Halfords shares rev up as garage growth drives return to profit Retail Halfords shares have boomed after it smashed analyst expectations to turn a £44m profit, in a sign that the motoring and cycling retailer’s turnaround is beginning to gain pace. The company notched a £43.6m pre-tax profit in the year to April, returning to the black after last year’s £30m loss, as revenue grew five per [...]
VW Golf R 2026 long-term review: Final verdict on a classic hot hatch Life&Style When I first enquired about running a Golf R, I expected this to be a swansong of sorts. The eighth-generation VW Golf was to be the last, we were told, as the electric ID.3 filled the family hatchback-sized hole in the Volkswagen range. Thankfully, reports of the Golf’s demise were a little premature. Volkswagen had [...]
New Mk1 Ford Escort RS makes world debut at London Concours Life&Style The first new Ford Escort Mk1 RS in 50 years has been revealed at London Concours. Built by Boreham Motorworks, the reborn fast Ford is more than just another restomod.
Volkswagen Transporter Sportline 2026: The van that wants to be a VW Golf GTI June 18, 2026 Imagine an illicit liaison between a Volkswagen van and a Golf GTI. The result, nine months later, might look something like the Transporter Sportline. So, is this flagship ‘sports van’ a welcome addition to the family? If the idea of a sports van sounds like a contradiction in terms, tell that to the thousands of [...]
Jaguar Land Rover eyes cost-cutting and wealthy buyers in cyber attack recovery June 17, 2026 Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plans to cut costs by £1.7bn and appeal to wealthy American petrol heads in a bid to recover the cost of last year’s devastating cyber attack. The British car maker, which owns brands including Range Rover and Defender, announced plans to tap into growing demand for luxury products and cater to [...]
Middle East conflict revs up costs for young drivers May 21, 2026 Costs for drivers under the age of 25 are rising despite a drop in insurance premiums, largely driven by fuel hikes from the fallout of the Middle East conflict. Fuel costs for young drivers rose by 18 per cent in 2026 compared to 2025, with the average annual bill spiking from £833 to £981, according [...]
‘Sounds too good to be true?’ City watchdog clamps down on social media insurance scams May 20, 2026 The Financial Conduct Authority is cracking down on insurance scams advertised on social media and messaging platforms after finding half of young drivers have purchased illegitimate insurance premiums this way. The regulator said nearly 40 per cent of drivers aged 17-25 are “unconfident” in spotting the signs of a fake insurance policy, meaning “thousands could [...]
Our honest review of the brand new Aston Martin DB12 S May 14, 2026 Forget EasyJet – this is pan-European travel at its best. We drive the new Aston Martin DB12 S, a hedonistic grand tourer that makes light work of the longest journeys. It was one of those drives that has lingered long in my memory. I collected the car at a hotel overlooking Monaco’s Port Hercules, then [...]
Is the Morgan Supersport the coolest car on the planet? May 13, 2026 Morgan has revealed its most powerful production car to date: the new Supersport 400. Launched as the new flagship for the British marque’s model range, the Supersport 400 is intended to signal a new era for Morgan. Along with traditional sports cars, Morgan plans to build a series of bespoke and limited-production vehicles. Launched last [...]
Volvo ES90 review: Forward-looking tech in a trad saloon package May 9, 2026 Volvo is back in the luxury saloon game, with the fully electric ES90 offering an alternative to its range of SUVs. John Redfern discovers how it measures up. During the past decade, Volvo has made SUVs central to its model lineup. It makes the new ES90 something of an outlier – and a reminder of [...]