Vauxhall has given its range of vans a shake up, introducing new Prime and Pro versions alongside a sporty GS trim level found exclusively on the Vivaro. The Prime and Pro trim levels will feature on the smaller Combo and the mid-size Vivaro while the larger Movano is offered in Prime guise only. 

The updated Vauxhall van range is available to order now with deliveries expected later this year. Replacing the outgoing Dynamic, Sportive, Elite, and Edition trims, Vauxhall claims the new lineup “simplifies the Combo, Vivaro and Movano line up by offering customers clearer choice between vehicles as well as adding greater connectivity and improved technology”. The trim level switch also arrives alongside Vauxhall’s renaming of its electric vehicles. The e-Vivaro is now known as the Vivaro Electric. 

As standard, all entry-level Prime models receive Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability on the central touchscreen – an eight-inch unit on Combo models, seven of the Vivaro and five on the Movano. Automatic headlights and Vauxhall Connect are also standard on Prime vans, as are automatic windscreen wipers on the Vivaro and rear parking sensors on the Vivaro and Movano. 

Above this is the Pro level on Combo and Vivaro models, which add sat-nav, a rear-view camera and rear parking sensors. The Combo Pro and Vivaro Pro also get Vauxhall ‘FlexCargo’ opening hatch in the bulkhead to help transport longer items. 

The Combo Prime starts at £19,800 (excluding VAT), rising to £33,705 for the Combo Electric Pro. £22,265 (excluding VAT) will secure you a Vivaro in Prime trim level, whereas the larger Movano starts from £25,645 in Prime guise. 

Check our pick of the best mid-size vans on sale here…

In this week’s issue of Auto Express we have a battle of the bargain electric cars as the all-new MG4 goes head-to-head with the latest Kia Niro EV.

We also reveal the future of Audi’s sports cars with exclusive images of both the R8 and TT replacements.

Plus, we take a closer look at Citroen’s bold new Oli concept and have all the latest on the new Maserati GranTurimso, which has been unveiled with V6 and all-electric powertrains.

In the drives section we get to grips with the brilliant BMW M4 CSL, get behind the wheel of Hyundai’s new Ioniq 6 saloon and try out the sensational Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

As if all that wasn’t enough, we ask modern EV owners what they think of the ground-breaking BMW i3.

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The Kia Niro has been named Car of the Year for 2023 by Carbuyer, our sister publication. 

The new Niro impressed so much that it also bagged the Best Small Family Car and Best Hybrid Car titles. Ever-important qualities such as practicality and impressive on-board tech were just two of the many reasons why the Niro found itself at the head of the pack, and the new model’s eye-catching design and easy driving experience were also highly praised. 

The final factor that ‘sealed the deal’ for the Niro, though, is the choice of a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully-electric drivetrain, meaning there’s a model to suit every driver.

Commenting on the Niro’s success, Kia UK President and CEO, Paul Philpott, said: “Following on from the ever-successful first-generation Niro family, the all-new version has earned a highly positive response in a short period of time. To be named Carbuyer’s overall Car of the Year and topping two other categories, just months after its UK launch is a remarkable achievement – and something we and our nationwide dealer partners take huge pride from.”

This year’s annual awards ceremony saw Carbuyer name its favourite new cars for 2023 across 18 categories, and Auto Express’ Car of the Year, the Nissan Ariya, can be found among them, proudly carrying the title of Best Large Electric Car.

Elsewhere it was a stellar performance from the Korean brands with the SsangYong Musso snatching the title of Best Pick-Up Truck from long-standing champion, the Ford Ranger. The Hyundai Tucson was also named Best Family Car.  

Click here to read the full list of Carbuyer award winners or here for the Auto Express winners...

The average UK pump price of petrol fell by 6.69p to 162.89p per litre in September 2022, constituting the biggest monthly price drop since the year 2000. The cut saved drivers an average of £3.69 on a tank of unleaded.

That said, analysis from RAC Fuel Watch suggests drivers should have benefited from a further 10p cut, but retailers instead chose to take a larger profit margin than normal.

Nevertheless, it now costs less than £90 to fill a typical family car’s 55-litre fuel tank with petrol for the first time since May.

The average price of diesel also reduced in September by 3.5p to 185.16p per litre. As such, the cost of filling a typical family car with diesel has fallen £10.41 to £99.09.

The average price of petrol at the ‘big four’ supermarkets (ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco) fell by 6.6p per litre to 161.30p in September, but this is only 1.5p lower than the UK average, whereas normally it’s around 3.5p cheaper. Supermarket diesel, meanwhile, fell by 1.4p to 178.56p – 2p less than the UK average drop of 3.58p. Again, diesel is also normally 3.5p cheaper at supermarkets than other fuel stations.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “Despite September seeing the sixth biggest ever drop in the price of petrol, drivers really should have seen a far bigger drop, as the wholesale price of delivered petrol was around 120p for the whole month. This means forecourts across the country should have been displaying prices around 152p, given the long-term margin on unleaded is 7p a litre.”

He added: “As many drivers will have noticed, there are lots of smaller forecourts which are now selling fuel much cheaper than the supermarkets. We would urge everyone to shop around for the best deals rather than simply assuming the supermarkets are the lowest because they have been in the past.”

What makes up the price of UK fuel?

The price of fuel can be divided into three sections; the taxes imposed by the Government, the costs of drilling, refining and transporting, and the profit margins for the fuel companies.

For petrol, diesel and bioethanols, the Government gets around 65 per cent of the overall cost through fuel duty and value added tax (VAT). The fuel duty represents the fixed price of fuel – it stays the same regardless how much overall oil prices fluctuate. Currently, the Treasury adds 57.95 pence to each litre of fuel through fuel duty, and another 20 per cent through VAT. How much you pay in VAT depends on how much fuel you purchase.

The second biggest chunk comes from the wholesale costs of the fuel itself. The wholesale cost is a combination of currency exchange rates, global oil prices, and even domestic supply and demand.

Why is supermarket fuel cheaper than an independent forecourt?

Supermarket forecourts usually offer the cheapest fuel prices and this is because of the market power supermarkets hold. Companies like Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons are all in competition with one another, so they keep fuel prices as low as possible hoping that when motorists come to fill their tank, they might do their weekly grocery shopping, too. 

There are persistent rumours that supermarket fuel contains fewer additives and is of lesser quality than fuel from traditional forecourts, but there’s little hard evidence of this. All fuel sold in the UK has to abide by the standards set in the Motor Fuel Regulation. 

Why is fuel so expensive on motorways?

Motorway fuel stations argue the reason their prices are higher is that many of them are open 24 hours a day and offer more services than a regular forecourt. Motorway fuel stations also pay high rent prices for the buildings they operate.

In more remote areas, fuel is often more expensive because of the higher transport and supply costs, but according to RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams, this doesn’t apply to motorway stations: “We can see no reason why motorway fuel should be so much more expensive. In fact, arguably it is much easier from a delivery point of view than it is getting fuel to urban filling stations.”

Why is diesel more expensive than petrol?

Although diesel and petrol are taxed the same by the Treasury, historically diesel has been more expensive than petrol, as domestic refineries have struggled to meet demand. This has forced the UK to import diesel from other countries at a greater rate than petrol. In addition, diesel prices are pushed up by the cost of the additives that go into the fuel.

Furthermore, the gap between UK petrol and diesel prices widens during the winter. The end of the US “driving season” means retailers have a surplus of petrol they can’t export, so they sell it here at a lower price. Diesel demand, meanwhile, increases across continental Europe, where the fuel is commonly used in heating oil.

Recently, the influx of cheap diesel from countries like Saudi Arabia has turned the tide, swinging diesel wholesale prices closer to that of petrol, and bringing the pump price down with it. However the fact that we get a higher percentage of diesel from Russia than petrol means the advantage has swung the other way again.

What’s your view on fuel prices in the UK? Do we pay too much for our petrol and diesel? What would you do about it? Join the debate in our comments section below…

Mercedes has given its A-Class a facelift for 2022 and that means revisions for the AMG-fettled A 35 and A 45 performance hatches. Although the mid-life refresh doesn’t see any changes in the way of performance figures, Mercedes has worked on the exterior design of the A 35 and A 45, while giving both more equipment as standard.

We’ve seen the facelifted A 35 and A 45 testing for a while, so the revisions to the bodywork aren’t too much of a surprise. Mercedes has played it safe with the update, adding new front headlights, a redesigned AMG-specific ‘Panamericana’ radiator grille and a new bonnet badge. 

The front bumper receives a new lower lip design in connection with the standard car’s revised side air intakes, above it we can see new “power bulges” on the bonnet. A new 19-inch alloy wheel is now available and towards the rear we can see the facelifted A-Class redesigned rear lights and lip spoiler. Circular exhaust pipes distinguish the A 35 model from the A 45 – which feature quad-exhaust tips. 

Inside the new AMG hot hatches there’s the AMG Performance steering wheel – now offered as standard and AMG performance seats – trimmed in sage grey. Like the standard A-Class, the A 35 and A 45 both get the latest MBUX system, featuring improved voice assistance and new driver’s display menus.

The arrival of the facelifted Mercedes-AMG A 45 coincides with the launch of the AMG Street Style Edition. The limited edition model is based on the A 45 S and finished in “grey magno” paint with orange accents. The Aerodynamics Package is included – adding the rear spoiler and front canards. Inside, the AMG Street Style Edition comes with black Performance seats, stitched in orange and an ‘A 45 S’ logo is embroidered onto the headrests. 

Powering the A 35 is a hybridised version of the old car’s 2.0-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder. Mercedes says the new 48V auxiliary power supply adds an extra 13bhp on start up, however total power figures remain the same at 301bhp and 400Nm of torque. The performance numbers are also unchanged – 0-62mph takes 4.8 seconds in the saloon, with the hatchback taking 4.7 seconds. Top speed is limited to 155mph.

The AMG A 45 keeps its title as the most powerful hot hatchback on sale, with its turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine chucking out a massive 415bhp and 500Nm of torque. Like in the A 35, power is sent to all-four wheels – resulting in a 3.9-second 0-62mph time and a de-limited top speed of 168mph. 

Pricing hasn’t been announced yet for either model, but it’s likely that the A 35 will increase from its current starting price tag of £43,440. The A 45 just received a bump in price to £60,628 earlier this year, so we’ll see if the facelift brings another price increase when it launches in the coming months. 

Now read our list of the best performance cars…

The Mercedes B-Class isn’t exactly swamped with rivals, but with BMW releasing its second-gen 2 Series Active Tourer this year, Stuttgart needed to fight back. Meet the new, facelifted Mercedes B-Class, which arrives with subtle design tweaks and electrified engines to fight for class honours in the MPV sector. 

The styling changes are difficult to spot at first glance, but the LED headlights have been redesigned, and the car’s wide front grille is now made up of tiny three-pointed star motifs. Four new wheel designs are available with the facelifted B-Class, and the LED tail lights have also received a makeover. 

Inside, the overall cabin design is the same as in the outgoing car, with piano black elements contrasted against silver switchgear and turbine-style air vents on the dashboard. The facelifted model does include more standard equipment, however, with an extra USB-C port, a reversing camera and a new nappa leather double-spoke steering wheel. 

The new B-Class continues to offer a dual-screen infotainment setup, with a 7-inch digital instrument panel coupled to a 10.25-inch central touchscreen. For extra cost, the instrument display can be upgraded to a 10.25-inch unit, and new graphics for the MBUX interface bring the system into line with the latest Mercedes models. 

The system also offers improved responsiveness and the addition of a fingerprint sensor – set to be available from early 2023 – which is used for driver recognition and authorisation. The “Hey Mercedes” voice assistant is also more feature-rich, with a new tour guide function that provides information about landmarks and points of interest as you drive. It’s only available in Germany for the time being, though. 

Elsewhere, the facelifted B-Class receives new Artico faux leather upholstery colours, with the option of suede trim and red stitching for range-topping AMG Line models. Certain trim elements have been updated with sustainability in mind, too, including recycled fabrics for the seats.

Mercedes also cites improvements to the car’s driver assist systems, but the key changes are under the bonnet of the new B-Class. Diesel power has been ditched and the entire range is now electrified to some degree, with a choice of mild and plug-in hybrid petrol engines. The mild-hybrids utilise a 48V starter-generator unit that recuperates energy under braking for improved efficiency and smoother stop/start transitions in traffic. The system can also provide an extra 13bhp while accelerating.

Buyers can choose between four mild-hybrid petrol models, beginning with the entry-level B 180. This offers 134bhp from its 1.3-litre four-cylinder motor, with the 161bhp B 200 equipped with a more powerful version of this engine. A pair of 2.0-litre, four-wheel drive options sit above this, in the form of the B 220 4MATIC and the B 250 4MATIC. These provide 187bhp and 221bhp respectively.

The B 250 e plug-in hybrid tops the range, pairing a 1.3-litre petrol engine with an electric motor for a total output of 215bhp. This variant benefits from a revised battery and motor setup compared with the previous plug-in model, along with a faster 11kW AC charging rate. With 22kW DC charging capability, the B 250 e can be topped up from 10 to 80 per cent in 25 minutes.

Pricing is yet to be announced for the new B-Class, but given that electrified engines feature across the board, we expect a fair uplift over the current car’s £33,775 starting price. 

Click here for our list of the best MPVs on sale right now…

The Rexton sits atop SsangYong’s SUV lineup and now the Korean firm has bestowed it with a new Ultimate Plus trim level which “adds even more luxury, yet retains value for money”. 

SsangYong launched the facelifted Rexton last year, which included revised bumpers front and rear and more technology as standard. Improving on the two-strong Ventura and Ultimate Rexton lineup is the Ultimate Plus – which is available to order now from £45,495. 

For the extra £4,715 over the Ultimate, the new Ultimate Plus features 20-inch alloy wheels, auto-dipping mirrors, a powered sunroof and metallic paint. Inside, you’ll find quilted leather and suede seats, a 3D 360-degree monitoring camera, a memory driver’s seat and a wireless phone charger. 

The 12.3-inch driver’s display is also standard, as is the 9.2-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The Ultimate Plus is still a seven-seater and for the rear-most seats, there’s third-row air-conditioning.  

Mechanically, the Rexton Ultimate Plus is unchanged. Only one powertrain is available now – a 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel with 199bhp and 441Nm of torque. 0-62mph takes 11.9 seconds. Power is sent to the rear wheels during normal driving and should the front lose traction then the four-wheel drive system is engaged. A new seven-speed auto from Hyundai replaces the old seven-speed auto from Mercedes found in the pre-facelift model. 

The Rexton Ultimate Plus also receives SsangYong’s lengthy seven-year/150,000-mile warranty.

Check out our list of the best SUVs on sale here…