Freda Lewis-Stempel - Motoring Reporter

Freda Lewis-Stempel joined MailOnline and ThisisMoney as Motoring Reporter with a wealth of experience across the automotive industry. Freda has written and presented both in-house and freelance across the sector - for luxury EV companies, e-commerce car dealers including cinch and Cazoo, OEMs and household magazines such as Country Life Magazine. She specialises in electric cars and sustainability.

Coverage: Cars Electric Cars

MOST RECENT ARTICLES FROM FREDA LEWIS-STEMPEL

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Is this the best affordable electric family car yet?

24/04/25 05:16

MG's latest EV is a small SUV offering that can manage almost 300 miles on a charge and costs less than £28.5K. Is it the best budget SUV offering for electric car buyers yet?...read

Britain's best-selling car has gone electric
24/04/25 04:17
Ford's best-selling Puma SUV has gone all-electric. Will the sub-£30k Puma Gen-E become Ford's first best-seller EV? Freda Lewis-Stempel drove it in Spain to find out.
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Being designated driver on a night out could cost you big, major car insurer warns
22/04/25 06:00
Drunk passengers are putting designated drivers at huge risk, Direct Line has found. A third of designated drivers had an issue with drunk passengers in the last year.
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How EV makers are trying to make them sound, feel and drive like petrol cars - but can you be tricked?
21/04/25 07:56
We look at how manufacturers are employing different tactics to make their EVs feel like combustion engine cars. But will it help accelerate sales?
- 323 comments
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Revealed: How 33M extra potholes a year could be fixed if councils used a better approach
17/04/25 06:00
Seventeen times more potholes could have been repaired last year if councils used a standardised approach to filling in craters in our local roads, new research has said.
Tesla drivers burn through tyres faster than any others, reveals KwikFit
17/04/25 06:00
KwikFit has analysed which car models wear through tyres the quickest in different parts of the UK. And Tesla owners are in for bad news. Check your car model here.
Britain's best-selling car has gone electric - can Ford's Puma Gen-E become the dominant EV too?
15/04/25 10:04
Ford's best-selling Puma SUV has gone all-electric. Will the sub-£30k Puma Gen-E become Ford's first best-seller EV? Freda Lewis-Stempel drove it in Spain to find out.
How performance cars are being perfected in the Arctic Circle
13/04/25 08:01
What makes a performance car? Arctic Circle winter testing is where performance brands perfect their cars - come ice driving with Freda Lewis-Stempel and Polestar cars.
The Stig smashes 20-year Top Gear track record in an electric hypercar you've probably never heard of
11/04/25 03:00
Top Gear's anonymous racing driver The Stig drove the British-made electric hyper track car round Dunsfold Park in 55.9 secs, shattering the 20-year record by 3 secs.
Lotus to axe 270 UK jobs due to US tariffs
11/04/25 12:12
Lotus proposed restructuring could see 270 jobs gone from its Hethel factory as sports car demand falls and US tariffs make exporting to the US extortionate.
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Lotus to axe up to 270 UK jobs due to 'US tariffs and shifting demand for sports cars'
11/04/25 11:39
Lotus proposed restructuring could see 270 jobs gone from its Hethel factory as sports car demand falls and US tariffs make exporting to the US extortionate.
Will new checks make buying a second-hand electric car a safe bet?
11/04/25 06:00
A new EV Check Plus aims to help second-hand EV buyers feel confident snapping as it gives feedback on battery issues, performance and vehicle history.
Why are electric cars getting cheaper? Here's three reasons new EVs now cost as little as £15,000
10/04/25 06:00
'Affordable' electric cars are here. 2025 will see a raft of £15k new EVs hitting the market. So, how and why are EVs finally getting cheaper?
Ford to provide FREE home chargers and installation with every electric car purchase in latest bid to boost sales
08/04/25 06:00
Ford's 'Power Promise' will gift all new Ford EV buyers - cars and vans - a home charger, free installation, plus a 10,00-mile energy bonus. It's the first offering of its kind.
Classic cars granted exemption from 25% Trump tariffs - but is there a major catch coming in May?
08/04/25 05:59
Classic car imports to the US have been given exemption from the 25% tariffs. The 8.7bn a year industry is relieved but there could be a spanner in the works...
How the car industry has reacted to Starmer's watered-down EV targets
07/04/25 07:16
We've heard from green campaign groups, car manufacturers, public chargepoint operators and more. Here's what they've had to say about Sir Keir Starmer's backdown on EV policy.
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As Starmer relaxes electric car targets, here's what it really means for YOU: Five major changes including a stay of execution for hybrids
07/04/25 11:11
The Prime Minister dramatically watered down the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans, and provided more lenience to manufacturers on EV sales targets.
Ex-Motability EV bargains: Drivers could save £3,000 buying nearly new cars, says What Car?
03/04/25 02:42
Automotive magazine What Car? said these cars are being listed for 14 per cent below typical average used prices, presenting huge value for money to buyers.
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Omoda 9 SHS is the latest luxury Chinese SUV - with a 700-mile range, is the hybrid a £45,000 bargain?
02/04/25 09:32
The Omoda 9 SHS is a self-charging hybrid which can go 700 miles on one tank and will cost £44,900.
EV owners hit with £22.3m double whammy of car tax and higher charging bills from 1 April
01/04/25 02:37
EV owners will collectively pay millions more a month to run their cars as they pay car tax for the first time and Ofgem's price cap kicks in.
- 242 comments
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The petrol station replacement? Everything you need to know about Britain's new largest electric car charging forecourt
31/03/25 11:15
The UK's largest charging station has opened in Winchester. InstaVolt's Superhub on the A34 uses solar panels and clean energy to charge 44 EVs in less than 20 mins.
- 91 comments
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Last Vauxhall van rolls off Luton production line as 120-year-old factory closes
31/03/25 09:53
Vauxhall has closed its Luton plant after 120 years. The last van came off the production line on Friday with 1,100 jobs now on the line.
MG S5 EV SUV: Is this the best affordable electric family car yet?
29/03/25 07:00
MG's latest EV is a small SUV offering that can manage almost 300 miles on a charge and costs less than £28.5K. Is it the best budget SUV offering for electric car buyers yet?
BYD Dolphin Surf city EV will cost around £15,000 and offer 'best value' for buyers
27/03/25 06:00
China's BYD has revealed a c.£15k EV will arrive in the UK soon called the Dolphin Surf. It's said to offer the 'best value' so what will you get for that price?
Nissan unveils three new electric car models
26/03/25 01:58
Nissan will reintroduce the Micra name as a pure EV later this year, shortly followed by a third-generation Leaf. And a new battery-powered Juke is coming in 2026.
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Nissan unveils THREE new electric car models as it faces a fight for survival
26/03/25 01:25
Nissan will reintroduce the Micra name as a pure EV later this year, shortly followed by a third-generation Leaf. And a new battery-powered Juke is coming in 2026.
MG reveals its stylish new 4 EV - but Britons won't be able to buy it
26/03/25 07:00
The second-generation of the best-selling MG4 has been revealed. But despite being Britain's best-selling affordable EV for two years, drivers in the UK won't be able to get one.
Government attempts to stamp out 'ghost MOT' fraud are 'flawed'
25/03/25 07:00
There has been a worrying rise in dodgy mechanics selling ghost MOTs on social media - and an equally concerning increase in drivers searching for their services.
Millions driving faulty vehicles because dealerships are failing to notify customers about safety recalls, investigation reveals
22/03/25 07:00
There are over 3.2 million cars and vans on the road that should of been recalled and fixed between 2018 - 2023 but dealers have failed to keep track of customers and warn them.
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Drivers paying over £600 a year on unexpected car repairs
21/03/25 08:25
Hard-hit motorists are having to pay £617 on average on unexpected car repairs each year, new RAC research shows, with many struggling to afford this.
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Car buyers 'more disloyal to motor brands than ever' as new Chinese makes expand choice, says Google
20/03/25 01:55
Car buyers no longer have brand loyalty, new research from Google has found. Three quarters of customers switched to a different manufacturer last year, it said.
Tesla drivers are now the 'most disliked' on the road, new poll reveals
20/03/25 07:00
A new study of 10 popular car brands has found that three in five people see Tesla drivers as their second or least favourite. And now AI's mocked up the typical Tesla driver...
The little-known supermarket parking catch that could land you a £100 charge
17/03/25 01:17
Motorists have been warned that they face getting stung by huge penalties if they make this one crucial mistake when using a supermarket car park.
- 269 comments
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Mercedes new CLA EV blows the competition out the water with 492 miles of range for around £40k
17/03/25 07:00
Are we in the new age of EVs? Mercedes new CLA coupe is priced the same as the hybrid and will give you 492 miles of range for around £40k. It'll go on sale later this year.
Buttons are back: The car makers ditching touchscreens in favour of analogue controls
16/03/25 09:01
After VW's said it's reintroducing physical controls in forthcoming cars, we look at the other brands who are returning to analogue controls having listened to customer feedback.
I was a London black cab driver for 20 years and these are the secrets of the trade
15/03/25 07:00
Ever wondered what the iconic London black cabbies have to learn to pass the infamous 'Knowledge' test? One cabby tells us the almost unbelievable secrets of the craft...
Smart motorway software outage left drivers unsafe on a 9-mile stretch of the M62 for a month
14/03/25 04:51
Smart motorway radar detection systems have failed to keep divers safe due to outages, new findings reveal. There are calls for hard shoulders to be reinstated.
My number plate was cloned and I was blamed for an accident 280 miles away
14/03/25 02:46
Shelli Birkett fell victim of number plate fraud when she was accused of being involved in a crash in Liverpool, while she was at home 280 miles away.
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What's a parking fine and what isn't? The big difference between a parking charge notice and penalty charge notice
14/03/25 07:01
How you approach paying or disputing a parking tickets depends on whether it's a penalty charge notice or parking charge notice. Here's our guide to parking fines.
- 38 comments
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Jaecoo 7 SHS review: China's £35k Range Rover rival promises 745 miles of range
13/03/25 06:01
The Jaecoo 7 is the latest Chinese car to arrive in the UK. It's a fraction of the cost of other premium SUVs. But is it any good? Freda Lewis-Stempel drives it to find out.
Speeding fines surge as AI cameras catch thousands of drivers
13/03/25 12:01
Speeding fines have surged 14% since 2022, an FOI from Confused has found, as AI cameras catch almost 2,400 drivers in four years.
- 363 comments
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Volvo to axe legendary family car
11/03/25 03:03
Volvo is looking to a future without estate cars, turning its back on what has become a 'niche' body shape that dates back 70 years in the Swedish company's heritage.
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Volvo considering axing estate cars FOR GOOD: Is it the end of the road for the legendary Swedish family car?
11/03/25 01:08
Volvo is looking to a future without estate cars, turning its back on what has become a 'niche' body shape that dates back 70 years in the Swedish company's heritage.
Major bank issues warning over huge surge in driving lesson and test scams
10/03/25 12:44
Lloyds is warning learner drivers about a sharp rise in scams targeting learners wanting to book driving lessons and test, with people losing £244 on average.
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Volvo's new EV gunning for the Tesla Model 3: Swedish brand unveils £70k ES90 that can add 186 miles of range from a 10 minute charge
07/03/25 10:40
Swedish car giant Volvo has moved into the electric saloon space with its new luxury ES90 executive EV. Will it be more popular than German EV saloons and Elon Musk's Teslas?
A third of drivers feel 'a lot less safe' on smart motorways than three years ago
06/03/25 03:29
Some 34% of motorists are more anxious driving on dynamic hard shoulder smart motorways, which can be turned into active lanes when traffic levels rise.
Why owning an EV only beats petrol if you can charge at home
04/03/25 07:00
The AA's latest EV charging report has found that almost all the issues that put people off charging an EV can be solved with a simple phone call.
Drivers receive £100 parking charges due to 'faulty display' machines and appeals are rejected by operator
03/03/25 11:17
Euro Car Parks has been accused of demanding drivers pay charges of £100 after its ticket machines incorrectly recorded vehicle registrations.
- 23 comments
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Parking is so expensive it puts two-thirds of drivers off visiting their local high street
28/02/25 12:02
A study from the AA and a report from Direct Line have both found that parking fees are a key reason why people aren't going shopping on the high street.
- 314 comments
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MILLIONS of motorists could be driving unsafe vehicles because they ignore mechanics' recommendations
27/02/25 06:00
Worrying new research has found that one in seven drivers are ignoring MOT advisories even though they could be dangerous.
Is Google built-in a better option for drivers than Apple CarPlay and what updates have launched?
26/02/25 12:45
Google built-in has become a key feature in some new cars in the last five or so years. But what is it and is it easier and better than using your smartphone?
Another major car maker unleashes autonomous driving - which brands already offer self-driving tech and is it safe?
25/02/25 12:33
We take a look at this mainstream car maker's latest autonomous driving system aiming to compete with the likes of BMW and Mercedes.
The new Tesla Model Y is on sale NOW: Here's our video tour of the best-selling EV
24/02/25 11:00
This is Money takes a tour of the new 2025 Tesla Model Y - so what are the updates, how much will it cost and which versions can you buy? Watch to find out.
The cheapest new EV in the UK? Dacia announces a sub-£15k electric city car
21/02/25 04:32
Customers won't have to wait long to get their hands on the budget-friendly EV because bosses have promised to deliver it in just 16 months.
What the future of Kia's EVs looks like - it reveals EV4 family car and PV5 van
21/02/25 08:20
The eagerly-awaited EV4 is a smaller sibling to Kia's popular EV6, which has become a hit with Britain's middle-class electric car owners.
London parking fines set to rise to £160: Mayor Sadiq Khan signs off on proposals to increase PCNs by £30
20/02/25 02:06
London Mayor Sadiq Khan hsa signed off on proposals to increase PCNs by £30 - with motorists to be stung with fines of up to £160.
- 138 comments
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Dazzled! Headlight glare is now so bad a quarter of motorists say they drive less at night
17/02/25 12:01
The most in-depth research so far into headlight glare shows the issue is getting worse and forcing people to stop driving at night as well as causing health issues.
EVs 50% cheaper to run than a petrol car... but with a higher upfront cost, here's how many years you'll need to drive it to break even
15/02/25 07:00
Andersen EV found that the overall cost of an EV can be as little as £1,154 per annum but it'll cost £2,316 to run an equivalent petrol car.
Super rare souped-up Land Rover Defender V8 Bond Edition goes to auction with £150k estimate
14/02/25 12:43
A Land Rover Defender 110 V8 Bond Edition created by SV Bespoke for No Time to Die's release is up for sale for an estimated max of £150k.
Six used diesel cars that have risen in value in 2025 - any why experts say you should buy one
14/02/25 07:00
Used diesel cars are rising in value new research shows. So why could it be a good time to buy a second-hand diesel car and why do they make a good buy?
- 211 comments
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Number of used cars changing hands up 5.5% last year as second-hand EV market comes to life
10/02/25 03:49
Britain's used car market celebrated 5.5% growth last year but it was in-demand second-hand EVs that dominated the sales figures as customers snap up affordable EVs.
- 344 comments
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Is 'self-healing' asphalt developed by scientists and AI prediction software the answer to pothole-free roads?
10/02/25 11:41
Self-healing asphalt roads developed using AI could provide a sustainable and quick fix to the UK's spiralling pothole problem, new groundbreaking research has found.
Over-the-air software updates for cars: What are they and how can they increase the value of a car?
09/02/25 07:00
Over-the-air updates are so common now we live in a world of 'software-defined-vehicles'. But how do OTAs work and why do they add value to a car?
Britain IS on track to hit EV charging targets as the number of devices rises almost 40% in a year
08/02/25 07:00
The UK saw a 37% increase in the number of EV charging points in the UK last year, the latest figures from the Department for Transport and ZapMap shows.
- 766 comments
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Is Elon Musk turning people off Tesla? Two-thirds of car buyers would rather buy an EV from China, survey claims
08/02/25 07:00
China's BYD for the first time sold more EVs in Britain than Tesla over a month. In January, the Far East relative newcomer recorded 1,614 registrations compared to Tesla's 1,458.
Is it illegal to cycle home from the pub after drinking alcohol - and could it result in losing my driving licence?
07/02/25 07:01
My friend told me I could automatically lose my driving licence for cycling drunk from the pub. Is that true? Is it illegal to cycle drunk?
- 222 comments
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Volkswagen's affordable small EV is on the way: What we know about the ID.1 and its bargain price tag
06/02/25 02:28
Volkswagen has teased it latest electric car due in 2027 - and it will genuinely be an affordable option.
The car insurers who drag their heels processing claims REVEALED: Are you covered by one of the slowest?
06/02/25 12:01
A survey of over 4,700 car insurance claimants has found that many firms are prolonging the ordeal of making a claim for motorists.
- 33 comments
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Drivers owe almost half a BILLION pounds in unpaid ULEZ fines
04/02/25 09:14
Just one in five drivers are paying their ULEZ fines on time, new research shows, as motorists purposefully ignore Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs).
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Car insurance costs drop £221 in a year: We reveal which drivers are seeing the biggest falls
04/02/25 09:09
The average cost of car insurance has fallen by 23% annually new research from Compare the Market shows.
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When will Hammersmith Bridge finally reopen for cars... and could drivers have to pay a fee to use it?
04/02/25 06:00
Hammersmith Bridge could reopen to motor vehicles after the taskforce aimed at fixing it met for the first time in years. But it could take a decade and see a toll introduced.
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Is Tesla set to launch a cheaper EV soon? Here's why a sub-£28k model is on the cards...
03/02/25 12:59
Elon Musk has once again said Tesla will bring an 'affordable' EV to the market. It's slated to arrive soon this year and cost less than £28k - but is it a just Tesla talk or truth?
Drivers owe almost half a BILLION pounds in unpaid ULEZ fines and one has 1,077 charges totalling £2.4m
03/02/25 06:00
Just one in five drivers are paying their ULEZ fines on time, new research shows, as motorists purposefully ignore Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs).
- 101 comments
- 218 shares
Europe's best-selling car of 2024 was a £7k Romanian city runaround - is yours in the top 20?
02/02/25 07:00
The Dacia Sandero was the best-selling car in Europe last year, knocking the Tesla Model Y off top spot and marking the year of the budget car buying frenzy.
Banned number plates revealed: Full list of new '25' registrations the DVLA's deemed too rude for the road
31/01/25 08:54
The DVLA has revealed its list of banned '25' number plates before March 1 new reg plates go on sale. Here's the list of plates that are deemed too rude or offensive.
- 407 comments
- 62 shares
Bespoke British carmaker puts 'all future plans on hold' due to unclear government EV targets
30/01/25 01:49
Small car manufacturers are unable to develop new models because the Government has not clarified if they are exempt from EV sales targets, Lister's CEO has warned.
- 31 comments
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What is Chancellor Rachel Reeves promising electric car drivers in her new economy boosting pledge?
29/01/25 02:27
The Government has announced a massive £65m of investment into electric car charging infrastructure as part of Rachel Reeves' economic boost plans.
- 199 comments
- 24 shares
Why am I paying £710 a year in car tax while my neighbour only pays £190 for the same make of car?
29/01/25 11:43
I own a 2015 BMW M5 and it now costs me £710 a year to tax but I was talking to my neighbour who owns a similar model and he only pays £190. Why is this?
- 785 comments
- 39 shares
French car giant reveals it will ditch plug-in hybrids
29/01/25 06:00
The Government is currently consulting on what types of new hybrids will be given a five-year stay of execution beyond the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars.
- 355 comments
- 24 shares
The car tech we HATE: Motorists driven loopy by these intrusive features
28/01/25 09:04
From lane departure assist to reversing cameras, modern motors are fitted with a suite of assistance features - often pushing up the price of new models..

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