It's the final lap before the Drive Podcast is parked for the year. Trent and James unpack the final new car sales figures, including a very hotly contested top spot, they review Drive's most popular stories, they give a peek into current happenings for Car of the Year and they put some bold predictions for 2024 firmly (and permanently) on the record. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last of our safety focused feature interviews for the year, Susannah sits down with Driver Dynamics’ Kev Flynn, a driver trainer of immense experience. They discuss the difference between being skilled and being safe, how car safety advice depends on the car that you drive, his experiences with counter terrorism driving training, and what driving overseas can teach you about courtesy on the roads. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are the safety features that really make a difference? Are bigger cars more dangerous? How can you tell which used cars are safest? These are just some of the questions answered with the latest research in this episode by Jerome Carslake, director of the National Road Safety Partnership Program delivered in partnership with the Monash University Accident Research Centre.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the first in a series of fortnightly interviews highlighting road and driver safety coming into the holiday period, Susannah Guthrie sits down with Victorian Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir. They discuss which dangerous driving habits remain puzzlingly common, the true cost of 'little infringements', the latest deterrents and enforcement strategies and what is really needed to reduce the road toll. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Motoring expert and performance driving coach Ian Luff joins the podcast this week to shine a light on some under looked aspects of driver safety. Plus, the members of the Drive team were given a simple question - what new car would you buy for under the average price? Trent has the answers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Size matters in this episode as Sam and Trent take a look at upcoming LandCruiser Mini and ask whether parking spaces are feeling a little too small these days. They'll also add more weight to the rumour that we could soon see an iconic American brand on our shores and discuss Victoria's controversial EV tax.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From experts saying the days of paying under $2 a litre for petrol are ending to the NSW government scrapping its EV incentives, there is a lot of crossover between financial and automotive news this week. So who better to have as a special guest than a financial expert who is also a car tragic? Alan Kohler joins Susannah to weigh in on the headlines and to share his own automotive tales - including one of a tragically damp Renault... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham hasn't been shy about his EV skepticism. He's been across plenty of news and opinions that have supported that skepticism as well. But has the experience of actually driving (and charging) a BMW iX40 EV day-to-day made him change his tune? Plus, the big penalties coming to dodgy car dealers in SA, and could a battery that delivers 400kms of range in just ten minutes charge time be just around the corner? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new Tesla Model 3 has been revealed - so, what's changed? Plus, Trent and James discuss whether the days of haggling with your dealership could be ending and the controversial question of whether its time for bikes to start paying rego.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Drive team have crunched the numbers and so Trent and Sam will count down the top five affordable family cars to own right now. On the other end of the scale, they'll discuss whether the new Range Rover Sport is the best of both on-road and off-road worlds, and they'll delve into a common area of road rule confusion - whether its legal to wear earbuds while driving.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.