A car’s environmental footprint is spread over its whole life: building it (the battery especially), the energy it uses on the road, and what happens to it at the end. Looking only at the tailpipe gives an incomplete picture, but looking at the whole cycle still points in a clear direction. Electric cars: higher footprint … Read more
Every new car has to meet basic safety standards, but crash-test results show big differences between models, even within the same class. The good news is that you do not have to guess: independent ratings are free and easy to read. The two main rating systems in the US The NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings come … Read more
A luxury car buys more than leather. The best ones offer a level of quietness, ride quality and craftsmanship that changes how a journey feels. They also come with costs that are easy to underestimate. What sets luxury cars apart Quietness, ride comfort, interior materials and attention to detail are the core. Many also offer … Read more
Car safety used to be about surviving a crash: seat belts, airbags, crumple zones. Most recent progress is about avoiding the crash in the first place. Here is what the main systems do and what we know about how well they work. Automatic emergency braking Automatic emergency braking (AEB) uses cameras and radar to detect … Read more
A hybrid combines a gasoline engine with an electric motor and a small battery that charges itself while you drive. You fill it up like any other car, but it uses noticeably less fuel, especially in town. For many drivers, that makes it the easiest way to cut running costs without changing habits. Three kinds … Read more
The most expensive cars in the world fall into two very different groups: new cars built in tiny numbers for a handful of clients, and historic cars that change hands at auction. Both reach prices that have little to do with how well they drive. Coachbuilt one-offs At the very top of new-car prices are … Read more
New cars change faster than ever, mostly through software. Some of the new features genuinely make driving easier; others are expensive options you will rarely use. Knowing which is which helps you choose the right car and trim. Phone integration Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now available on almost every new car, and wireless … Read more
City driving is slow, tight and full of stops. A car that is great on an open road can be tiring in town: too wide for narrow streets, hard to see out of, thirsty in traffic. A good city car flips those priorities. Size and visibility Length and turning circle matter more in town than … Read more
Reliability rankings are published every year, and the same names tend to appear at the top. They are a good starting point, but they hide big differences between models of the same brand, so it pays to understand where the data comes from. Where reliability rankings come from The best-known sources in the US are … Read more
The right family car depends less on brand than on a few numbers: how many seats you need every day, how many car seats have to fit side by side, and how much you carry. Get those right and almost any well-rated model will do the job. One or two children: a compact car can … Read more
