Tim Pollard

He’s worked as a motoring journalist for more than quarter of a century and in that time he’s picked up a few trophies along the way, including the Guild of Motoring Writers’ prestigious Journalist of the Year award, the Periodical Publishers’ Association (PPA) Digital Innovation of the Year and Bauer Media’s Digital Editor of the Year gong. In 2022 he was chair of the British Society of Magazine Editors, a forum for independent journalistic best practice, and remains an ambassador for the society.

Tim’s also contributed to various books, including the Rough Guide to Apple Playlists (2006) and a chapter on digital publishing for Last Words? How Can Journalism Survive The Decline of Print? (2017). He lives and breathes motoring journalism and is one of the most trusted voices in the UK sector.

‘Is there any such thing as a bad car nowadays?,’ he asks. ‘Real stinkers are few and far between, as quality standards have risen across the board. Yet there’s still a gulf between the merely average and the truly exceptional car – and identifying great new vehicles is what drives me and the Parkers team every day.

‘There’s no greater thrill in this job than finding a car which rips up the established order of things to set new class standards. And as a father of two and owner of a golden retriever, I always have an eye out for cars combining practicality, value and fun.’

Tim’s top tips for Parkers readers are:

• Hyundai and Kia are on a roll – the South Korean car brands are mixing progressive design with breakthrough EV tech
• Watch out for the burgeoning array of Chinese cars arriving in the UK: the best Chinese EVs are really rather good…
• Volvo’s car range is smashing it out of the park right now
• Fancy a sports car? Tim’s still smitten by the flat-six charms of the Porsche 718 Cayman…