Articles by Andrew Chesterton

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist

CarsGuide contributing journalist Andrew Chesterton is an award-winning Australian automotive reporter with more than 20 years of experience across newspapers, magazines, digital publishing and automotive corporate communications.

Andrew began his journalism career at Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph, reporting across business, courts, crime, property and state politics before moving into automotive journalism.

He joined Top Gear Australia as its online editor in 2008, later being appointed editor of Top Gear New Zealand. He subsequently worked as an assistant editor during the Australian launch of the Daily Mail Australia, and as communications manager at FCA Australia, now Stellantis.

His experience on both sides of the media industry gives him an unrivalled understanding of the automotive industry, and the relationship between car manufacturers, the media, and Australian consumers.

Andrew’s work has appeared across leading automotive, news, business, luxury, travel and lifestyle publications, including CarsGuide, EV Central, DMARGE, The Sydney Morning Herald, Marie Claire, Top Gear, GQ Australia, The Australian, WISH Magazine, Boss Hunting, The West Australian, The Nightly, Women’s Day Australia, Carsales, NRMA, Men’s Health, CEO Magazine, Australian Financial Review and more.  

Andrew specialises in industry news, vehicle reviews, policy,  performance and luxury cars, electric vehicles, automotive technology, EVs hybrid and plug-in hybrids, and the broader Australian new-car marketplace.

In 2025, Andrew was named Newspress Australia News Journalist of the Year and was a finalist for the overall Journalist of the Year award.

Earlier honours include Website of the Year wins at the Australian Magazine Awards and ACP Awards, the ACP Rising Star Award and recognition in the Bauer Media and News Ltd journalism awards.

Expertise

  • Electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles
  • Performance, luxury and supercars
  • New-car reviews and road testing
  • Australian automotive industry and new-car sales
  • Chinese automotive brands and emerging manufacturers
  • Utes, SUVs and family vehicles
  • Automotive technology
  • Policy

Awards

  • 2025 Newspress Australia News Journalist of the Year

Featured Publications

Note: The author, Andrew Chesterton, is a co-owner of Smart As Media, a content agency and media distribution service with a number automotive brands among its clients. When producing content for CarsGuide, he does so in accordance with the CarsGuide Editorial Guidelines and Code of Ethics, and the views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

How much to rent a Porsche?
By Andrew Chesterton · 09 Feb 2022
From the iconic 911 to the mean and green Taycan, Porsche is offering some of its most famous nameplates for rent in Melbourne.
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Kia has beaten the Holden Commodore curse!
By Andrew Chesterton · 06 Feb 2022
The Kia Stinger looks destined to break the Commodore (and Ford Falcon) curse, with the Korean brand's performance halo set to live on - at least for now.Even as the brand shifts its focus to its new EV6 halo, and the wave of electric vehicles that will f
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Mazda goes even BIGGER on SUVs
By Andrew Chesterton · 03 Feb 2022
Mazda's incoming CX-80 SUV cuts a fine figure in new renders from Japan, acting as a preview of sorts to the new and premium-focused SUV that is firming for an Australian launch.Using the US-revealed CX-50 as a guide, designers at Japanese scoop site Spyd
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New RZ might be best looking Lexus ever
By Andrew Chesterton · 02 Feb 2022
Lexus appears to have used its annual sales briefing to confirm its new RZ will hit the production line unchanged from the previously released "design" images, with the electric SUV arriving as a sleek and sporty-looking offering that might end up shading
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Haval Jolion 2022 review: Lux long-term
By Andrew Chesterton · 02 Feb 2022
The Haval Jolion is making waves in the small-SUV segment, with the Chinese SUV now nipping at the heels of some of the traditional mainstream players.But is it more than just a value proposition? Is there substance to match its blinged-out style? Our very own Andrew 'Chesto' puts the mid-tier Lux model to the long-term family test to find out. Warning: Corgi ahead.
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Why you should buy that new Kia Picanto NOW
By Andrew Chesterton · 02 Feb 2022
Kia says the rise of EVs in Australia will effectively spell the end of the sub-$20k car flagging that brand-wide electrification could push its cheapest models - like the Picanto and Cerato - to around $40k.
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Volkswagen wants a hardcore Amarok
By Andrew Chesterton · 01 Feb 2022
Volkswagen has confirmed it's investigating a partnership with Walkinshaw to deliver a hardcore Amarok that would take the fight to the Ford Ranger Raptor.One of the lingering questions over VW and Ford's partnership on the Ranger/Amarok program is whethe
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Want to know your odds of seeing the Kia ute
By Andrew Chesterton · 30 Jan 2022
Kia Australia says its essentially now or never for its long-awaited ute, with the brand's answer to the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux now butting-up against the company's broader shift to an EV-focused business - a move which executives say is happening f
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Kia EV6 pricing and specification revealed
By Andrew Chesterton · 28 Jan 2022
The Kia EV6 will land in Australia with a new cheaper variant when it touches down next month.The new Air trim joins the GT-Line in the two-trim Australian launch line-up, and is designed to give Kia a more affordable entry point to its all-electric EV6.M
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Kia says the EV6 is "better" than the Ioniq 5
By Andrew Chesterton · 28 Jan 2022
There is some sibling rivalry brewing between the EV6 and Ioniq 5, with Kia detailing the ways it believes its vehicle is superior to the Hyundai.The EV6 and Ioniq 5 are mechanically related, with both designed and built by the same parent company, both r
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