Big Christmas Car Quiz 2023

It's time for the annual Auto Express big Christmas car quiz. Each year we compile 100 questions to test your motoring knowledge, but have you been paying attention to what's been happening over the last 12 months? If so, then you should be able to breeze through many of the questions below.

Of course it's not just recent news that features, as you will also need to know about car history, motorsport, car culture and the people that matter in the industry. Feeling confident? Scroll down below to take the quiz, then click on the next page to find out how many you got correct. Good luck, and Merry Christmas.

That was 2023

There were plenty of highlights this year, but how many do you remember?

1. In January, the SMMT revealed the UK’s favourite colour for new cars in 2022 was what shade?

• a) White
• b) Grey
• c) Red

2. In February, which car set a new Guinness World Record for drifting on ice?

• a) Skoda Enyaq Coupé
• b) Ford Mustang
• c) Mazda MX-5

3. Which fashion brand announced a partnership to build a special-edition Toyota Aygo X in March?

• a) Undercover
• b) George at Asda
• c) Paul Smith

4. In April, which brand revealed a new range-topping sports SUV with the name XM 50e?

• a) Citroen
• b) Lexus
• c) BMW

5. Lamborghini announced its first plug-in hybrid supercar in May. What is its name?

• a) Revuelto
• b) Eletrecordato
• c) E-Ablo

6. In June, the SsangYong Motor Company revealed that it was changing its name to what?

• a) SMG
• b) KGM
• c) Musso Motors

7. In July, Dacia confirmed plans to bring which model to the UK in 2024?

• a) Dokker
• b) Solenza
• c) Spring

8. Smart revealed its second all-new electric model in September. What’s it called?

• a) #1+
• b) #3
• c) #4_2

9. In October, Volkswagen confirmed that which model was being discontinued?

• a) up!
• b) Phaeton
• c) Passat

10. Renault announced in November that a famous name from its past would return on an EV. Which one?

• a) Safrane
• b) Twingo
• c) Fuego

Sporting chance

Test your knowledge about motorsport past and present.

11. Daniel Ricciardo returned to the Formula One grid with which team in 2023?

• a) Red Bull
• b) McLaren
• c) Alpha Tauri

12. In what country is the Zandvoort racing circuit?

• a) The Netherlands
• b) Belgium
• c) South Africa

13. How many World Rally Championship Drivers’ titles did Colin McRae win?

• a) One
• b) Three
• c) Five

14. What nationality is former F1 champion Nico Rosberg?

• a) Finnish
• b) German
• c) Canadian

15. In what year did Barry Sheene win his first 500cc World Championship?

• a) 1976
• b) 1978
• c) 1973

16. On which British racing circuit would you find the Wellington Straight?

• a) Knockhill
• b) Castle Combe
• c) Silverstone

17. Which make of car won the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours?

• a) Ferrari
• b) Toyota
• c) Porsche

18. Montjuïc circuit was home to which race between 1969 and 1975?

• a) Canadian Grand Prix
• b) Czech Grand Prix
• c) Spanish Grand Prix

19. At which venue did Lewis Hamilton win his first Formula One race?

• a) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• b) Adelaide, Australia
• c) Montreal, Canada

20. In which category of World Rallying did the MG Metro 6R4, Peugeot 205 T16 and Ford RS200 compete in the mid eighties?

• a) Group B
• b) Formula R
• c) Rally1

The name game

Test your knowledge of familiar badges and some more obscure names, too.

21. The 1978 Fiat Ritmo was known as what in the UK?

• a) Uno
• b) Strada
• c) Regatta

22. The Ford Mondeo was badged as what in the USA?

• a) Explorer
• b) Probe
• c) Fusion

23. In 2011, Toyota partnered with Aston Martin to produce a luxury version of its iQ city car. What was it called?

• a) Rapidette
• b) DB1
• c) Cygnet

24. The 1981 Honda Ballade was rebadged as a Triumph model in the UK. What was it known as?

• a) Acclaim
• b) Toledo
• c) Dolomite

25. The Swallow Sidecar Company is now known as what brand?

• a) Lotus
• b) Bentley
• c) Jaguar

26. The Gremlin and Pacer were cars built by which American brand?

• a) American Motors
• b) Studebaker
• c) Buick

27. The Ferrari Purosangue is translated as what?

• a) Pure tongue
• b) Thoroughbred
• c) Speed Sprite

28. The Mini was launched in 1959 in two versions. What were they?

• a) Rover 1 and Morris Seven
• b) Austin Oxford and Morris Longbridge 7
• c) Austin Seven and Morris Mini Minor

29. In 1993 Honda built a licensed version of the Land Rover Discovery for the Japanese market. What was it called?

• a) Honda Roverlander
• b) Honda Crossroad
• c) Honda Terrainer

30. What was the code name of the original Ford Fiesta during development?

• a) Bobcat
• b) Felix
• c) Keith

Motoring firsts

Highlighting the automotive pioneers, both physical and mechanical.

31. Karl Benz is credited with inventing the modern motor car in 1885. What was it known as?

• a) Motorwagen
• b) Kareine
• c) A-Klasse

32. Hermann Reiseler invented which car component?

• a) Cigarette lighter
• b) Handbrake
• c) Automatic gearbox

33. What was the original Volkswagen Beetle officially called?

• a) Type 1
• b) Insekt
• c) Wolfsburger

34. John Najjar is credited with bestowing which name on Ford’s 1965 V8 coupé?

• a) Torino
• b) Cougar
• c) Mustang

35. Who was the first official World Rally Champion in 1977?

• a) Sandro Munari
• b) Roger Clark
• c) Ari Vatanen

36. In which year did Ferrari launch the Testarossa?

• a) 1979
• b) 1984
• c) 1987

37. The 1951 Chrysler Imperial was the first production car to be commercially available with which feature?

• a) Massage seats
• b) Power steering
• c) CD player

38. In which year did safety body Euro NCAP carry out its first crash tests?

• a) 1933
• b) 1973
• c) 1996

39. In 1949 Chrysler introduced which innovation?

• a) The turn-to-start ignition key
• b) Radial tyres
• c) Hazard warning lights

40. Which car is credited with being the first to be fitted with MacPherson strut suspension?

• a) 1967 Porsche 911
• b) 1950 Ford Consul
• c) 1992 Honda Civic

World of cars

The car industry spans the globe, but how good is your geography?

41. Electric car brand VinFast hails from which country?

• a) Malaysia
• b) Thailand
• c) Vietnam

42. In what country was Tesla boss Elon Musk born?

• a) USA
• b) South Africa
• c) New Zealand

43. The Arjeplog cold weather test facility is located where?

• a) Sweden
• b) Estonia
• c) Iceland

44. In what country is the Paul Ricard racing circuit?

• a) France
• b) Brazil
• c) USA

45. Where was the last Ford Fiesta built earlier this year?

• a) Dunton, UK
• b) Valencia, Spain
• c) Cologne, Germany

46. The new Lotus Eletre is built where?

• a) Graz, Austria
• b) Norfolk, UK
• c) Wuhan, China

47. Electric sports car brand Rimac is headquartered in which country?

• a) Switzerland
• b) Croatia
• c) Moldova

48. In which country would you find the famous Stelvio Pass?

• a) Italy
• b) France
• c) Spain

49. The Tarpan Honker 4x4 hailed from which country?

• a) Japan
• b) India
• c) Poland

50. Where is the Fisker Ocean built?

• a) Austria
• b) USA
• c) China

Motoring numbers

Numbers make the automotive world go round – can you figure these out?

51. How many seats did the McLaren F1 road car have?

• a) Three
• b) Two
• c) Four

52. What is the maximum capacity of a current Formula One engine?

• a) 3.0 litres
• b) 2.4 litres
• c) 1.6 litres

53. Mercedes paint code 623 is one of the brand’s most popular colours. Why?

• a) It’s associated with good luck in China
• b) It’s the colour of all Mercedes staff company cars
• c) It’s the colour of all taxis in Germany

54. How many examples of the Subaru Impreza 22B were officially allocated to the UK market?

• a) 16
• b) 22
• c) 2,200

55. How many right-hand-drive Renault Sport Spider models were officially imported to the UK?

• a) 499
• b) One
• c) 96

56. What happens in a Bugatti Chiron when the speed hits 93mph?

• a) The police are automatically alerted
• b) The windows automatically close
• c) All the dials go blank to aid concentration

57. The MGB sold in North America had what unusual feature?

• a) Two steering wheels
• b) Six headlights
• c) Three windscreen wipers

58. The 1975 Camargue was the first Rolls-Royce model to be designed using what?

• a) Metric measurements
• b) A computer
• c) A wind tunnel

59. At the end of 2022, how many cars were officially licensed in the UK?

• a) 55,945,221
• b) 19,241,096
• c) 33,187,308

60. A modern car (post-1981) has a VIN comprising of how many characters?

• a) 17
• b) 26
• c) 22

Missing words

Quotes from the famous and infamous of the motoring world.

61. “Any product that needs a ______ to work is broken.” Elon Musk

• a) Manual
• b) Key
• c) Code

62. “Do my _____ deceive me or is Senna’s car sounding a bit rough?” Murray Walker

• a) Eyes
• b) Ears
• c) Senses

63. “History is more or less ________.” Henry Ford

• a) Finished
• b) Bunk
• c) Essential

64. “Formula One would be a paradise without the ________.” Kimi Raikkonen

• a) Media
• b) Racing
• c) Travel

65. “______ burns cash. It’s not a car company, it’s a cult of fanatics.” Bob Lutz

• a) Porsche
• b) Tesla
• c) DeLorean

66. “I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and _______. The rest I just squandered.” George Best

• a) Gambling
• b) Golf
• c) Fast cars

67. “_______________ are for people who can’t build engines.” Enzo Ferrari

• a) Gearboxes
• b) Trains
• c) Aerodynamics

68. “___________ is remembered long after the price is forgotten.” Sir Henry Royce

• a) Quality
• b) Comfort
• c) Performance

69. “I couldn’t find the car of my _________, so I built it myself.” Ferdinand Porsche

• a) Youth
• b) Dreams
• c) Future

70. “Bordering on a day late and a __________ short, that defence.” Martin Brundle

• a) Euro
• b) Pound
• c) Dollar

Showbiz stars

The worlds of cars and celebrity often mix. Can you remember these examples?

71. Which car-mad celeb presented a documentary on the Brawn GP F1 team earlier this year?

• a) Keanu Reeves
• b) Paul Hollywood
• c) Matt LeBlanc

72. In the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses, what car does lead character Jackson Lamb drive?

• a) Jaguar XJ
• b) Skoda Felicia
• c) Honda Civic

73. Blockbuster 2023 movie Barbie saw the titular character drive which car?

• a) Ferrari Testarossa
• b) Chevrolet Corvette
• c) Jeep Wagoneer

74. “Wet Nellie’ was the nickname given by the production crew for which famous Bond car?

• a) Aston Martin DB5
• b) BMW Z8
• c) Lotus Esprit S1

75. A movie based on which computer racing game series was released in 2023?

• a) Super Mario Kart
• b) Sega Rally
• c) Gran Turismo

76. What do actor Michael Fassbender and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason have in common?

• a) They have both raced at the Le Mans 24 Hours
• b) They own 72 per cent of Ferrari
• c) They both have limited-edition  Dacias named after them

77. The Queen’s beloved 2009 Jaguar X-Type Estate sold at auction this year for how much?

• a) £2,543,003
• b) £8,645
• c) £39,200

78. In 2004, TV chef Delia Smith took delivery of which car as part of a high-profile celebrity endorsement?

• a) Lotus Elise
• b) Proton Gen-2
• c) VW Transporter

79. The Mirthmobile driven by the main characters in the 1992 movie Wayne’s World was which model?

• a) AMC Pacer
• b) Ford Crown Victoria
• c) Buick LeSabre

80. In the Pixar Cars franchise, Owen Wilson provided the voice for which character?

• a) Luigi
• b) Lightning McQueen
• c) Doc Hudson

Car people

Lots of people have made their mark on motoring – do you know these 10?

81. Former F1 champion Keke Rosberg had a special edition of which model named after him?

• a) Mercedes SC300
• b) BMW Z1
• c) Opel Calibra

82. Name the Fiat boss who announced this year that he was banning grey cars from the brand’s line-up?

• a) Olivier François
• b) Carlos Tavares
• c) Herbert Diess

83. Marc Tarpenning and Martin Eberhard incorporated which car company in 2003?

• a) Rivian
• b) Fisker
• c) Tesla Motors

84. Which British designer is credited with designing the 993 version of the Porsche 911?

• a) Peter Horbury
• b) Peter Stevens
• c) Tony Hatter

85. Linda Jackson is the CEO of which car brand?

• a) Ford
• b) Vauxhall
• c) Peugeot

86. In which year was seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton born?

• a) 1985
• b) 1990
• c) 1982

87. In 2014 Mary Barra became CEO of which car maker?

• a) Audi
• b) SEAT
• c) General Motors

88. Name the Swedish engineer who patented the first three-point car seat belt.

• a) Lars Petersson
• b) Nils Bohlin
• c) Saga Norén

89. The Cizeta-Moroder V16T was a joint-venture supercar developed with whom?

• a) Architect Sergio Moroder
• b) Adult entertainment billionaire Max Moroder
• c) Synth-pop pioneer Giorgio Moroder

90. Robert Kearns is credited with designing what?

• a) The intermittent windscreen wiper
• b) The heated seat
• c) The handbrake

Spot the detail

Can you identify these new cars from their photos?

91.

92.

93.

94.

95.

96.

97.

98.

99.

100.

Now click here for all the 2023 Big Christmas Car Quiz answers

Christmas car quiz archives

Looking for more quizzing action? Click below for our big car quiz archive (all questions and answers correct at the time of writing). 

• Big car quiz 2022
• Big car quiz 2021
• Big car quiz 2020
• Big car quiz 2019
• Big car quiz 2018
• Big car quiz 2017
• Big car quiz 2016