Britain’s best driver’s cars in 2020

Nevertheless, here it is: and however late in the year we have to do it, however challenging and inhospitable the conditions, we always will. What youre about to read is what resulted from a couple of days of road-only testing and photography of our more affordable contestants amid the misty fields of Exmoor, followed by a couple more of our pricier runners carried out on an utterly sodden Castle Combe circuit and some nearby roads.

They’re ranked in order, and we start at the bottom – though in this case it’s a car we couldn’t complete testing with because of mechanical failure:

I loved it on the road. I know the steering is too quick but I get used to it well enough. And even on that tightest road over from Lambourn towards Wantage, in dreadful conditions, this car is usable and enjoyable and playful in a way that’s absurd for a 700+ horsepower mid-engined Italian supercar.

I know some of it is down to electronics, and I don’t care – they get the diff to hook up and give you cornering options (it’s the same on track, too), in a way that Lamborghini is seemingly only beginning to understand and McLaren still doesn’t seem to care about. Still the most exploitable supercar and, for me, still the best. MATT PRIOR

Price: £203,476Power: 710bhp at 8000rpmTorque: 568lb ft at 3250rpmEngine: V8, 3902cc, twin-turbocharged petrolTransmission: 7-spd twin-clutch automatic; rear-wheel drive; eLSDKerbweight: 1435kg0-62mph: 2.9secTop speed: 211mph

***Please note that the car developed engine problems during the day before all testers had the chance to drive it so as a result it’s not rated in this contest***

There were moments, the merest flashes, where this car delivered on its potential, but they were few and far between. If you live somewhere like the sun-drenched parts of southern Europe or the hotter parts of California, this car may make sense. Sort of.

Much of the blame for its problems lays at the door of the Cup 2 tyres, which simply struggled to generate grip in our autumnal conditions. On the track it was tricky to commit to any corner, slithering from understeer to snappy oversteer. JAMES DISDALE

Price: £75,320Power: 444bhp at 6250rpmTorque: 407lb ft at 2350-5500rpmEngine: 6 cyls inline, 2979cc, twin-turbocharged petrolTransmission: 7-spd twin-clutch automatic; rear-wheel drive; eLSDKerbweight: 1550kg0-62mph: 4.0secTop speed: 174mph

In some ways a bit of a shed in this company – it flexes and shimmies and the steering and ride don’t generate a great flow to them. But the soundtrack is ace, and even if you had all these cars all the time, I bet there’d be more Sunday morning drives than expected when you’d find yourself taking it. MATT PRIOR

Price: £126,950Power: 503bhp at 6000rpmTorque: 505lb ft at 2000-5000rpmEngine: V8, 3982cc, twin-turbocharged petrolTransmission: 8-spd automatic; rear-wheel drive; eLSDKerbweight: 1628kg0-62mph: 3.8secTop speed: 190mph

On track, the way you approach corners and turn in will always seem odd without a gearbox to work your way down. Still, even allowing for the lack of engine noise and general strangeness, I’d have called it one of the better-performers in the worst of the weather.

It doesn’t appeal in a conventional way on the road; but the pureness and smoothness of the powertrain response, and the oh-so-polished Porsche way it has about changing direction and smothering bumps, I find really compelling. Such an instinctive car to place and to drive, for me; lacking in texture in some ways, but engaging all the same. MATT SAUNDERS

Price: £138,826Power: 751bhpTorque: 793lb ftEngine: 1 x AC synchronous electric motor per axleTransmission: Single/twin speed automatic; four-wheel drive; eLSD (rear)Kerbweight: 2305kg0-62mph: 2.6secTop speed: 161mph (limited)

From its steering, to its balance, to its front-end response, it feels more intuitive and predictable than its four-wheel drive sibling, which could find understeer in the weirdest places, and pivot like a shopping trolley in others. It’s not a hard car to criticise thanks to its poor visibility, driving position and ergonomics.

Also its damping was streets behind that of the McLaren and the sadly absentee Ferrari, leading to uneven progress on road and interesting reactions to Combe’s many bumps, but it showed too that back to basics charm still gets you a long way in this game. As Disdale pointed out, had it the damping from the Performante, it could have really worried the front-runners here. SIMON DAVIS

Price: £164,400Power: 602bhp at 8000rpmTorque: 413lb ft at 6500rpmEngine: V10, 5204cc, normally aspirated petrolTransmission: 7-spd twin-clutch automatic; rear-wheel drive; LSDKerbweight: 1389kg (dry)0-62mph: 3.3secTop speed: 202mph

On track, the worse the weather got the more the 911 excelled and your confidence grew. You expect the traction, but you could be later on the brakes and carry more speed than anything else here - your commitment would likely waver before the 911 threw a wobbly. A staggering piece of engineering.

On the road it was equally capable and its size makes it feel more wieldy than most, but there was a sense of aloofness that you were able to drive through at the track. Essentially you have to be driving the Turbo S reeeeeally hard on the road for it to unlock its secrets. JAMES DISDALE

Price: £155,970Power: 641bhp at 6750rpmTorque: 590lb ft at 2500-4000rpmEngine: 6 cyls horizontally opposed, 3745cc, twin-turbocharged petrolTransmission: 8-spd twin-clutch automatic; four-wheel drive; eLSD (rear)Kerbweight: 1640kg0-62mph: 2.6secTop speed: 205mph

The combination of supple suspension, boosty – but not especially laggy – power delivery and the meatily connected steering make the GR Yaris feel like an Integrale for the modern era. It’s easy to drive, loves to be hammered, has well-positioned pedals and, if you’ll excuse the cliché, feels every inch the rally refugee it wants to be, minus the poor rolling refinement of bygone Mitsubishi Evos and the like.

In the wet it’ll keep you on your toes, but I love the fact it’s not quite as benign as it initially seems, and wish more manufacturers would take the plunge and build something this extroverted and individual. RICHARD LANE

Price: £33,495Power: 257bhp at 6500rpmTorque: 266lb ft at 3000-4600rpmEngine: 3 cyls inline, 1618cc, turbocharged petrolTransmission: 6-spd manual; four-wheel drive; 2 x LSDKerbweight: 1310kg0-62mph: 5.5secTop speed: 143mph (limited)

Are supercars only enjoyable when driven quickly? The McLaren is proof that this isn’t the case. A wonderful car to drive at social speeds purely because all of its controls are so communicative. The steering talks to you constantly, so you can enjoy changing direction as much at 30mph as you might at 130mph. 

Good fun on track, too, and not nearly as intimidating in the wet as you think. Front-end responses are really tight, and the Variable Drift Control helps you keep things clean when you need it. Still don’t like the engine too much - sudden wheel spin in a straight line in 4th or 5th gear as the boost comes on isn’t exciting in a good way. SIMON DAVIS

Price: £280,000Power: 755bhp at 7500rpmTorque: 590lb ft at 5500rpmEngine: V8, 3994cc, twin-turbocharged petrolTransmission: 7-spd twin-clutch automatic; rear-wheel driveKerbweight: 1339kg0-62mph: 2.8secTop speed: 205mph

“The 4 is so good that it reminds me a bit of how the Caterham used to get invited to these occasions: it’s the benchmark, driving as it ought to be, and nothing else, for me, stood a chance. Demerits? It’s a bit wide. And you shouldn’t have to get quite so wet.” MATT PRIOR

Five judges, each with 50 points to distribute per vehicle, and we still end up with a two-way tie. On countback and by dint of two-versus-one first places awarded, then, the Ariel Atom becomes one of those rare cars that successfully defends its winners’ position at Britain’s Best Driver’s Car.

Even though he placed it second, Frankel was a fan. “It would be hard to overstate my admiration for this car,” he said, and that “the way the Atom 4 dealt with the conditions was one of the most impressive things I have ever witnessed in three decades of Handling Days.”

It was a recurrent theme: we all thought that an Atom would mate less well with late October than vehicles with a roof, or at least a heater, or perhaps bodywork, but none of it. “Another lightweight might have been the spikiest thing in the pitlane,” said Saunders.

But with its dampers slackened a little – which doesn’t even require a spanner – the Atom was a treat to drive in any weather, gliding bumps, communicating brilliantly and finding unexpected reserves of composure and ability. A truly immersive experience at any speed but, on circuit, capable of a surprising turn of speed with tremendous docility.

Judge Disdale sums it up nicely: “I loved the fact that it was an almost totally analogue experience… You get out exactly what you put in. On the road it’s a thrill at any speed.”

And ultimately that’s what separates the Atom from the rest. Shorn of weight and all of the things that should make it more habitable, in exposing you to the outdoor elements, it also exposes you to its bare elements. Seldom has its name seemed more appropriate.

Price: £39,975Power: 316bhp at 6500rpmTorque: 310lb ft at 3000rpmEngine: 4 cyls inline, 1996cc, turbocharged petrolTransmission: 6-spd manual; rear-wheel drive; LSDKerbweight: 595kg0-60mph: 2.8secTop speed: 162mph

Here is the final points tally