currently falling over each other to come up with press releases and social media posts that tell everyone how they are offering all kinds of support key workers. In fact, they have managed to turn laudable initiatives into desperate attempts for publicity and validation (I read a dealer principal describing one of his technicians as a ‘hero’ for literally helping a key worker to change a light bulb…). Yet when it comes to the 90+% of their customers who have a car finance agreement of some kind, there’s been a total lack of interest.

Ford has managed to come up with a cashback/payment deferral scheme to help people buy a new car or van, in addition to 0% finance offers on most cars in the range. But this is only if you order a new car online in April or May (even though you might not actually get it for months because the dealerships are all closed). It’s a good initiative, but does nothing to help customers who have a Ford on a Ford Credit finance agreement right now.

If you go and look at the Ford UK website, there is no visible information about Covid-19 support anywhere at all. If you search for “Covid-19” (and don’t forget the hyphen or it won’t show anything at all), there is a page with some information. But it’s not particularly helpful and there are no offers or initiatives being rolled out across the board. Just more of the same “call us if you’re in financial difficulty” nonsense.

Start presenting some options up front

If car companies can come up with policies and initiatives to help sell more cars while their dealerships are closed, surely it’s not beyond the realms of possiblity that they can come up with policies to help their existing customers. But they haven’t, and they probably won’t.

The car companies that did respond to our questions argued that their hands are tied by the Consumer Credit Act, therefore “there’s nothing we can do”. While it’s certainly true that the Consumer Credit Act was written without consideration for this sort of situation, that doesn’t stop finance companies proactively presenting some options to their customers rather than sitting back and waiting for customers to call and ask for help.

Of the car finance companies that we spoke to, the most helpful and detailed answers came from BMW Financial Services, who pointed out that they have ramped up their customer-facing team numbers by re-training and redeploying a ‘significant number’ of employees to deal with customer enquiries. Even though they are operating at a higher than normal capacity as a result, waiting and response times are still significantly longer than normal due to the sheer volume of enquiries.

The finance companies told us that they have a menu of options to offer customers in financial difficulties. These include voluntary termination, payment holidays, reduced monthly payments, waiving interest charges and so on, although the options depend on the type of agreement and the customer’s particular situation. If your PCP or PCH agreement is ending shortly, they have options for you to avoid balloon payments and advice on holding onto a car until it can be collected. (For example, BMW explained that you’d need to cancel your registration, declare the car SORN and keep it off the road. They will then insure the vehicle until they are able to collect it.)

What the finance companies need to do is start proactively presenting and explaining these options to customers, so customers can understand what options may be available before they pick up the phone. It would provide much clearer guidance and stronger assurance to customers who simply don’t know what options are available – repeated research has shown that customers struggle to understand how car finance agreements work when things are going well, let alone what happens when things go wrong.

car finance confusion — Damn, between my car finance, my credit card and my drug dealer all wanting payment, I can’t afford to eat.

The government needs to ride to the rescue

Even if customers are able to avail themselves of some kind of support from their finance companies, the Consumer Credit Act (CCA) is still problematic. Some support mechanisms will trigger legally-required default notices or warning letters to be sent to customers, and most options require the same credit checking and application forms as a new finance agreement (basically because they often require a new finance agreement).

The Finance & Leasing Association told The Car Expert that it is in constant communication with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the goverment about fast-tracking changes: “We are speaking regularly to the FCA and HM Treasury regarding how the CCA complicates and lengthens the process of providing help, and the impact this is having on already high call volumes.

“We’re also in touch with Government to ask that non-bank lenders have direct access to financial support schemes so that they can readily support the increased demand for forbearance from businesses and households.”

Ultimately, only the government can override or amend its own legislation. So if the Consumer Credit Act is not fit for purpose in the current emergency, only the government can remove that hurdle. And if the finance companies are unwilling or unable to offer across-the-board measures to support millions of customers who are at risk of financial hardship, it will have to be the government that steps up to do it for them.

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as the three-month payment holiday that the government ordered banks to make available for all house mortgages. But I’m sure that there are a lot of clever people in the Treasury, the FCA and the FLA who can work out something – and they need to, fast, for both consumers and lenders.

Will coronavirus finally burst the PCP car finance bubble?

In many ways, the car industry is now reaping the harvest of throwing enormous amounts of money at anyone that walked through a showroom door for the last decade. We’ve talked about this at length before, but the PCP car finance juggernaut that took the UK new car market to records heights in the first half of this decade was always an unsustainable boom.

New car registrations have been falling for the last four years, and the coronavirus shutdown has now brought the industry to almost a complete halt. Even though we have no idea when life will get back to normal, it seems likely that the car industry is going to be fundamentally changed by what is currently happening.

The car industry loves to blame everybody else when things go wrong (Brexit has been the big baddie for the last few years, along with the media “demonising diesel”), but falling sales over the last four years are a direct reaction to the unsustainable growth of the previous few years.

The PCP boom really kicked off a decade ago with the government scrappage scheme. Basically, anyone could get a couple of thousand pounds for their old banger to use as a deposit, and could get a brand new car (usually a Kia or Hyundai) for £99/month. Car manufacturers rushed to jump on the PCP bandwagon, and customers switched from buying Vauxhalls and Renaults to buying BMWs and Audis because the payments were achievable.

However, steadily increasing new car prices, combined with falling used car values, started making car finance payments more expensive. In response, manufacturers and lenders started advertising longer terms (four years instead of three years). But that was only a temporary solution to keep selling cars – if you switch all your customers from a three-year PCP to a four-year PCP, you won’t have any customers in three years’ time. And that’s exactly what has happened.

There’s no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic will drive a lot of car dealerships into bankruptcy. Possibly some finance companies, and maybe even some car manufacturers. The entire car industry is reliant on people buying cars they don’t need with money they don’t have.

I’ve been banging on about this for years. No-one needs to buy a new car, but people want new cars. You can get away with that sort of selling when times are good and everyone can afford their finance payments. But when the money runs out, you’re in trouble. The car industry, on the other hand, really does need us all to buy millions of new cars each year.

Supply is greater than demand, and that problem is getting worse each year as demand keeps falling. Yet whenever I’ve suggested that the car finance industry is exposed to significant risk if the market takes a turn for the worse, the standard industry response has been to laugh it off and say that it would take a really enormous crisis to derail the industry. Well, guess what…

The car industry has also been slow to embrace online sales, partly because of the long-standing and complex relationship between car manufacturers and the dealer networks who sell their cars. A lot of those complexities may finally be swept away as a result of this crisis, so we could see a smaller but far more modernised automotive retail world emerging once this is all over.

Coronavirus car finance FAQs from the Finance & Leasing Association

The Finance & Leasing Association represents all the major car finance lenders in the UK. These FAQs, and other regularly updated information, is posted on the FLA website.

My motor finance payment is due soon, and I won’t be able to pay. What do I do?

Contact your lender, but as call volumes are very high at the moment, do check if they have online contact forms. If you do call, please be sure to have your motor finance agreement next to you so that the call centre staff can work through your request as quickly as possible and find the best option.

My PCP agreement is due to end in April, but the dealership is closed. Does that mean I have to pay the balloon and keep the car?

No, you should only pay the balloon if that’s what you would have chosen to do before the Coronavirus circumstances. Get in touch with your lender asap to tell them what you would like to do, then see how they can help make that happen.

Will I have to take the final payment option when my car finance agreement ends next month because closures of car dealerships will make it difficult to return a vehicle. Could that happen?

No. The abiding principle in all cases is that customers are able to choose the option that best suits their circumstances at the end of an agreement. Just contact to your lender to see what can be arranged.

What if I can’t meet my monthly payment, or the balloon payment at the end of the agreement, will my car be taken away?

The objective behind forbearance in many circumstances is that the car should stay with the customer. Contact your lender and they’ll recommend a solution.

If a motor finance agreement is due to end quite soon, can buyers ask for extensions on their deals or leases until the crisis is over?

Yes, they can. They should get in touch with their lender as soon as possible and, as this scenario may suit both parties, there may be an option to discuss charges. It’s always worth asking.

How are lenders organising the return of vehicles, or are they asking customers to keep them, without driving them until the crisis is over?

Lenders can still collect cars and move them around, but the practicalities of this process are still being ironed out. Contact your lender to see what can be arranged.

Are your motor finance members generally shutting down during this period, or continuing to allow buyers to take out new leases or finance deals, and if so, what measures they’re taking (e.g. delivery, sanitisation, and so on)?

Our members are still open for business, so if a customer wants a car, they should get in touch as normal and the lender will sort out the logistics – taking all the precautions around delivery that you would expect.

Volvo expands plug-in hybrid line-up

Car manufacturer news

The Car Expert staff

-

8 April 2020

0

Volvo has introduced a new, more affordable plug-in hybrid powertrain to its line-up as the firm looks to give its customers more electrified derivatives.

Badged as the ‘T6’, the new option sits alongside the more powerful T8 plug-in hybrid on the V60 estate and XC60 SUV models, though is now the only petrol-electric version available with the larger V90 estate. The move widens the Swedish brand’s already compressive line-up of plug-in hybrid models, which have recently been renamed as ‘Recharge’ versions.

This T6 continues to use the 2.0-litre petrol unit found in the T8, but has been detuned by 50hp – reducing the engine’s output to 250bhp. However, the electric motor and 11.6kWh battery tops that figure back up to 340hp.

That reduction in power also means this T6 is more efficient than the T8 powertrain – making it able to return up to a claimed 156.7mpg in its cleanest guise in the V60, along with CO₂ emissions of 41g/km. It also increases the zero-emissions range – meaning the V60, XC60 and V90 can now travel for up to 37 miles just on electricity.

The powertrain is also more affordable than the T8, with prices starting from £45,105 for a V60 T6, and £52,445 or £55,180 for the XC60 and V90 respectively. The setup could also be introduced to the S60 and S90 saloons in the future, too. These new T6 plug-in hybrid versions are available to order now, though first deliveries aren’t expected until the summer.

A Volvo spokesperson said the new powertrain has been introduced with the “intention to offer our customers even more choice when it comes to plug-in hybrid options”.

The firm is already the only mainstream manufacturer to have a petrol-electric version of each of its models – this recently being solidified with the introduction of a plug-in hybrid version of the compact XC40 crossover.

Volvo has previously announced that it wants 50% of its new cars to be all-electric by 2025, with the aim of having one million electrified Volvos on the road by that date. Its first EV – the XC40 Recharge P8 was unveiled last year, and will arrive in the UK by the end of the year. From now on, a new all-electric Volvo will debut every 12 months.

More Volvo news, ratings, reviews and features

Britain’s best-selling cars, March 2020

Stuart Masson

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7 April 2020

0

Results published today showed that the coronavirus lockdown has hammered new car sales across the UK. A fall of 40% for consumer sales and 47% for fleet registrations was the biggest sales collapse in memory, eclipsing a 30% fall in March 2009 at the height of the global financial crisis more than a decade ago.

As such, the figures for last month represent – at best – what happened in the first two weeks of what was supposed to be the biggest month of the year for new car sales. Across the entire automotive retail sector, there were various challenges associated with production shutdowns and logistics difficulties, while some brands benefitted (relatively speaking) from having an online sales channel to eke out a few more sales compared to those brands that rely purely on showroom traffic.

Still, for some makes and models, two weeks in March netted more new registrations than all of January and February combined. We looked at the overall registration data earlier today, but here are the ten best-selling models that actually escaped from showrooms and onto the streets.

The UK’s ten best-selling cars, March 2020

1. Volkswagen Golf

Volkswagen Golf 2017 - ratings and reviews | The Car Expert

The outoing Mk7 Volkswagen Golf is certainly going out on a high, having taken the top spot for three of the last four months. It still trails the Ford Fiesta in year-to-date sales after the first quarter of the year, but the old girl is still selling up a storm against much newer rivals. Volkswagen also was the best-performing brand in March, knocking Ford from the top spot overall.

Despite being on sale since 2012, the Mk7 Volkswagen Golf still holds an Expert Rating of 82% in The Car Expert’s New Car Ratings database, which is the best rating of any car in its class. In fact, it’s taken an all-new Golf to knock the old one off our ratings perch.

2. Ford Fiesta

Ford Fiesta news, reviews, safety and eco ratings | Britain's best-selling cars | The Car Expert

Could 2020 be the year that the Ford Fiesta is finally dethroned? It seems churlish to suggest it when the little Ford still holds the top spot in year-to-date sales after the first three months of the year and with the next three months seemingly written off in terms of meaningful sales. But the Fiesta is certainly having to work harder to stay on top, having been beaten by the Volkswagen Golf for the last couple of months.

The Fiesta currently holds an Expert Rating of 86% in The Car Expert’s New Car Ratings database, which compares reviews from across the UK motoring media. This is higher than any other car in the supermini class, so it seems that motoring journalists and the buying public are in agreement on the Fiesta’s qualities.

3. Mini hatch

Mini three-door hatch (2018) ratings and reviews | The Car Expert

It’s almost become a tradition that the Mini hatch range achieves great things every March and September, when consumer sales are at their peak relative to fleet registrations.

The Mini hatch popped back into the top ten in February, which may or may not have coincided with the first media reviews of the new Mini Electric model being published. The Union Jack-waving supermini edged out the Ford Focus for third place by only 24 units, making it the best British-built car two months in a row (note: not all Minis are built in the UK, so you’ll have to check if this is something you’re particularly interested in).

The Mini hatch holds a very solid score of 80% in our New Car Ratings aggregator, which is better than most cars in its class despite being much older than many of its rivals.

4. Ford Focus

Ford Focus 2018 - ratings and reviews | Uk's best-selling cars | The Car Expert

The Ford Focus slipped back another place in March, and also fell behind the Mk7 Golf farewell roadshow in year-to-date registrations. If Ford was hoping that the first half of 2020 would be a tough spell for Volkswagen dealers while the old Golf hung around before being shuffled out the door, it’s been a nasty shock. Dealers must be praying that VW runs out of Mk7 stock before the new one arrives in summer, although the nationwide lockdown makes that less likely now.

The Ford Focus currently holds an Expert Rating of 81% in our New Car Ratings database, which is 1% lower than the outgoing Volkswagen Golf but about 3% off the all-new Golf based on its initial launch reviews.

5. Nissan Qashqai

2019 Nissan Qashqai wallpaper | The Car Expert

The Nissan Qashqai recovered from a slow February to end up fifth before dealers closed their doors in March. The top-ten midfield was quite close in March, with the fifth-place Nissan only about 100 units behind the third-placed Mini and less than 100 units ahead of the all-new Vauxhall Corsa. Once again, the Qashqai had to yield the honours for ‘Best-selling British-built car’ to the Mini in March, and as usual it’s propping up the entire Nissan brand, taking almost half of all Nissan sales.

The ageing Nissan Qashqai currently holds an Expert Rating of 74% in our New Car Ratings database, which is midfield for the compact crossover segment and in the bottom half of scores for a top ten-selling car. A replacement is due to be revealed later this year, although the timeframe may be subject to change in light of the chaotic economic conditions currently enveloping the industry.

6. Vauxhall Corsa

Vauxhall Corsa (2020 - present) Expert Rating | The Car Expert

What a time for the all-new version of your best-selling model to hit the streets. All that promotional budget for the last few months effectively wasted as your dealerships close barely two weeks after the thing finally arrives in showrooms. Such was the fate of the new Vauxhall Corsa, the long-awaited challenger for Team Griffin to take the fight to the Blue Oval and its dominant Fiesta. Still, its sales numbers for March were only 200 units behind the third-placed Mini based on what we did get in the first half of March.

It’s been a trying introduction for the new Corsa, which hasn’t exactly set motoring journalists hearts aflutter based on their first experiences. It currently holds an Expert Rating of 70% on our unique aggregator scale, based on 19 reviews we have gathered so far. That puts it in the bottom half of the supermini class (ninth out of 13 cars we’ve analysed so far). This may change quite dramatically once more reviewers drive the car on local roads, but it’s still a disappointing score for a brand-new model. The Fiesta is our class leader with a score of 86%, while the new Peugeot 208, which is mechanically identical to the Corsa, is currently at 78%.

7. Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchback | Expert Ratings

The darling of the aspirational small car set continues to be the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. It slipped from fifth to seventh place in March, but still holds its sixth place or year-to-date sales. Mercedes-Benz as an overall brand was outsold by BMW in March, which means it has slipped behind its Bavarian rival to hold fourth place in the ‘Biggest brand in the country’ ranking for the year to date.

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class has an Expert Rating of 77% in The Car Expert’s New Car Rating system. It ranks highly for safety, winning awards from Euro NCAP and Thatcham for its protective qualities.

8. Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage (2018) ratings and reviews | The Car Expert

After falling out of the top ten in February, the Kia Sportage reappeared in March. It also bounces up to eighth place in year-to-date sales, leapfrogging the BMW 3 Series and Volkswagen Polo, which both dropped out of the top ten.

The Sportage currently holds an Expert Rating of 72% in our aggregated New Car Ratings database, which is midfield for medium SUVs but a couple of points behind the best-selling Nissan Qashqai and quite a margin behind the top cars in the mid-size SUV segment.

9. Tesla Model 3

Tesla Model 3 (2019) new car ratings and reviews | The Car Expert

The last two places on the top ten ladder were rather unexpected, but it’s been a crazy month so maybe let’s not draw too many conclusions. The Tesla Model 3 continues to sell very well, but to crack the top ten in the month of March was certainly a surprise.

Some industry sources have pointed to Tesla’s online-only sales model as giving it an advantage over traditional vehicle sales, as the brand could keep selling and delivering cars for at least a week after many bricks-and-mortar dealerships had closed their doors. Regardless, it’s still an impressive result for the upstart electric car brand, and realistically the current economic chaos may help Tesla hold off the inevitable electric rivals a little longer.

The Tesla Model 3 currently holds an Expert Rating of 82% in our New Car Ratings database, which is certainly very good. However, there have been very few local reviews yet so this may vary by quite a bit (either up or down) in coming months.

10. Range Rover Evoque

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque (2019) wallpaper | The Car Expert

Tenth place went to another unexpected returnee, with the Range Rover Evoque making its second appearance in the top ten after popping up in the same place last October. This may have been helped by Jaguar Land Rover managing to keep its factories open a week or two after rivals in Europe had shut down, but nevertheless it was a rare good-news story for the UK car industry in the current economic climate.

The second-generation Evoque currently holds an Expert Rating of 82% in our aggregated Expert Ratings database, which is a very good score and places it a single point behind the Volvo XC40 in class rankings.

New car sales fall more than 40% as coronavirus takes hold

Car industry news

Stuart Masson

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6 April 2020

0

New car sales fall more than 40% as coronavirus takes hold

As expected, new car registrations have taken a tumble in March, with private new car sales down by 40% and fleet registrations down by 47% as dealerships closed around the country in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Just under 255,000 new cars were registered in March according to numbers published this morning by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), down from 458,000 in the same month last year. This represents a steeper fall than took place in the financial crisis more than a decade ago (when numbers fell 30% in March 2009), and was certainly one of the fastest sales collapses in memory. Sales come to almost a complete halt in the second half of the month, as dealerships closed their doors and buyers were stuck at home.

The sales numbers in the UK are similar to those of Germany, which recorded a 38% fall. Across Europe, Italy suffered the hardest as a result of being the first European country to go into lockdown, with registrations down by 85%. France was down by 72% and Spain by 69%, with both countries closing for business ahead of the UK.

Given that March is usually the biggest month of the year for new car sales in the UK, this is a devastating blow for the car industry, which was already struggling to accept slowing new car sales over the last few years.

Overall economic position clouds any meaningful analysis

Beyond the obvious headline figures, there’s not a huge amount that can really be drawn from the March figures. Diesel sales fell faster than other types of power output, which is not surprising given than fleet and business registrations fell further than private consumer sales – as we predicted on Saturday ahead of today’s numbers being published.

Similarly, the market share of electric cars, plug-in hybrids and regular hybrids was higher than in recent months. This is at least partly because consumers have been faster adopters of this technology than fleets.

In reality, however, global supply situations and logistics for individual manufacturers will have played a big part in the results for March. Some dealer groups will also have managed to get more cars out the door before having to suspend operations.

March 2020 new car sales by fuel type — (SMMT)

With dealerships remaining closed for the foreseeable future, April is likely to be almost a complete write-off. Some brands are working to maintain new vehicle supply for key workers and critical industries, but this will obviously only represent a fraction of normal business activity.

Bad month, worse month

There’s not a lot of point with our usual ‘good month, bad month’ summary for March, as factories and then dealers closing their doors mean that no-one in the industry is currently celebrating their results for the last month.

Some brands fell much further than the overall market while others performed better, but this will be dependent on the above factors as well as any decisions by manfuacturers and dealerships to pre-register unsold cars. However, it’s entirely possible that pre-registration activity may be less than we would normally see when sales take a tumble, as factory shutdowns will mean fewer cars arriving as soon as transportation operations resume in coming months, which will mean reduced pressure of unsold stock mounting up.

Golf to the fore

Of the quarter of a million new cars that did go out the door in March, the Volkswagen Golf proved most popular, ahead of the Ford Fiesta and Mini hatch. In year-to-date sales, the Golf moves up into second place, leapfrogging the Ford Focus and closing in on the best-selling Fiesta.

The bottom end of the top ten was a bit more interesting, with the Tesla Model 3 (listed as ‘Other’ because Tesla does not disclose its numbers to the SMMT) and Range Rover Evoque both making an appearance in a consumer-oriented month.

As usual, we’ll cover the top ten results in more detail later this week.

More car industry news and analysis at The Car Expert

Audi Q7

Stuart Masson

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6 April 2020

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Table of contents – Audi Q7

[–]

Summary

The Audi Q7 is a large SUV/crossover, the largest in Audi’s rapidly expanding model range. The current second-generation model was launched in 2015, with a mid-life update in 2019.

The Q7 range includes the flagship high-performance SQ7 model. There was previously a diesel-electric plug-in hybrid model, however this was dropped in 2019 when the range was updated and is now purely petrol-powered. Regular Q7 models have a choice of petrol or diesel power.

Both the Audi Q7 and SQ7 have received good reviews from the UK media, with the SQ7 averaging very slightly higher scores in most cases. The whole Q7 range has received particular praise for its comfort, refinement and cabin quality, which are all considered to be best in class.

However, the Q7 appears to be better to drive than to live with. According to our reliability data (see ‘Reliability rating’ section below), it has one of the worst reliability records of any car in our database. Running costs are also very high, which is not that surprising for a seven-seat, near-three-tonne, petrol or diesel SUV.

As of February 2026, the Audi Q7 has a New Car Expert Rating of D with a score of 55%, which is better than its Used Car Expert Rating score of E. This is dragged down because reliability and running costs are given more weight in our used car ratings.

More Audi Expert Ratings, reviews, news and features

Key specifications

Body style: Large SUV/crossover
Engines: petrol, diesel
Price: From £68,370 on-road

Launched: Summer 2015
Last updated: Spring 2024
Replacement due: TBA

Image gallery

Media reviews

Highlighted reviews and road tests from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

Featured reviews

“The Audi Q7 luxury SUV is practical and packed with hi-tech features, while it’s still capable enough of mixing it with premium rivals.”

Model reviewed: Range overview

Score: 8 / 10

Read full review

Auto Express

Paul Adam

“If you’re after a comfortable, practical seven-seat SUV then the Audi Q7 should be right at the top of your list. There are better options if you want a fun drive or a great plug-in hybrid engine, though.”

Model reviewed: Range overview

Score: 8 / 10

Read full review

Carwow

Tom Wiltshire

More reviews

The Car Expert

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic 50 TDI Sport
“One of the most comfortable cars on the market, combined with a luxurious interior and some fantastic engines, makes the Audi Q7 is a superb all-rounder.”
Read review

Auto Express

Model reviewed: 4.0-litre petrol automatic SQ7
Score: 7 / 10
“The Audi SQ7 makes a case for itself as the performance SUV to buy if you still value comfort alongside pace. It’s not as exciting as rivals from Mercedes or BMW, but its potential as a long-distance cruiser and its comfort around town, on less than ideal tarmac, is impressive.”
Read review

Model reviewed: 60 TFSIe 455ps Competition
Score: 8 / 10
“The Audi Q7 60 TFSIe Competition is a worthy addition to the large SUV range. It has the same abilities as other Q7s, of course – but it scores heavily on refinement and cabin tech.”
Read review

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The facelifted Q7 is still one of the best luxury SUVs in its class – but the 50 TDI will be a better pick for most buyers when it comes to running costs.”
Read review

Auto Trader

Model reviewed: 2024 facelift range
Score: 8 / 10
“The updated Audi Q7 still has a lot to offer, but it is feeling its age a bit now compared to newer (and cheaper) Audi stuff.”
Author: Mark Nichol
Read review

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“The Audi Q7 has always been an impressive seven-seat premium SUV and a mid-life refresh has done nothing to change that. It’s also one of the most spacious cars of its type, which means it will have plenty of appeal to families.”
Read review

Business Car

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre petrol/electric plug-in hybrid 55 TFSI e S line
Score: 7 / 10
“The Audi Q7 plug-in hybrid SUV impresses in many ways, but there’s a major flaw, and it comes in the form of Audi’s German arch-rivals. The plug-in hybrid versions of the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE both have bigger batteries than the TFSI e.”
Read review

Car

Model reviewed: 4.0-litre petrol automatic SQ7
Score: 8 / 10
“A new petrol-powered heart has made the Audi SQ7 a bit more of a lout under its buttoned-up exterior – louder and more aggressive and likes a drink a little more than before. But you’re still impressed by its breadth of talents.” (Ben Barry)
Read review

Model reviewed: plug-in hybrid models
Score: 8 / 10
“The hybrid to solve all of our problems? Nope. The electric-only range is only just acceptable, and the Q7 also loses one of its USPs – a seven-seat configuration – by translating itself into a PHEV. But it’s tremendously refined, comfortable, practical and, frankly, way faster than a hybrid ought to be.”
Read review

Model reviewed: (range review)
Score: 8 / 10
“Audi really didn’t need to make huge changes to the Q7. It’s had to move with the times and fall in line with the rest of the range, and the good news is the interior feels like an excellent blend of high-tech and luxurious.”
Read review

Model reviewed: SQ7
Score: 8 / 10
“In isolation, the Audi SQ7 is a wonderful thing. It’s a total techfest and certainly houses one of the best (and most interesting) motors you can currently buy.”
Read review

Car Keys

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic 50
Score: 9 / 10
“A refresh of the Audi Q7 has built further on a car that was already one of the best luxury SUVs on the new market. It’s fair to call this car one of most comfortable money can buy — while a luxurious cabin and impressive powertrains combine to make this a fantastic machine.”
Read review

Carbuyer

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8.6 / 10
“The huge Audi Q7 is powerful, has a fantastic interior and can be surprisingly affordable to run for such a large car.” (Andy Goodwin)
Read review

Carwow

Model reviewed: SQ7
Score: 7 / 10
“The Audi SQ7 is a seriously fast version of the seven-seat Q7 SUV but, while it has the pace to match some hot-hatches, it doesn’t feel all that dramatic to drive and it is very expensive.”
Read review

Company Car Today

Model reviewed: Plug-in hybrid automatic 55 TFSIe S line
“Definitely the Q7 of choice for the company market despite being more expensive to buy than the petrol or diesel versions, but rival PHEVs are hugely more tax-efficient as they get below the magic 50g/km marker for BiK.”
Read review

Model reviewed: petrol-electric plug-in hybrid 60 TFSIe S line
“The most fleet-friendly Audi Q7. It’s also the most appealing to use thanks to great efficiency, impressive performance and total refinement. But only five seats.”
Read review

Daily Mail

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic
Score: 10 / 10
“I was blown away by the looks, it accelerates and handles well and is big on storage. There is very little not to like.” (Chris Evans)
Read review

Evo

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7 / 10
“Better to drive and plenty of tech, but still behind rivals”
Read review

Green Car Guide

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel-electric plug-in hybrid
Score: 9 / 10
“For drivers who cover up to 20 miles or so locally between charges, and then undertake longer journeys, this car will offer better economy than a petrol plug-in hybrid, and if driven on electric power, it can offer zero tailpipe emissions in built-up areas – so much better than a conventional diesel.”
Read review

Heycar

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“The Audi Q7 is a prime example of what can be achieved through attention to detail. Leave no stone unturned, and great things can happen.”
Read review

Honest John

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 10 / 10
“Comfortable, quiet, practical and more efficient. You could almost say the Audi Q7 has been worth the wait.”
Read review

Motoring Research

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“Audi’s flagship SUV is suitably big, bold and brash. Launched in 2015, it oozes luxury, with an interior that’s as good as any rival.”
Read review

Parkers

Model reviewed: Range review
Score: 8.8 / 10
“Modern, imposing, capable and efficient full-sized SUV.”
Read review

Model reviewed: SQ7
Score: 8 / 10
“Audi’s seven-seater supercar-slayer”
Read review

The Sun

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic 45 TDI S line
“Audi’s facelifted Q7 feels luxurious and is actually quite fun to drive”
Read review

The Sunday Times

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic S line
Score: 6 / 10
“If Yoda were heading to the Highlands, he’d go in this” (AA Gill)
Read review

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic
Score: 8 / 10
“It can handle Namibia; the run to Nobu will be a breeze”
Read review

The Telegraph

Model reviewed: 3.0-litre diesel automatic 50 TDI Quattro S Line
Score: 10 / 10
“Decry big SUVs all you like – if people want them, the manufacturers will build them. And of them all, the Audi Q7 is the best at being a proper seven-seat family wagon with an upmarket bent. This facelift brings standard air suspension, making the Q7 more comfortable, as well as a host of other worthwhile upgrades. It’s worth waiting for.”
Read review

Top Gear

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“Not exactly revolutionary, but it makes plenty of sense… if you need this sort of thing.”
Read review

Model reviewed: 50 TDI
“This is an enormous, and quite enormously intimidating, ‘car’. Inverted commas, because it’s actually a tank masquerading as a friendly family-mobile, albeit an incredibly upmarket one.”
Read review

Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Overall score: 5 stars
Date tested: December 2019
Date expired: January 2026
Read the full Euro NCAP review

Adult protection: 92%
Child protection: 86%
Vulnerable road users: 71%
Safety assist: 72%

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

No eco rating

As of February 2026, the Audi Q7 has not been tested by Green NCAP.

Reliability rating

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

Total claims: 330
Average repair cost: £1085.67
Last updated: April 2025

Reliability score

All data based on MotorEasy average workshop costs for extended car warranty claims

The Audi Q7 has a very poor reliability score of just 10%, according to exclusive workshop data provided by our partner MotorEasy. This score covers both the current-generation Q7 and the original (pre-2015) version, and is one of the worst scores of any cars we track.

More than a quarter of warranty repairs relate to the car’s engine, which are unsurprisingly expensive with an average repair cost of more than £1,200. There are also plenty of reported warranty repairs for suspension and fuel systems, and these are unusually expensive as well, costing about £1,000 and £2,000 on average to repair, respectively. Gearbox problems are the fewest according to our data, but also the most expensive with an average repair bill of more than £2,200.

It’s not just our data that finds an issue with the Audi Q7’s reliability record, however. In 2022, warranty provider Warrantywise ranked the Q7 sixth in a table of the least reliable used cars (up to ten years old) on sale in the UK.

Given the below-average reliability score and potentially expensive bills, make sure any extended warranty cover you purchase for an Audi Q7 covers all of these potential problem areas.

Running cost rating

Monthly cost of ownership data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by Clear Vehicle Data

Fuel consumption	Average	Score
Petrol models	26 mpg	E
Diesel models	35 mpg	D
Plug-in hybrid models	214 mpg	A

CO₂ output	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Petrol models	245 g/km	E
Diesel models	210 g/km	D
Plug-in hybrid models	30 g/km	A

Battery range	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Plug-in hybrid models	51 miles	D

Insurance group	Average	Score	Variation	Score
All models	48	E

Service and maintenance	Cost	Score
Year 1	£387	D
Year 2	£950	E
Year 3	£1,579	E
Year 4	£1,927	E
Year 5	£2,443	E
Overall	£7,286	E

Running costs for the Audi Q7 range are very expensive, according to data provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our commercial partner, Clear Vehicle Data.

Fuel economy is disappointing for petrol models and moderately better for diesel-engined versions. The plug-in hybrid models look amazing on paper, but this is largely thanks to ridiculous EU/UK government lab tests that are completely inadequate for plug-in hybrids. There is no way you will ever travel for 112 miles on a single gallon (4.5 litres) of fuel and some electricity…

Compared to the rest of the large SUV sector, the car’s service and maintenance costs are pretty average. Insurance costs likely to be high, though, based on data from the UK’s insurance group assessor, Thatcham Research.

Recalls

Official DVSA safety recalls that have been issued for the Audi Q7

Jan 2024

Nov 2023

Feb 2022

Jun 2021

Dec 2020

May 2020

Apr 2020

Mar 2020

Feb 2020

Nov 2019

Feb 2019

Sep 2016

Date: January 2024
Recall number: R/2024/018
Model types: All
Build dates: 08/2023 to 10/2023
Number of vehicles affected: 187
Defect: The function of the side airbag may be restricted due to the airbag not being sufficiently secured to the front left seat frame.
Remedy: Conduct a check of the airbag to ensure it is secured correctly; if necessary the side airbag is to be correctly hooked in position and resecured.

Date: November 2023
Recall number: R/2023/331
Model types: All
Build dates: 06/2023
Number of vehicles affected: 13
Defect: A weld seam on the outer backrest frame of the front seats may not have been made correctly.
Remedy: Check the front seats and if required to replace the affected backrest.

Date: February 2022
Recall number: R/2022/036
Model types: All
Build dates: 11/2019 to 02/2021
Number of vehicles affected: 5,327
Defect: Following a previous campaign the toe and/or camber values on the rear axle may in certain circumstances incorrectly be changed without this being noticed.
Remedy: The wheel alignment must be checked and if necessary the suspension must be serviced on the affected vehicles.

Date: June 2021
Recall number: R/2021/236
Model types: All
Build dates: 11/2019 to 02/2021
Number of vehicles affected: 10,089
Defect: One or more nuts which do not meet the specifications may have been fitted on the rear axle suspension links.
Remedy: The affected nuts on the rear axle will be replaced on affected vehicles.

Date: December 2020
Recall number: R/2020/372
Model types: All
Build dates: 07/2020 to 09/2020
Number of vehicles affected: 31
Defect: Faulty crash sensors for airbag / restraint systems may have been fitted in both of the front doors.
Remedy: The crash sensors for the side airbags (front) must be checked on the vehicles affected and replaced if necessary.

Date: May 2020
Recall number: R/2020/135
Model types: All
Build dates: 09/2019 to 12/2019
Number of vehicles affected: 1,568
Defect: It is possible that gear oil may escape due to a faulty welded joint on the gearbox oil line.
Remedy: The production date of the gear oil line must be checked first on the vehicles affected and the gear oil line must be replaced if necessary.

Date: April 2020
Recall number: R/2020/124
Model types: All
Build dates: 07/2019 to 09/2019
Number of vehicles affected: 130
Defect: The function of the locking mechanism on the front head restraints may be impaired.
Remedy: The front head restraints must be replaced on the affected vehicles.

Date: March 2020
Recall number: R/2020/075
Model types: All
Build dates: 06/2015 to 02/2019
Number of vehicles affected: 114
Defect: The bolted connection between the steering shaft and the steering rack may not have been tightened to the required torque.
Remedy: The bolted connection between the steering shaft and the steering rack will be checked and if necessary replaced.

Date: February 2020
Recall number: R/2020/056
Model types: All
Build dates: 08/2019
Number of vehicles affected: 2
Defect: The fastener securing an air duct component in the curtain airbag could detach in the event of an accident.
Remedy: Replace the igniter on the affected vehicles curtain airbags.

Date: November 2019
Recall number: R/2019/395
Model types: All
Build dates: 08/2019 to 11/2019
Number of vehicles affected: 2,390
Defect: Major overheating can occur in the area of the interior mirror on the windscreen due to the heating element of the front camera.
Remedy: The backlight masking screen of the front camera must be replaced and a software update carried out.

Date: February 2019
Recall number: R/2019/065
Model types: All
Build dates: 11/2018 to 12/2018
Number of vehicles affected: 31
Defect: A casting process error may affect the rigidity of the front shock absorber fork.
Remedy: Replace the affected shock absorber forks.

Date: September 2016
Recall number: R/2016/220
Model types: All
Build dates: 05/2015 to 09/2016
Number of vehicles affected: 6,775
Defect: On Audi Q7 vehicles with 7 seats manufactured within a specific period the indentations on the cross piece of the third row of seats were not made correctly. As a result the third row seat structure may deform in the event of an accident.
Remedy: A support bracket must be retrofitted on the vehicles affected.

As of September 2024 (our most recent data point), there have been 12 DVSA vehicle safety recalls on this generation of the Audi Q7, addressing various different issues.

Not all vehicles are affected by recalls. You can check to see if your car is included in any of the above recalls by visiting the DVLA website or contacting your local Audi dealer.

If your car is affected by a recall, the vehicle must be repaired and you should not be charged for any work required. If you are buying a used Q7, you should insist that any outstanding recall work is completed before you take delivery of the vehicle.

Everything you need to know about UK vehicle recalls

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More information

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Buy an Audi Q7

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Mazda celebrates centenary with special edition models

Car manufacturer news

Jack Evans

-

5 April 2020

0

Mazda celebrates centenary with special edition models

Mazda is marking its centenary with the introduction of a range of special edition models over the course of this year.

The 100th Anniversary Special Edition series applies to all of Mazda’s key passenger cars across the globe, bringing unique styling touches and an overall design inspired by the firm’s first passenger car, the R360 Coupe.

All cars get a ‘Snowflake White’ exterior paint with contrasting burgundy interior carpets and leather seats. A unique 100th Anniversary badge is added to the floormats, key fob and is embossed into the headrests too.

This badge is also mirrored on the wheel centres and on the side of the car. The 100th Anniversary MX-5 benefits from a ‘Dark Cherry’ fabric folding roof as well.

Jeremy Thomson, Mazda UK managing director, said: “Mazda Corporation has created these special models as a token of appreciation for the customers who have supported us through the years. We’ll be proud to have special versions of the MX-5 Convertible, CX-30 and Mazda3 in our UK showrooms later this year.”

Originally slated to be revealed at the Geneva motor show – which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic – the models have instead been announced in Japan, where pre-orders for the cars are open now.

In the UK, the 100th Anniversary treatment will be available on the Mazda MX-5, Mazda CX-30 and Mazda 3 initially, with Mazda 6 and Mazda CX-5 models available at a later date. Just 100 examples of each will be available, with prices announced later in the year.

More Mazda news, ratings, reviews and features

Dacia Sandero (2013 to 2020)

Stuart Masson

-

5 April 2020

0

Summary

The Dacia Sandero was a supermini-size small five-door hatchback, best known for being the cheapest new car on sale in the UK for its entire production cycle, from the time it was launched here in 2013 to the time that it was replaced by a new model in 2021.

Size-wize, the Sandero was similar to a Ford Fiesta or Vauxhall Corsa. However, on price it undercut everything else in the supermini category considerably, and was similar to (but still cheaper than) the Hyundai i10 or Kia Picanto.

There was a more rugged version of the Sandero, called the Dacia Sandero Stepway. This is not covered on this page, and we have a separate page for that model, which rates exactly the same as the regular Sandero range.

This generation of the Sandero ended production in 2020. The all-new Sandero went on sale in the UK in February 2021.

The Dacia Sandero received generally positive reviews from the UK motoring media throughout its production life. Objectively, it performed fairly poorly in most areas compared to rivals, which was reflected in an overall Expert Rating that that was the lowest in the supermini class. But when price was taken into account, it generally made a good account of itself given that it was thousands of pounds cheaper than most similarly-sized rivals.

As of February 2026, the Dacia Sandero holds a Used Car Expert Rating of D, with a score of 58%. This is just behind the Sandero Stepway version. It scores top marks for its excellent reliability record and also gets good grades for its low running costs. However, its safety scores are poor compared to newer cars and media review scores were not very flattering.

Key specifications

Body style: Five-door hatchback
Engines: petrol, petrol/LPG dual-fuel
Price when new: From £6,995 on-road

Launched: Spring 2013
Replaced: Spring 2021

Image gallery

Media reviews

Highlighted reviews and road tests from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

The Car Expert

Model reviewed: Range overview
“The Dacia Sandero is a thoroughly competent supermini that performs way above its price.”
Read review

Auto Express

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“The Dacia Sandero is the UK’s value king, offering up more space and practicality than anything else in its price range”
Read review

Model reviewed: 1.0-litre petrol manual Ambiance
Score: 6 / 10
“The headline £5,995 pricetag of the no-frills Access model is tempting, but the £1,000 extra the Ambiance commands adds in essential kit such as air-con, electric front windows and even a DAB radio with Bluetooth. That makes it the real bargain in the range.”
Read review

Car

Model reviewed: 1.0-litre petrol manual Laureate
Score: 6 / 10
“The appeal of the Dacia Sandero lies in its simplicity and its honesty. It’s not trying to be fashionable, the best to drive or the highest quality, but what it does offer is heaps of space and plenty of equipment for very little money.”
Read review

Model reviewed: 0.9-litre petrol manual
Score: 6 / 10
“Austerity has never been so endearing. I can’t wait to park one next to the Range Rovers at Waitrose.”
Read review

Carbuyer

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7 / 10
“The Dacia Sandero is incredibly good value, with low running costs and great practicality – but don’t expect lavish materials or polished fit and finish”
Read review

Carwow

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“The Dacia Sandero is one of the cheapest cars on sale in the UK. The Ford Ka+, Volkswagen Up and Hyundai i10 rival it on price, but the Sandero is bigger than all of them.”
Read review

Daily Mail

Model reviewed: 0.9-litre petrol manual
Score: 8 / 10
“If I needed a runabout, I would buy this car above any other on the market today” (Chris Evans)
Read review

Heycar

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“We always say that any car is a good car if it’s cheap enough, and on that score the Dacia Sandero is an absolutely brilliant car. Yes, it’s flawed in terms of its interior quality, its refinement and its level of luxury and safety equipment, but it’s good at plenty of other stuff, and at these prices, there can be no complaints.”
Read review

Honest John

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“It’s easy to forgive the Dacia Sandero’s shortcomings. Even if you skip the headline-grabbing model and opt for something pricier it still represents excellent value for money, with all the features most drivers could ask for, plus low running costs and plenty of practical space. It’s a real bargain.”
Read review

Model reviewed: 0.9-litre petrol manual
“Compared to more well known models, the Dacia Sandero is a passable car. It lacks polish and feels a little old fashioned, but if you add the low prices it offers it’s easy to forgive its flaws. Add to that some inexpensive finance deals and the Sandero makes a compelling case for itself.”
Read review

Parkers

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6.6 / 10
“Bargain basement prices but rich in roominess”
Read review

The Sunday Times

Model reviewed: 1.2-litre petrol manual Ambiance
Score: 4 / 10
“Seriously good value, but the budget price shows”
Read review

Model reviewed: 1.2-litre petrol manual Access
Score: 4 / 10
“Sometimes you get what you pay for” (Jeremy Clarkson)
Read review

The Telegraph

Model reviewed: 0.9-litre petrol manual Ambiance
Score: 6 / 10
“Yes, it’s a budget car but look beyond the headline low prices and you’ll find the Dacia Sandero comfortable and capable enough. The fact that it now comes with a bit more equipment makes it even more tempting than before.”
Read review

Top Gear

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7 / 10
“The Dacia Sandero is deservedly doing well: a reasonable car for a frankly astonishing price.”
Read review

Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Overall score: 4 stars
Date tested: May 2013
Date expired: January 2020
Read the full Euro NCAP review

Adult protection: 80%
Child protection: 79%
Vulnerable road users: 57%
Safety assist: 55%

Notes on safety rating

The Dacia Sandero was awarded a four-star safety rating from Euro NCAP back when this model was launched in 2013. However, this rating expired in January 2020 as the Sandero no longer met the requirements for a four-star car. This is normal practice, as Euro NCAP reviews its ratings on most cars annually with most ratings expiring after about six or seven years.

However, if you are comparing a used Dacia Sandero to vehicles of similar age, whose ratings will have probably also expired, its safety rating score is still useful.

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

No eco rating

The Dacia Sandero was never assessed by Green NCAP during its production life.

Reliability rating

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

Total claims: 14
Average repair cost: £419.72
Last updated: April 2025

Reliability score

All data based on MotorEasy average workshop costs for extended car warranty claims

As of April 2025 (our most recent data point), the Dacia Sandero range (including the Stepway) has a good reliability score, according to workshop and warranty data provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our partner, MotorEasy.

Although only based on a relatively small number of cars so far, the average repair bill is less than £400. This is reasonable, although it should be noted that engine repairs to date have been more expensive, with an average repair cost of nearly £800.

Awards

Trophies, prizes and awards that the Dacia Sandero has received

2019

Diesel & Eco Car Awards – Best Budget Used Car

2018

Diesel & Eco Car Awards – Best Budget Used Car
Honest John Satisfaction Index – Best Small Hatchback

2017

Car Dealer Used Car Awards – Best Mid-Sized Used Car

2014

Honest John Awards – Best Small Hatchback

Buy a Dacia Sandero

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Rolls-Royce Phantom

Stuart Masson

-

4 April 2020

0

Summary

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is a large luxury saloon and the flagship of the Rolls-Royce range. It is available in two different lengths, with the longer model providing additional rear legroom. The current model is the eighth generation to carry the Phantom name and went on sale in the UK in late 2017.

The Phantom is comfortably the most expensive saloon car on sale in the UK, starting at about £360,000, and Rolls-Royce claims that most owners will spend substantial money over and above that price to personalise their cars in various ways.

The only engine available is a 6.8-litre petrol V12 unit supplied by Rolls-Royce’s parent company, BMW. All models are built at Rolls-Royce’s factory at Goodwood in West Sussex, England.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom has received universally high praise from the UK motoring media, and has been one of the highest-rated cars we’ve analysed with The Car Expert’s unique Expert Rating Index in recent years.

However, as our Expert Rating scores now account for emissions and running costs as well as reviewer praise, the Rolls-Royce Phantom holds a New Car Rating of D with a score of 58% as of March 2026.

The Phantom has been particularly complimented for its build quality and unparalleled luxury, with the only criticisms being that it is very expensive (obviously) and the running costs are similarly eye-watering.

More Rolls-Royce ratings, reviews, news and features

The Car Expert Best of British horizontal banner

Key specifications

Body style: large saloon
Engine: petrol
Price: From £360,000 on-road

Launched: Summer 2017
Last updated: N/A
Replacement due: TBA

Image gallery

Media reviews

Highlighted reviews and road tests from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

Auto Express

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 10 / 10
“The new Rolls-Royce Phantom offers wealthy owners the ultimate in luxury, comfort and opulence.”
Read review

Car

Model reviewed: Series II
Score: 10 / 10
“You may encounter some envy in the Rolls-Royce Phantom, and you may find yourself questioning how much sense any of this makes when there’s a cost of living crisis and a climate crisis. But then you settle down in those glorious seats, press the starter button and waft away from such concerns…” (Colin Overland)
Read review

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 10 / 10
“Best luxury saloon car in the world? Yes, and by some margin. The Bentley Mulsanne and top-end Maybach version of the Mercedes S-class don’t even come close to the Rolls-Royce Phantom’s astonishingly blend of comfort, opulence, craftsmanship and sheer presence.”
Read review

Carbuyer

Score: 7.2 / 10
“The Rolls-Royce Phantom has evolved into an even more comfortable, elegant and bespoke model than before. You could be looking at the world’s most opulent car.”
Read review

Company Car Today

“The Rolls-Royce Phantom is one of the most imposing, iconic and luxurious cars in the world. The view down the long, long bonnet and the light steering, combined with the huge bulk that feels every gramme of its 2.5 tonnes, gives a feel like driving no other car could.”
Read review

Daily Mail

Model reviewed: Range overview
“For a car so large and expensive and imposing, the Rolls-Royce Phantom is surprisingly easy to drive and nimble”
Read review

Motoring Research

Score: 10 / 10
“Frankly, whether you’re asleep on the autobahn or simply chauffeuring your mum to her 70th birthday lunch, the Rolls-Royce Phantom endows every journey with a sense of occasion. I can’t think of a better car for an epic, cross-continental road trip.”
Author: Tim Pitt
Read review

Parkers

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8.8 / 10
“‘Best car in the world’? It’s up there…”
Read review

The Telegraph

Score: 10 / 10
“Such is the level of luxury and refinement that it’s almost impossible to make comparisons, but rest assured the world’s super-rich can confidently claim to own the best car in the world – whether they drive their Phantom or let the chauffeur do the work. Peerless.”
Read review

Top Gear

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“Nothing in life is perfect but the Rolls-Royce Phantom gets close. An imperious, impeccably engineered automotive experience.”
Read review

Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

No safety rating

The Rolls-Royce Phantom was not crash tested by Euro NCAP when it was launched in 2017 and we are not expecting it to see a series of £350K+ saloons smashed into walls and poles so that a few plutocrats can feel better about their prospects in an emergency.

If it does, we will update this section accordingly because you’ll probably want to watch the videos.

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

No eco rating

As of March 2026, the Rolls-Royce Phantom has not been tested by Green NCAP. Again, not expecting it to happen anytime soon, so you’ll have to use your imagination to work out how environmentally friendly a three-tonne saloon powered by a 6.8-litre petrol V12 might be.

Reliability rating

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

No reliability rating

As of March 2026, we don’t have enough reliability data on the Rolls-Royce Phantom to generate a reliability rating.

The Car Expert’s reliability information is provided exclusively to us using workshop and extended warranty data from our partner, MotorEasy, sourced from both official dealerships and independent workshops.

As soon as MotorEasy has sufficient data on the Phantom, we’ll publish the results here.

Running cost rating

Monthly cost of ownership data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by Clear Vehicle Data

Fuel consumption	Average	Score
Petrol models	18 mpg	E

CO₂ output	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Petrol models	342 g/km	E

Insurance group	Average	Score	Variation	Score
All models	50	F

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is – unsurprisingly – a very expensive car to own and run, according to whole-life cost data provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our technical partner, Clear Vehicle Data.

For evidence of how costly this saloon is to drive on a daily basis, look no further than the poor CO₂ output and similarly poor fuel consumption. Mind you, that’s exactly what you’d expect from a heavy saloon powered by an enormous V12 petrol engine.

We don’t have servicing costs for the Phantom at the moment, but as the saying goes: if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it…

Awards

Trophies, prizes and awards that the Rolls-Royce Phantom has received

2018

UK Car of the Year Awards – Best Luxury Car
GQ Car Awards – Best Supernatural Driving Experience

2017

Top Gear Awards – Best Luxury Car

Similar cars

If you’re looking at the Rolls-Royce Phantom, you might also be interested in these alternatives

Bentley Flying Spur | Mercedes-Maybach S-Class | Range Rover | Rolls-Royce Cullinan | Rolls-Royce Ghost

More Rolls-Royce ratings, reviews, news and features

Buy a Rolls-Royce Phantom

If you’re looking for a new or used Rolls-Royce Phantom, The Car Expert’s partners can help you find the right car or a competitive finance arrangement

Find your next used car with Motors. Find out more

Find your next new or used car with Auto Trader. Find out more

Find your next new or used car with Carwow. Find out more

New car sales collapse across Europe

Car industry news

Stuart Masson

-

4 April 2020

0

New car registrations have collapsed across Europe as a result of coronavirus shutdowns, according to data published in the last day or so. UK registration data for March is dur to be published on Monday morning, and will inevitably show the same devastating results.

European results published so far have shown that new car registrations have collapsed by 85% in Italy, 72% in France, 69% in Spain and 38% in Germany. These are the four biggest car markets in the EU, and Italy in particular was the first country to go into widespread lockdown.

What can we expect in the UK?

March is traditionally the biggest month of the year for new car sales in the UK, as buyers flock to buy or lease a new car with the latest registration plates (in this case, a 20-plate registration). However, with most car dealers now closed and the majority of the population stuck at home, sales numbers look set to tumble. A number of cars would have been registered and delivered in the first few days of the month, but this came to almost a complete halt in the last couple of weeks.

Here in the UK, more than half of all new car sales are fleet registrations. Based on European data, this sector is likely to be hit hard as rental companies stop taking deliveries of new cars and other companies defer replacing company cars as much as possible. Any business that is able to cancel or defer new vehicle purchases is likely to be doing so.

March is always a big month proportionally for private new car sales (comsumers tend to care more about their number plates than businesses), so final numbers are likely to depend on how many new car buyers were able to get into a new car before the lockdowns took hold.

Depending on how long the current shutdown lasts, there may be a boost to new car sales once dealers eventually re-open in May/June/July/whenever, but the likelihood is that any customers who are able to wait are more likely to put off any new car purchase until the next number plate change in September (when 70-plate registrations begin).

There is some good news, albeit with complications, for the industry in that more than 80% of all private new cars are made with PCP car finance, which means that tens of thousands of customers will need to change their car and don’t have the option of waiting. The complicated bit is that thousands of customers have PCP agreements that are expiring now while dealerships are closed and they physically can’t buy a new car. We have reached out to a number of finance companies for comment on how they are managing this, and will update our site with advice as soon as we can.

How bad will the March meltdown be?

We’re expecting March new car registrations to be published on Monday 6 April. Depending on how many cars dealers were able to deliver, and how many self-registrations took place, we could be looking at a fall of anything from 50% to 80% compared to the same month last year. There will also probably be widespread variation across the industry, with some companies coping better than others.

Given that March is the biggest month of the year for new car sales, this is going to be a devastating blow for the industry. April is inevitably going to be more of the same gloom, since the nationwide lockdown is unlikely to be lifted in time to allow any significant sales, and May is very much an unknown at this point.

This is going to have widespread ramifications for dealerships, in particular. Larger PLC dealerships may look at permanently closing some sites and some smaller business may simply not survive. It also comes at a difficult time for the car industry, which is grappling with a move towards online sales. This is very likely to accelerate that shift and similarly hasten the end of many new car showrooms across the country.

Will we see loads of pre-registered cars hitting the market?

Whenever sales take a sharp fall below expectations, car companies and dealerships tend to self-register a lot of cars to prop up their numbers, rather than leaving new cars unsold. This is because of the nature of the entire car industry ecosystem, where there are new cars continuing to arrive from factories every week that need to be sold and long lead times to ramp up or wind down production to match demand levels in any particular market.

This usually means extra service loan cars, demonstrator models, press vehicles, VIP loan vehicles and any other way that the industry can register cars and put them to good use. On top of that, they will simply register thousands of brand new cars in their own name and stick them in a field somewhere for three months to be sold as pre-registered used cars at a later date. That would mean these cars hitting used car forecourts sometime in summer.

In the current climate, many car companies and dealers certainly will have been self-registering thousands and thousands of vehicles in order to salvage their registration numbers, although across the entire industry it’s probably happened to the high degree we usually see when sales numbers take a tumble.

With almost all car factories shut down all around the world, there will be far fewer cars in the production pipeline for the next few months, which will have taken some of the pressure off dealers to clear their existing stocks before having to close their doors.

You might also like: Should I buy a pre-registered car?

More car industry news at The Car Expert

Aston Martin Vantage (2018 to 2024)

Stuart Masson

-

3 April 2020

0

Summary

The Aston Martin Vantage was a luxury two-seater sports car available as both a coupé and a roadster. It was the entry-level sports car in the Aston Martin range, although any car with a six-figure price tag is hardly ‘entry-level’.

This model was launched in 2018, and was comprehensively overhauled in 2024. Although it’s an update to the existing model rather than an all-new car, the changes are so comprehensive that we’re creating a new Expert Rating for the new model, which is coming soon.

The 2018-24 Vantage had a twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine supplied by Mercedes-AMG, and there was a higher-performance model called the Vantage AMR. All models were built in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

The Aston Martin Vantage received unanimously positive reviews from the UK motoring media, although not to the same rapturous degree as the current 992-generation Porsche 911. It was considered to be a huge step forward dynamically from the previous-generation Vantage, and performance was excellent.

The styling received mixed reviews, especially regarding the enormous grille, while the only real objective criticism was that it wasn’t quite as good as the Porsche 911 in most areas.

As of February 2026, the Aston Martin Vantage holds a Used Car Expert Rating of E, with a score of 52%. Although it received many positive media reviews, its overall score suffered from very high CO₂ emissions and running costs.

More Aston Martin Expert Ratings, new car reviews, news and features

Key specifications

Body style: coupe / convertible
Engine: petrol V8
Price when new: From £123,500 on-road

Launched: Summer 2018
Last updated: Spring 2020
Replaced: Summer 2024

Image gallery

Media reviews

Highlighted reviews and road tests from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

The Car Expert

“In the latest Vantage, Aston Martin has a sports car to be proud of. It performs as such a beast should, behaves itself when the need arises and oozes quality outside and in.”
Read review

Auto Express

Model reviewed: F1 Edition
Score: 8 / 10
“The Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition is an extreme and expensive new version of a car we already know and mostly love, with improved performance, steering and handling, and tweaks to the interior that make it feel more special than before.”
Read review

Model reviewed: Roadster
Score: 8 / 10
“Qualities that make the fixed-roof Aston Martin Vantage a fine grand tourer are still in abundance in the Roadster – combined with the ability to drop the top in just seven seconds.”
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Model reviewed: Roadster
Score: 8 / 10
“This highly engaging new Aston Martin Vantage Roadster takes the fight right to the front door of German rivals Porsche, Mercedes-AMG and Audi in the high-end convertible sports car stakes. True, this is an expensive car, but the latest open-top Aston is also quick, capable and extremely desirable.”
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Model reviewed: AMR
Score: 7 / 10
“There are many things to like about the Aston Martin Vantage AMR, not least the way it looks and sounds.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Aston Martin Vantage is a huge step up from the model that went before it. Its performance and refinement are exceptional, and for those looking for a brilliantly well-rounded sports coupe it has very few peers indeed.”
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Auto Trader

Model reviewed: Vantage coupé range
Score: 8.4 / 10
“The new Vantage is Aston Martin’s feral sports car. The Vantage has ramped up its assault on rivals from Porsche, Audi and Jaguar and is a true weekend warrior, striking a great balance between scintillating performance and everyday usability.”
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Car

Model reviewed: Roadster
Score: 8 / 10
“Like the Coupe, the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster is not perfect. It has its flaws and will face the stiffest of competition from the likes of the Porsche 911 Cabriolet. And yet, to this road tester at least, the Aston Martin is one to go for.”
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Model reviewed: AMR
Score: 8 / 10
The new Aston Martin Vantage AMR is Aston’s first crack at a more serious baby sports car and it’s packing a seven-speed manual.
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The new Aston Martin Vantage is a highly convincing sports car, and a solid improvement over its predecessor. Despite the similarities in hardware, its more aggressive personality also succeeds in clearly differentiating the Vantage from the larger, softer DB11.”
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Carbuyer

Model reviewed: Coupé
Score: 8.6 / 10
“The stylish Aston Martin Vantage is one of the most enjoyable, capable and characterful cars in its class”
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Daily Mail

Model reviewed: Roadster
“In an ideal world, I’d pick the Vantage Roadster with a manual ‘box for the best combination of enjoyment and engagement. But even without the stick shift, the convertible still wins me over with the added drama it brings.”
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Model reviewed: 4.0-litre petrol manual AMR
“The marginal loss of pace in comparison to the automatic is more than made up for by the enhanced feeling of really driving the manual car that creates the added excitement, engagement and exhilaration.”
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“In today’s highly competitive world of motoring, a movie link to a legendary spy is not enough. It won’t cut. The car really has to deliver. And it does.”
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Daily Mirror

Model reviewed: 4.0-litre petrol automatic coupé
Score: 8 / 10
“I’ve driven more expensive vehicles but never have I seen one bring so many smiles to people who stop and point and wave; and other drivers are also noticeably keener than usual to make way for you than when you are at the wheel of other cars.”
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Evo

Model reviewed: AMR
Score: 9 / 10
“A more involving and agile Vantage with a more clearly defined character.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“Fast and fun Aston Martin Vantage is very different to its predecessor, but fun, and faster than ever.”
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Heycar

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“A brilliant, engaging and enjoyable sports car, with huge performance and a distinctive, atelier feel that Aston Martin excels at. The pugnacious styling might be more divisive than the clear beauty of its predecessor, but it’s striking, confident and far less traditional.”
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Honest John

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 10 / 10
“You’re blown away when you see it, but to drive it is to love it. The engine is keen to push forward, the noise addictive, and cornering incredible. It comes with a sweet eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox that’s smooth as silk around town and hugely engaging at speed.”
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Motoring Research

Model reviewed: F1 Edition
Score: 8 / 10
“Many small changes add up to the best Vantage yet. This is still a flawed car in some respects, particularly its interior and infotainment, but it has so much character – backed up by real dynamic talent – that you probably won’t care.”
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Model reviewed: Coupé range
Score: 8 / 10
“The Aston Martin Vantage is a sports car, pure and simple. It is a British rival to the Porsche 911, powered by a rip-roaring V8 engine.”
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Model reviewed: Roadster range
“The Aston Martin Vantage Roadster is an intelligent car, with a cultured depth to the way it flows across-country. It’s a car you drive with your fingertips, in a relaxed and enjoyable way. It is effortless and remains unruffled – a very British type of open-top sports car. And a very fast one, too.”
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Parkers

Model reviewed: Volante
Score: 8.6 / 10
“Baby Aston roadster takes on Porsche 911 Cabriolet”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8.2 / 10
“Long overdue replacement for Aston’s best-selling sports car.”
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The Sun

Model reviewed: Vantage AMR manual
“The Aston Martin Vantage’s 4.0-litre V8 engine sounds so epic you’ll be applauded by strangers”
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The Sunday Times

Model reviewed: Range overview
“A bit on the dim side, but still a total belter” (Jeremy Clarkson)
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“A superb blend of British beauty and German engineering”
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The Telegraph

Model reviewed: F1 Edition
Score: 8 / 10
“You don’t need to be obsessed with Formula 1 to appreciate the fine work that’s been done on the chassis and drivetrain of this already likeable two-seat GT. There was no need to sell it solely in lairy colours, with F1 badging, but if you can put up with that then this is a quite lovely piece of kit.”
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“The V8 Vantage is all things to all Englishmen, a sort of automotive panacea for motorists otherwise wary of compromise.”
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Score: 8 / 10
“Likeable and fast sports GT, comfortable, with a surprising amount of practicality. It enters a crowded market where some equally charismatic rivals are as quick, much cheaper and a lot more economical, and there were slightly worrying inconsistencies about the test cars provided.”
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Top Gear

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“Punchy, exciting, yet still big-hearted and amazingly comfortable. The baby Aston is also the best Aston.”
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Model reviewed: AMR
Score: 8 / 10
“Sat in the middle of all 200 examples is – hurrah! – a manual gearbox. Y’know, like they used in the olden days.”
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Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

No safety rating

The Aston Martin Vantage was never tested by Euro NCAP during its production life. This is not unusual, given the car’s price and exclusivity.

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

No eco rating

The Aston Martin Vantage was never tested by Green NCAP during its production life, so you’ll have to guess just how eco-friendly a 500hp twin-turbo V8 supercar might be…

Reliability rating

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

No reliability rating

As of February 2026, we don’t have enough reliability data on the Aston Martin Vantage to generate a reliability rating.

The Car Expert’s reliability information is provided exclusively to us using workshop and extended warranty data from our partner, MotorEasy, sourced from both official dealerships and independent workshops.

As soon as MotorEasy has sufficient data on the Vantage, we’ll publish the results here.

Running cost rating

Monthly cost of ownership data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by Clear Vehicle Data

Fuel consumption	Average	Score
Petrol models	25 mpg	E

CO₂ output	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Petrol models	269 g/km	E

Insurance group	Average	Score	Variation	Score
All models	50	F

According to data exclusively provided by our commercial partner Clear Vehicle Data, the Aston Martin Vantage has a thirsty petrol engine that is very expensive to run day-to-day, and it has some of the most expensive insurance premiums around.

Recalls

Official DVSA safety recalls that have been issued for the Aston Martin Vantage

Date: October 2020
Model types: All Vantage, DB11 and DBS
Build dates: 08/2016 to 05/2019
Number of vehicles affected: 20
Defect: Certain fixings on the front seat airbag may not have been tightened to the correct torque.
Remedy: Examine the front seat airbag fixings and if necessary secure the fixings.

Date: November 2019
Model types: All Vantage, DB11 and DBS
Build dates: 11/2017 to 02/2019
Number of vehicles affected: 15
Defect: Vehicles may not have had their passenger airbag fixings tightened to the correct torque specification.
Remedy: Examine the passenger airbag fixings and if necessary secure the fixings.

As of September 2024 (our most recent data point), there have been two DVSA vehicle safety recalls on the Aston Martin Vantage, which also affect the DB11 and DBS models. These cover airbag mountings.

Not all vehicles are affected by recalls. You can check to see if your car is included in any of the above recalls by visiting the DVLA website or contacting your local Aston Martin dealer.

If your car is affected by a recall, the vehicle must be repaired and you should not be charged for any work required. If you are buying a used Vantage, you should insist that any outstanding recall work is completed before you take delivery of the vehicle.