How we test cars and why you can trust RAC Drive's car reviews

I’m Lawrence Allan, Automotive Editor at RAC Drive, and I manage our car reviews section. We often get asked how we actually test and review vehicles to come up with our detailed and trustworthy in-depth verdicts. On this page, I’ll outline how the Drive team works hard to ensure our car and van reviews are accurate, informed and balanced.

Between RAC Drive Editor Dan Powell, Consumer Editor Barney Cotton and I, we have over 35 years of experience in professional car testing and motoring journalism. In that time, we’ve tested thousands of new cars and vans.

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We’ve travelled the world to be among the first to get behind the wheel of the very latest new cars, vans and campervans and tested them in real-world environments, including a wide variety of UK roads.

Whether we’re testing superminis or supercars, the most important thing that affects how we test and review new vehicles is how fit for purpose they are. Our readers are at the heart of this. We assess how a vehicle will perform in real world environments, not test tracks, because that’s the most relevant situation for car and van buyers and what helps them make the most informed decision.

Why does the RAC review cars and vans?

As a motoring organisation that’s been helping drivers for over 125 years, the RAC provides expert advice and insight across all aspects of motoring.

Expert-led automotive content, such as car and van reviews, is a cornerstone of this. We have over 2,500 car, van, pickup and campervan reviews, covering vehicles as far back as the early 1990s.

Our experienced automotive content team know what makes a good car or van, and know how to communicate that to buyers. We avoid industry jargon or confusing language, instead preferring to tell it how it is in a straightforward way.

What cars and vans do we review, and how do we test them?

We review and test all the most important new cars on the market. That means cars that customers actually buy in significant numbers, including everything from the tiny Kia Picanto to the exciting Porsche 911. We also test commercial vehicles under 3.5 tonnes in Gross Vehicle Weight.

We focus more on popular, real-world vehicles than supercars, hypercars or ultra luxury models. This keeps our reviews relevant and informative to the average motorist who is looking to test drive or buy a new car or van.

The RAC Drive team tests a new vehicle one of two ways. Either we are invited to attend a media launch event in the UK, Europe or elsewhere by the car manufacturer, or the manufacturer sends a vehicle to us for a week to allow for extensive testing on all types of UK roads.

A launch event is usually the first chance that anyone outside of the manufacturer has to get behind the wheel of a new car or van. Groups of reviewers are invited to a location and given a chance to assess everything from the infotainment system to underfloor boot storage, before getting behind the wheel. We'll also be briefed by brand executives, who provide us with key details, sales targets and in-depth engineering details.

Testing a vehicle on a launch event usually involves a variety of roads, from twisting rural roads to motorway and town use and even (where applicable) off-road driving. We will then further test the car in the UK as soon as it is made available to us, to ensure our verdict is reliable and comprehensive to assist buyers.

RAC Drive car and van reviews: Key testing criteria and ratings explained

All cars, vans and camper vans go through the same rigorous testing process. We will assess these vehicles in the following seven key areas and award a numbered score out of 10 in each category. We then work out the average of the seven scores for our overall verdict rating.

RAC Reviews: Our assessment categories

Value

The value section of our reviews forms a core part of our overall verdict. Pricing is a key influence here, and whether the vehicle’s list price (or Recommended Retail Price/RRP) is more or less expensive than key competitors.

But list price is only part of the verdict. We look at what you get for your money, whether it’s a high level of standard equipment or a powerful or sophisticated engine option. We’ll look at how much petrol, diesel, hybrid or fully electric options cost in comparison to the rest of the range and similar competitors.

We’ll assess whether more expensive engine options or trim levels are worth considering, too, and outline all the key equipment features that are standard in each trim level.

Interior and technology

We won’t just be dazzled by fancy gizmos and lighting effects when assessing the interior of a new car and van. We’ll test out the driving position for those of different shapes and sizes to ensure it’s comfortable and widely adjustable, while also assessing visibility out of the car from all angles to ensure it’s easy to drive.

We’ll discuss the design and user interface within the context of the vehicle’s key competitors, so you know how simple key features are to find and operate, while we’ll poke and prod everywhere to check the fit, finish and material quality is up to the expected standards.

Finally, we’ll delve deep into the car’s infotainment touchscreen and instrument displays to find the key features you need to know about, but also assess how logical the menu structure is, how clear the icons and fonts are, and how responsive the screen is to inputs.

Practicality

Practicality is more important for family car buyers than those after a hardcore sports car, but it’s a vital facet of any new vehicle buying decision for most.

Our in-depth reviews don’t just list the boot capacity and the number of seats. We sit in every seat in the car, working out how roomy it is for passengers of different sizes and how that compares to competitors.

We’ll give our verdicts on legroom, headroom and foot space, while also considering storage for oddments in both the front and rear of the car. Finally, the luggage space will be poured over, checking the loading height, the tailgate opening and any boot features such as underfloor storage.

Our van reviews focus on assessing the most important areas: the vehicle’s load bay dimensions, payload and accessibility. We’ll help you make the most informed decision on your next van as a result.

Performance

When we assess a car or van for its performance, outright speed and acceleration aren’t the only things we’re reviewing.

We’ll compare the vehicle’s performance to a number of key competitors, but also assess how smooth the power delivery is, how the throttle is calibrated and what the gearbox is like to use.

We’ll also look at braking in terms of how the pedal responds to inputs, and how effective the brakes are at bringing you to a stop. For hybrid or electric cars and vans, we’ll assess the regenerative braking system for smoothness, adjustability and one-pedal driving capability.

Ride and Handling

Some car reviewers only care about how fun a car is on a twisty road. We’ll factor this in (and make it a priority for sports cars or hot hatch) but equally consider ride comfort and ease of driving alongside this.

We’ll compare the car’s dynamic performance alongside key competitors, driving it on a variety of roads to see where it excels. We’ll tell you if the steering is light enough for easy parking, if it’s upset by potholes or speed bumps, and if it inspires confidence from behind the wheel. For cars with claimed off-road ability, we'll often have the chance to put this to the test on the car's launch event.

For vans, we’ll consider this in the context of giving occupants and their cargo the smoothest, easiest driving experience.

Safety

Safety is of course a critical consideration when buying a new or used car and van – particularly when you’ll be transporting your loved ones.

We leave testing the vehicle’s crash safety and performance to the experts: Euro NCAP. This industry recognised body independently crash tests vehicles in a variety of situations, while also assessing safety equipment, structural strength and driver assistance systems.

We’ll outline exactly what standard safety equipment is included in each trim level, but also tell you if driver assistance systems are intrusive or difficult to turn off when not wanted.

Running costs, Range & Charging

For petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles, our in-depth reviews outline the official fuel economy figures under the WLTP testing regime for each variant.

For electric vehicles, we’ll do the same with the vehicle’s official range across each version. However, we’ll also comment on how the vehicle performed in our testing.

We’ll outline any VED (car tax) costs buyers will have to consider, including which variants are eligible for the Expensive Car Supplement. We’ll also tell you the vehicle’s insurance groups and how they compare to its closest rivals.

Finally, when it comes to an electric vehicle’s (EV’s) range on a charge, and the charging speeds it’s capable of, we’ll analyse this in-depth and compare it to relevant alternatives.