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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →There was no single global ranking of 2024’s biggest car stories. Carwow’s list measured what captured its UK readers’ attention, mixing vehicle news with finance and pricing coverage. The ten stories below follow that reader-interest list; industry context from Autocar and WardsAuto helps explain the wider shifts behind several of them.
The ten stories that captured Carwow readers’ attention
Carwow presented these stories as the motoring news that drew the most attention from its readers in 2024. That makes the order a UK publisher’s measure of reader interest, not a universal ranking of industry impact. Carwow’s 2024 roundup included launches, expected updates, a used-car ownership feature, finance concerns and a temporary lease offer.
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Dacia Bigster: a larger, value-focused SUV
Carwow’s biggest reader-interest story was the forthcoming Dacia Bigster, framed as a lower-priced alternative to family SUVs such as the Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage. Its appeal reflected a persistent question for buyers: could a larger SUV deliver useful space without moving into premium-car pricing? The roundup’s launch timing and price expectations were specific to 2024 and should not be read as current specifications or a present-day quote.
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Tesla Cybertruck: an electric pickup that prompted questions
The Cybertruck attracted attention well beyond its likely customer base, with readers asking about reliability and off-road capability. Carwow noted that it was not officially on sale in the UK at the time of its 2024 article; that is a dated UK-market observation, not a statement of current availability.
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Toyota Land Cruiser: familiar capability, retro styling
The new Land Cruiser offered a contrast to the Cybertruck: a modern update to a name associated with off-road ability, wrapped in styling that looked back to earlier generations. The interest showed how design heritage and perceived toughness can make a launch resonate alongside headline-grabbing new technology.
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A used Tesla Model 3 in everyday use
Rather than cover a new-car reveal, Carwow followed a second-hand Model 3 with 40,000 miles through commuting and longer journeys. That made the story relevant to used-car shoppers weighing an electric car’s day-to-day practicality. The mileage and driving experience belong to Carwow’s own feature; they are not a general reliability verdict or an independent test result.
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Porsche Macan Electric: electrifying a high-volume model
The electric Macan brought battery power to a major Porsche model line while petrol Macans remained part of the range. That made the launch a visible example of a manufacturer adding an EV without immediately making every version of a familiar model electric.
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Mis-sold PCP finance: an investigation with potential consequences
Carwow covered the Financial Conduct Authority’s investigation into car finance agreements taken out before 2021. The concern was that some customers may have paid higher interest rates where commission arrangements gave brokers an incentive to raise rates. An investigation is not proof that every agreement was mis-sold, and the coverage does not establish that any particular driver is owed compensation.
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Tesla Model Y lease cuts: a temporary offer drew attention
Carwow reported Tesla reducing Model Y and Model 3 prices amid competition and highlighted a temporary £100-per-month reduction on a Model Y lease. That figure described the historical offer in its 2024 coverage; it is not a current lease quote or a general ongoing saving.
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Renault 5: a retro-inspired electric small car
The electric Renault 5 stood out as a new chapter in Renault’s expanding EV range, using a familiar name and retro-inspired design to give a small electric car a distinctive identity. Its place in the list also reflected the broader interest in EVs that might feel more accessible than larger, more expensive models.
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Tesla Model Q rumors: an affordable-car question, not a confirmed launch
Carwow covered conflicting reports about a cheaper, compact Tesla: speculation and investor pressure, Elon Musk’s criticism of the idea, and renewed rumors using the Model Q name. The story documented rumor and counter-rumor, not a confirmed production vehicle or specification.
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Tesla Model Y Juniper: anticipation of a major update
Carwow’s 2024 story discussed expected changes to the Model Y, including styling, quality, technology and range. Those were anticipated updates described at the time, not a verified specification list for a current vehicle.
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Why 2024 was a reality check for the EV transition
Behind the individual launches was a more complicated electric-car market. In its 30 December 2024 year-end account, Autocar reported that European electric-car sales grew 6% year on year in January–September 2024, compared with 28% growth for the whole of 2023. Autocar also reported a 29% decline in Germany. These figures cover different periods, so they are not a like-for-like comparison of full-year results. The publication linked the slowdown partly to the end of incentives in markets including Germany.
Automakers responded by adjusting the pace of their plans and keeping more powertrain choices available. Autocar cited Porsche’s plans for the Cayenne, Mercedes extending the A-Class, Skoda delaying an electric estate, and Volvo and Ford stepping back from previous 2030 all-electric pledges. Those moves indicated a more gradual transition, not an abandonment of electrification.
Volvo’s then-deputy CEO Björn Annwall told Autocar: “If we want to be consistent with the strategy that we believe we’re going to be fully electric but we accept that it takes longer, [then] keeping the existing cars alive a little bit longer could make sense.” Ford Model E chief operating officer Marin Gjaja put the customer-led argument this way: “I don’t think we can go all in on anything until our customers decide they are all in, and that is progressing at different rates around the world.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Trade tensions made China competition a defining issue
Competition from Chinese carmakers became a commercial and political story as well as a product story. Autocar reported that the European Commission’s 2024 additional tariffs applied to electric vehicles made in China, on top of an existing 10% duty. In Autocar’s year-end account, the additional company-specific rates were 17% for BYD, 18.8% for Geely, 35.3% for SAIC, 7.8% for Tesla, and 20.7% for BMW and Renault. The rates were tied to vehicle origin and company, not simply to brand nationality. Autocar said the measures were ratified in November after a trial period and would last at least five years; those are the rates and policy details it reported in 2024, not a confirmation of current tariff treatment.
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European automakers were not unified on the policy. Škoda sales chief Martin Jahn told Autocar, “We don’t think tariffs can solve the situation.” Renault CEO Luca de Meo called for the industry to “find a deal” with China. These remarks reflect the executives’ positions, rather than a settled assessment of how tariffs will affect prices, competition or investment.
Pressure on Western automakers extended beyond Europe
WardsAuto’s 24 December 2024 retrospective, “Wards Top 10 Stories of 2024”, described Western automakers as facing stronger Chinese-brand competition, weaker demand, high costs and restructuring pressure in China and Europe. It reported GM’s China market share at 6.8% in 2024, down from 14% in 2020, and Volkswagen’s below 14% in 2024, compared with 19.3% in 2020.
WardsAuto also reported that Honda and Nissan agreed on 23 December 2024 to pursue a common holding-company structure planned to take shape formally in 2026, while Nissan pursued restructuring. That was the plan announced at the time; it should not be confused with a completed transaction or treated as an update on later developments.
Auto analyst Michael Dunne, quoted by WardsAuto, described the assumptions he believed had left established manufacturers exposed: “For decades, they knew nothing but growth and profits. GM, Ford and Jeep – along with their Chinese JV partners – grew convinced of two eternal truths: First, Chinese consumers would forever prefer foreign car brands like Buick, Chevy and Ford over the Chinese offerings. And second, gasoline-powered vehicles would be dominant until kingdom come.”
Affordability and policy shaped the next round of car decisions
Affordable EVs became more important as buyers and manufacturers confronted the cost of switching. Autocar’s December 2024 coverage described the UK-market Dacia Spring at a historical entry price of £14,995 and range of 137 miles. Those were launch figures reported at the time, not confirmation of current UK availability, price or range. Renault 5 and planned Volkswagen ID models were among the other smaller electric cars in the conversation.
Policy added uncertainty, but the rules differed by region. In the UK context of its December 2024 report, Autocar said manufacturers were struggling to meet a zero-emission vehicle mandate target of a 22% EV sales mix in 2024, with a 28% target for 2025 then ahead. The same coverage discussed possible policy changes and Stellantis’s proposed Luton van-factory closure. These are dated UK policy and business developments, not current guidance on mandate requirements or a statement of later outcomes. In the United States, WardsAuto’s account separately highlighted restructuring pressure and competition; the European tariff measures and UK mandate figures should not be applied to that market.
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