Need a bit of help deciding what car to buy next? If so, you’re going to love this top 50 rundown of the best British cars ever, as decided upon by expert judges like the team from Auto Express magazine, CEO of McLaren Mike Flewitt, president of the AA Edmund King, CEO of Aston Martin Andy Palmer and director of BMW Ian Robertson, among others.

Auto Express decided to put the list together to find out the best British-built car of all time, accounting for unbeatable performance, ground-breaking design and account sales success. And what do you think claimed the number one spot?

Well, we can tell you that the Mini has pipped the rest of the bunch to the post, with praise heaped upon it for being an “icon of British innovation, a fashion accessory and a motorsport hero that also brought affordable motoring to the masses”.

The Mini itself was first launched in 1959 after designer Alec Issigonis was tasked by the bosses at BMC to make a car smaller than three metres that could fit a family of four inside. The result was the Mini, with ten inch wheels used to make more room inside, the gearbox positioned in the engine’s sump and the powerplant mounted in such a way that the cylinders could be lined up sideways across the vehicle.

Apparently, however, Brits weren’t as enamoured with the car at first as they certainly are now and it wasn’t until racing drivers and celebrities started gadding about in them that it started becoming really popular. From there, the Mini Cooper was born, thanks to racing driver John Cooper who saw its potential in the motorsport arena.

Edmund King of the AA said: “There’s only one choice for the top spot: the Mini. It’s one of the most influential cars ever built and lasted for decades with the design barely changed.”

The rest of the vehicles that make up the top ten were the Lotus Elise, the Ford Escort MK1, the Caterham/Lotus Seven, the Ford GT40, the Range Rover Mk1, the McLaren F1, the Aston Martin DB5, the Land Rover Series/Defender and the Jaguar E-Type.

However, while the Mini might well have come top of this particular list – and no doubt it’s a well-deserved honour – it seems as though where actual drivers are concerned, there’s another brand that’s currying favour at the moment.

New research from The Hatchbag Company has just revealed that Ford is the most popular make of car in the UK, with nearly 4.5 million vehicles out there at the moment, which is just over 14 per cent of the market. Other hugely popular cars include Vauxhall, Volkswagen and Peugeot, so if you are in the market for a new vehicle why don’t you see just why these cars are so well liked?

Do you need DRC wheels? Then you’ve come to the right place! Give us a call today.

Being as practical and hands-on as you can as a car driver is certainly a good idea. You’ll save yourself a lot of money and time if you’re able to do certain jobs, like changing the tyres on your vehicle, yourself.

However, with the removal of spare tyres in new cars it’s possible that this particular skill could soon die out among the general population. And that’s not all – apparently, not having a spare in the boot of the car is also driving up callouts to emergency services like the AA.

Speaking to the London Evening Standard, executive chairman of the organisation Bob Mackenzie explained that wheels are getting bigger and heavier, so they’ve been removed to reduce weight and increase space… but this has helped to see callouts increase by five per cent last year. Because there is no tyre, drivers are unable to change them in the event of a puncture or similar – so they have no choice but to call out roadside assistance.

Despite this, it’s still a good idea to know how to change a tyre yourself. For your own safety, do not try to do this by the side of the road or on the hard shoulder of the motorway. You should always pull over as far from traffic as possible. Also avoid changing the tyre on uneven or soft ground, or with people still in the car.

In order to change the tyre successfully, you’ll need your spare, a jack, your handbook (which will show you where to put the jack), a wrench with an extension bar and locking wheel nut adaptor, something to kneel on, gloves, a torch and a wheel chock to stop your car from rolling when on the jack.

Turn the engine off but leave the hazard lights on. Put your handbrake on and leave the car in first gear, then put the chock under the wheel that’s diagonally opposite whichever one you’re trying to change. Put the spare on the ground somewhere convenient for you to reach, then remove the wheel trim.

Put the jack in the lifting point closest to the wheel and make sure the head engages properly. Extend until the vehicle starts to lift on its springs. Loosen your wheel nuts anti-clockwise. Raise the jack again until the wheel is just off the ground, then remove the wheel nuts, leaving the top one until last so you can take the wheel off the hub easily. Then put the spare tyre back on in its place – and remember to put the old wheel back in your car before driving off again.

Always check to see if your spare tyre is a temporary one as well, since you shouldn’t drive over 50mph on one of these – and it needs to be replaced with a proper tyre as soon as possible.

Looking for new DRC wheels? Check out our website today.