Major Events Blog

Mercedes-Benz CLA named Car of the Year and aces safety tests: Is this the best EV launching in Aust

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 16:04:14 +0800

Ahead of its arrival in Australia, the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA has been crowned European Car of the Year.

Marking the fifth time an EV has been voted Europe’s best new car, the Mercedes CLA is the third electric car in a row to take home the prestigious gong, following on from last year’s Renault 5 E-Tech and the Scenic E-Tech in 2024.

Timed to arrive in Australia in the second half of 2026, the new CLA scored a total of 320 points, delivering the small four-door a comfortable victory over the Skoda Elroq (220 points) and the Kia EV4 (208 points).

In fourth was the Citroen C5 Aircross, sold in Europe, that came close to a podium finish with 207 points.

2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA.

The Fiat Grande Panda (200 points) came fifth, the Dacia Bigster (170 points) sixh and the Renault 4, that’s closely related to last year’s winning R5, scored 150 points to finish seventh.

This year’s Europe’s Car of the Year was judged by 59 jury members from 23 countries.

The CLA was voted the top choice by 22 jury members, with 15 judges placing the C5 Aircross as their favourite car to be launched in 2026.

Available in both four-door sedan and Shooting Brake wagon body styles, the new Mercedes is based on the German brand’s latest MMA platform and is offered with both all-electric and mild-hybrid combustion power.

2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA EuroNCAP crash test.

As an EV, the CLA made headlines globally with its ability to cover up to 792km on the WLTP test cycle, while its powerful 800-volt electrics allows up to 325km of range to be added in just 10 minutes.

Just days after taking home the prestigious gong, crash test safety body Euro NCAP announced that the all-electric CLA was the safest car it tested in 2025.

Reported to deliver a very high level of protection of adult occupants, children and vulnerable road users, Euro NCAP awarded the CLA its Best Performer accolade.

Receiving 94 per cent for adult occupant protection, 89 per cent for child protection, 93 per cent for pedestrian impact and an 85 per cent score for its safety assist tech, the CLA aced its crash testing.

2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA.

But it was still called out for offering marginal chest protection in side pole impact.

EVs continued to be rated as some of the safest cars money can buy, with the Mini Cooper E judged by EuroNCAP to offer the safest City and Supermini in its class.

The Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y offer the most protection in the Large Family Car and Small SUV, the Polestar 3 the best Executive Car and the Smart #5 the best Large SUV.

2026 BYD Sealion 8 price and specs

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 16:02:45 +0800

The BYD Sealion 8 isn’t Australia’s cheapest plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUV, but it’s among them.

BYD has announced a base price of $56,990 before on-road costs for the large crossover SUV, which translates to a drive-away price of $60,773 in New South Wales.

That undercuts the Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid ($59,990 before on-roads, $65,430 in NSW) but puts it above the (admittedly significantly smaller) Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid ($45,990 to $49,990 drive-away).

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Orders are now open, ahead of deliveries commencing before the end of March.

The Sealion 8 is BYD’s largest SUV yet in Australia, and its first to feature three rows of seating.

Pricing

Model	Price before on-road costs
2026 BYD Sealion 8 Dynamic FWD	$56,990
2026 BYD Sealion 8 Dynamic AWD	$63,990
2026 BYD Sealion 8 Premium AWD	$70,990

Drivetrains and Efficiency

All BYD Sealion 8s feature double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension.

The base Premium FWD has variable frequency damping suspension, with all-wheel drive versions upgrading to BYD’s DiSus-C intelligent damping suspension.

All Sealion 8s have a vehicle-to-load (V2L) function, allowing you to power small electrical appliances.

Specifications	Sealion 8 FWD	Sealion 8 AWD
Engine	1.5L turbo 4cyl	1.5L turbo 4cyl
Engine outputs	110kW + 220Nm	110kW + 220Nm
Electric motor outputs	200kW + 315Nm	200kW + 315Nm (front) 200kW + 360Nm (rear)
System outputs	205kW + 315Nm	359kW + 675Nm
Battery	19.0kWh lithium iron phosphate	35.6kWh lithium iron phosphate
Drive type	Front-wheel drive	All-wheel drive
Kerb weight	2315kg	2580kg
0-100km/h (claimed)	8.6 seconds	4.9 seconds
Fuel economy (claimed)	1.1L/100km (battery over 25%) 5.3L/100km (battery under 25%)	1.0L/100km (battery over 25%) 6.3L/100km (battery under 25%)
Electric driving range (NEDC)	103km	152km
Max AC charge rate	11kW	11kW
Max DC charge rate	40kW	74kW
Fuel tank capacity	60L	60L
Fuel requirement	TBA	TBA
CO2 emissions	TBA	TBA
Emissions standard	Euro 5	Euro 5
Braked towing capacity	750kg	750kg

Dimensions

The BYD Sealion 8 is a large, seven-seat crossover SUV.

Dimensions	BYD Sealion 8
Length	5040mm
Width	1996mm
Height	1760mm
Wheelbase	2950mm
Cargo capacity	270L (third row up) 960L (third row folded) 1960L (second and third rows folded)

Servicing and Warranty

The BYD Sealion 8 is backed by a six-year, 150,000km vehicle warranty and an eight-year, 160,000km battery warranty.

Service pricing has yet to be announced.

Safety

The BYD Sealion 8 has yet to be tested by independent safety authority ANCAP.

V8-powered Jensen Interceptor could be making a comeback, again

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 15:57:30 +0800

The Jensen Interceptor could be making a comeback after UK-based Jensen International Automotive (JIA) issued a teaser image announcing plans to build a V8-powered GT car in “ultra limited numbers”.

There’s no word yet on when production will begin, nor on pricing or export plans to markets including Australia.

Jensen is best known for the Interceptor, an Italian-designed, British-built grand tourer produced between 1966 and 1976. It was offered with US-sourced Chrysler 6.3-litre and 7.2-litre V8 engines.

Around 7000 Interceptors were produced globally, most fitted with automatic transmissions. According to the Jensen Car Club of Australia, Australia was the largest right-hand-drive export market, with sales estimated in the hundreds across all versions.

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While standard Interceptors were rear-wheel drive, the FF (Ferguson Formula) variant featured a pioneering permanent all-wheel drive system developed by Ferguson Research, predating the 1980 Audi Quattro by more than a decade.

In releasing the teaser, JIA – which has specialised in restoring original Interceptors since 2010 – said the new GT will be built on an aluminium chassis and feature bodywork closely resembling the original, although it stopped short of officially using the Interceptor name.

The teaser image reveals an interpretation of the 1966 Interceptor’s distinctive hatch-style and curvaceous rear window, though the rear windscreen appears more conventional, paired with a long bonnet and sweeping roofline.

Like the original model, JIA says the new car will be built in the UK, but Chrysler power won’t necessarily return. Instead, the company has described the engine as a ‘bespoke V8’, without confirming its origin.

JIA has previously fitted Chevrolet LS3 small-block V8 engines – used locally in Holden Commodore and HSV models until 2017 – under the bonnet of its restomod Interceptors.

It isn’t the first time the Interceptor name has been revived since production ended in 1976. The Interceptor S4 was built between 1983 and 1992, followed by the Ford Mustang V8-powered Jensen S-V8 produced from 2001 to 2002.

In fact, the 1966 Interceptor was itself the name’s second outing, following the original Jensen Interceptor coupe and convertible launched in 1949 with Austin six-cylinder power.

In 2011, Healey Sports Cars Switzerland Limited, which still owns the Jensen brand in 2026, announced plans for a new Interceptor. It showed off design concepts and planned to manufacture it in the UK’s West Midlands from 2014, but the plan never came to fruition.

Celeb chef Shane Delia’s ride from first car to dream car

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 22:30:37 +0800

When Shane Delia was 16, he found his first car in a 40-acre paddock in Melbourne's west that belonged to his uncle.

“It was like a Karate Kid Mr. Miyagi moment; where my uncle pointed out to all these crap cars, and said go on, choose yours,” says Delia.

That’s when he noticed the four-door, Nissan Datsun Pulsar 1981 model.

“He yanked the car out of the mud, it had grass growing through the floor, and the motor was sitting in the back seat. It was the only car that was complete with all the parts for it. Over the next two years we built it from scratch."

Delia is best known for his SBS food shows – the most recent on his Maltese heritage and its cuisine – along with moonlighting on Channel Nine’s Postcards and of course running his venues including Biggie Smalls and Maha. He has recently expanded his culinary empire to open an iteration of Maha in Brisbane.

A 1981 Nissan Pulsar Datsun, similar to Shane Delia's first car. Picture: Wikipedia Commons

But long before his foodie career took off, he would spend most weekends and after school with his mechanic grandfather and car buff uncles as they built cars and fixed them in their home garages.

“All I had to do was pay for the tow truck to get the Nissan Datsun Pulsar back to my uncle’s house; and I was lucky I had them to help me,” he says.

“My first car was a piece of sh*t," he says with a laugh. “But it did the job and I had no choice. I needed it as a necessity for work.”

The car was originally gold in exterior; but ended up a shade of pink with glitter.

“I couldn't afford to buy paint so it was a case of my uncle pointing to a dozen half empty paint tins and told me to mix it up to see what colour I’d get,” he explains.

“When you start mixing red, white and blue and a heap of other colours, you end up with pink. To be a smart ass, my uncle dropped in glitter flakes and it looked like a Barbie car. I got called a few names as you can imagine."

The blood, sweat and tears that came with fixing this car to be roadworthy was a huge lesson for Delia.

“You learn how to respect something that's yours when you’ve had a hand in making it, but within two weeks of driving my car, I smashed it into a parked car,” he says.

“Then I smashed it again a few weeks later, and drove it around for another two years with half the car painted in matte black because I couldn't afford to paint again."

He eventually saved enough money to update his car.

Shane Delia eventually bought his dream car, a GTS Monaro. Picture: Supplied

“In 1998, I bought a 1972 Holden Kingswood Belmont. I couldn't afford a Monaro at the time as it was out of my reach, but this was the next one I fully rebuild,” says Delia.

“It had vinyl floors and a bench seats. We turned it into a V8, and from a column shift to a floor shift, stripped out the interior and reupholstered it and did all the body work."

The Belmont was a slick white exterior with black interior and a checkered blue inlay.

“We did everything including the fuel lines. I’d go to car swap meets in Ballarat and Bendigo, hunting for pieces. If you're a car guy, that's what it's about. You have to have relationships with people who have got these things stored,” he says.

Delia drove the car until it died; parting ways when he was 25.

“I remember taking it to the Yarra Valley in winter [where he worked at the time] when it was raining. I was coming through the hills - very dangerous and slippery. I didn’t have time to maintain these old cars, and it started leaking a lot and blowing smoke. I was putting more oil in it than petrol,” he says.

Cars still play a huge part in Delia’s life outside the kitchen. In 2015 he purchased a 1973 GTS Monaro in purple; fulfilling a teen dream.

“I grew up in the western suburbs where your car is a big part of your identity, especially in those days,” he says.

“I came from a working-class family who arrived in Australia to make a go. What you were driving represented what you were achieving. The Maltese, Greeks and the Italian community were so proud of their cars and kept them super clean.

"If pull up in my Monaro at a set of lights nowadays people comment on it. It's purple and white – an original car I purchased from a mate who had it in his family his whole life and still feels attached to it.”

‘Cheaper to write-off’: The most popular electric cars insured in Australia

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 22:29:01 +0800

While they might be the new kids in the automotive block, electric cars are starting to become a permanent mainstay on Australian roads.

As reported by Drive in January 2025, 103,270 new battery-powered cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles were reported as sold last year, accounting for 8.3 per cent of Australia’s new car market in 2025.

And while US electric pioneer Tesla remains the country’s top leader in EV sales, it’s monopoly over Australia’s electric market is slowly being eroded by an influx of new competitors – predominantly from China – looking to establish an economic foothold in a race to the bottom of the pricing pyramid.

According to new data by Youi Insurance, 46 per cent of all EV insurance quotes in 2025 were for the Tesla Model Y electric SUV – the best-selling electric car by volume in 2025 – and the Model 3 sedan.

While significant, insurance quotes on Tesla's are down by 13 per cent in comparison to 2024 (59 per cent), and well under the marque's 80 per cent market share in 2021.

In contrast, the insurer said Chinese electric cars are surging in the insurance market, with 2025 Youi data revealing that EV quotes from Chinese manufacturers surged to 33 per cent last year, up 10 per cent from 2024.

BYD was the biggest challenger to Tesla’s Youi insurance monopoly, with the Atto 3 and Sealion 7 electric SUVs, as well as the battery-powered Seal sedan among the most quoted cars.

Though the insurer said electric car quotes reached 2.9 per cent in 2025 – up 9 per cent year on year – experts forecast EV insurance pricing to remain high despite retail pricing coming down.

Henry Man, a spokesperson for insurance comparison website Compare the Market said Australians considering an EV this year should consider insurance costs as an important metric.

“While the purchase price of electric vehicles has dramatically come down in. recent years – now below the $30k barrier – the cost of insuring one hasn’t followed the same path. It’s a key running cost consideration Australians should be looking out for,” Man told Drive.

According to Compare the Market’s EV Insurance Index, over a six-month period, the average price for electric car quotes were $2126. In comparison, electrified models – such as hybrids and plug-in hybrids– were slightly cheaper, with the average comprehensive insurance quotes for these vehicles sitting at $1623.

Meanwhile, Taylor Blackburn, a personal finance and insurance expert at Finder, said despite EVs typically costing more to insure, some affordable models are generally cheaper to cover in comparison to other petrol cars.

“A budget EV, like a BYD Dolphin, can cost less to cover than a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid due to the overall cost and value of the vehicle,” Blackburn told Drive.

However, experts cited high repair costs and a lack of qualified mechanics as key reasons why EV insurance remain high in Australia.

“One reason that could be behind higher premiums [for EVs] is the cost of repair. The EV repairers might need to invest in new expensive equipment and upskilling in order to handle high-voltage electrical components, which might be passed onto consumers,” Man from Compare the Market told Drive.

An electric car’s battery is a key reason why insurance rates on these cars can be costly.

According to Blackburn, “EV batteries are integrated into the chassis, so even a moderate smash can damage the battery casing.”

“In 2026, it’s still often cheaper for an insurer to write off the car than to attempt a battery repair or replacement. As a result, insurers price their premiums to cover the high probability of a total write-off for minor accidents,” he told Drive.

With the exception of Tesla, experts said fledgling EV brands generally have higher insurance quotes due to the lack of a consistent parts supply and repair chain.

“While new entrants like BYD, MG GWM, and Chery are often cheaper to buy, they aren’t always the cheapest to insure,” Blackburn said.

“Legacy brands often have access to cheaper parts and service, whilst newer EVs may require a mechanic with specialty training depending on the issue,” he told Drive.

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