• Video: Off-road battle for Beer O’Clock Hill has automakers scrambling

    December 30, 2025

    Australia’s best-selling utes have been pitted against each other in one of the toughest industry tests for off-road vehicles. However, not all of those tested made it up the first time. The video, published on the CarExpert YouTube channel, was filmed on-site at The Springs 4×4 Park – located at The Glen in the Granite Belt of Queensland, south of Warwick. Within the park is Beer O’Clock Hill, considered one of the toughest off-road hill climbs in the country – allowing for consistent testing back-to-back within the confines of a private property. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new…

  • Chinese vacuum cleaner maker teases 1000hp electric supercar

    December 30, 2025

    A vacuum cleaner maker from China has teased the first image of a new supercar it will reveal in the metal at the January 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, United States (US). Dreame Automotive, known for high-performance vacuum cleaners, announced plans last August to build its first vehicle, an electric supercar it says will target the Bugatti Veyron, which was the world’s fastest car when it launched in 2004, capable of more than 400km/h. The images show the sleek two-seat Dreame supercar’s svelte lines, with a low stance capped by large alloy wheels housing cross-drilled brakes, as…

  • China introduces “no fire, no explosion” EV battery standards

    December 30, 2025

    New laws introduced in China aim to improve the safety of electric vehicle (EV) battery packs, including a “no fire, no explosion” requirement focusing on eliminating battery fires and subsequent hazards. The regulations will bring global benefits given the dominance of China in the EV battery supply chains and their proliferation across auto brands, including Tesla, BYD and Toyota. According to CarNewsChina, the new rules come into effect on January 1, 2026, and they “will require automakers to optimise battery structures and thermal management systems to improve the overall safety of new energy vehicles”. ‘New energy vehicles’ is a term…

  • CarExpert’s top five large SUV reviews of 2025

    December 29, 2025

    The CarExpert road test team has cycled through plenty of large SUVs this year, including segment stalwarts, updated favourites, and fresh arrivals. We spent extended periods with the new Toyota Prado and came to view it as a flawed family wagon, while the similarly positioned new Ford Everest continued to earn praise for its better rounded set of attributes. Newcomers were plentiful. Chinese brands such as BYD, MG and Chery kept us on our toes by introducing several new large SUVs to the market, as did the Japanese and Europeans. But which large SUV did you, our readers, take the…

  • The cars revealed in 2025 we wish would come to Australia

    December 29, 2025

    Ever have that feeling after you’ve unwrapped all your presents that something was missing? We feel a little bit like that at the end of 2025. The Australian auto market received plenty of presents in the shape of new vehicles from a raft of brands, but some exciting vehicles weren’t sent our way wrapped with a big bow. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Exeed ES GT Jeep Cherokee Nissan Elgrand Yangwang U9 Track Edition Some examples include: Acura RSX BYD Racco EV Cadillac Escalade iQL Cadillac Optiq-V Deepal L06…

  • The CarExpert team’s biggest disappointments of 2025

    December 29, 2025

    The past 12 months have been a tumultuous time for automakers, with tariffs, cyberattacks, emissions laws, tax incentives and an influx of new brands all impacting the new-car market. Locally, we saw some big – seriously big – vehicle launches, including the covers being pulled off a new Toyota HiLux, while arch-rival Ford bet the house on its new Ranger Super Duty. With Toyota and Ford the top two brands, a replacement for next-best Mazda’s most popular model – the CX-5 SUV – was also revealed, while a Nissan Navara, new in more ways than one, landed. Here’s what didn’t provide any…

  • 2026 Skoda Fabia 130 review: Quick drive

    December 29, 2025

    Skoda’s RS performance badging has built up a dedicated following over the decades, with the two-letter moniker widely used in the current model portfolio. But one line it has been conspicuously absent from for many a year (in fact, more than a decade now) is the Fabia hatch. Not since the Mk2-based RS 132TSI bit the dust in 2013 have we had a ‘hot’ Fabia. Until now. Yet this is not the return of the RS. Instead, it’s a new halo model called the Fabia 130. That name fulfils a three-pronged brief, by the way: because it’s 130 years since…

  • 2026 MG U9 review | CarExpert

    December 29, 2025

    MG’s first ute is a monster moment for the Chinese brand. It is arguable that the new MG U9 dual-cab isn’t targeting Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger buyers – but instead, it offers a strong design including a single-piece body side (like the LDV Terron 9 on which it’s based), independent multi-link coil-spring rear suspension (unlike the LDV), and a few innovations that we haven’t previously seen in the diesel ute market. One of those – a fold-down ‘mid-gate’ between the tub and the cabin – could be a winning choice for those who want long load length capability but without choosing a single-cab/chassis (and the…

  • Lexus RZ600e: New EV flagship boasts more power, plenty of wings

    December 29, 2025

    The updated Lexus RZ range has yet to make it to Australian showrooms, but there’s now a new, outlandishly styled flagship version in Japan: the RZ600e F Sport Performance. Based on the RZ550e, the RZ600e F Sport Performance has a total system output of 313kW. According to Lexus the 13kW bump up from RZ550e is thanks purely to “reassessing battery output limits”. Despite the extra power, the claimed 0-100km/h time for the top-shelf mid-size electric SUV is unchanged at 4.4 seconds. Both front and rear motors are rated at 167kW and 268Nm. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new…

  • CarExpert’s top five ute reviews of 2025

    December 29, 2025

    Utes, eh? We absolutely love ’em. And by ‘we’, we mean Australians in general. Can’t get enough of them. For the best part of a decade, the Toyota HiLux dominated the Aussie sales chart before the Ford Ranger overtook it and relegated it to the second spot on the podium in 2023. But 2025 has seen an influx of new utes, from both legacy and newcomer brands. While the Ford Ranger Super Duty and new-generation HiLux were two of the biggest ute launches of 2025, they both happened fairly late in the year, leaving us with this list – the…