Last month, I was fortunate enough to go to a test day where many different car manufacturers brought all their shiny new toys for a bunch of motoring journalists (myself included) to hoon around in on Millbrook’s testing circuits.

I was struck by the change in the last few years in the balance between electric cars and petrol or diesels – clearly a sign of the times, but it was very notable to see the shift in manufacturers’ objectives, evident in what they brought along. More about the market and the shift to EVs later; first, a short review of the mighty Mercedes AMG GT55.

It’s ‘old skool’ and modern at the same time. The time-honoured tradition for a GT – a four-litre V8, this one with bi-turbos, pushing it along at a monstrous pace with a frankly amazing soundtrack coming from the exhaust. The modernity originating in the tech, gadgetry and awesomeness of the experience, all support a truly modern drive, with the best of both worlds.

The test I had was around 15 minutes, so this won’t be as in-depth a review as usual, but the route included alpine-like twisty roads on hills with camber, tight bends and long straights to get a good feel for the car – and then a two-mile banked oval to really open it up.

The oval was limited to 100mph; the AMG immensely comfortable in that situation. Smooth, relentless, easily capable of eating up the miles on a tour, equally capable on the twists; it’s a real driver’s car.

Back to the car market… The event was organised by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, and their CEO gave a keynote on the UK car market. April 2025 saw just over 120,000 new cars registered in the UK, almost 25,000 of them being electric, with another 30,000 being hybrids of some type.

Incentives for businesses but not private consumers

The issue with the rollout/ uptake is the incentives (or lack of) for consumers. Just under 20% of new EV sales in 2024 were for private use – fleet and business making up the remainder. That’s because there are sound financial reasons for businesses to buy electric, but the same incentives don’t exist for consumers.

Estimates suggest some form of support could see an additional £17 billion worth of new EV sales, so surely there has to be some movement from the government before the looming 2030 deadline?

There is also a perception issue. Here are a few EV facts (and some myths that can be busted) with figures courtesy of the aforementioned SMMT.

Initial cost: people say they can’t buy an EV because they are too expensive, but 40% of used EVs are under £20k, and almost 30 brand new EVs have RRPs of less than £30k.

Running costs: could actually be lower, saving £700+ a year, and current data suggests batteries will last as long as a petrol car and the number of mechanics is growing all the time.

Finally, the last misconception is range: it’s something I have struggled with mentally in the past. The average range of a new EV is now more than 290 miles, which makes the proposition much more realistic.

So good news for the planet, consumers and our air quality, but bad news for petrol heads, like me: it looks like the number of V8s on the road will indeed be reducing and this beast from Mercedes is among a dying breed.