From the editor…

This issue, we take a deeper look at the road ahead for both new entrants and longstanding legacies.

29 July 2026 3 min read

There are many quite interesting social observations you can make as a renter in a small flat, on a street in London that is generally occupied by people in, let’s say, different circumstances. Our (not very) reliable old banger, faithfully used for the daily commute, road trips, helping friends move, nipping to the shops, and everything in between, sits among an unlikely cohort.

It has no screens, no entertainment system, and in fact, no functioning air conditioning (please take a second to pity me in the recent weather). And yet, due to the capital’s characteristic of having a true melting pot of different social groups – not just from one road to the next, but one terraced house to the next door block of flats – this unassuming workhorse (I’ll mention no brand, for fear of editorial favouritism) stands out on our leafy semi-suburban street.

As I write this, an Audi parks up opposite my window, a pleasing moment to prove a point, although I guess I could have made it up.

Running this magazine, I watch with interest the microcosm of wider trends that gets played out on a street where a decent majority of people have the disposable income, even in these difficult times, to make vehicle choices beyond ‘does it run, and how hard will I be hit by ULEZ?’

While a Mini still sits nose-to-nose with a Discovery a few spaces down from the aforementioned Audi, there is a quiet revolution in my lazy version of a test group. Over the past months, I’ve noticed with interest as a dyed-in-the-wool Tesla faithful over the road quietly swapped it out for a shiny new Jaecoo, for example, and they’re not the only one.

This is not just an excuse to nose on the neighbours. There is a sea change happening across the UK, and whether you’re a fleet decision-maker, dealership or just an enthusiast, it is likely to have an effect – it’s up to you whether this is inconvenient or exciting. Even for those fiercely loyal to buying British, the likelihood is that the shape of the OEM landscape is going to change.

This issue, we take a deeper look at the road ahead for both new entrants and longstanding legacies. In the background of all of it, of course, is the prevailing push to electrification. With all this going on, who knows what my London road will look like in 10 years time.