In 2025, Drive readers brushed up on their knowledge of Australian road rules and learnt more about the meaning of those blue reflectors on the road.
With 2025 drawing to a close, it’s time to take a look back at the year that was on Drive across our news, reviews, advice, social media and Marketplace content.
In this edition, we’ve compiled a list of the most-popular car advice stories on Drive in 2025.
Road rules remained a popular topic for readers in 2025, while there was also interest in the Tesla Cybertruck and the optional extras that consumers regret buying.
The list below shows the Top 10 car advice stories on Drive with the highest recorded views between January and December 2025.
10. Fed-up residents take motorists parking over driveways into their own hands
Date published: November 30, 2025
Residents near the Concord Hospital in Sydney, New South Wales, have taken matters into their own hands to combat cars parked over their driveways.
Unable to have an offending vehicle towed by a private company, residents have repainted street markings and placed stickers on the windscreens of illegally parked vehicles to warn drivers.
MORE: Fed-up residents take motorists parking over driveways into their own hands
9. These blue road reflectors have a crucial hidden meaning
Date published: October 23, 2025
Blue reflectors are used in Australia for firefighters to quickly identify the location of a portable water source or fire hydrant.
Known as reflective raised pavement markers (RRPMs), the blue reflectors are not an official marker, and are usually installed and maintained by a fire brigade or local council.
MORE: These blue road reflectors have a crucial hidden meaning
8. Do average-speed cameras apply to cars?
Date published: February 9, 2025
The enforcement of average-speed cameras, which calculate a vehicle’s speed across a distance, varies depending on the Australian state.
For example, in New South Wales, most average-speed cameras are enforced for heavy vehicles, with the government currently trialling two that apply to all vehicles, one on the Hume Highway and another on the Pacific Highway.
MORE: Do average-speed cameras apply to cars?
7. Opinion: I sat in a Tesla Cybertruck, and it changed my mind about them
Date published: March 16, 2025
Drive’s Zane Dobie felt confused about the Tesla Cybertruck after seeing it in person for the first time at the Everything Electric Show in Sydney.
He was conflicted about the Cybertruck’s interior, saying it was a “missed opportunity having this completely left-field [exterior] design matched with a conservative interior,” along with its fingerprint-attracting raw stainless steel body.
“It’s a cool car, but it just feels a little less cool than when I saw it online,” Dobie said.
MORE: Opinion – I sat in a Tesla Cybertruck, and it changed my mind about them
6. Can you use your phone in the car if it is mounted?
Date published: May 11, 2025
The laws on using a mobile phone while driving vary in each Australian state and territory.
For instance, green P-platers are allowed to have a phone in a cradle for certain functions, such as making or receiving a phone call, in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, but not in other jurisdictions.
MORE: Can you use your phone in the car if it is mounted?
5. ‘It’s overkill’: Tesla’s active hood feature leaves owners with a hefty bill
Date published: January 9, 2025
A Tesla Model 3 driver in Wodonga, Victoria was hit with a large repair bill after they clipped a wallaby.
The impact activated the Tesla’s Active Hood function, which raises the rear section of the bonnet to reduce the likelihood of injuries to a pedestrian in a collision.
However, several Model 3 drivers noted their Active Hood had also been set off after colliding with animals, which has resulted in repair bills often greater than the vehicle’s insurance excess amount.
MORE: ‘It’s overkill’ – Tesla’s active hood feature leaves owners with a hefty bill
4. Can you break the speed limit when you’re merging or overtaking?
Date published: October 26, 2025
As detailed in the story, you cannot exceed the speed limit to merge or overtake in Australia.
“Good merging and overtaking relies on planning, awareness and timing. Speeding cuts down your margins. It increases stopping distance and leaves less room for others to adjust to your movement,” Driver Safety Australia managing director Russell White told Drive.
MORE: Can you break the speed limit when you’re merging or overtaking?
3. ‘You’ll never use it’: A quarter of Australians regret getting this optional extra on their car
Date published: September 27, 2025
According to a survey conducted by Money.com.au, 22 per cent of Australian motorists said they regret opting for an extended warranty, while 20 per cent said paint protection was a waste of money.
“When you’re signing on the proverbial dotted line for a new car at the dealership, it’s easy to get caught up in the bells and whistles and find yourself nodding along to every extra on the sales checklist,” Money.com.au finance expert Sean Callery said.
“But many of these add-ons simply don’t stack up over the long term because they’re either overpriced compared with what you can buy independently or provide little real protection.”
MORE: ‘You’ll never use it’ – A quarter of Australians regret getting this optional extra on their car
2. ‘Never seen them before’: The little-known road marking found in Australia
Date published: January 30, 2025
The purpose of road markings known as ‘dragon’s teeth’ has interested motorists across Australia.
Victoria and New South Wales both use ‘dragon’s teeth’ markings, which are intended to be a visual cue for drivers to slow down, such as when entering a school zone or a high-risk section of a road.
The markings have a “perceptual road-narrowing effect” that “stimulates drivers to reduce their speed limit”, according to a 2021 Qatar University report.
MORE: ‘Never seen them before’ – The little-known road marking found in Australia
1. When two lanes merge into one, who gives way?
Date published: February 12, 2025
Road rules are always hot topic, with readers interested to understand who is meant to give way when two lanes merge into one.
As detailed in the story, there are differing rules. In the common ‘form one lane’ situation, the driver in the line of traffic merging with one or more lines of traffic must give way to any vehicle ahead of their vehicle.
MORE: When two lanes merge into one, who gives way?
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