Neil Winn
Neil Winn is deputy reviews editor at What Car? and a regular contributor to Autocar and Move Electric.
Neil entered the automotive industry after creating a successful motoring blog while completing his legal training. Taking a leap of faith to pursue his true passion, Neil joined the car enthusiast website Car Throttle as staff writer, where he produced varied and
highly engaging content, while also introducing the platform to the world of motorcycles.
Since then, Neil has established himself at What Car? joining as a reviewer, and progressing through the ranks to his current position. Between 2019 and 2020, Neil served as acting head of digital publishing and social media at Samuelson Wylie Associates, where he led on content creation for clients such as Porsche and DriveTribe.
Neil is also a keen amateur racing driver, having won two BRSCC Formula Ford championships, and relishes any opportunity to get back on track when he can.
He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Essex.
Neil is an expert in:
- Performance cars
- Electric cars
- Hot hatches
- Video presenting
- Car Technology
What’s the best piece of advice you could offer a car buyer?
Keep an open mind. We Brits are suckers for traditional brands like Audi, BMW and Mercedes because we understand their products and like what they say about us as individuals. However, the car industry is currently going through a period of massive change and a number of new manufacturers have arrived to shake things up. French brand Alpine, for example, builds one of our favourite sports cars, the light and beautifully lithe A110; Spanish brand Cupra is responsible for our favourite Coupe SUV, the Formentor, as well as the superb all-electric Born, while Genesis builds the brilliant GV60.
What’s the best car you’ve ever driven?
As a road tester, I've been lucky enough to drive an incredible selection of cars over the years, but one, in particular, stands out: the Porsche 911 GT2 RS. As you would expect from a heavily turbocharged car putting out nearly 700bhp, it is mind-scramblingly quick in a straight line (0-62mph takes a claimed 2.8sec) but I was most impressed by its approachability and general useability. Unlike modern-day supercars, there are no silly configurable settings for the chassis or engine (the only parameters you can alter are the exhaust and stability control); just get in, fire it up and enjoy one of the finest chassis set-ups ever devised.
What will the car market look like in 20 years?
With the world facing a climate crisis, moving towards a zero-emissions future is a must, but I’m not convinced that electric vehicles (EV) are the only way to get there. As a road tester, I regularly get to speak to vehicle engineers that work at the bleeding edge of EV development and almost all of them have informed me that ‘EVs are not the only answer’.
Now, aside from Toyota, manufacturers and governments are often reluctant to push this line because prescribing a fix-all solution is an easier sell than a mixed-technology approach. But the reality is, lithium-ion batteries are not without consequence (they’re made using rare, mined materials) and the grid energy mix is variable around the world.
So while we might be staring down a ban on ICE sales in 2030, I firmly believe that in 20 years time we will see a mix of technologies on sale. What will those be? Well, nothing is set in stone, but it wouldn’t surprise me if alternative fuels like hydrogen became commonplace and I’m almost certain we will see classic cars being kept alive via the use of e-fuels.
