The September 2025 issue of Diesel&EcoCar is your essential guide to buying a new 75-plate car, including an interesting feature on the history of number plates, advice on picking up a private plate, and answers to the quandary about whether you really need to change your old car for a brand new one.

All of the latest news is on offer, with the Subaru Uncharted featuring on the front cover, with information on the new Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake, Leapmotor C10 AWD, Vauxhall Mokka GSE and updated Honda Civic. Our test team have been driving the MG IM5 and Audi A6 Avant e-tron this month, as well as the facelifted Volvo XC90, Leapmotor C10 range extending electric vehicle, the BYD Dolphin Surf, Jaecoo 7 SHS, and the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer GTX. In Our Cars, we welcome a Mazda CX-80 to the fleet, in plug-in hybrid guise.

This month’s used car buyer’s guide is all about the Skoda Karoq diesel, and we focus on three generations of the Toyota Land Cruiser. Audi’s A3 and the DS 4 are pitched against each other in secondhand shootout, and we ask whether the BMW XM is a hero or a zero. This is in addition to all of your other favourite features including The Doctor, Motorgrump, Fully Equipped, Bright Spark, and the most up-to-date data section in the magazine business. In automotive own goals, we talk about Jaguar missing the boat when it cancelled the XK diesel project, and don’t forget to check out one of the newest columns, Grand Designs, that looks back at a groundbreaking concept car, as well as an interesting look at past prototypes, clay models and design sketches, some or all of which you may never have seen before. Finally, don’t forget to check out our resident legal expert, in The Legal Lane.

Tested:

• Audi A6 e-tron Avant S line Performance Automatic
• BYD Dolphin Surf Comfort Automatic
• Jaecoo 7 SHS Luxury Automatic
• Leapmotor C10 REEV Automatic
• MG IM5 100 Performance Automatic
• Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer GTX Plus 4Motion Automatic
• Volvo XC90 Ultra T8 PHEV AWD Automatic

Long-term test reports:

• Abarth 500e Turismo
• Citroën ë-SpaceTourer XL You! 75kWh Automatic
• Cupra Tavascan V1 Automatic
• DS 4 Étoile Hybrid 136 Automatic
• Mazda CX-80 PHEV Homura Plus Automatic
• Renault Rafale E-Tech Iconic Esprit Alpine Automatic
• Skoda Superb Estate SE L 2.0 TDI DSG Automatic
• Toyota Prius Design 2.0 VVT-i plug-in hybrid Automatic
• Vauxhall Grandland Electric Ultimate Automatic
• Volvo V90 Plus T6 AWD Automatic

Features:

• Bright Spark
• Current affairs – Where does UK electricity come from to power your EV?
• Day trip to… Langollen Motor Museum
• Gadget Inspector
• Motorgrump
• Technology explained – keyless entry and start
• The Doctor – advice column
• Tomorrow’s World – Renault vision4rescue and pavement gullies
• New registration special features – why does the plate change, private plates – from cheap to chic, new registration – stick or twist?
• You, the jury – living on wheels?
• What’s on

Buying, selling and maintaining

• Generation Game – Toyota Land Cruiser – three generations examined
• Hero or zero – BMW XM
• Product watch – Oils
• Remember this – Rover 200 Series (R3)
• Secondhand shootout – Audi A3 vs DS 4

Used Car Buyer’s Guide

• Skoda Karoq (2022-onwards)

Data Files

• Denied electrics – Renault 5 E-Tech 94bhp
• Forgotten Concept – 1994 Fiat Downtown
• Joy of Lists – 10 biggest tyre companies
• Under development – Nissan Cranfield
• The most comprehensive and up-to-data in the business

Regulars

• News and views
• News in pictures
• Motoring Morsels
• Refuelling Costs
• Day trip to…
• What’s On
• Gadget Inspector
• The Doctor
• This Month
• Current Affairs
• Tomorrow’s World
• Roadwatch
• You, the jury
• Motorgrump
• Fully equipped
• Bright Spark
• DM@il
• Tuning specialists directory
• Buying. Selling and Maintaining
• The Generation Game
• The Doctor’s Hero or Zero
• Marketplace Statistics
• Marketplace In The Pipeline
• Marketplace What’s New
• Data Files
• Next month
• Grand Designs
• The Legal Lane