Auto Express, Carwow Studio Limited: 2nd Floor, Verde Building, 10 Bressenden Place, London (2026)

02/09/2026

New Polestar 4 revealed: the coupe SUV's most controversial feature is gone! 🪟🔙😲

The Polestar 4 is the Swedish-slash-Chinese car maker’s most popular model. It outsells the Tesla-rivalling Polestar 2, with more than 10,000 4s finding homes in the UK over the last 12 months. All this despite its compromised, coupé-like shape.

But compromise no more, because the Polestar 4 SUV is here. It brings more space, more range and, crucially, a lower price. A rival to the game-changing BMW iX3 and new competitors such as the Mercedes GLC and Volvo EX60, it’ll go on sale later this year priced from £54,750 – up to £3,000 less than the coupé, which is currently available to lease through Auto Express for under £600 per month.

Those with a keen eye will notice that the Polestar 4’s most divisive feature is gone: the upright back end now features a rear window. By keeping the roofline high, the almost estate-like body hides a larger boot and greater headroom (25mm) for those in the back. The lighting arrangement – including the so-called coupé’s full-width lightbar – has been carried over to the SUV.

02/09/2026

New Range Rover Electric revealed: How far does it go? How much is it? And why is it so late? 🇬🇧⚡⏰

Today, the Range Rover Electric is finally laid bare in all its technical detail, with the range, price, acceleration and weight revealed as customer orders officially begin for the “ultimate Range Rover”.

Those are the words of global project manager Rachel Hogg, who’s spent five years running the programme to make the zero-emission luxury SUV a reality. It’s a journey that’s been the polar opposite of a Range Rover’s typically imperious progress, running two years behind schedule due to a huge hardware U-turn and a dogged determination to engineer the benchmark for quiet, powerful and efficient electric SUVs.

Production of the Range Rover Electric EV550 – available in both standard and long-wheelbase forms – has begun, with cars due in retailers in late 2026. Its Range Rover Sport Electric sibling, packing the same powertrain, follows soon after. Land Rover says the battery, motors and thermal management system have been developed entirely in-house, to maximise performance and range, and because ‘off-the-shelf’ components proved unsuitable.

01/09/2026

BMW iX3 beats Mercedes GLC and Volvo EX60 in premium EV SUV face-off ⚡💥💪🏋‍♀

We really rate the BMW iX3 here at Auto Express. It was the first model to use the German firm’s next-generation electric-car technology, and we were so impressed with it that we crowned it the best Premium Electric Car and Mid-size Premium SUV in our New Car Awards back in June; it was in the running to take our Car of the Year title, too.

But the new-car market never stands still. While the iX3 saw off the challenge of rivals from Tesla, Audi, Alpine and Lexus when we first got our hands on it, there are two new premium electric SUVs ready to do battle.

The latest arrival in the sector is the Volvo EX60, which joins the EX30, EX40 and EX90 to give the Swedish firm an electric SUV to suit all budgets and use cases. Does the mid-sized model deliver on range, performance and luxury to give the iX3 a run for its money?

Mercedes is considered a natural rival for BMW, and the German manufacturer joins the fray with the GLC Electric, a replacement for the EQC that sticks with the ICE model’s badge. Make no mistake, though, this is a pure EV on a bespoke platform and is packed with the kind of advanced tech that we’ve become accustomed to from the three-pointed star.

So the big question is whether our double New Car Awards winner from BMW can still come out on top against its fresh competition from Volvo and Mercedes. Our in-depth triple road test will reveal all.

Verdict
Which electric SUV came out on top?

Winner: BMW iX3
When a car such as the BMW iX3 rewrites the rulebook, it proves to be very hard for its direct rivals to beat. It’s moved the game on for the whole EV market, and its performance, efficiency and practicality put it on top here. Some might find the ride a little too firm for their liking, but it’s not a deal breaker in a car that delivers one of the most convincing EV ownership propositions around.

Runner-up: Volvo EX60
With a long range, stylish looks, a premium interior, comfortable ride and strong performance, the EX60 is an appealing package that deserves to do well. It’s a great alternative to the iX3 that isn’t quite as efficient, and is pricey if you upgrade to the biggest battery. Even the mid-range P10 model has more power than is really necessary, but cabin space is decent and the on-board tech is easy to get along with. We’d like to see a bit more cabin storage to boost its practicality.

Third: Mercedes GLC
The GLC finishes third, but in truth both it and the Volvo are worthy runners-up to the BMW. Where the EX60 offers minimalist design, the Mercedes goes all-out with advanced tech, high-quality materials and novel lighting. It’s the most comfortable car of our trio, while excellent efficiency is appealing – it’s a shame that there isn’t an even larger battery to take advantage of it. Prices are higher overall, too, but the GLC is a premium product that showcases Mercedes’ EV tech.

01/09/2026

New Lexus NX update brings next-gen hybrid tech and dynamics honed on the Nurburgring 💥😎🙀

Next-generation hybrid power; a striking new look; the latest interior tech; and a ride tuned on the Nurburgring – these are the headline upgrades of the new facelifted Lexus NX. The Japanese brand’s updated mid-size SUV will go on sale next year, with the long list of revisions aimed at keeping it competitive against premium mid-size SUV rivals like the BMW X3 and Audi Q5.

As before, the Lexus NX will be available in both 350h full-hybrid and 450h+ plug-in hybrid (PHEV) guises. However, Lexus says the NX now adopts its latest sixth-generation hybrid technology which brings a significant boost in efficiency.
The PHEV’s battery, for example, has now increased in size from 18 to 23kWh, boosting electric-only range from 46 to 60 miles. It can now be recharged in under 30 minutes thanks to DC fast charging capability. Power has also been bumped to 303bhp (up from 288bhp), and this reduces the time the NX takes to get from 0-62mph to just 6.1 seconds – 0.2 seconds faster than before.

Improvements in battery cooling mean Lexus has been able to reduce the number of cells in the NX full-hybrid model’s battery. Power in this version stays the same at 196bhp but thanks to the reduction in weight from the battery changes, it can accelerate much faster; four-wheel drive 350h models now reach 62mph in 7.3 seconds (down from 8.1 seconds), while front-wheel drive cars now take 7.7 seconds. The latter configuration has not been offered in the UK for a couple of years, though, and it’s unclear whether this latest update will change that.

31/08/2026

New Dacia Sandero will embrace electric, but still give a pat on the back to petrol ⚡💥⛽

The all-new Dacia Sandero due in 2028 will be the first car from the Renault Group to feature both petrol and electric powertrains.

We caught wind of the new Sandero almost 18 months ago, when then-CEO of Dacia, Denis Le Vot, confirmed the car was coming with a mix of electric and combustion powertrains. He told us that the market “is not yet there to go only electric”, but that the ICE options will “most likely be completely hybrids”.

Recent conversations with UK managing director Lina Ribeiro confirmed that plans are still on track to deliver a new, multi-fuel Sandero for 2028 – and that the model will once again spawn a jacked-up, rugged Dacia Sandero Stepway variant, previewed here in our exclusive image.

Dacia’s role as the Renault Group’s budget brand will play a big part in the level of tech offered in the new Sandero. It’s assumed, therefore, that instead of using the bespoke AmpR electric-car architecture found underneath the Renault 4, Renault 5 and forthcoming Renault Twingo, Dacia’s supermini will build on the existing CMF-B platform, adapted to cater for both hybrid and EV powertrains.

30/08/2026

The VW Campervan goes EV! Say hello to the ID. California Cruise 😎🌞🤙🏖

Volkswagen has revealed a new campervan version of its ID. Buzz called the VW ID.California Cruise. The new vehicle answers a call customers have been making since VW first announced it was working on the retro VW van revival project that gave us the ID.Buzz, and is a step on from the ID. Buzz Good-Night option package launched earlier this year.

With its fully-electric powertrain, the new ID. California Cruise promises a camping experience that isn’t at all retro. The on-board power source has allowed VW to package in some very handy innovations.

Structurally, the ID. California Cruise is available based on both the short and long-wheelbase versions of the ID.Buzz, and offers a specialised camping experience for two. The cabin is fitted with a newly-designed folding mattress that’s 1.2m wide and just over 2m long. This sits over the rear seats, and folds neatly into a dedicated area by the tailgate when not in use.

A range of bespoke camping furniture is also included, including two folding chairs and a table that can be slipped into a dedicated space above the mattress. There are also ventilation grilles and tailored black-out covers for the windscreen and windows, while cars fitted with a panoramic sunroof are also supplied with a light-proof cover. All of these components are stored neatly in specific compartments inside the vehicle.

29/08/2026

Volvo still loves estate cars but one thing is stopping it making a new one… 🇸🇪😎💥

Volvo has long been recognised as the undisputed king of estate cars, but it still won’t commit to any plans for a new one for a very simple reason – it’s unsure whether there’s enough people who haven’t been converted to SUVs that would buy one.

It wasn’t that long ago that the Swedish brand had four different estates in its showrooms, but now just one remains, the V60, after the larger V90 went out of production last year.

Load-lugger fans can rest assured, though, that there are no plans to axe the V60. UK boss Nicole Melillo Shaw promised us: “We’ll keep it going until such time as we can’t.”

Volvo did discontinue the firm’s existing V60 and V90 models in 2023, but they returned a year later thanks to popular demand and an outcry on social media, with the brand’s sales boss later admitting to us the decision was a mistake. Rivals BMW, Mercedes and Audi, plus several other marques, are also making new models, so clearly there is still some love for the humble estate.

“From my perspective, it’s always great to have a representation of the iconic heritage of your brand across the range,” Melillo Shaw said. “Even if it’s not in multiple variants, just to have that… I think that’s ideal. And having that alongside the newer innovation really demonstrates our commitment to all cars, whether they're estates, saloons or SUVs.”

Believe it or not, the UK is the third biggest market for Volvo worldwide, behind only China and America, and Melillo Shaw understands that Brits’ love for the brand comes from nostalgia. She continued: “When I talk to people, there’s a huge amount of nostalgia. It’s ‘my grandad had one’ or ‘my dad had one’. A lot of people actually apply to work at Volvo because of that.

“I think that is really important, particularly in the market we're in now. People have a genuine love for the brand. It’s because it’s not coming from a functional perspective, it’s coming from an emotional connection.”

29/08/2026

A blast from VW's super-efficient past - who remembers the XL1?

It's a 300mpg diesel!

28/08/2026

New Volkswagen ID. Tiguan will move a long, long way from its ID.4 roots 🌳⚡💡💥

We’ve caught the facelifted Volkswagen ID.4 testing several times, and it appears that the new car is almost ready to shed its camouflage, judging by our latest spy pictures.

Not only will the updated ID.4 get a new look, but we expect an array of technical tweaks to be brought over from the heavily revised ID.3 Neo, resulting in sufficiently extensive changes to warrant a new name – ID. Tiguan.

To date, VW has remained tight-lipped on what name its mid-size electric SUV will officially take, but there are strong hints that the ID.4 will indeed be renamed as the ID. Tiguan, which would mean sharing its nameplate with the brand’s most popular model globally.

When pressed at last year’s Munich Motor Show on whether we would see the ID.4 reborn as the ID. Tiguan – following in the footsteps of the ID.2all, which arrived recently as the ID. Polo – VW’s CEO Thomas Schäfer smiled, shrugged and said: “That hasn’t been confirmed – that would be speculation.”

However, in a separate interview, chief designer Andreas Mindt said: “In my opinion, you have to have names. The original Beetle was the Volkswagen 1200; it’s not a name. But the audience immediately gave it a name. These names are so human; you can humanise them – this is what we want to chase; this human element on a Volkswagen. I love it.”

Our latest images give us our best look yet at VW’s all-important mid-size SUV, which will renew its battle against key rivals the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Skoda Enyaq, plus new-age Chinese contenders such as the BYD Sealion 7.

27/08/2026

The first electric Bentley is almost here, and we've been for a ride ⚡💥😍🇬🇧

Based on this passenger ride in a camouflaged prototype, the Bentley Torcal is shaping up to be a very convincing luxury EV. It’s quiet, comfortable and spacious, with an eye-catching yet practical interior and clever use of technology. It feels in keeping with Bentley’s DNA, and its aim to grow its customer base by attracting new buyers to the brand feels like an achievable one. The real acid test, however, will come when we drive the finished article.

Auto Express

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