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.

Walkinshaw and VW Amarok shoot for the stars
By Andrew Chesterton · 26 Jun 2022
Volkswagen is exploring a range of locally developed possibilities for the new Amarok, saying the current W-Series ute family have "only scratched the surface" of what's possible in Australia.
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Volkswagen vows to outsell Tesla
By Andrew Chesterton · 23 Jun 2022
Volkswagen says it will have the best-selling EVs in Australia when the ID.4 and ID.5 arrive, saying it will "100 per cent" outsell its rivals - including Tesla - in our market.Tesla is by far the best-selling electric vehicle maker in Australia, a crown
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Mitsubishi plots Pajero Mini
By Andrew Chesterton · 22 Jun 2022
Mitsubishi's reported Pajero Mini would be built in partnership with Nissan and could be revealed as early as next year ahead of a 2024 launch date, according to new reports out of Japan.
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Toyota's secret SUV revealed!
By Andrew Chesterton · 20 Jun 2022
Toyota's incoming Crown SUV has been detailed in what appear to be patent images, with Japanese media the new model will act as a flagship for the brand, sitting above even the LandCruiser 300 Series.Flagship it might be, but as you can see from these ima
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Elon Musk answers Australian mayday!
By Andrew Chesterton · 14 Jun 2022
Elon Musk is investigating ways to ramp up right-hand-drive production of the Tesla Model Y after conceding he was caught off guard by the model's booming popularity in Australia.After only days on sale, the wait times for a Tesla Model Y in Australia hav
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Why the new HiLux can’t come soon enough!
By Andrew Chesterton · 12 Jun 2022
Perhaps it's the luxury that comes with being one of the biggest brands in the world - and by far the best-selling car company in Australia - but Toyota has a bit of a habit of dragging its heels when it comes to updating its most popular models.Look no f
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Did Toyota just confirm a Subaru WRX rival?
By Andrew Chesterton · 09 Jun 2022
Toyota in the USA has set the GR rumour wheel spinning, seemingly confirming a true Subaru WRX rival.Yes, it seems Japanese reports of a GR Corolla Sedan arriving next year were on the money, with Toyota USA's executive vice president of sales, Bob Carter
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Toyota's new RAV4-based ute rendered
By Andrew Chesterton · 08 Jun 2022
Toyota is reportedly exploring a new sub-HiLux ute built on the same TNGA underpinnings as the top-selling RAV4 Hybrid and which would rival models like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.TNGA is the platform that underpins the brand's passenger-bia
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Tesla Model Y touches down at last
By Andrew Chesterton · 08 Jun 2022
A truck moving several examples of the Tesla Model Y has been spotted in Australia in the surest sign yet that an Australian launch is imminent for one of the country's most hotly anticipated EVs.It means the Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and even the Tesla Mo
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2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid powers up
By Andrew Chesterton · 06 Jun 2022
Toyota has unveiled a new and more powerful update to its Corolla Hybrid, with the top-selling small car getting a significant power boost and the promise of a more refined drive experience.Revealed in Europe, the 2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid facelift pairs
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