The Smart Drive Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

The Smart Drive Podcast

Simon Houghton

Leisure

Frequency: 1 episode/27d. Total Eps: 18

The Smart Drive Podcast – where driving expertise meets real talk!

Join Ashley Neil, top-tier Driving Instructor, and Simon Houghton, EV enthusiast and Advanced Driver, as they dive into everything from road skills to the future of motoring. With the unmistakable sounds of Liverpool and Bolton, they keep it insightful, engaging, and packed with tips to make you a smarter driver. Buckle up—this is one ride you don’t want to miss!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Read moreCollapse

Site

RSS

Apple

Data updated on 15/08/2026

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.

See all

https://www.justgiving.com/page/ashley-neal
4 shares
https://podcasthon.org/
2 shares
https://www.rsbruce.com/www.rsbruce.com/battery-recycling
2 shares

RSS feed quality and score

Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.

See all

RSS feed quality

Good

Score global : 73%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Year

Latest published episodes

Recent episodes with titles, durations, and descriptions.

See all

S2 E3: Volvo Tailgating, Caterham Temptation & Confused UK Roads – The Smart Drive Podcast

Season 2 · Episode 3

Monday, July 6, 2026 • Duration 46:53

Ashley’s Volvo appears determined to turn a driving instructor into a tailgater, while a Caterham offers a rather more expensive solution to his fading love of driving.

Why mild hybrids, regenerative braking and engine-off coasting can force drivers to relearn familiar habits, even when they have decades of experience.
Ashley considers a Caterham 360S, the Caterham Academy and the minor practical problem of having nowhere to put any of it.
Lane hogging, flashing headlights and pedestrian priority rules expose the widening gap between the Highway Code, driving-test decisions and what actually happens on UK roads.

There is also roof-box engineering, supervising learner drivers, French motorway manners and a new rescue-animal channel. Subscribe, share and tell us whether Ashley needs a Caterham or simply fewer dogs in the Volvo.

Get in touch: hello@thesmartdrivepodcast.co.uk

Folow the new channel: @24RescuePaws

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Read moreCollapse

S2 E2: Oulton Park, Ginetta Juniors & the Return of the Racing Bug – The Smart Drive Podcast

Season 2 · Episode 2

Monday, June 1, 2026 • Duration 46:34

A quiet coffee turned into Oulton Park, race cars, nostalgia and the faint sound of two grown men getting ideas.

Simon and Ashley watch 14-year-old Ginetta Junior driver Jacob Ashcroft in action, with paddock chat, McLaren support, podium updates and the sheer professionalism of junior racing.
Track driving leads into a proper discussion about car control, tyre feel, wheel sizes, CrossClimates and why learning balance on a circuit can still make you safer on the road.
There’s also contact lens drama, driving test booking chaos, first-car nostalgia, Max Power memories and Ashley wondering whether he’s too old to get a racing licence.

Subscribe, share, and tell us whether Ashley should go racing or stick to the old man Volvo.

Get in touch: hello@thesmartdrivepodcast.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Read moreCollapse

S2 E1: EV Regen, Driver Aids & the Lost Art of Heel-and-Toe – The Smart Drive Podcast

Season 2 · Episode 1

Monday, May 4, 2026 • Duration 01:00:59

Modern cars are getting cleverer, but that does not always mean they are getting easier to understand.

Simon and Ashley look at EV regenerative braking, one-pedal driving, coasting, and why efficiency depends heavily on where and how you drive.
There is a nostalgic detour through heel-and-toe, double-declutching, cold-start rituals and one very slow-motion hedge incident with an old Land Rover.
The pair question whether driver aids, camera systems, software recalls and right-to-repair are making cars safer, or just more complicated.

Plus: marathon recovery, safer roads education, 1991 motoring jokes and a Lotus Elan fact for the dinner-table bore in your life.

Leave us a review, send your questions, and help keep the Smart Drive chaos vaguely road-legal.

e-mail: hello@thesmartdrivepodcast.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Read moreCollapse

S1 E14: Audi Q6 Software Fixes, Insurance Advice & IAM Commentary – The Smart Drive Podcast

Season 1 · Episode 14

Monday, April 6, 2026 • Duration 47:35

An Audi software update that sort-of fixes things, insurance small print that actually matters, and the slightly humbling business of trying to get better at driving.

• Simon talks through his push to sharpen up commentary driving ahead of a possible IAM Masters attempt, including the mental juggling act of limit points, positioning and saying the right thing at the right time.

• There’s some proper consumer advice in the middle too: EV insurance, recovery to charge points, stolen charging cables, and why the cheapest policy isn’t always the cleverest.

• And then there’s the Audi Q6, whose latest software update appears to have mastered the art of disguising a problem rather than actually solving it, particularly when faced with a national speed limit sign.

If you enjoyed this one, leave us a review, share it with a fellow driver, and send in your own motoring stories for a future episode.

Get in touch: hello@thesmartdrivepodcast.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Read moreCollapse

S1 E13: London Marathon Charity Drive, First Car Raffle & Emergency Kit Tips – The Smart Drive Podcast

Season 1 · Episode 13

Wednesday, March 18, 2026 • Duration 22:53

What’s harder — overtaking 15,000 runners or convincing drivers to carry a survival blanket?

Ashley’s Liverpool Half Marathon reality check and the six-week countdown to London for the James Bulger Memorial Trust
Turning an £1,800 first-car project into a £4,655 charity raffle success story
Mountain rescue tales, air ambulance support, and why every driver should pack emergency kit

It’s a heartfelt special on giving back — with the usual pub-banter honesty and real-world driving wisdom. If you can help, donate, share the episode, and send us your charity driving stories.

Support Ashley in running the London Marathon: https://www.justgiving.com/page/ashley-neal

In aid of The James Bulger Memorial Trust https://forjames.org/

Get in touch via your podcast platform or email us: hello@thesmartdrivepodcast.co.uk

🎧🌍 Join the movement! We're proud to take part in Podcasthon, the world’s largest charity podcast event! 💪 We have dedicated this episode of our podcast to support a charity and a cause that truly matters to us. ❤️

Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcasthon_en or find others like us at https://podcasthon.org/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

S1 E12: Audi Q6 EV Road Trip, 265kW Charging & Motorway Exit Stop Sign Danger – The Smart Drive Podcast

Season 1 · Episode 12

Monday, March 2, 2026 • Duration 57:10

Simon’s voice is hanging on by a thread… so naturally he decides to do 700 miles of EV road trip admin and talk about it anyway.

Audi Q6 road trip reality: 300 miles, one 12-minute stop, and a 265kW charging flex (plus the “nothing to do but scroll” problem)
Spreadsheet terrorism: the true cost per mile of EV life, plus tyre maths that suggests the rears will last until 2038
M6 Junction 37 drama: the notorious stop-sign slip road near Kendal, why it catches drivers out, and what “fixing it” might look like

Subscribe, share, and send in your worst junction designs, charging faffs, or favourite 80's car show — we’ll happily judge them.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Read moreCollapse

S1 E11: Rivian R2 UK Hype, Auto-Park Fails & Divorce Cars – The Smart Drive Podcast

Season 1 · Episode 11

Sunday, February 1, 2026 • Duration 54:38

What do you get when EV nerdery, dodgy auto-park confidence, and marital car vetoes collide?

Rivian R2 chat: why its software architecture is so intriguing (and why VW buying in says a lot)
Auto-park bravery vs real-world reality — including the classic “parked perfectly… can’t get out” moment
“Divorce cars”, weird instructor motors, and a surprisingly thoughtful detour into deafness, BSL and driving adjustments

It’s part EV industry insight, part pub banter, and part ‘how did we end up here?’

Subscribe, share, and send us your best car-tech fail or forbidden car purchase story.

Our new website: https://www.thesmartdrivepodcast.co.uk

Our new email address: hello@thesmartdrivepodcast.co.uk

Jacob Ashcroft summary:

(transcript from the Ultimate Karting Championship annual Awards 2025)

What can you say about this driver that hasn't already been said?

His record of wins and podiums this season is unsurpassed. He was only outside of the top three on one occasion across every heat or final that he started in.

And he took an incredible 18 wins out of the 24 scoring races, and he won four out of the six rounds.

Now in Junior Rotax, he continues to go from strength to strength. He is not only the European Champion, but also the British Champion, the BNL Champion, and the UKC Champion. And that's before we mention the World Championship title from 2024.

His incredible performance at the grand finals in December this year, just missing out on retaining that title in what was a frantic, hard-fought final. He brought home the Vice-Champion trophy, though, after starting on pole. You can't do much more.

For Corporate sponsorship, contact the team directly at or drop us a line here at the Smart Drive PodcastFor Individuals looking to get involved: Join Club 46 at £250 for the 2026 season. email What You Get as a Club 46 MemberYour Name on the CarReal Access & Experiences

S1 E10: Ford Focus ST Manual Fun, Flash-to-Overtake Row & EV Road Tax – The Smart Drive Podcast

Season 1 · Episode 10

Sunday, January 4, 2026 • Duration 01:02:45

“Two grown men swap seats in a Focus ST and immediately remember why manuals are both brilliant and mildly exhausting.”

• Focus ST first impressions: sharp steering, short gears, rev-matching modes and UK-road “jitter” in Sport

• The spicy debate: should you flash before an overtake — helpful heads-up or unnecessary aggro? (Roadcraft gets name-checked)

• EV chat: pence-per-mile “road tax”, where fuel duty’s gone, and why it should be fair across all vehicles

If you’ve got strong feelings on overtakes, manuals, or EV costs, send us your stories — and hit follow/subscribe so you don’t miss the next one.

The article on Car Sizes:

https://medium.com/@sdh.kingfieldheath/fords-family-car-grew-26-british-car-parks-didn-t-1d8e6d8f4acf

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Read moreCollapse

S1 E9: Christmas Special – Dash Cams, EV 12V Chaos & Track-Day Truths – The Smart Drive Podcast

Season 1 · Episode 9

Thursday, December 25, 2025 • Duration 46:49

Christmas jumpers on, windows cracked, and one mildly existential crisis about being older than TV legends — it’s festive motoring chaos with Simon and Ashley.

• The oddly brilliant “top car gifts” list: dash cams, smart tyre inflators, OBD2 scanners and other stuff you’ll actually use

• Track-day tales: a 1969 Dodge Charger experience and a torrentially wet airfield session that taught real skid control (and humbled a would-be doughnut hero)

• EV reality check: portable jump starters, 12V battery dramas, and why modern cars hide your phone like it’s playing hide-and-seek

Subscribe, share, and send us your best (or worst) Christmas car stories — we’ll read them out and judge you politely.

Why not spread a little Christmas cheer?

Support our chosen charities:

Carla Lane Animals in Need is a long-established animal rescue dedicated to saving, rehabilitating and rehoming dogs, cats and other animals who have nowhere else to turn, offering lifelong care and support until they find loving homes. Their compassionate no-kill approach and community focus mean every donation directly improves the lives of vulnerable animals and helps promote responsible pet ownership in and around Liverpool.

https://carlalaneanimalsinneed.co.uk/donate/

FareShare tackles two of the UK’s biggest challenges — hunger and food waste — by rescuing good quality surplus food that would otherwise be thrown away and redistributing it through thousands of local charities and community groups across the country. Their work not only helps provide millions of nutritious meals for people facing food insecurity each year, but also delivers significant social and environmental value by reducing waste and strengthening communities in every region of the UK.

S1 E8: Hardest Driving Tests, 1MW Charging & Winter Roadcraft – The Smart Drive Podcast

Season 1 · Episode 8

Monday, December 1, 2025 • Duration 01:03:15

What do Japan’s bonkers driving exams, megawatt EV charging, and black-ice panic all have in common?

Japan’s notoriously tough driving test and why precision doesn’t always equal preparedness
1-megawatt EV charging, dual-gun chaos, and what it means for real-world range in 6 minutes flat
Winter driving tips: ABS myths, launch control in the rain, and the smug joy of pre-conditioning your EV

A mix of insight, geekery and thinly-veiled smuggery. Subscribe, share, and send us your most outrageous winter driving tale — the colder and dafter the better.

Simon's Charge-rate Spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kXPTm198x9vg1bcX6t44Vw0ZR5gNSg_4WyIX1rgKlmo/edit?usp=sharing

Including a new tab for BYD 1MW

An example of the Japanese Driving test:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CySM-_HWKlo&t

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Read moreCollapse

The Smart Drive Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

The Smart Drive Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other9

Youtube4

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other9

Youtube4

Google Docs1