Ultimate 36-car garage: The best cars we’ve lived with in 2024

Matt Prior proved himself the world’s unluckiest man in missing not only the MC20 but also its closest rival, the McLaren Artura, which he reckons he still hasn’t driven at all, “although I couldn’t say for sure, worryingly”. Hopefully being the only one of us to have driven the Ferrari 12Cilindri is some consolation.

While we all bickered like schoolkids for a go in a thoroughbred supercar, though, James Attwood was frustrated at not being able to do some actual work and find out whether the updated Polestar 2 was truly improved over its predecessor.

“I drove the pre-facelift version so was keen to see how determined improvement made one of the best daily EVs better,” he sobbed as the rest of us fawned over photos of our time with two mid-engined, 200mph beasts. Pfft, teacher’s pet. ​

Winner: BMW M2, Volvo V90

Keeping a car for a few months gives us time to uncover hidden buttons, cubbies and attributes that aren't immediately obvious on a first drive. You know, the sorts of things a YouTuber would label "the features you'll never BELIEVE made it to production" with a few of those shocked-face emojis.

Burgess, for example, was pleased to find a 'reduced alarm mode' function in the Volvo V90, which makes the cabin sensors less sensitive to movement and stops the car screaming its head off when on a ferry.

We found a couple of secret strengths in the BMW M2, too: Jonathan Bryce said its drift mode "is a quirk the car doesn't need and will quite likely never be used" but nevertheless "I'm glad that it's there".

And Attwood sheepishly nominated its optional eight-speed automatic gearbox, saying: "It was just really good. Revoke my staff pass if you must."

Prior wanted us to give a shoutout to the Land Rover Defender 130 for having "a very nice way of turning off all the bongs" - a highly coveted attribute in 2024 - and Will Rimell was agog at the Skoda Kamiq's frugality: "That non-electrified 1.5-litre petrol can, incredibly, return 60mpg on long motorway hauls. It's a real money-saver." Cool trick, Rimell, but maybe don't bang on about it at parties.

Winner: Volkswagen ID Buzz

Could it have been anything else? If Volkswagen needed reassurance that it had done justice to the legacy of the legendary Type 2 bus, indisputably among the cheeriest and most bohemian vehicles ever created, the ID Buzz's victory here must surely suffice.

"We've long heard electric cars and skateboard architectures will make for more creative car designs, and the ID Buzz is the first car to really show what can be done, reasoned Mark Tisshaw.

Charlie Martin agreed, even if "you could accuse it of many flaws", explaining: "It's one of few cars we've run this year that comes from a place of joy, and we desperately need more happy stuff like it."

And Jack Warrick was pleased to discover that "its massive grin was matched by everyone who saw it driving past".

Despite my partner protesting at having "an RAC van" outside our house for a few months, I'm inclined to agree. With a real-world range north of 200 miles, genuine car-like driving manners and a properly cavernous interior, the ID Buzz convinced me that we can live with - and truly love - EVs.

We must also credit the Abarth 500e, said Prior, because "it's really badly flawed but at least it shows people are trying to make EVs enjoyable", and the Cupra Born, a 2024 Autocar Award winner, which showed Illya Verpraet "that a normal EV can be fun when it came out - and still does".

Winner: Volkswagen Touareg

No nominations needed for this one, really: it’s all about which keys spent the least time in the locker at the end of the Autocar desk.

And to the surprise of precisely nobody, it was the hulking diesel Volkswagen Touareg that was most often pressed into service to attend far-flung new car launches, visit family in distant, unheard-of locations like ‘Belgium’ and ‘Glasgow’ and haul rowdy, sprawling families around the UK’s motorway network.

I asked Verpraet why this would be the best car to drive to Mongolia and he said: “Because I did it. Well, not to Mongolia exactly, but I did drive it over 2000 miles around Europe. I had my gripes with the VW, but it did it reliably, comfortably and reasonably economically.”

Murray Scullion was similarly complimentary, although with the caveat that it’s at its best when “someone else is paying for fuel”.

A surprise nomination for the Renault Clio E-Tech hybrid came from Bryce, who said its blend of big-car refinement and frugality “proves superminis are more than biscuit tins with headlights”.

Kris Culmer was similarly floored by the touring potential of the Land Rover Defender 130, saying: “I still can’t get over how much this serious off-roader actually feels like a luxury saloon.” Clearly he didn’t take it into any multi-storeys.

The Maserati MC20 received a shock nomination here, too, from Rimell, who noted that while the surprisingly comfy supercar only has a small fuel tank, “my bladder’s probably smaller still”...

Winner: Alfa Romeo Giulia QV

Objectivity be damned: it's almost always a sad occasion when a low-loader arrives to snatch away your wheels. A few months at the helm is long enough to build a real rapport with a car, and we've had to begrudgingly hand back the keys to some real corkers this year.

Alfa Romeo's Giulia Quadrifoglio hasn't even left out fleet yet but, such is the impression it's made on the team, we're already dreading saying goodbye. 

"It feels like a car I could drive forever," said Matt Prior, before putting his headphones back on to continue listening to a recording of its rasping V6 on loop.

For keeper Scullion, it's "the fluency of the ride and the potency of its engine" he'll miss most, although the fact "it looks like the dog's wotsits" doesn't make the prospect of parting with it any easier. 

Attwood, meanwhile, lamented that 'his' Porsche electric estate was Taycan away by its maker (sorry) but acknowledged that "it's probably for the best they did because, with every mile that I put on adding to its devaluation, I became more convinced I should buy it. even though I still absolutely could not afford it. Why did I get my bathroom done this year again?" 

Winner: Abarth 500e

Smart clearly had designs on victory in this category with the name of its quirky electric crossover, and indeed Tisshaw found the #1 a hot topic of conversation: "Specifically, what's that little fox thing doing dancing around in the corner of the touchscreen the whole time?" But it was the Abarth 500e that really set the Neighbourhood Watch group chats ablaze, with its bilious paint and synthesised exhaust sounds.

Over to Culmer: "Literally everybody looked and pointed or commented about the lurid colour, and they all laughed when I turned on the fake engine noise."

After a few days behind the wheel of the retro pocket rocket, Attwood concurred: "It was very yellow, was brilliant in many ways and would then do something utterly daft."

As its keeper, I can wholeheartedly vouch for all the above, to the extent that when an old classmate texted me to ask if I'd be up for a school reunion, I immediately opened our test car booking spreadsheet to see what else I could turn up in... 

Just as embarrassing were the nostrils of our BMW M2, although Bryce was having too much fun a few feet behind them to really care: "It took over many conversations in the office. Many hate it, but I love it."

And Prior came into close proximity with the ugly face of SUV antipathy when he offered a friend a lift in the Defender 130: "I did know someone who said he would refuse to go in it - which suited me fine."

Winner: Jeep Avenger Electric

The Abarth 500e landed a few votes here, too, but we're running low on Acid Green confetti, so we will quickly summarise its nominations: "Enjoy it too much and you'll find yourself on the forecourt for longer than you're on the Tarmac; said Warrick, who quickly tired of its 37.3kWh battery and 80kW maximum charging rate.

Bryce was similarly conflicted: "Its regenerative braking stops you from driving it smoothly. But it's like a tennis ball: small, fast and agile. And Prior overlooked its pitfalls to nominate it for this award, "but 'loved' might be overstating it" It's the Jeep Avenger Electric that we're instead asking to join us on stage now.

Things seemed rosy for the tiny Polish-American SUV: it looked great, was priced attractively and was named Car of the Year - but our long-termer's misbehaviour cut the honeymoon period well short. "Basic, glitchy software made me lose trust in the car," said Tisshaw.

"Fix that, though, and Jeep has a small car that's a triumph in design for successfully shrinking the styling of the larger models.

Verpraet was less forgiving: "It started as Car of the Year, then it got a 3.5-star road test verdict and then the editor lost all faith in it after its screens shut down on the motorway. I ran the Jeep for a while, and it has the same rubbish driving position as every car on this platform. 'Cheep Avenger' indeed."

Meanwhile, Rimell loved the Peugeot e-208 but just couldn't get on with its i-Cockpit- "so flawed that I'm still surprised it was signed off" - and Scullion quietly admitted that the Giulia QV might not be perfect, after all: "It's broadly brilliant but it loves throwing up warning lights and draining its battery.

It seems Stellantis has a big stack of ironing to do across the board.

Consolation awards 

We've gone as far as to invent our own awards so no car goes home empty-handed. 

Honda e:NY1 

I wanted to love the e:NY1, because I loved the E, but it was about as unremarkable as cars get to drive. Shame. Still, I enjoyed a surprisingly large amount of space in the back when catching a lift from a colleague, so it lands the Beat's Walking Award. - MT

Nissan Aryia 

This electric SUV wins the Check the Spec Award for being very options-sensitve, but among the better cars in its class with the right boxes ticked. Finesse the configurator and you can combine a lovely interior with a sensible design and decent range. - MSc

Subaru Crosstrek

Subaru's infotainment system can be programmed to remind you of birthdays and anniversaries - a function that my mate checkily used to present me with a highly questionable message when I left for the office the next morning, earning it HR's Not Safe For Work Award. - KC

Dacia Sandero Stepway 

Most days, I spend eight hours staring at mag pages on a screen, so this all-you-need-and nothing-you-don't hatch wins the Digital Detox Award for giving my poor eyes and brain a rest. - KC

Skoda Kamiq

Like the inoffensive shade of off-white you paint your walls, Skoda's smallest crossover lands this year's Dulux Magnolia Award for being so solidly decent that it just fades into the background. - JA