John Evans

1 month ago | autocar.co.uk | John Evans

Love ’em or hate ’em (and that may be shaped largely by your view of Elon Musk), Tesla electric cars are a common sight on the roads these days. And with a facelifted Tesla Model Y currently being rolled out and some catching up to do in the sales charts, Tesla recently invited potential customers to visit its showrooms to try some of its models. I must once have recorded my details with my local Tesla dealer because I too received an invitation.

1 month ago | autocar.co.uk | John Evans

Fortunately, the interior handle and door card on the driver’s side of Scott Chivers’ left-hook Testarossa spider is secure. Pull the handle on the passenger side and it comes off. I am driving Ratarossa, a Ferrari Testarossa well-known by the internet. The car derives its name from the ‘recycled automotive transport’ exemplified by rusty Type 2 VWs and is the ultimate expression of Scott’s philosophy. Its grey body is rough.

2 months ago | autocar.co.uk | John Evans

Close Surely, if anyone knows a dull car when he sees one, Kevin Beresford does. That’s why I’ve asked the creator of those tedious but inexplicably popular wall calendars ‘Car Parks of the UK’ and ‘Motability Scooter Riders of Benidorm’ to consider another: ‘Dull Cars of Redditch’, a potential companion calendar to his recently launched ‘Roadworks of Redditch’, the relevance of the place being only that he lives there.

2 months ago | autocar.co.uk | John Evans

The government’s plan to tackle the most common form of MOT test fraud has been criticised by a former inspector who claims reduced levels of enforcement are undermining standards. Around 80% of fraudulent pass certificates issued each year are for cars that haven’t been inspected – known as ‘ghost MOTs’. Since 2023, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), which administers MOT tests, has been trialling ways of stamping out this practice.

2 months ago | autocar.co.uk | John Evans

The government’s plan to end what it has called “contrived car ownership schemes” has rattled the UK’s automotive industry, which forecasts devastating consequences for itself and its workers if this becomes law. The Employee Car Ownership Scheme (ECOS), which the government intends to end from 6 April 2026, differs from traditional salary sacrifice schemes in that the car is owned by the employee, not the employer.