Autocar started road tests back in 1928 with an Austin Seven. Back then it was the best seller in the UK.
We have since put thousands of machines through their paces.
Every one gets a score out of five.
We hold the line tight.
Five stars is rare. One or two a year. Maybe.
We looked back at the last decade. Twenty-one cars made the cut. Just twenty-one. Here are the ones that earned the highest marks we give, with their original test dates included.
Alphabetical order, obviously.
Alpine A110
Date: 16/5/18
Rarely does a car come along so devotion to driver involvement.
The Alpine A110 gets it. Every piece of it works. From that rasping turbo torque to the way it handles with a sort of hilarious immersion.
It delivers fun. Fresh, branded, accessible fun. Whenever you want. Wherever you want.
Most sports cars make a compromise somewhere. The A110 doesn’t quite do that. It turns boring roads into something worth driving on. And the more you dig in the more you like it.
Are any individual parts exceptional?
Not really. You won’t find too much mechanically groundbreaking here.
But put it all together. It becomes greater than the sum.
It is quick. Agile. Effusive. Enormous fun.
The market agrees with the score. You won’t buy a used one for less than £32,200 now. Scarcity does that.
Ariel Atom 4
Date: 9/10/9
The Atom used to be the renegade.
Now? It is part of the establishment. It helped build the lightweight sports car scene while pretending to disrupt it. That kind of progression is intentional. Ariel knows how to evolve without losing the magic.
Looking at it still hits differently. You can see the mechanics. Everything working right in front of your face.
Simple.
Deliciously simple. It strips away the modern idea that quality must be hidden under plastic and leather.
The 2.0-liter four-cylinder now has a turbo. Boosts performance. Makes it actually usable without ruining the character. Ariel tweaked the chassis. Good calls. All of them.
The Atom works on the track. It also works on the road. Rivals usually fail one of those. This does both.
It absorbs your attention completely.
Hard to find, but when one shows up, expect to pay around £60,0
00.
