What's the BEST motor to own in the UK? Thousands of car owners reveal top choice rated for space, safety, value & more
Two Vauxhall models make up the top three
RESULTS ARE IN What's the BEST motor to own in the UK? Thousands of car owners reveal top choice rated for space, safety, value & more
THOUSANDS of new car owners across the country have taken part in a survey to help determine the best motor money can buy in 2025.
Auto Express have revealed the results of their Driver Power owner satisfaction survey - and it's seen a plush SUV take top spot.
5
The luxury Mercedes GLE SUV tops the Driver Power survey with a 92.24% score, excelling in driving pleasure, safety and overall quality
5
Owners rave about its luxurious interior, advanced tech and smooth ride
5
Seen as an all-rounder, the Vauxhall Grandland secures second place with a spacious interior and great value
5
Ranking third, the Astra impresses with its smooth ride, advanced tech and timeless style
Credit: PA
5
Rising to fourth place, the Kuga scores high for safety, practicality and versatile boot space
Driver Power, which is the Carwow Group's flagship research study, asked thousands of new car owners to share their thoughts and real-life experiences of the vehicles they newly bought.
They're asked to judge their motor's reliability, interior space, safety features, value-for-money and driving experience, in a bid to help car experts determine which set of wheels offers owners the ultimate satisfaction.
Last year, the winner was the delightful Dacia Duster - championed for being roomy, well-built and great value for money.
This year's winner, though, was the classy Mercedes GLE - which topped the tables across six categories, including driving pleasure and overall quality.
The GLE reached a score of 92.24% overall, scoring highly across the board apart from in the economy and running costs category, where satisfaction with fuel economy sinks to 43rd place.
If you want to run this car, you may need deep pockets.
However, the GLE's key wins included driving pleasure, safety attributes, climate, audio and sat-nav function, as well as overall quality.
Its exterior style, sat-nav and the balance of digital and touchscreen controls were all highly rated by owners, too.
Owners said: 'The GLE's luxurious interior, smooth ride, and advanced tech make it a joy to drive, but it's roomy enough for family and luggage.
'Its powerful engine, spacious cabin, and sleek design blend comfort with performance perfectly.'
Vauxhall Mokka hybrid is a smarter, greener & better equipped version of old motor… but small detail really lets it down
Coming in just behind the GLE was the Vauxhall Grandland with a score of 90.55% - topping one category and taking second place in five others.
Indeed, it failed to score outside of the top 10 in any of the categories, proving to be an excellent all rounder.
'It is high off the ground, with plenty of room inside,' said an owner.
'Quiet and comfortable on long journeys, and the boot is amazing.
'I like absolutely everything; it's comfortable, easy to use and I look forward to driving it. It's good value, too.'
Another Vauxhall – the most recent Astra - came in third place with a score of 89.97%, racking up six category 'top fives' - including first place in the ride and handling category.
For generations, the Astra has been one of Britain's favourite family cars, with the latest iteration adored for its ride and handling, through to ride quality and road handling.
Owners also love the exterior style, ranking it third, while front seat comfort is fourth and interior style sixth.
An owner said: 'It is smooth, quiet, very comfortable, it has an impressive range of driver assistance technology and it looks stunning, even after three years and 50,000 miles.'
Despite the Ford Puma continuing to enjoy a run as the nation's best-selling car, in fourth place is another Ford - the Kuga - which has risen six places since last year after scoring highly for safety, practicality and interior - notably for boot space and seating versatility.
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class has also gone up by five places to rank fifth, thanks to especially good scores for infotainment and value for money.
One owner said: 'I like the luxurious interior and the smooth ride, the advanced safety features, the strong performance and the elegant design.'
Talking about the results, Paul Barker, editor of Auto Express, said: "Driver Power is Carwow Group's leading car ownership survey, brought to life by Auto Express.
'It reveals what owners genuinely think - and how they feel - about their cars.
'That unique perspective gives unrivalled insight into what prospective customers can expect, and tells manufacturers exactly what their own customers think of the cars they sell.
"From running costs to quality and infotainment, we get the views of people living with these cars day-to-day, and the results show the cars that offer the best chance of a very satisfying ownership experience."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Auto Express
6 hours ago
- Auto Express
Help! I need a £13k warm hatchback that's small and fun
Dear Auto Express, I'm after a warm hatchback for £13,000 with no more than 40,000 miles on the clock. Any ideas? - Tom Carpenter, E-mail In a world of eye-wateringly quick electric cars and 400bhp hyper hatches, it's all too easy to overlook one of motoring's simple pleasures: the well sorted supermini with a decent amount of power. Advertisement - Article continues below The Volkswagen up! GTI is the perfect example. It produces a modest 113bhp, but has only just over a tonne to push along, and sounds rorty while doing so. If you want something bigger, the Ford Fiesta has long been the driver's choice among small hatchbacks. It's particularly sharp in ST-Line guise, and although it lacks the fully fledged ST badge, the Fiesta is an absorbing companion. Like the Ford, the Suzuki Swift Sport packs 138bhp into a small footprint, and with its low kerbweight and pliant suspension set-up, it flows along bumpy roads very nicely. It feels surprisingly peppy, and slipping into the snug bucket seats adds to the racy feel. Here's our expert pick of the three best warm small hatchback available for a budget of £13,000, together with links to buy them through our Find a Car service… For: Eager handling, sporty looks, ample performance Eager handling, sporty looks, ample performance Against: Cheap materials, permanent stability control Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below With slender headlights and a subtle, sporty bodykit, the ST-Line is the raciest Ford Fiesta to look at, bar the hottest ST version. It backs up those looks on the road, too. All Fiestas have a well honed precision, but the ST-Line goes further, with a tauter feel. It's a bigger car than the up!, but still compact enough to thread neatly along narrow roads. Advertisement - Article continues below However, as with the Volkswagen, the stability control can't be switched off, which does keep a lid on how much fun you can have. With a budget of £13,000, you can bag a 2018 Fiesta that's covered less than 19,000 miles. The Fiesta's seat and wheel are widely adjustable, which allows a low-slung, sporty driving position, and quality is generally very good. While you can see the occasional cheap-feeling piece of plastic, the overall design is attractive and more modern than the Suzuki's. Ford's SYNC 3 infotainment system isn't particularly cutting-edge, but it does the job, plus both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available and give a slicker interface. The cabin is spacious as well; there's more room in the back than in the VW, allowing even taller adults to fit. The Ford's 311-litre boot is the biggest of this trio, too. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Used Ford Fiesta ST-Line deals For: Chuckable handling, zippy engine, compact size Chuckable handling, zippy engine, compact size Against: Short of steering feel, ESP can't be switched off The Volkswagen up! GTI doesn't shout about its sporting abilities – partly because it's not particularly fast, but mostly because VW's understated approach works as well here as in the original Golf GTI. The up! GTI is lively enough, though. A 0-62mph time of 8.8 seconds doesn't sound encouraging, but exercising the engine and slicing your way through the manual gearbox is one of the joys of the GTI. Advertisement - Article continues below It's the smallest car here, too, so you can really enjoy the chassis; we just wish you could loosen the reins of the ESP. With £13,000, you can buy a 25,000-mile example from 2020. Inside, the up! really shines. The GTI gets a sporty, flat-bottomed steering wheel, cloth sports seats and red graphics on the dashboard, the latter of which may not be to all tastes. The build quality is good, though, with a satisfying heft to the major controls. There's a five-inch colour screen, but owners will need to rely on the car's integrated smartphone holder and the Maps + More app for more extensive infotainment features. The up! Is surprisingly roomy for a small car, with just enough space for four adults and a 251-litre boot. The five-door model is more versatile, but the three-door looks slightly better. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Used Volkswagen up! GTI deals For: Well judged ride, feisty engine, distinctive looks Well judged ride, feisty engine, distinctive looks Against: Chassis could be more playful, dated interior Suzuki's original Swift Sport was an instant hit thanks to its funky looks, agile handling and perky engine, and this Mk3 version is much the same. A sportier bodykit and twin tailpipes mark it out as the fruitiest variant of the Swift. Advertisement - Article continues below The Sport weighs less than 1,000kg, and its 1.4-litre motor develops 138bhp. It has a decent mid-range punch, although some might be disappointed at the lack of a raucous exhaust note. The Swift is entertaining to drive, but more relaxed than its rivals, due to its compliant set-up. A 2019 example with less than 30,000-miles on the clock falls within the £13,000 budget. Unfortunately, while the Swift's sports steering wheel, red trim and figure-hugging seats do lift the cabin to some degree, the Suzuki lags behind its rivals when it comes to the interior. The material quality isn't a match for Ford's or Volkswagen's, and the infotainment system is far from snappy. It's an aftermarket touchscreen that's slow to respond and really dates the interior, although Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration is the set-up's saving grace. All Swift Sports are equipped with sat-nav and a forward collision warning system, but it's a smaller car than the Fiesta and thus less accommodating for rear seat-passengers. However, the 261-litre boot is a fraction larger than the Volkswagen's. Used Suzuki Swift Sport deals Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express ? We'll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too . Find a car with the experts Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch is on the way to the UK Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch is on the way to the UK The success of the GR Yaris has persuaded Toyota that there's room in its UK range for the high performance Corolla New Audi A3 e-tron proves the brand isn't turning its back on smaller cars New Audi A3 e-tron proves the brand isn't turning its back on smaller cars Audi has confirmed it's bringing a posh all-electric take on the MEB platform to market, and in good time Groundbreaking Nissan solid-state EV batteries due on sale by 2028 Groundbreaking Nissan solid-state EV batteries due on sale by 2028 The industry is in a race to bring solid-state to the market, and Nissan isn't too far behind the leaders
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
RAY MASSEY: It's a Grand day out for Vauxhall's spacious new SUV
To be fair, I haven't tried the kitchen sink yet, but over hundreds of miles of driving, I've had a good go at squeezing a whole assortment of items into the new Vauxhall Grandland SUV. That includes: supermarket shops, potted shrubs and bags of top soil, compost and bark-chipping, plenty of luggage, golf clubs and trolley, DIY kit from B&Q, and even an Ikea 'Billy' bookshelf – the ultimate test. But it's not just the flexible boot and folding-down rear seats that are a boon in this comfortable five-seater family vehicle. With its contemporary styling, black roof and tinted rear windows, it looks cool, too. This SUV will grow on you, as it did me. Riding on 19-inch wheels, my 136 horsepower Grandland GS hybrid was powered by a 1.2 litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, connected to a 21kW (28hp) electric motor. The GS trim is the middle of three levels between Design and Ultimate. For everyday use, I kept mine in Sport mode – which was jauntier than the other two options of Eco and Normal. With an acceleration from rest to 62mph in 10.2 seconds, and a top speed of 126mph, it achieves a decent lick on faster roads and for cruising long distances on motorways. It's frugal, too: it will start with well over 500 miles of range on a full tank. But generating additional electric power on the move means that it also does more than 50 miles to the gallon. It's surprisingly nimble, too. While the range starts from £34,755, as driven, my SUV was priced at £37,350 – including £700 for the spectrum blue paint. You can shop around for finance deals and offers and, after a deposit, you could be paying as little as a few hundred pounds a month. I must admit that when, in Germany last autumn, I first tried out the more powerful 213hp battery-powered Grandland Electric (0 to 62mph in nine seconds and a range of 325 miles) along with the petrol hybrid version, I found the latter a bit underpowered. But having lived with the hybrid for a while on UK roads, I've grown to enjoy its virtues. The folding down rear seats increase load-lugging capacity in the boot from 550 to 1,645 litres Vauxhall may not be the most fashionable of badges, but with plenty of interior space, the sharp, modern face and uncluttered lines of the new Grandland won't disgrace anyone's driveway. The folding down rear seats increase load-lugging capacity in the boot from 550 to 1,645 litres. The shallow V-shaped grille and 'vizor' lights and illuminated Griffin badge and illuminated Vauxhall name on the rear hatch adds to a tidy package. This month Vauxhall launched the new range-topping 325hp Grandland Electric AWD, its first fully electric car with all-wheel drive, which accelerates from 0 to 62mph in 6.1 seconds and has a range of 311 miles. It goes on sale in early Autumn priced from around £43,000. Howay the Leafs! As Sunderland climbs back into football's Premier League alongside rivals Newcastle, Nissan has unveiled its third generation Leaf electric compact SUV at its factory in the north-eastern city. In a vote of confidence in Britain as Nissan makes global cuts, the sportier- looking model will be built at the Sunderland plant with its 6,000-strong workforce. Vote of confidence: Nissan has unveiled its third generation Leaf electric compact SUV Just over five inches shorter but slightly higher and wider than the outgoing model, this new Leaf crossover has sharper looks, up-to-date tech and promises plenty of interior space. It accelerates to 62mph in 7.6 seconds, and Nissan say it can cruise for 200 miles at 80mph (where legal). Two battery options (52kWh and 75kWh) give ranges of 270 miles and 375 miles respectively – the latter getting you from London to the Scottish Borders. Orders begin in autumn ahead of spring deliveries. Expect prices to start from just under £30,000.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Citroen - News, views, pictures, video
'We tested the best automatic cars on sale in the UK and one model stood out' Cars 'There was £1million in my unlocked car for months and I had no idea' Lottery winners Rolls Royce PLC Weather Dangerous driving Protests Woman says 'heart is in bits' after twin sister dies in crash before their 19th birthday Car crashes Stalker and his mum set up 'operation spycam' WhatsApp group to terrorise woman for seven weeks WhatsApp Car crashes Couple forking out £650 a month for electric van haven't driven it in 7 months Electric cars Vauxhall boss warns Brexit could kill car industry - as plant may be set to close Jobs Parking warning as woman fined over broken meter - and she even left a friendly note Parking tickets 'Incensed' grandad travels to Ukraine FOUR times to donate aid and plans to go again Russia Ukraine war Unstoppable Citroen is still on the road with nearly a million miles on the clock Cars Girl, 17, dies in front of dad as car smashes into wall when she started engine Inquests opinion From Russia with love: Geoff tries out Soviet machines almost as old as he is Motorbikes Savvy student couple save thousands living in van to dodge expensive university rent Students Citroen 'Lifelong friends', both 20, killed in horror crash on way home from Christmas shopping Cheshire Police Dad fined £273 for 'genuine mistake' of falling 20p short of parking ticket Car parks Court case
