1. Nissan Leaf

95.74%

WE start our Driver Power category winners in the engine and gearbox ranking, where all three podium winners come with some form of electrical power. Readers were asked to rank their cars’ engines in terms of acceleration, smoothness and refinement, along with quietness. The Nissan Leaf topped the sheets largely thanks to excellent scores in engine quietness and refinement – no big surprise for an all-electric car. The smoothness of Nissan’s single-speed transmission was also ranked highest by owners. The Lexus RX and the Toyota Prius also scored highly in these categories, largely thanks to their hybrid

power. Of the pure internal combustion engine cars, the Subaru Forester was ranked the highest, with owners finding the boxer four-cylinder engine quiet and refined. Owner of cars such as the Volkswagen Golf, SEAT Leon, Audi Q3 and BMW 4 Series ranked them higher than the Leaf for acceleration.

RIDE and handling is often associated with sports cars or fast saloons, but our top 10 shows owners don’t need the fastest cars to admire their abilities in this category. The big Subaru Forester was ranked highest for road handling and responsiveness of its steering by owners. The large Lexus RX also scored strongly in these categories. But when it came to driving pleasure, the SEAT Leon stole the show. Owners found the compact family model the most thrilling driver’s car in the poll, while Jaguar’s XE also scored highly. Brakes are another key category where the Leon shines. Lexus RX owners said their car

had the smoothest ride, which can partly be put down to the optional adaptive variable suspension that smooths out the ride. Smaller cars such as the VW Golf and the Skoda Fabia, alongside the Audi Q3, were rated for their responsive steering; they just lacked the overall talent to make the podium.