10 of the best badly-driven cars

Most of those miles were spent shuttling between two hospitals, which meant I experienced traffic at its most frazzled, its most stressed, and its most willing to test my remaining patience.

Somewhere around the junction for Bridgwater Services – a place you should avoid at all costs – it dawned on me that I’d accidentally embarked on a long-term, highly focused study into driving patterns. And by ‘driving patterns’ I mean: certain cars being consistently, impressively badly driven.

So here it is: wholly unscientific, occasionally unfair, and absolutely rooted in lived experience.

1. Vauxhall Mokka (the original one): motorway mischief specialists

There’s something about the first-gen Mokka that brings out motorway chaos. Middle-lane hogging. Tailgating. Sudden braking for no obvious reason. Speeds that oscillate wildly, as if the accelerator pedal is more of a suggestion than a command.

It’s not every Mokka, granted, but enough of them for a pattern to emerge. After a month on the M5, I can spot one in my mirrors and predict with uncomfortable accuracy what happens next. Spot one in front of you, leave at the next junction and take the long way home. One behind you? Pull over and let it pass – and thank me later.

2. Range Rover Sport: last-minute exits and BO55 energy

All ages behave the same. You’re queuing sensibly for a slip road; they’re queuing spiritually for a slip road. Indicators? Optional. Lane discipline? Conceptual. Speed limits? For other drivers.

Add a BO55 plate, or anything badly spaced or expensive-looking, and the behaviour intensifies. The exit will always be taken at the final possible moment, usually via three lanes of traffic and at least one indignant Audi driver.

The Range Rover Sport doesn’t ask the road for permission. It simply assumes consent.

3. Cupra (Formentor, Leon, all of them): the aggressive middle manager’s war cry

Every Cupra drives like it’s late for a very important LinkedIn post. They appear fully formed in your rear-view mirror, grille filling your soul, then sit there – loitering – with the quiet menace of an angry XL bully in search of breakfast. They’re like a four-wheeled Premier League footballer’s wash bag, and many appear to be driven by people who’ve memorised the 0-60 time but not the Highway Code.

It’s the official vehicle of:

• the last-second overtake
• the emotionally charged lane change
• and the prolonged, disappointed glare when you fail to notice how fast they think they are

4. Toyota hybrids (mainly taxis): reality-bending roadcraft

This category deserves a thesis of its own. Toyota hybrids appear to operate in their own universe, one where driving tests are optional and the Highway Code is more of a conversation starter.

Two experiences from the past month:

The C-HR of Bristol

A narrow one-way street. Me heading in the correct direction. A Toyota C-HR heading in the opposite direction. The driver’s reaction? A look that said “Well?” Naturally, I was the one who had to reverse.

The Corolla of Exeter

A taxi reversing out of a space, only to stop because traffic was coming from both directions. Sensible enough. Then, having acknowledged the danger, the driver simply set off anyway, nearly taking us both into the great Prius dealership in the sky.

I’ve never clenched so hard in a hospital car park.

5. BMW X1: the car of disappointment

This one’s personal – and yes, partly included to rile my sister. She owns an X1. She does not like her X1. I recently spent 20 minutes in the passenger seat while she manoeuvred around Exeter Hospital searching for a space during what appeared to be Devon’s annual ‘Everyone Go to the Same Car Park’ festival.

Kerbs were mounted. Lights may have been ignored. Expletives may have been curated with great care.

And on the road, X1 behaviour seems strangely consistent: timid when decisiveness is needed, then unexpectedly reckless when it’s not. Most X1 drivers wish they’d bought an old X5 instead.

6. Jaguar XE: E-type energy, Mondeo mass

The XE is a tidy thing, but its drivers behave as though they’ve inherited the ghost of an E-type. Tailgating. Speeding. Cornering with misplaced zeal.

It’s all very “I’m in a sports saloon, please get out of the way so I can demonstrate it.”

7. Audi A3: the vape-enhanced lane-changer

Somewhere between the Avonmouth Bridge and Cullompton, I decided that you can tell an A3’s intentions by the density of the vape cloud inside it.

Light mist: normal driving.
Moderate fog: imminent lane change.
Full cumulonimbus: they’re about to cut across three lanes without warning.

Often accompanied by the unique aroma of supermarket-vanilla-waft.

8. Mercedes A-Class: Instagram premium, Wetherspoon's dinner

Every A-Class seems to be driven with a mixture of smugness and an urgent need to go everywhere flat out. In some ways, the A-Class is the modern Astramax van: no matter how fast you’re going, an A-Class driver will be itching to overtake, no doubt late for their gym session or a date at Wetherspoon’s.

Bonus points for gel plates, window tints and the belief that the indicators are decorative. Did anyone ever buy an A-Class without the AMG-Line trimmings?

9. Peugeot 308 (first gen): Clarkson and May were right

The original 308 is one of those cars that seem entirely ordinary – until you notice their drivers often behave like they’re being chased by bees. Maybe too fast, possibly too slow, but always erratic and unhinged.

Some motoring voices have argued that the French drive as though they’re permanently ten minutes late. The 308 is perhaps the purest expression of that theory.

10. Kia Venga: masters of 42mph

No matter the limit – 30, 50, 60, dual carriageway, motorway – the Venga maintains a spiritually significant speed of 42mph. Not 41. Not 43. A Level 42, in all conditions, at all times. Mark King must be so proud.

If you ever find yourself stuck behind a small queue on the A370 near Long Ashton, there is a non-zero chance a Venga is at the front, achieving inner peace.

In conclusion

None of this is scientific. All of it is observational. And after a month of hospital runs, diversions, big-city bottlenecks and the exquisite joys of overnight road closures on the M5, these patterns became impossible to ignore.

If you drive one of the cars on this list and you’re an absolute saint behind the wheel, then please know that you are the exception – and your fellow owners owe you thanks.

If you’ve spotted your own local offenders (A1? M25? That perma-busy Salisbury ring road?), feel free to share. I’ve got a notebook now. And a pen. And another few hundred miles to cover next month…

All observations based on one very tired person’s month on the road. Exceptions absolutely exist. Probably.