54 August 2020 whatcar.com

TherearetwolargehybridSUVsinyourprice

range:theHondaCR-VandToyotaRAV4,both

ofwhichcomewithaCVTautomaticgearbox

andachoiceoffrontorfour-wheeldrive.

TheCR-VHybridcameoutontop,witha

four-starrating,whenwetesteditagainstthe

RAV4lastyear.Itwasalsoourbestbuyfor

morethan£30,000atthisyear’sWhatCar?

Awards,althoughifyoubuyonethroughour

NewCarBuyingservice,thepriceforthefront-

wheel-drivemodelcomesdownto£29,110

fortheentry-levelSmodel,or£30,882forour

recommendedSEtrim.You’dhavetostretchto

atleast£32,311forafour-wheel-drivemodel.

TheCR-Visveryroomyinside,withahigh

drivingpositionandamorecomfortable

ridethantheRAV4.Italsocomeswithlotsof

standardequipmentandsafetyfeatures.

Ithasa2.0-litrepetrolengineassistedby

anelectricmotor,andthefront-wheel-drive

versionachieved43.3mpginourfueleconomy

test,slightlybetterthantheRAV4’s42.3mpg.

Giventhatthefour-wheel-driveCR-Vis

pricierandnotquiteaseconomical,we’d

recommendstickingwiththefront-wheel-

drivemodelandinvestinginagood-quality

setofall-seasontyrestohelpyoucopewith

trickydrivingconditions.

Which hybrid is best

for an older driver?

ADVICE

My Audi Q5 was three years old on 17 April

and I had arranged to get its  rst MOT test

done on 3 April. Unfortunately, the lockdown

started before then, so the test was postponed

until later, and I was reassured that I would be

given a six-month ‘amnesty’.

My local garage has recently reopened

and I called them to arrange to book the

car in for the MOT. However, the garage told

me they couldn’t do the MOT at present

because my next MOT date was now showing

as 19 October. I have also checked on the

government website and it shows it has

changed to that date.

A number of questions arise from this. Is it

pointless to arrange an MOT now before early

October? If I do get the MOT done in early

October, how long will it be valid for? And will

my car’s MOT always be due on 19 October

from now on, or will it revert back to 17 April?

I would appreciate your insight on this.

Jon Gardner

WHAT CAR? SAYS...

The six-month period granted by the

Government is an extension to all MOTs that

were due from or after 30 March, hence the

reason your car doesn’t need an MOT until

October. There is no need for you to get an

MOT for the car before this time.

However, it’s important to keep your car

well maintained, so if it needs repairs or

consumables such as tyres, bulbs or wiper

blades to be replaced, you should arrange for

this to be done sooner.

The MOT extension scheme works on a

rolling monthly basis, so anyone whose car

was due an MOT in May will now have until

November to get it done, and tests that would

have been due in June won’t need to be done

until December.

When your car’s new MOT certifi cate is

issued, it will last for the standard 12 months.

In your case, the MOT test will be due on 19

October every year rather than reverting back

to a date in April.

Questions over

MOT tests in

lockdown

I would appreciate some advice on which

new car to buy. I will be buying with cash and

don’t want to pay much more than £30,000.

My current car is a 2011 Kia Sportage

2.0 petrol AWD with an automatic gearbox,

chosen because we live in the countryside

in the Scottish Borders and can experience

severe winter weather, and my wife can only

drive an automatic.

I also suffer with a bad back, and, being 6ft

4in tall, I require a car that’s easy to step in and

out of. I chose a petrol model because I have

an ingrained dislike of diesel.

I shall soon be 74 years old and feel that my

next car purchase will probably be my last,

but I am confused about whether to stick with

petrol or switch to a hybrid, which would be

better for the environment and cheaper to run.

The farthest I travel regularly is from the south

of Edinburgh to Colchester, and I wouldn’t

want a car that would require me to stop

to plug it in halfway down a motorway.

Therefore, the idea of a ‘self-charging’ hybrid

4x4 is appealing. Are there any models on

sale that  t with my requirements?

Gerry Moncur

WHAT CAR? SAYS...

We don’t reckon you’ll fi nd any benefi t in a

plug-in hybrid; these typically have a range

of only around 20 to 30 miles, with fuel

consumption rising signifi cantly when their

heavy batteries are depleted. No pure electric

car can cover the 400-mile trip from Edinburgh

to Colchester without needing to be charged up

at least once, so a standard hybrid looks to be

the best option for you.

‘I wouldn’t want a

car that I would have

to recharge halfway

down a motorway’

Claire Evans

[email protected]

Toyota RAV4 combines good

fuel economy with easy access

to minimise back strain

Got a car-related

problem that you

can’t resolve?

Get in touch with us at

[email protected]

with your name, contact

details and what the

problem is, plus photos,

and we’ll try to help.

AskWhatCar