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Joe Simpson
Car Editor
Joe is Pocket-lint’s car editor; a role he recently moved into having written about cars for the site since 2010. Joe has a Masters in Car Design and has been working in the automotive industry for over 12 years. Joe worked for Ford in North America, before becoming a consultant to the car industry - specialising in developing future strategies and conducting user research. Previously he’s worked with brands from Audi to Volvo from his base near Leeds, UK. A regular at the major global auto shows, Joe has been a commentator and journalist for over 10 years, and besides Pocket-lint has written about design, cars and technology for Car Design News, Stuff, Core77, The Guardian and Wired. He’s also lectured internationally and teaches on the Vehicle Design Course at London’s Royal College of Art. As Pocket-lint’s primary car guy, he’s driven almost every important new car over the past five years and is fascinated by the way cars and technology are coming together. He’s just finished writing a chapter in a book about Autonomous cars, too. He likes the fact that his work allows him to further his love of travel, is a hopeless Apple addict and outside of work is busy being sleep deprived by two young sons, trying to keep his old Alfa Romeo working and wondering where to store a growing collection of trainers. He wants to run, but currently doesn’t.
Twitter: @joesimpson
Latest articles from Joe
Volkswagen Passat GTE review: The best plug-in hybrid estate to buy?
Are you ready to plug-in yet? In an environment where many are shunning diesel, yet where many petrol models still don't deliver stellar fuel economy (and have a tax bill to go with them), plug-in hybrids look like the ideal option for the discerning... Read more
Best SUVs 2018: From crossover to Range Rover - which are kings of the road?
You'll have noticed them on your street, down at the supermarket or parked outside your office. There might even be one on your driveway. The SUV - or crossover - has become one of the UK's favourite types of vehicle.Thousands are replacing their old... Read more
Volkswagen Golf review: Staying on top of the game
The Volkswagen Golf is Europe's best-selling car. When we reviewed the MK 7 back in 2013 it gained a coveted full-marks score. But five years is a long time in the car world, and with the forthcoming Golf MK 8 (as it will be called) still a couple of... Read more
Audi RS4 review: Return of the fast estate king
Audi owns the fast estate car genre. Mercedes might make some enticing AMG-models which allow you to bring the dog and kids along, but no car defines that genre better than the Audi RS4.From March 2018 the RS4 arrives in its fourth-generation guise, available... Read more
Jaguar E-Pace review: The savviest SUV on the road?
"E-Pace? Is that the electric one then?," asks a man inspecting our Jaguar SUV as we're taking photos of it for this very review.Despite Jaguar launching its all-new electric i-Pace SUV at the Geneva Motor Show – because, you know, in the car world... Read more
Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain review: Top of the class
How much do you want an SUV? It might have escaped your notice, but every other car we now review seems to be an SUV or crossover. And every time someone tells us they've bought a new car, it's called something like Qashqai, Kodiaq or Kumquat (ok, yes,... Read more
Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV now available to order
We've driven it under camouflage, on ice in northern Sweden, and swooned at it in concept form in LA, but today Jaguar unveiled the production I-Pace - its electric SUV, that you can order from today.Remarkably, it looks the twin of the concept car first... Read more
Volvo XC40 review: The most sophisticated small SUV
The XC40 is Volvo's third SUV, and its smallest to date. It slots in below the larger XC60 and biggest-of-the-bunch XC90, being the first time the company has offered a vehicle in the booming market that Americans refer to as a "company utility vehicle".... Read more
Peugeot 5008 review: Reinventing the family MPV
The last Peugeot 5008 was a traditional MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle). And nobody wants one of those anymore. So for 2018, the 5008 has been reinvented as – you guessed it – an SUV (Sports-Utility Vehicle).It seems like barely a day goes by without... Read more
Honda Civic (2017) review: Classic hatch gets a millennial makeover
The Honda Civic is a funny old car. It's a real challenge to pinpoint who, exactly, it's aimed at, yet equally difficult to fault – despite historically boasting a number of irksome quirks. It's billed as a family car. A competitor to the evergreen... Read more
Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe review: Does it blend?
Mid-sized SUVs have become hugely popular over the past few years – particularly at the premium end of the market, if they're wearing the right German badge. The Mercedes GLC Coupe is most certainly wearing a badge of desire. But yes, you read that... Read more
Byton SUV Concept: Can it take on Tesla and succeed?
Byton. It's not a name you're likely to have heard. But you might want to remember it, because the auto company has big plans, and by unveiling its concept SUV at CES 2018 it impressed many.Funded by Chinese money (aren't all new car companies these days?)... Read more
Best cars of CES 2018: Byton, Toyota, Kia and more
CES has very much become a car show over the past few years. In fact, the entire North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Centre is dedicated to cars and car technology.While 2018 wasn't quite as bumper a show for new metal as 2017 was, the tech was arguably... Read more
Toyota announces e-Palette autonomous mobility concept, partners with Uber, Amazon
At CES 2018, Toyota - the world's biggest car company - announced a new autonomous vehicle, called e-Palette, along with news that every Toyota and Lexus would be electrified by 2025. It's part of a bigger picture: Toyota seeing itself as transitioning... Read more
Toyota Prius review: Celebrating 20 years of the hybrid car
It might seem scarcely believable, but in 2017 the Toyota Prius celebrates its 20th Birthday. To mark this momentous occasion, we took the opportunity to crack out the candles and review this, the fourth generation of Toyota's most famous hybrid car.Twenty... Read more
Land Rover Discovery Sport review: Still the best 4x4 by far?
Land Rover used to have a slogan: "The best 4x4x far". This was when a Land Rover was the domain of your local farmer, or rich landed gentry. But at what point did a Land Rover become the default vehicle of the upwardly mobile?Take a look out on the street.... Read more
Mazda CX-5 review: An SUV you'll actually enjoy driving
The first Mazda CX-5 kicked off a revolution at Mazda. It was Mazda's first mainstream SUV and the first car to feature the company's new "Kodo – soul of motion" design language. Mazda ran that style through the subsequent 2, 3, 6, CX-3 and MX-5 and... Read more
Best of the LA Auto Show 2017 in pictures: BMW, Mercedes, Mazda and more
In recent years the big American car shows – Detroit and LA – have been overshadowed by January's CES, which has become a significant car show and the place to be for leading car-related tech and futuristic stuff.Nonetheless, with Southern California... Read more
McLaren 720S review: Shaking up the supercar world order
In a world of iPhones, Snapchat, Pokemon and a whole host of digital distractions, do little boys and girls still put posters of supercars on their walls? It's a question we're musing as we drive the new McLaren 720S around the Cirencester bypass. Growing... Read more
Volkswagen Tiguan review: All grown-up
You've decided you want a mid-sized SUV. You'd like something from a reputable brand, that the neighbours won't question. But you just can't get your head around the prices charged by Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Sounds like you? Then Volkswagen hopes it has... Read more
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio review: Phwoar to the floor
How do you define fast?For some it's a case of bald figures. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio does 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds and has a top speed of 190mph. So, that's the "head" box ticked.For others it's defined in less tangible terms. Driving the Alfa... Read more
Volvo XC60 review: The best-in-class mid-size SUV?
The outgoing Volvo XC60 continued to be the best seller in its class right up until the end of production. Whereas other "new" Volvos — the XC90, S90, V90 — replaced cars that were so old people had forgotten they existed, the previous XC60's success... Read more
Mini Cooper SD Countryman (2017) review: Mighty improvements for the mega Mini?
Do you remember the exact moment when every manufacturer scrambled to add a high-riding SUV to their line-up? It was around the time the Nissan Qashqai started to become a runaway sales success. As a result, all sorts of bizarre shapes started to appear... Read more
Toyota C-HR review: High-roller or middle-of-the-roader?
"Cars, they all look the same these days." It's almost as if the designers of Toyota's new C-HR had that phrase in mind, and were determined to shoot it down. Toyotas — aren't they cars that are reliable, well-built and, well, just a little bit dull?... Read more
Audi Aicon: A glimpse at a fully autonomous future and ultra-impressive user interface
What does the future look like? It's a perennial question, one that for cars feels more pertinent than ever. This, the Aicon, is what the future looks like according to Audi.You'll know that cars are becoming battery powered (or electrifying - as the... Read more