A very unofficial list of cars that Country Life liked this year
As we head into 2026, James Fisher looks back on a year in cars for Country Life.
It’s been a busy year on the Country Life Motoring desk, so before I ramble on about cars and which ones I liked and which ones I liked less, I want to thank the many contributors who wrote things for the website this year. In no particular order, they are: Simon de Burton, Adam Hay-Nicholls, Natasha Bird, Matthew MacConnell, Jeremy Taylor, Jason Barlow, Guy Bird, Toby Keel, Rosie Paterson, Charles Rangeley-Wilson, Melanie Bryan, Ben Oliver and Charlie Thomas. Many thanks for your thoughts on all things on four wheels and two, and here’s to doing it all again next year.
Now, to the end of year round up. There are serious ‘end of year’ lists written by serious car people who have a wide-ranging array of cargo shorts and sandals and who heard a joke once and didn’t laugh. This isn’t going to be one of those lists, because A) there are plenty of those online already and B) I have not been able, despite my best efforts, to drive every car this year and C) I am fun at parties. So the below is more a collection of observations, rather than a definitive awards. Maybe next year I’ll take it more seriously. It’s unlikely though.
Surprise of the year
It is not traditional to get too excited about an electric car, especially a Scandinavian one, but the Polestar 4 was a genuine delight to drive and to live with. If we are to live an electric life, then it only seems fair we try and have some fun with it. The 4 has replaced the rear window with a camera, which makes the car an interesting shape. It has interesting headlights. The interior is extremely comfortable and is themed around planets. Good range, easy to drive, surprisingly quick, and feels well built. It’s a bit like finding out that an extremely dull co-worker from the accounting department has a secret penchant for hallucinogenics at the Christmas party. Probably a bit too expensive, but then again what isn’t these days.
Car I would actually buy if I could
There are many negative things you could say about the new Toyota Land Cruiser. It’s a little underpowered. The ride is a little firm on the motorway. The chances of actually buying one are slim because so few are being delivered to the UK. But those are all irrelevant concerns because the car is sensationally cool. Stand out on the school run, stand out when driving through rivers and over hills. Gain respect from farmers. Stand out wherever you are. It’s fantastic and I am deeply envious whenever I see one on the road.
Disappointment of the year
There is nothing ‘wrong’ with the Lexus LBX (perhaps the automatic gearbox is a little janky), but there isn’t much to love either. I expected a lot from the What Car? Car of the Year 2024 and instead received just quite a plain automobile. The back seats were too small for five actual human beings. It doesn’t look particularly inspiring. It is simply ‘car’. Cheap and easy to run, and does have that splash of Lexus luxury, but not loads else.
The car I would most like to drive but haven’t
I know little about this vehicle other than that it is electric and it looks absolutely fantastic. Many brands have been flirting with bringing back the 1980s aesthetic, but Renault actually went ahead and did it. And doesn’t it look great. It has won many 'proper' awards this year, but this one is the most important.
Best car to show up to your friend’s wedding in to make sure that the day is all about you
If your friends are getting married and you are worried that everyone’s attention will be on them rather than you, then a Rolls-Royce Spectre should help balance the eyeballs. Not the easiest thing to park in a small rural village, which will certainly have people looking at you for unwanted reasons, but astoundingly comfortable, very fast, very quiet and just sensationally good looking. The Black Badge version is the most powerful Roller ever made and is surely the most pure manifestation of the vision of Messrs Rolls and Royce, which is to be elegant, luxurious and very very quiet.
Best car to survive a nuclear apocalypse/climate catastrophe/the school run
Moving any concerns about the activities of a certain petrochemical magnate to one side, the Ineos Grenadier is a rare thing in the automotive world these days, which is a car with a singular, defining purpose. The Grenadier is supposed to go through things and go over things. It does that with aplomb. It also has lots of cool buttons and switches, which in an age of endless screens and swiping, is a blessed relief. Probably a bit too big for London life.
James Fisher award for an EV that doesn’t make you feel totally disassociated with driving/living
Lotus is no longer the Norfolk-based maker of small sports cars that will break down. It is now the Norfolk-based-but-Chinese-owned maker of EVs that are quite big. Some people will stay upset about this forever, and that’s fine, but the all electric ‘hyper GT’ known as the Emeya is just tremendous. The styling is whacky and fun, the technology is head and shoulders above anything else on the market and it is a scream to drive. I also think it is very reasonably priced considering the luxury/performance on offer. Probably my favourite EV, and all it needs is a bit of fake engine noise.
Loudest engine noise
Once you hear the howl of the V10 at the heart of a McLaren Solus GT, it will never leave you. Quite a remarkable noise, and one that I am pretty sure will rattle around my skull for at least a decade.
For cars you can actually drive, the twin-turbo V8 from the Aston Martin Vantage is as good as anything you’ll listen to on the road this year. Throaty, raspy, snarly, and shouty at high revs, and menacing and burbly at the low end. Best get the roofless Roadster version to really appreciate it.
Best looking car of the year
A bit too early for Christmas, but certainly an end-of-year treat, was the reveal of the new Bentley Supersports in November. Bentley have fine tuned their styling in the past five years, and their whole lineup now looks fantastic. The addition of lots of fins and fibres for the Supersports, however, really elevates into best-in-class territory.
An honourable mention here for the Aston Martin Vanquish, which is certainly the best thing I’ve seen on the roads this year. A nice long bonnet for that monstrous 5.7 litre V12, that iconic grille, and vents and lines in all the right places. Absolutely on the wishlist for 2026.
Most anticipated car of 2026
The Ferrari Elettrica, which for those of you who really don’t know any Italian, means ‘electric’. If Ferrari can’t make an EV an excitement, then frankly nobody can. No pressure lads.
The NC500 award for best car to survive a traffic jam
The most fascinating thing about the Omoda 9 is that it comes with only one trim level, which means that everything comes as standard for the £44,990 price tag. ‘Everything’ includes air filters, a panoramic roof, comfy electric seats, touchscreens, the super ‘Super Hybrid System’ engine and a heated steering wheel. The second most fascinating thing is that said engine seems to use almost no petrol, making it obscenely cheap to run. Decent styling, good tech, and a reasonable price point — not a huge amount to complain about really.
And lastly… the best Christmas present of the year
It would be remiss of me not to mention the recent sale of a 1994 McLaren F1 with MSO High Downforce Kit for the otherworldly sum of $25.3 million. The 14th of 64 road-going F1s produced, she was originally built for the Sultan of Brunei and has a meticulous history. Congratulations to the lucky new owner, and it is delightful that the F1 is still so desirable. To give you a flavour, an Alain Prost-owned Ferrari F40 from 1990 only fetched a meagre $3.886 million.
