The hot list

THE COOPER S WAS A SOGGY effort and this isn’t any better. You can forgive a hot hatch appalling ride but when it’s on top of a transmission that’s hard to gel with, an uninspiring soundtrack and impr

FIAT GRANDE PANDA PRICE: £20,975–£23,975 The Panda was distinctly endangered for a while there (though you can still buy the old petrol one in Italy), but it’s been given a new lease of life with an e

ESSENTIALS Volkswagen Golf GTE Price: £40,140 Powertrain: 1.5 4cyl plug-in hybrid, 268bhp 0-62mph: 6.6 seconds WLTP efficiency: 196mpg Official EV range: 81 miles Annual VED: £620 Toyota Prius Excel P

The Fiat Grande Panda could easily have been dull and unimaginative. Something that, because of cost-cutting and its relatively low asking price, was bereft of unique, headline-grabbing features. But

At first glance it isn’t immediately obvious just what segment the two cars on these pages fall into. Are they hatchbacks? Are they crossovers? Are they the size of a Smart Fortwo or a full fat Range

Ahead of the government ban on petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030, Britain is set to be swamped with cheap Chinese electric cars. But do they represent value for money?