Best Driver Cars of the Year: Nine Cars, One Winner

Introduction

Every year brings a handful of cars that earn a place in any serious driver’s garage wish list. This test gathered nine of them on some of Europe’s best driving roads: a hot hatch, an estate car, a 690 horsepower hybrid supercar, a rally rep, an old-school British roadster and more, across three days on the road and a full day at a race circuit. When the votes were counted, just two points separated the top four. Here is how every car finished.

How the Test Works

The cars were driven back to back on a mix of twisty, bumpy mountain sections, fast flowing roads and scenic routes, then taken to a circuit to explore their behaviour near the limit in a safer environment. Each judge scored every car, producing a final result out of 100. Back-to-back driving matters here: a car that feels fantastic in isolation can fade when compared directly against rivals, and a few in this group did exactly that.

The Winner: Porsche 911 S/T

The Porsche 911 S/T took the overall win on 92.8 points, just 0.2 clear of its closest rivals. It combines the most powerful version of the naturally aspirated flat six at 518 brake horsepower with a manual gearbox and a carbon clutch to reduce inertia, plus parts borrowed from the RS range such as the front wishbones. It is a birthday present Porsche built for itself, celebrating 60 years of the 911, and the S/T name nods to the original competition formula of most power with least weight.

The driving experience is glorious but raw. There is genuine edge to the chassis, a certain amount of gearbox chatter and engine noise at idle, and some judges noted a slight lack of refinement compared with last year’s GT3 RS. Even so, the throttle response, the shift and above all that noise made the difference. One judge called the sound spine tingling and hard to ignore, and the car demands concentration while rewarding it completely.

McLaren Artura Spider: Shared Second Place

The McLaren Artura Spider scored 92.6 points, tied for second. Its 690 horsepower V6 hybrid delivers wonderfully linear power, with electric assist providing strong shove out of corners, and in track mode it becomes far more expressive. In battery mode it is a calm, comfortable everyday supercar, and its hydraulic power steering stands out with feedback that many electric systems still cannot match.

Its approachability is both its strength and its soft spot. It drives gently when you drive it gently, has a lovely ride and stayed confident in conditions where stiffer rivals felt uneasy. The trade-off, some judges felt, is that when you want it to be truly extraordinary, it does not quite express itself the way a 700 horsepower mid-engine car might.

Mazda MX-5: The Small Car That Punched Up

Also on 92.6 points, the Mazda MX-5 proved that low power and a modest price are no barrier. This year’s car received revisions to the steering and a limited slip differential among other detail changes, and the result feels more connected and more together than before. It is so light and agile that it carries the same pace through tight corners as far more powerful cars, and one judge had as much fun following it as driving it.

The chassis was described as hilarious but brilliant: enough travel and lean to enjoy weight transfer all the way through a corner, with wonderful feedback. It was consistent whatever the weather, great in the mountains and great on track, and every judge had a brilliant time in it. For a car with easily the least power in the test, that is some achievement.

Aston Martin Vantage: Fourth Place

The Aston Martin Vantage scored 91.6 points and was widely regarded as the best looking car in the test, handsome and muscular with an old-school GT and muscle car character. Its 5.2-litre twin-turbo V8 gives it the power and torque to spin the wheels up a hill if you ask, yet it stays settled and stable when pushed, never getting scrappy. On the circuit it was a genuine revelation, with a positive front end, huge traction and brakes that held up even on tired tyres.

The steering wheel is thick, and the automatic gearbox, while snappy, left some judges wishing for a dual-clutch in what is meant to be the pure driver’s car of the Aston range. At a list price starting around £165,000 it is a serious investment, but it is a car that could make every day feel special.

Audi RS 6 GT: Fifth Place

The Audi RS 6 GT scored 90.4 points and was unlike any estate car the judges had driven. With no powertrain upgrades but revised dampers and a sport differential at the rear, it feels short and nimble despite its long wheelbase, turning in eagerly and holding tight hairpins that should not suit it at all. Hold third and nail it, and it launches out of an apex like a cork from a bottle.

At around 800 horsepower it is an involving big car once up to pace, though you cannot entirely escape the feeling of its mass, and it did not transfer quite as much of its road magic to the track. Its steering is light but confident and communicative, and it looks like a rally support car that happens to drive like the one that would beat the actual rally cars.

Toyota GR Yaris: The Rally Rep Refined

Sixth on 89 points, the Toyota GR Yaris remains a favourite. Everything that made the original special is still here, just sharpened: the three-cylinder engine is stronger and smoother, the chassis is more responsive, and the whole car feels developed by people who genuinely love driving. It looks like a rally support car and, remarkably, drives like the rally car that would beat the real thing.

Its short wheelbase makes it love turning, and it is grippy, well damped and willing on twisty roads. At the limit it hangs on and then pushes wide rather than snapping, which keeps it honest. It is a true modern classic, and the refinement of the original is hard to argue with.

Morgan Plus Four: Charming and Well Sorted

The Morgan Plus Four also finished on 86 points, a genuine left-field entry among supercars. It looks like a car from any decade since the 1950s, yet it is thoroughly modern underneath, using BMW power courtesy of the two companies’ relationship. It is so light and adjustable that you feel plugged into it, and it is not just here for charm: it is a genuinely well sorted car.

It is imperfect in ways that are part of the appeal. No left-foot rest, your elbow out the open side, doors that come off for the full experience. But threading it down a great road with no pressure to do anything fancy, it falls on you quickly. A car with real personality that makes you smile just walking up to it.

BMW M4 CS: Capability Without the Spark

The BMW M4 CS, tied with the Morgan on 86 points, is astonishing machinery on paper. On Cup 2 tyres it has enormous grip, four-wheel-drive traction, rear seats you can actually use every day, and it disguises its weight with a liveliness that surprises anyone who reads the spec sheet first. The steering has more feel than the Aston’s, and the Alcantara interior has a clearly motorsport flavour.

Yet it left some judges without the rapport they wanted. The steering is light with a hint of looseness, the thick wheel feels slightly clumsy in hand, and while you can drive it fast and get out impressed, some felt they had extracted everything the car had to give after one great drive. A box-ticking exercise for some, a superb tool for others.

Ford Mustang Dark Horse: The Surprise Packer

Ninth overall on 84.2 points, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse was still one of the more intriguing cars of the week. It handles far more like a European car than expected: it changes direction quickly, settles into corners fast instead of wallowing, and feels smaller, wittier and more willing than its size suggests. Around 500 horsepower is on the spec sheet, but the gearing takes some of the acceleration drama out of the engine.

The odd one out is the 10-speed automatic gearbox, which shifts almost imperceptibly between gears and feels out of place with a 5.0-litre V8 behind it. Once you know it is there, you can overlook it and enjoy the steering and balance. The soundtrack is genuinely good too, particularly from outside. It retains much of what makes American performance cars appealing while adding polish, and it finished ahead of nothing but earned real affection anyway.

Buying Advice

If you want the purest driver’s car here, the 911 S/T is the one that edged the win, but be honest about living with its rawness and intensity. If you want supercar pace with everyday manners, the Artura Spider’s bandwidth makes a strong case. The MX-5 is the rational hero pick: almost none of the others deliver more fun per mile. The Vantage is for buyers who want beauty, character and a muscular soundtrack, while the RS 6 GT suits those who need estate practicality without giving up agility. The GR Yaris remains the enthusiast’s compact performance buy, and the Morgan is the personality pick for anyone who values charm over perfection.

Conclusion

The margins were the tightest in memory: 92.8 for the Porsche, 92.6 for the McLaren and the Mazda, and a proper spread of characters from rally rep to hybrid supercar. What they share is that every one of them was developed by people who understand what makes a good performance car, and each rewards a driver in a way that numbers alone never explain.