Here are your ten biggest car reviews of the year

Clarity of thought is what sets the XC90 apart. It knows precisely what sort of car it’s trying to be and sticks to its game plan religiously. We're not surprised it's still going more than 10 years later, but what's really amazing is that it continues to lead the segment. Woah.

It’ll go off-road, but it’s not a Discovery; there’s no big V8 option to spoil the packaging, or hardcore sports suspension ruining refinement (mostly). Instead it just drives cleanly and well.

What you have here is a car that’s been conceived to support family life, and that’s been kept at the forefront at every stage of its development. From the operation of the seats to the ambience of the cabin, the XC90 will carry your loved ones in safety and security, with zero fuss and while looking fan-blummin'-tastic. What a machine.

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The Polestar 4 is fun and interesting, and has a distinctive design. But that distinctiveness does have one perverse aspect. The lack of rear-view to gain a bit of rear headroom and marginal aero gains on what is a 2.3-tonne, high-riding SUV isn’t really worth it. Yes, you might eventually get used to the digital mirror; van and lorry drivers have used them for a while. But they're dealing with an issue, rather than creating a solution to an invented one.

The interior is lovely, and very roomy. The overall vibe is relaxed, provided you're not frustrated by elements of the interface. The single-motor version is relaxing to drive too, but you do get a better car for paying extra for the faster version – which is actually quite unusual in the world of EVs.

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A convincing vision of a family car done better. We love it because it’s different, because it’s a new anti-SUV template, because it’s fun to be in and around. But equally we’re not blind to its drawbacks. The range could be better, but you need slippery aero for that, and it’s by no means cheap. However, the seven-seat version has unlocked the Buzz’s potential making proper use of the space and versatility the Buzz promised, and for only a few quid more. It’s the car the ID. Buzz always should have been.

For those up front the experience is unique and special, it’s a shame that for those behind, apart from sliding doors and intensely generous headroom, there’s less to lift the spirits.

But right now, if you’re looking at any other premium crossover or SUV – be it electric or internal combustion – doesn’t this look like a brighter, more engaging and interesting alternative? It’s beguilingly simple and yet entirely uplifting.

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The Formentor is not exactly a car of many surprises. It’s built on a tried and tested platform. It’s powered by engines that’ve shone in many a decent, recent hot hatchback. But that’s not to say this curiously badged, go-faster offshoot is an also-ran. Seat’s Ateca is one of Top Gear’s favourite crossovers because it’s so wilfully unpretentious and easy to use, yet the driving experience manages not to be the motoring equivalent of a Third Division nil-nil draw. It’s almost fun.

So, taking those ingredients and wrapping them up with more power, in a lower, prettier package creates a car that has some genuine appeal. The configurator is a bit of a minefield though.

Still, it doesn’t matter that it’s not a household name: very few cars these days say anything about you beyond ‘there was cheap finance available on this and I liked the colour'. Drive a Formentor and at least it says you might know a bit about cars beyond Google’s first results page.

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This is not a hot hatch in the mould of old Renaultsports. It’s too heavy for that, with disinterested steering and a bland powertrain. But the chassis is keen and kept within the boundaries of physics there’s proper playfulness baked into this car. As with any good hot hatch, it does good work on a fast B-road. You can trim your line in corners with a lift of the throttle and it clings on well when you take it by the scruff of the neck.

There are two distinct sides to its personality though – on one hand it’s clearly made by people who were prepared to sweat the handling details, and who know exactly how a hot hatch should behave, on the other this is a car you could happily commute in every day, enjoying its refinement and the fact it's ridiculously easy to use. Think of it as an urban hot hatch, a slice ‘n’ dice device for towns and cities and it’s right up there.

It's a very different experience to hot Clios of old, but still a good one… there’s a sense of humour, good looks, usable performance, gadgets to play with and it’s well priced. It’s a hit, with one potential drawback: the A290 is a fun little road car, but so’s the Renault 5… and you can get one of those for £10k less.

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A staggering eight million original Renault 4s were sold, but your memory of it is likely as rusty as they mostly are now. So don't worry if all this retro talk doesn't resonate with you.

The new Renault 4 combines dynamic talent with an admirable amount of suppleness over the UK’s often cratered road network. That’s a hard trick to pull off.

And while the design isn’t as – how shall we put this – purposeful as the R5’s, it’s recognisably different from the waves of generic-looking stuff washing up in dealers all over the country, with marvellous detailing inside and out. If you’re not keen at first, give it time… it’ll grow on you.

And there's goodness in the R4 that goes beyond design: the interior is sublime, the tech is well executed, it’s value for money and (most importantly of all) unfailingly uplifting to drive. Renault has hit another home run with this.

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The Skoda Elroq is an overdose in competence. If you can imagine such a thing. It religiously follows the path walked by the Enyaq before it, and for that reason it majors in just about every department that could matter to someone in the market for a sensible, mid-size electric car that doesn’t break the bank nor originate from the land of the Great Wall. Add its confident styling into the mix and Skoda appears to have nailed it yet again.

Our only real gripe is that the Elroq is a complete fun sponge; that nervous dude at the party who insists on washing up at 1am rather than spill his secrets playing ‘Never Have I Ever’. We hoped that it might’ve learned to let its hair down ever so slightly with its more compact dimensions. Alas, it hasn’t – even the vRS is too safe. Maybe the Epiq will be the wild child?

Otherwise, the Elroq oozes common sense and no doubt its competitors will be envious of its life choices.

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The Grande Panda electric is cheap, and in some ways it feels it. The dash is made of hard plastic stuff and the basic version – the only one you should buy in our view – has white steel wheels… like a £65k Land Rover Defender. But the design of the cabin is original, funky and honest about its substance.

For that low price you get decent space, some admirable detailing and adequate performance for a runabout. It absolutely covers off the essentials.

So the Grande Panda finds itself a unique spot on the price-value curve. It could have been called a success even if it had done that with dull, stony determination. Instead it has a cheery countenance and knowing sense of heritage. We approve.

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A massive improvement to the Model Y from Tesla. It may have taken the company a while to react to the feedback, but they’ve got there in the end. The new Model Y is quieter, more efficient, calmer to drive and nicer to be in. The only issue is that where it was a good distance from the competition, it’s now just about keeping ahead of the curve, and the initial surprise and delight is gone.

It might look better, but there’s an element of placid androgeny to it now; it looks like a lot of other electric SUVs – and there’s no badge on the front to tell you what it is.

But there’s still Tesla’s Supercharger network to back up the ownership prospect, and buyers won’t be disappointed with the hardware, or the experience. A decent evolution rather than the revolution that might be needed next time.

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The R5’s not the first premium-retro EV. It shares with the Mini and Fiat 500 a knowing silhouette, lavish external jewellery and a smart, cheery cabin. But it’s bigger than a Fiat 500 and goes further, and it's more practical than the Mini and copes better with bumpy roads.

More than that it feels very solidly built from premium materials. This is Renault as we haven’t seen it before, and it’s very impressive.

And look at the value on offer here. Looking at performance and range, it's right in the sweet spot, and the bi-directional charging could help subsidise your outlay.

Most of all it feels consistent: as charming to drive as it is to look at and to sit in. Your first love should last.

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