Does torque vectoring really make EVs more fun to drive?

Motors open up new opportunities for making a car more agile, but its potential has yet to be realisedAs we enter the era of the electric driver's car, there's a lot of talk about torque vectoring - not least from me.
It's nothing new, but EVs have given it new relevance, partly because car makers are desperately scratching around for ways to make their fast but silent cars exciting and partly because electric motors open up opportunities.
Before jargon overload makes you tune out, let's remind

The RAC is one of many firms offering services at home or a place of work, and the idea is catching onIn most jobs, gratification is rooted in hard metrics: leads, customer conversions, sales and such. But for the RAC's army of mobile mechanics it comes from something altogether more tangible.
Sean Kimberlin, the RAC's mobile mechanic of the year and guest speaker at the Autocar Drivers of Change awards, says the true marker of a job well done is, in fact, whether the customer offers tea and bis

It's still £40k, and for maybe the zenith of hot hatches worth every pennyIn 2022, jaws dropped when Honda announced the starting price of the 'FL5' Civic Type R as £46,995 - £15,000 more than the 'FK8' had cost six years earlier.
It was an example of supply economics: numbers were limited in Europe due to CO2 emissions regulations (the Type R emits 186g/km), so even at that inflated price demand outstripped supply.
Even now, used cars start from around £35,000, or simila

I feel bad, but I wasn't being careless - are car design trends putting wheels needlessly at risk?I have kerbed a wheel. Quite notably. This is something that deeply irritates and embarrasses me from a point of professional pride: not to blow my own trumpet, but I’m pretty good at parking cars. You probably are too, or you certainly would be if you had to shuffle them around a tight office car park as much as your Autocar correspondents do. 
I wasn’t good on that morning, though

The Independent Garage Association has called for MOT prices to rise to £95 – and it makes perfect senseI know what you’re thinking: motoring hacks get paid too much. What other credible reason could there be for one of their number (me) supporting a rise from £54.85 to £95 – or 72.7% – in the price of a standard annual MOT car test. 
This dramatic move is about to be proposed in all seriousness by the Independent Garage Association when it holds ta

Its cars are becoming more electric and digital, but Merc's CEO won't lose sight of the brand's spiritMercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius is clearly proud of the new C-Class Electric saloon. Proud enough to travel from Stuttgart to Helsinki to pop into the launch event and, after spending 20 minutes fielding questions from a buying pack of eager reporters, take me on a private 45-minute drive of the Finnish countryside. He wants to show off this car and is keen for Autocar readers to understand

We wade into a new Rare Rides Icons series today, with a vehicle that was heralded as a revolution when it arrived in the mid-'80s. Pitched into a changing family car market, the Ford Taurus was something entirely new from the Blue Oval. Front-wheel drive, aerodynamic, and designed to be family-friendly and practical. It could be selected as a more capacious wagon, a more economical manual, in a sportier trim, and as the slightly more upmarket Mercury Sable. The Taurus was all things to all fami

In the early 1960s, Maserati was undergoing a quiet transformation. The Modena marque, forged in the crucible of Grand Prix racing, was transitioning from low-volume racing specials to ultra-sophisticated Gran Turismos for the jet-set elite.
While the mid-60s ushered in the era of high-revving Italian V8s and mid-engine layouts, the 1963–1970 Maserati Mistral (Tipo AM109) stood proudly as the final guardian of the factory’s greatest racing legacy: the double-overhead-cam, twin-spark

Sometimes an owner changes their mind mid stream about the direction of a project. Normally that is a recipe for disaster. This time I think it all worked out for the best. Let me know your thoughts on this change and if you think it was for the betterment of the car overall.The TTAC Creators Series tells stories and amplifies creators from all corners of the car world, including culture, dealerships, collections, modified builds and more.
An AI-generated transcript summary edited by

Pebble Beach is where seven-figure prewar coachwork goes to preen, and this year the field was stacked with the usual assortment of high-priced, high-gloss, high-falutin' cars of all sorts. However, the vehicle that actually stopped traffic on The Tour wasn't a car — it was a truck.Specifically, a 1957 Ferrari transporter built by Carrozzeria Bartoletti on a Fiat Tipo 642 R bus chassis, according to Autoweek. The hauler could carry two race cars on top and a third slung underneath, and Fe

Fundraising emails are a normal fact of political life. Asking your supporters to help buy the gas you helped make expensive is a special kind of tone-deaf.Maine Senator Susan Collins, no longer cruising toward the easy re-election she once expected, recently sent out a campaign email begging for cash to fuel a statewide bus tour, according to the Daily Beast. The pitch is straightforward. The subtext is not.
The Ask"Team Collins is officially hitting the road!" the email opens, before laying ou

We all know that California loves its rules. People who live there will often tell you it’s the government’s vigilance about keeping the Golden State free(r) from pollution, waste, and whatnot is worth the higher taxes they pay.  Some won’t and they move to Texas or Nevada.However, the California Energy Commission’s newest rule may be just too much. The agency voted unanimously this week to mandate rules that require replacement tires to meet new rolling resistance

Explore the rare Jaguar XK150S Bertone and witness the unique design of this iconic vehicle alongside other classic cars. This footage provides a close look at the Jaguar XK150S Bertone, a standout model known for its distinct aesthetic and historical place in automotive design.  Whether you are a fan of British engineering or appreciate the lines of Italian GT cars, this collection highlights the specific features that make these machines special. We examine the craftsmanship across sever

The tire industry looks to be evolving and appears to be taking a page out of the same book automakers have been using. Businesses want to trim overhead and increase their profit margins to appease investors. Sadly, this has resulted in numerous factory closures for North America and is allegedly setting the industry up for some major changes.
Over the last two years, roughly a dozen tire plants have either closed or announced plans to gradually ramp down operations.
Goodyear, BFGoodrich, Bridge

US brand planned to launch cars in the UK this year, but is reconsidering as market "evolves rapidly"General Motors is reconsidering its plan to relaunch Cadillac in the UK, citing uncertainty in a "rapidly evolving" marketplace.
Speaking to Autocar last year when he was CEO of GM Europe, Pere Brugal said the brand would return "soon", starting with the Lyriq - a rival for the BMW iX5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV. He called the UK "one of the [markets] that we're focusing on" and said a launch

This is your handy guide to every new car coming in 2026, from sub-£20k EVs to £20m hypercarsThis year has already been one of the busiest yet for the car industry, with plenty of models – and entirely new brands – making their debuts.
And the momentum will only keep rolling as 2027 approaches, bringing high-profile arrivals from all corners of the world.
From the baby EVs that didn't seem possible only a few years ago to rip-snorting V8 supercars and VIP-hauling vans, th

BMW last year used its Figure 02 robot to support the production of more than 30,000 X3sAutonomous features are turning cars into robots that nag you into paying attention, flash speed limit warnings and slam on the brakes if you’re about to hit something.
Fully autonomous taxis and delivery vehicles are on the way, and before long we may see fully autonomous private cars.
On top of all that, the way cars are produced is also becoming increasingly robotic.
Robots have been used to build ca

Should you be worried about the battery life of an electric car? Not if you pay close attention to our guideFor many car owners, the electric car represents an entirely new way of driving and brings with it many queries and worries. One of the largest concerns is how long the battery life is on an electric car.
You may well have read horror stories about electric car owners facing hefty bills for replacements or contemplating cutting their losses on cars that are otherwise worthless be

Driver assistance systems annoy motorists on real roads, but testing body Thatcham Research is on the caseJust inches from the crash test mock-up of a compact SUV, the automatic emergency braking system (AEB) fitted to the Tesla Model Y that is travelling at 12kph towards it deploys, bringing the car to a dead stop.
The test is repeated but now at 6kph. This time the AEB doesn't deploy, forcing driver Yousif Al-Ani, principal ADAS engineer at Thatcham Research, to apply the brakes instead.
He no

Luxurious new electric MPV looks to find success where the previous EQV didn't – and London will be keyNext year’s UK launch of the new Mercedes-Benz VLE will jump-start the market for high-end van-based people carriers from its current low base, predicts Mercedes’ head of vans in the UK.
The VLE is based on Mercedes’ new electric VAN.EA platform and will be positioned as a much more premium proposition than the current Vito-based EQV and combustion-engine V-Cla

Host Robin Warner takes an in-depth look the 2026 Chevrolet Trax.Views on Vehicles focuses on new car reviews and news, presented by Robin Warner, a perennial car nut. The reason for the channel's focus becomes crystal clear when you look at Warner’s experience. He spent five years of his adult life as an engineer: four years in traction and stability control calibration, and little over a year in vehicle dynamics. He also spent 15 years of his adult life as an editor at various

Kodiaq-sized SUV is the fourth UK model from Volvo parent's own brandChina's Geely will go after the Peugeot 5008 and Skoda Kodiaq with a big plug-in hybrid SUV called the Monjaro.
Already on sale in the brand's home market as the Xingyue L, the Monjaro is a 4770mm-long crossover equipped with the same EM-i hybrid powertrain technology as the smaller Geely Starray.
The SUV will go on sale in Egypt in August before "steadily expanding into global markets". A European debut is set to follow s

Every EV driver knows the drill: pull up to a charger, discover you don't have the right app installed, then spend five minutes creating an account while your battery pretends it doesn't care. Octopus Energy is taking a swing at that problem with a new app called Octopus Charge, which the company says aggregates more than 200,000 individual EV chargers across North America.The app pulls together data from over 10,000 charging stations spanning the United States, Canada, and Mexico, according to

This MG ZR took part in the 10k-mile London to Cape Town rally in 2012 – fourteen years later it's still going strongAmong the assorted hatchbacks competing in his local rally, Edward Luxton's MG ZR is something of a celebrity. Fourteen years ago, it took part in the London to Cape Town Rally - 29 days of hard driving across some of the world's most unforgiving terrain. Prepared by Owen Turner of Complete Rally Services and crewed by Rachel Vestey and Suzy Harvey, it finished 28th out of 4

Rival for the Mercedes eActros and MAN eTGX is bound for European roads following a faceliftThe Tesla Semi will be sold in Europe, almost a full decade after the electric lorry was first unveiled. 
The lorry – which was updated last year with fresh tech and a new look to bring it into line with the Model Y – will be presented at next month’s IAA Transportation show in Hanover, Germany. Tesla said it will confirm European specifications and launch plans at the event.
Tesla

Boreham Motorworks is readying is official reimagining of the rally icon for early next yearBoreham Motorworks is putting the finishing touches to its £354k Mk1 Ford Escort continuation ahead of deliveries starting early next year - and its creators pledge that the retro, sub-tonne two-door will be unlike anything else available at this price point.
The Mk1 RS, having now been revealed in its final production form, is the first in a series of continuation cars created with the official ble

Affordable electrified vehicles power a huge surge in Chinese car sales, as legacy firms struggle to stay competitiveChinese brands accounted for almost a fifth of all UK registrations in July as newcomers Omoda-Jaecoo and BYD both celebrated their 100,000th UK sale in quick succession.
A mix of keen prices, electrified drivetrains and high levels of standard kit are persuading more customers to make the jump, to the detriment of more established brands, which struggle to match them on costs.
Th

Bentayga-sized flagship kicks off brand's new era with huge battery, cinema screen and coach doorsGenesis has stepped up its assault on the luxury car market with the unveiling of a bold new flagship SUV in the mould of the Bentley Bentayga.
The new GV90 is the production-ready version of the Neolun concept the brand revealed in 2024 and is larger and more luxurious than any model the company has yet launched.
The SUV is the spearhead for a reinvention of the Hyundai-owned Genesis brand, as

Bentayga-sized flagship kicks off brand's new era with huge battery, cinema screen and coach doorsGenesis has stepped up its assault on the luxury car market with the unveiling of a bold new flagship SUV in the mould of the Bentley Bentayga.
The new GV90 is the production-ready version of the Neolun concept the brand revealed in 2024 and is larger and more luxurious than any model the company has yet launched.
The SUV is the spearhead for a reinvention of the Hyundai-owned Genesis brand, as

American and Canadian deal-makers are deep in eleventh-hour negotiations, trying to hammer out a compromise that would scale back President Donald Trump’s punishing 25% "Section 232" national security tariff on Canadian-assembled vehicles down to at least a baseline 15%.Without a breakthrough, a looming deadline could trigger steep new U.S. duties on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports, threatening assembly plants on both sides of the border.While dropping the tariff rate from 25% to 15