341913 Evinrude Johnson Ficht Cowling Cable Entry Cover 90-175 Hp on 2040-parts.com

Electric car lease deals are better than ever

This may be the beginning of a golden age of affordable electric cars: There are now or will soon be three electric cars available in California leasing at $199 a month, one for $249 and one for $259 a month. They are all perfectly wonderful subcompact four and five-seaters, any one of which could fit nicely into your urban or suburban lifestyle. Where else are you going to find a car for $199 a month?

Euro NCAP tests for C4, Swift, CR-Z and iX35

The results from the latest round of Euro NCAP crash tests are in, and - surprise, surprise - every car tested came away with a maximum five-star safety rating. The new Citroen C4, Suzuki Swift, Honda CR-Z hybrid and Hyundai iX35 were all put through their paces, and each passed with flying colours. The latest results, while highlighting how far car safety has come in recent years (remember the notorious Rover 100 fiasco of 1997?), are bound to reignite the growing debate that the tests - or at least the marks awarded - need to show more differentiation between models.

2013 Kia Carens price & specification. Costs from £17,895.

That’s a subjective call, but the new Carens is a decent looking effort from Kia at a sensible price point with decent equipment levels and offers plenty of family lugging abilities in to the bargain. All Carens models in the UK come with 7 seats and yet is 20mm shorter than the old Carens, But thanks to an extra 50mm in the wheelbase Kia reckons it offers all the space if bigger rivals and, with a flexible configuration for the seating, means the new Carens can accommodate the needs of a mix of load and people carrying with alacrity. The new Carens comes in three trim levels – catchily named 1, 2 and 3 – with 7 seats, cornering lights  LED running lights, electric heated door mirrors, AirCon, electric windows, Cruise, Radio/CD with iPod connectivity and Bluetooth and a rear conversation mirror.