Renault has achieved its best ever performance in the Auto Express Driver Power awards

• Renault ZOE awarded Silver overall in Auto Express Driver Power awards
• Renault Kadjar awarded Bronze overall in Auto Express Driver Power awards
• All-electric ZOE wins Supermini category outright
• Clio takes Bronze in Supermini category
• Kadjar crossover voted number one in Off-road / SUV category 
• Scénic and Grand Scénic win the MPV category

Renault has achieved its best ever performance in the Auto Express Driver Power awards, announced today, with the Renault ZOE finishing in second and the All-New Renault Kadjar finishing in third overall. The all-electric ZOE, Kadjar crossover and Scénic/Grand Scénic also won the Supermini, Off-road/SUV and MPV categories respectively.

The plaudits continued for the French car manufacturer with the Clio awarded third place in the Supermini sector. The ZOE took third place for best running costs overall and was also second in the easiest to drive category. The stylish Kadjar added to its award haul with third place for ride quality overall.

The impressive results represent a major improvement for Renault vehicles in the annual awards that are determined purely by the feedback of owners and which ask them to rate their car across 10 judging categories. Nearly 50,000 owners took part in this year’s Auto Express Driver Power survey with 32 makes and 183 models ranked in what is one of the UK’s largest automotive customer satisfaction studies.

On the 100 per cent electric ZOE and family-sized Kadjar crossover finishing so highly in the annual survey, Brian Walters, Director, Research and Insights at Driver Power, said: “With the Renault ZOE the best performing supermini in terms of Running Costs; Performance; Ride Quality; Ease of Driving and In-Car Technology, it proves that superminis can excel in many judging categories long thought to be the domain of premium marques.

“Renault Kadjar has made an excellent debut in the awards. In addition to winning the Bronze Car of the Year Award and the Off Road / SUV category outright, it was also best performing SUV in Road Handling and In-Car Tech and among the top five SUVs in Running Costs, Ride Quality and Seat Comfort.”

Mark Crockett, Director of Total Customer Experience (TCE), Groupe Renault UK and Ireland, said: “This outstanding result demonstrates the progression of our vehicles and reaffirms our commitment to quality. We are delighted to have the ZOE and Kadjar in the top three overall placings and it’s especially pleasing that we have achieved such impressive rankings across the categories while also selling a record number of vehicles in the UK.

“We strive to provide customers with a class-leading product and ownership experience and this strong showing is a fantastic indicator that we are on track to achieve our GO5+ mid-term plan of a top 10 ranking in the Auto Express Driver Power survey and a top 10 global opinion rank for the brand.”

ZOE’s excellent result builds on its impressive performance in the 2015 Auto Express Driver Power Survey where it was ranked fifth overall and the number two supermini. In the 2016 survey, it has improved in seven of the ten Driver Power judging categories.

Representing the thoughts of Renault ZOE drivers who responded to the survey, one owner said: “It is cheap to run, comfortable, quiet and very nippy. Quality of build is excellent and the car has a full range of accessories. It is a joy to drive.”

Commenting on the Kadjar in their response to the Auto Express Driver Power survey, one satisfied owner, said: “I absolutely love it – it’s an absolute pleasure to drive. Being disabled, I had lost my independence and freedom, with this car, I have got it all back - and some!”

Since it arrived in the UK in September 2015, the Kadjar has strengthened Renault’s presence in the crossover market – building on the success of its compact crossover sibling, Captur. Its combination of striking design, efficient powertrains, spacious interior, high levels of standard specification, best-in-class residual values and five-star Euro NCAP rating have proved a hit with British car buyers.

Bentley named as one of the UK's best employers, for the third year running.

• UK Top Employer award for third consecutive year
• “Dedication to personal and professional development”
• Company prepares for annual Apprentice Open Day on 22 March

Bentley Motors has been named as one of Britain’s Top Employers for the third year running by the Top Employers Institute. Bentley’s dedication to the personal development, working environment and employee culture of the 3,700 colleagues who work at the Crewe headquarters was particularly praised.

Dr. Ariane Reinhart, Member of the Board for Human Resources, said: “We are proud that our efforts to cultivate a talented, diverse and engaged workforce have been recognised. It’s not only a testament to our dedication to personal and professional development, but also to our skilled and committed colleagues.”

Bentley’s nationally recognised apprenticeship programme, which develops new talent within the business, was a strong contributing factor in the Top Employers’ assessment of employee development opportunities. 62 apprentices are currently employed at Bentley, working in a variety of areas including Engineering, Marketing, Communications, Manufacturing and Human Resources, all of which combine on the job training with academic qualifications.

Bentley’s annual Apprentice Open Day will be held on Saturday 22 March at its headquarters in Crewe, where attendees are invited to speak to current Apprentices and learn more about the scheme and its benefits.

Opportunities to develop are not limited to new recruits. A key focus within Bentley is growing the talent that exists in current employees and maximising potential through development opportunities and clear career pathways. This has led to the business already being accredited as an Investor in People to silver standard.

The award closely follows Bentley’s record sales year in 2013, in which 10,120 cars were delivered, a 19% increase on 2012 and the highest number ever in the company’s 95-year history, firmly underlining its position as the number one luxury car brand in the world.