How is a range-extender different to a plug in hybrid? And which is better?

Leapmotor's C10 Hybrid EV is the only REx on sale in the UK - but more are coming
Both PHEV and REx drivetrains combine combustion engines and electric motors, but there are crucial differencesA range-extender (known as a REx or REEV) is pleasingly simple: it's an electric vehicle with a smaller battery that can be topped up by a petrol engine when the state of charge drops.
Traditionally, a REx is a type of series hybrid, which means the electric motor turns the road wheels and t

When it launched in 1975, the AMC Pacer was the company's most successful new product, ever. But the success quickly unraveled, as the Pacer became a costly flop that may have doomed American Motors. 
The Last Independent Automaker is a six-part documentary series, produced by Joe Ligo, Jimm Needle, and Patrick Foster. It details the dramatic rise and fall of American Motors Corporation, told through over 35 exclusive interviews, hundreds of rare photographs, and hours of historical and ne

Ferrari and Zagato have always had a relationship that sits somewhere between inspired collaboration and polite disagreement. 
When it works, you get cars that feel like they’ve been sharpened with a scalpel, they are leaner and more purposeful than their already exotic foundations. When it doesn’t, you get something that looks like a Ferrari that’s been left too close to a radiator and melted into a shape only its designer could love. The 1971 Ferrari 3Z Spider sits squa

Most buyers would steer clear but DVLA data shows cars – including EVs and hybrids – are living longerNew data has revealed that used car buyers are still reluctant to purchase a car that has accrued more than 100,000 miles, despite the average car on UK roads now being older than it has ever been. 
According to a survey by eBay, 72% of drivers would be scared off by six figures on an odometer, while 52% would avoid a car that had surpassed 50,000 miles. 
Yet DVLA data show

Britain’s newest sports car maker goes for a gap in the market with a sub-tonne two-seaterThe demise of the old-school, British-built sports car – easy on the eye, gloriously light on its tread blocks and fizzing with feedback – has been exaggerated, according to Robin Wells, founder of Wells Motor Cars.Wells is the entrepreneur who, in 2021, revealed the Vertige at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, having developed the coupé effectively in secret since 2014, with enginee

R8 stood in the shadow of mad Italian cousins, but wildly bespoke Nuvolari can steal the spotlightEverything we read about the Nuvolari suggests Audi has little intention of perpetuating the hierarchy that saw the R8 play second fiddle first to the Gallardo then the Huracán.
This new supercar is going to have even more power than its Temerario cousin, as well as a full carbon body. Limited production will also make it precisely as exclusive as a LaFerrari. These are not the trappings of a

Believe it or not, the three-wheeler class was quite an important one - meet some of its most notable membersThe first cars sported just three wheels, and since then more than 1200 different models of three-wheeler have been produced.
But how many can you name? Morgan and Messerschmitt are the go-to brands, but after that most car fans will struggle to name many. So read on and prepare to be enlightened on some of the most bizarre vehicles ever created:Morgan (1909)
We might as well start with t

Car makers tend to produce safe, dependable designs that won't scare any horses. These are the exceptionsCustomisers around the world have been creating deliberately wild-looking cars for many decades.For at least as long, manufacturers have also come up with some pretty wild designs without necessarily meaning to. Many of their most apparently crazy cars ended up that way for sound technical reasons, or perhaps because they were simply following a particular fashion. Others can safely be descri

Our roads have become a parade of nondescript crossovers in drab paint jobs. But it wasn’t always like this and there’s evidence that something other than grayscale may soon be back on the menu.
The desaturation of our automobiles is undeniable. One only needs to look at films or television programs made before the early 2000s for proof. The streets were awash with colorful vehicles from the post-war period to roughly the start of the 21st century.
There are still colorful cars avail

The Toyo Tires Ferret is a one-of-one off-road build based on a 1959 British Ferret military scout vehicle, reimagined to showcase the durability of Toyo Open Country M/T tires. 
Originally a Cold War–era armored reconnaissance vehicle, the Ferret was completely rebuilt with a rear-mounted Chevrolet LS V8, race-spec suspension, and six massive off-road tires, including a hydraulically driven center axle for extreme traction. 
Driven by off-road racer BJ Baldwin, the Ferret tears

Ultra-exclusive Lambo Temerario twin gets nearly 1000bhp from hybrid V8 – and introduces new design languageThe new Audi Nuvolari is a limited-run 987bhp V8 hybrid supercar that serves as a new flagship more exclusive than the R8 – and, according to boss Gernot Döllner, serves as “a statement for the future” of the brand.
Powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre engine aided by three electric motors, the mid-engined Nuvolari is the fastest and mos

Ford Motor Co. announced it recalled 419,967 Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators from the 2018 to 2022 model year. The action aims to resolve a problem with the front seat belt retractor pretensioners.In the affected vehicles, the pretensioners may inadvertently deploy, locking the seat belt in place. When that happens, it does not extend or retract, potentially resulting in an injuring during a crash, according to  the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s report 

In this episode of the UrbanEV Podcast, hosts Rob Hoffman and Scott Murphy engage in a lively conversation with Nigel Gordon Stewart, the chairman and CEO of Austin Motor Co.They explore Nigel's extensive background in the automotive industry from McLaren to Lamborghini to Lotus and eventually Austin, where he is leading the legendary brand into the electric vehicle era with the Austin Arrow. 
The discussion also touches on a Lamborghini test drive with Donald Trump, the challenges faced w

Bridgestone's latest DiM500 simulator lets it develop bespoke tyres faster
Driving simulators continue to grow ever more sophisticated, transforming the development of cars and the things they are made from.
They have certainly moved on from the level of giving drivers and pilots a realistic training environment without the need to physically sit them in a Formula 1 car or airliner.
Hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HiL) enables engineers to run components like electronic control units throu

Autocar renders show what the new 'Fiesta' and European-market Bronco could look like
Electric hatch will be joined by new small crossovers and an SUV - all with 'rally-led' dynamicsFord will launch five new cars over the next four years in the UK and mainland Europe - including a new electric Fiesta successor - and the firm's Europe passenger car chief has vowed that their driving dynamics will live up to Ford's rich heritage.
The new models will all sit in the B-and C-segments. They comprise a

Enyaq's bigger brother gets sleek Modern Solid styling - and we've had a promising first taste alreadySkoda has previewed the design of its upcoming Peaq SUV flagship ahead of a full debut in the coming weeks.
The new seven-seater – which Autocar has driven as a prototype (below) – will use an extended version of the MEB platform that underpins the smaller Enyaq and Elroq, and face off with the likes of the Peugeot E-5008 and Mercedes GLB Electric.
New sketches released by the b

Autocar renders show what the new 'Fiesta' and European-market Bronco could look like
Bid to rejoin Europe's biggest car makers comprises new 'Fiesta', Bronco and more small EVsFord will "go on the offensive" with the launch of five new cars in the UK and Europe by 2029 – all of which will draw on its extensive heritage in rallying in a bid to win back buyers in the region.
The new models will sit in the B- and C-segments and include a Bronco-inspired ‘multi-energy&rsq

We trade ADAS bongs and touchscreens for a simple straight-six coupé, making tweaks to bring it up to dateThe last time I ran a 2005-model-year long-term test car was, more or less, in 2005. But here we are again. This is an E46-generation BMW 330Ci coupé and, I have to say, it's rather good.
At least it was when it was new. The 330Ci had a 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine with no turbos and made 228bhp at 5900rpm and 332lb ft at 3500rpm. It had a six-speed manual gearbox,

Stellantis will launch 60 new cars and 50 "significant" refreshes as part of new strategy
Multinational giant's “straightforward” reboot in US contrasts with trickier path to success in struggling Europe
“Product is king.” That line from Stellantis’s head of American brands, Tim Kuniskis, nicely summed up the company’s investor day, in which the multinational giant attempted to wash itself clean of the failures of previous CEO Carlos Tavares and present a

Most automakers reporting May sales had reason to celebrate, but Ford isn’t one of them, revealing its results were down 13.6 percent compared to year ago numbers. The Michigan-based automaker saw is numbers fall in every category: trucks, cars, and SUVs, which endured the biggest decline of 20.9 percent. Trucks were down 8.4 percent and cars, better known as the Mustang, were down 1.8 percent.Ford brand vehicles fell 13.3 percent and its Lincoln luxury unit dropped further: 20.5 percent.

Scout!!!!! Coming as an EREV first but BEV (fully EV) is still coming too. Side note: I’m 5’1” for reference. I got A LOT of comments on my social videos/shorts about how big these look next to me. Yes, they do, they both have huge all-terrain tires on them as well! This is a quick walkaround of the two prototype Scouts: Traveler SUV and Terra pick-up. I love them both — which is your favorite? Personally, the bench seat doesn’t do for me! Friend of the site Connie

A new bill aims to ban Chinese-made connected vehicles from ever even driving across the border into the United States via Canada or Mexico.
Representative Haley Stevens and Senator Elissa Slotkin, both Michigan Democrats, announced the Protecting America from Chinese Cars Act last week. The legislation would prohibit connected vehicles from China and other adversarial nations from entering the U.S., whether they are imported for sale or simply driven across the border by bored boomers from the

Today the US president uses The Beast; a century ago, steam-powered Pullmans proved their worthWe recently mused on the idea of British luxury car makers collaborating on a bespoke, Trump-branded gift for the US president. Of course, there's a long tradition of special vehicles for state leaders, and indeed many of them have been true petrolheads.
'The Donald' may favour big V8s, but the first official car of any US president was powered by steam. It seems it was secretary of war William Ta

Welcome back to the VW ID Talk podcast! In this episode, Harley from Peace Vans joins the show to discuss the newly announced 2027 Volkswagen model lineup, with a focus on the highly anticipated return of the ID. Buzz. Jan Lubiewski and Harley Pasternak explore the upcoming features for the 2027 Volkswagen lineup, focusing on the ID. Buzz Tourer. 
Key topics covered in this episode: The 2027 ID. Buzz Tourer: A breakdown of the new trim, including the built-in sleeping platform, mattre

Toyota has previewed even hotter versions of its already piping-hot hatchback. For 2027, the world will be receiving the track-focused GRMN Corolla, which the manufacturer dubbed the “ultimate” version of the GR Corolla.The company is likewise showcasing the GR Corolla Morizo RR concept, which retains many of the track-focused alternations without sacrificing everyday drivability. While the standard GR Corolla is the kind of vehicle that most enthusiasts could live with as their dail

Official pictures reveal new family SUV, following teaser shown in recent investor conferenceFiat has pulled the wraps off its new Grizzly – a larger version of the Grande Panda aimed to give it a footing in Europe's crucial C-segment – after first showing it in parent company Stellantis' recent strategy update.
It will go on sale later this year with two bodystyles: a straight-edged SUV and a more rakish Fastback. It's an affordable family crossover "designed for the

When an Audi A5 gets a four-cylinder and the S5 gets a V6, you know what's what, but what about EVs?If you long for the good old days when BMW model numbers referred to the engine capacity (just don't mention the 3.2-litre 745i, the 1.8-litre 316 or countless others that didn't), I've got bad news for you: the car industry's product planners are hard at work devising new and arcane naming schemes in an effort to not make EVs sound like inkjet printers.
These systems need to be designed, with rou

The industry's brightest minds and best cars will be announced on 10 JuneAutocar is delighted to announce the return of Siemens as our partner for the 2026 Autocar Awards, continuing a highly successful collaboration that began last year.
The partnership unites the world’s oldest automotive publication with a global leader in industrial software, automation, infrastructure and digital transformation. Together, we will celebrate the finest cars and the visionary industry leaders shaping the

New mid-sized electric hatchback is a value-focused Cupra Born rival – but is it up to the task?The Leapmotor B05 electric hatchback will arrive in UK showrooms in July, priced from £28,995.
Undercutting the rival Cupra Born and Renault Megane, it offers an official range of 300 miles and can be charged at up to 174kW, giving a 30-80% refill time of 17 minutes. 
It sends 215bhp and 177lb ft through its rear wheels for a competitive 0-62mph sprint time of 6.7sec. 
The B

Dutch-German track day operator Driving-Fun will move sports car specialist's production out of BritainWestfield, the sports and kit car manufacturer founded in the Midlands 44 years ago as a rival to Caterham, has been sold to a Dutch-German company after going into voluntary liquidation.
Driving-Fun, one of Europe’s largest track day organisers, plans to continue building existing Westfield models and develop new road and racing models for what it sees as a strong and active body of