The biggest fear of large scale buyers is that the resale value of VW vehicles will plummet, leaving them seriously out of pocket. Company car drivers themselves are also turning their backs on the German car giant, believing the brand no longer carries the kudos it had.

Families buy 4x4s for a host of reasons, for some it's the obvious excellent all-terrain ability, while for others it's for the space and practicality. Covering all the popular family SUV-buyer's needs - from luxury to the school run - we reveal a countdown of the top ten used 4x4s compiled by WhatCar?

Lord Drayson, who now owns a business which invests in clean energy, told the BBC he wants the current government to 'make changes' to make diesel a less attractive proposition in the aftermath of the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Sales of diesel vehicles have soared from 1.5million ten years ago to 11million today since a tax break was introduced when Tony Blair was Prime Minister.

Vauxhall is set to launch the new Astra next month which will be built at its Ellesmere Port, guaranteeing 2,000 jobs in Cheshire over the next decade.The manufacturer says it takes approximately 24 hours to build an Astra, from sheet steel to the finished article - but this is expected to reduce to just 22 hours as production grows.

A hire car stolen by a highly sophisticated gang of criminals was tracked on its journey all the way to East Africa - and led to discovery of dozens of stolen high-end motors. The Lexus RX 450h - worth £45,000 - was stolen in April in London and found itself on a boat via Le Havre in France, Oman in the Middle East, Kenya, Africa before ending up in Uganda two months after it went missing.

The last of the current model of Land Rover Defender are selling for thousands of pounds more used than they did new, according to latest data from valuation specialists CAP Automotive. Demand for the Defender spiked when Land Rover announced 2015 would be the last year of production.

The gravity-defying 360 degree stunt (pictured above) was performed by the British car-maker's new F-PACE sports utility vehicle in Frankfurt on the eve of the city's prestigious international motor show where it is being officially unveiled. The aim was for the new car to accelerate its way into the Guinness World Record just as it gears up to drive out of showrooms. Driver Terry Grant endured G-Force greater than astronauts experience when a space shuttle takes off to complete the hair-raising task.

British luxury car giant Bentley has unleashed its first ever 4X4 and pledged that the £160,000 Bentayga will be 'the most powerful, luxurious, and exclusive sports utility vehicle in the world'. Bentley hopes the new Bentayga will prove one of its biggest sellers by capitalising on the boom in luxury 4X4s among the world's super-rich.

British luxury car maker Rolls-Royce today took the wraps of a new £250,000 convertible that it is hailing as its 'sexiest' model ever. Rolls-Royce says its new four-seater 155mph soft-top was inspired by its famous 1950s Silver Dawn car and Anita Eckberg in classic film La Dolce Vita.

For school run mums who still hanker for a bit of motoring fun and dads who feel too young for a traditional saloon, Jaguar has today taken the wraps off its first 'family friendly' sports car. The new F-PACE is Jaguar's first ever sports utility 'crossover' vehicle and is designed to put the 'phwoar factor ' into the 4X4 market - with plenty of room for the kids.

An entrepreneurial student has set up a free-to-use parking ticket website which allows drivers to appeal their fine within seconds. Joshua Browder's donotpay.co.uk allows motorists to pick one of 12 reasons of defence, then enter the relevant details and send a custom generated appeal. He says it not only saves time, but also ensures drivers have the best possible chance of winning their appeals. He says motorists can generate appeals in less than a minute.

A month ago I arrived home from holiday to a letter from Islington Council. It had invented a problem that doesn't exist and come up with a solution in the form of massively extended parking restrictions. Islington appears to be using its CPZ as part of its self-serving quixotic tilt at the motorcar. I wonder whether that is actually legal?

They may not be the most lusted after cars on the road, but Britain's love affair with the humble supermini shows little sign of cooling. If you're in the market for a supermini, how do the big-selling little cars stack up? Russell Bray runs the rule over five of the UK's favourites.

Having test-driven one for a week, I'm impressed with Volvo's exceptionally striking, high-tech and nimble XC90 sports utility vehicle.  So are the neighbours, and our builders, who seemed to know more about it than I did.  This week, it also impressed judges at the motor industry's Oscars - the Auto Express Awards in London - at which it was named Car Of The Year and where it also took the prize for best large sports utility vehicle. 

One in three motorists pay over the odds for their car insurance - and the worst thing you can do is simply renew. We reveal ten tips to get the cheapest car insurance deal and show you the places to go to compare car cover and potentially save hundreds of pounds.

George Osborne has announced reforms to vehicle excise duty in the budget today, reducing the number of bands for new cars to three - zero, standard and premium. Elsewhere, he revealed new motors will need an MOT after four years rather than three and fuel duty would be frozen once more.

Lesser known classic cars have seen the biggest gain in price during the last six months according to the latest index from expert valuation firm Hagerty. In the index, it says 23 cars have seen their value increase by more than 30 per cent and with three exceptions, these motors are all 1970s and 1980s classics, with the majority valued at under £100,000.

James Knight, head of Bonhams' motoring department, has been auctioning cars since 1984 and says he has never experienced a long-term downturn in the market. Here he passes on some of what he's learned.

One in three motorists pay over the odds for their car insurance - and the worst thing you can do is simply renew. We reveal ten tips to get the cheapest car insurance deal and show you the places to go to compare car cover and potentially save hundreds of pounds.

My wife and I want to borrow roughly £8,000 to buy a new car. We have a £2,000 deposit plus an old Passat to trade in, worth about £750. My question is do we go with the HP car finance on the forecourt, try to purchase with a personal loan as the rates seem to be better value or do we use PCP?