Explore every episode of the podcast The Smart Drive Podcast

In this special extended episode we find out what happens when you climb out of a comfortable, sensible Volvo and straight into a 22-year-old Mazda MX-5? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

• Simon gets behind the wheel of Ashley’s Volvo, investigates its slightly sleepy mild-hybrid gearbox and asks how much a good driver should adapt to the car beneath them.
• An EV road trip post-mortem reveals just 12 minutes of genuinely “wasted” charging time, while heavily depreciated used EVs raise the question of whether slow charging actually matters.
• Then everything changes: an old-school MX-5, three pedals, very little electronic interference and a reminder that driving enjoyment doesn’t require enormous power. It does, however, require the right trainers.

Plus adaptive cruise in fog, disappearing driving skills, and an inexplicably addictive YouTube channel that destroys diecast cars.

Listen, watch, subscribe and tell us which kind of driving you’d rather have.

hello@thesmartdrivepodcast.co.uk

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Tiredness does not always arrive with a yawn; sometimes it appears as impatience, poor habits and driving that is just slightly below your usual standard.

• How long-term fatigue, stress and cognitive load can affect driving, plus why commentary driving can help refocus the mind.
• Simon’s 1,800-mile Audi Q6 road trip through France, including roof-box efficiency losses, charging costs and surviving 43°C heat.
• Whether young people should learn at 17 or wait until 21, before Ashley receives some gentle governance over his one-handed Volvo driving.

There is also solar-powered EV charging, unreliable dash cams, a suspicious BMW oil-disposal fee and a bottle of Lucozade choosing violence in motorway traffic.

Listen, subscribe and send your own motoring stories to the show: hello@thesmartdrivepodcast.co.uk

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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/

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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.

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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

(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.

He is now for the third time a UKC Champion as well, having won previous titles in 2021 for IAME Cadet, 2023 for Mini Inter, and now the 2025 for Junior Rotax.

the one, the only, Jacob Ashcroft.

https://www.instagram.com/jacobashcroftracing

This isn't just about a logo on a wing. If you partner with Jacob and his team at Elite Motorsport, you’re getting proper business activation. We're talking VIP hospitality in the paddock to blow your clients' minds, and actual track days where your team can trade the office chair for a passenger seat in a race car. It’s high-speed branding with real-world ROI.

• Your name is placed on Jacob’s Ginetta Junior race car
• Positioned on the rear spoiler, visible all season
• Premium placements available on the spoiler end plates for even better visibility are available (enquire for prices)

This isn’t a sticker that disappears — it’s on the car for every race weekend in 2026.

Before every race weekend, one Club 46 member will be drawn to receive:

• Two race tickets
• Full Ginetta VIP hospitality
• Breakfast, lunch & drinks throughout the day
• Comfortable seating and live race coverage
• A tour of the garage with Jacob and the team

You’ll see the cars up close, feel the atmosphere, and be part of the weekend — not just a spectator.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/ashley-neal

The James Bulger Memorial Trust offers a holiday home for FREE holidays/respite breaks for a child and their family who have gone through one or more of the following,

Bereavement, Bullying, Victim/Hate crime, Care for a parent or sibling, Have done a good deed in their school or local community.

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“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

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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.

https://fareshare.givingpage.org/warmth

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team is a volunteer-run charity that provides a vital 24/7 search and rescue service across the Lake District’s fells, responding to call-outs in all weathers to save lives and assist people in distress. Their highly trained volunteers give up their time, skills and often personal equipment to help walkers, climbers and visitors — and every donation directly helps keep this essential, life-saving service running.

https://keswickmrt.org.uk/donate/

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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

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In this live-in-car episode (yes, we recorded in the same vehicle), Simon & Ashley navigate real-life motoring madness:

• A dodgy Volvo manoeuvre sparks chaos in the car park

• Can you actually pay for a latte with your phone in a drive-through?

• The 600 kW charging cable existential crisis and hot takes on adaptive cruise control

Grab your favourite drink and join us for a laugh-packed ride through motoring tech, culture and real-world driving, including the immortal line: “Don’t crash into Simon’s car.”.

Subscribe & leave a review — crash-free is the goal.

Simon's Charge-rate Spreadsheet:

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

Simon's article on EV Economics:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ev-economics-when-longer-battery-life-meets-cleaner-grid-houghton-cyrbe

Ashley driving with Courtenay

https://youtu.be/3g6PRDafB2E?si=Kp3Yv7Mh7iMqkJhK

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In Episode 6, Simon & Ashley pull up to the roadside with serious and silly topics:

• How to spot car-report scams and protect yourself when selling used

• A comparison of French smooth roads vs UK squeaky ones — what the driving experience teaches us

• Speed-limit debate: should the rules change and what it means for drivers

With practical advice, humour and real talk on motoring-culture, this episode is a must-listen.

Top Gear meets Watchdog… but with extra spreadsheets.

Subscribe and share your own suspect car-report story.

References in this Episode:

USA 2005 Tour DVD

https://youtu.be/56NB_cE9zPc?si=K1JPXRPLjsbMxrYX

11 Hours in 11 Minutes Driving back from France

https://youtu.be/9K7yw1K_ZWg?si=MPcMKlyh3uT3eAf_

Battery recycling

https://www.rsbruce.com/www.rsbruce.com/battery-recycling

Nissan 2nd life battery

https://www.nissan-global.com/EN/STORIES/RELEASES/second-life-leaf-batteries/

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Episode 5: Simon & Ashley return with a broad lane of motoring topics:

• The era of ‘peak buttons’ — why too many car controls drive us nuts

• Pedal fail stories, dash-cam tinkering and the quirks of smart motorways

• Cyclist vs driver tensions: can we all just share the road?

Whether you’re behind the wheel daily or just love driving culture, this episode delivers insight and laughs.

Subscribe and drop your own ‘button fail’ moment below.

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In Episode 4 we go deep into mechanical mayhem and driving evolution:

• Decades of dodgy cars and stories of the worst failures (yes, including super-glue incidents)

• Can you really learn to drive from YouTube? We debate it

• Manual vs automatic: Which is right for you now?

If you love car culture, driving tech and the unexpected — join us for 61 minutes of fun and insight.

Subscribe and tell us your worst car-fail story.

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Simon & Ashley hit the streets and charging points in Episode 3:

• Hot-hatch heritage meets EV future — can both exist?

• Insight on what it takes to be ‘EV-ready’ and whether you’re already there

• Driving disasters, insurance oddities, quirky Euro driving-test tales and more

Whether you’re a petrolhead, EV adopter or somewhere in between — this episode’s for you.

Subscribe and drop us your driving-style confessions.

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In Episode 2 we get behind the wheel and rewind through driving chaos with Simon & Ashley:

• An EV adventure across the Scottish Highlands — and the worst drivers around Loch Lomond

• Handbrake fails, overtaking quirks and what drivers should know

• Honest chat on changing driving styles, tech, and staying sharp behind the wheel

Laughs, real-world tips, and stories from the tarmac.

Hit subscribe and tell us your own driving disaster — we might detour into it next time.

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Welcome to the launch of The Smart Drive Podcast! Hosts Simon & Ashley dive into:

• Taking the new Audi Q6 for a test drive and dissecting its driver-assist tech

• Embarking on a budget £1,500 first-car challenge — can you still have fun on a small budget?

• Insight into driving examiner recruitment and what it means for learner drivers

Join us for unscripted motoring chat, laughs and one or two proper driving tips. Buckle up — it’s going to be a fun ride.

Subscribe & review to support our journey.

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