Articles by Laura Berry

Laura Berry
Senior Journalist

Laura Berry is a best-selling Australian author and journalist who has been reviewing cars for more than 15 years.

Much more of a Hot Wheels girl than a Matchbox one, she grew up in a family that would spend every Friday night sitting on a hill at the Speedway watching sprint cars slide in the mud. The best part of this was being given money to buy stickers. She loved stickers… which then turned into a love of tattoos.

Out of boredom, she learnt to drive at 14 on her parents’ bush property in what can only be described as a heavily modified Toyota LandCruiser.  

At the age of 17 she was told she couldn’t have a V8 Holden ute by her mother, which led to Laura and her father laying in the driveway for three months building a six-cylinder ute with more horsepower than a V8.  

Since then she’s only ever owned V8s, with a Ford Falcon XW and a Holden Monaro CV8 part of her collection over the years.

Laura began her career as a journalist in the entertainment industry writing about music for The South China Morning Post; television for tvChoice; fashion and celebrities for The Mirror before combining her passion for cars with her profession and moved into motoring.

In 2008 she joined News Custom Publishing as Managing Editor of its motoring titles, including Australia’s Best Cars and the official programs for V8 Supercars, Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix and Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

In 2011 she joined CarsGuide (for the first time), back when it was part of a newspaper, and learnt to test and review cars.

This followed a move to Motor as Production Editor, then Wheels as News Editor while also writing for Street Machine and Top Gear Australia.

As the media landscape shifted she left print journalism and joined online motoring publication GoAuto as a senior writer.

A brief stint in automotive public relations then followed before she joined CarsGuide in 2015 (for the second time) as Senior Journalist where she remains to this day.

A wife and mother, and author of two books, her current daily driver is a chopped 1951 Ford Tudor with a V8, of course.

You can find Laura on LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram.

Expertise

  • Performance and custom cars
  • Family cars and SUVs

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts | Macquarie University

Featured Publications

  • The Mirror (UK) | 2002-2006
  • South China Morning Post | 2004-2006
  • tvChoice (UK) | 2004-2006
  • TVQuick (UK) | 2004-2006
  • Mercedes-Benz Magazine | 2005-2006
  • Australia’s Best Cars | 2008-2010
  • V8 Supercars Official Program | 2008-2010
  • Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix Official Program | 2008-2010
  • Australian MotoGP Official Program | 2008-2010
  • Motor | 2012-2013
  • Street Machine | 2012-2015
  • Wheels | 2013
  • Top Gear | 2013-2014
  • GoAuto | 2014-2015
  • CarsGuide | 2015-present
Volkswagen Tiguan R 2023 review: Grid Edition
By Laura Berry · 16 Mar 2023
The Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition costs less than the Tiguan R, with all the wild and beastly performance of the hi-po SUV it's based on. So what's the catch?
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Volkswagen T-Roc R 2023 review: Grid Edition
By Laura Berry · 14 Mar 2023
The Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid Edition could be one of the smartest and fastest buys of 2023 with all the grunt of a T-Roc R, for less money
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Whatever you do don't buy these cars!
By Laura Berry · 12 Mar 2023
You’re looking for a second-hand car. It could be your first car or just the next car, the thing is money is tight and you don’t want to pick a lemon - a dud. You could end up wasting your hard-earned, having to pay more in repairs and then have trouble selling it on.
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Don't want to wait long? Tiguan R is ready!
By Laura Berry · 10 Mar 2023
As if the 235kW high-performance Volkswagen Tiguan R ins't fast enough - you can now get into one even quicker with Australia given fresh supply of this cracking mid-sized SUV.
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Biggest EV yet - Kia's EV9!
By Laura Berry · 03 Mar 2023
Kia’s upcoming all-electric EV9 is the type of monster that keeps the likes of Range Rover, Tesla and Volvo awake at night and now prestige brands will lose more sleep with two new teaser videos of the large three-row electric SUV dropping in the past 24 hours.
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Bargain basement Chery Omoda 5
By Laura Berry · 02 Mar 2023
Chinese carmaker Chery has revealed pricing and features for its Omoda 5 small SUV spearheading its return to the Australian market after a decade-long absence.
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Subaru Outback Touring XT 2023 review: snapshot
By Laura Berry · 22 Feb 2023
The Touring is the top grade in the Outback line-up and has a list price of $55,990.
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Forester XT to return!
By Laura Berry · 20 Feb 2023
Subaru fans have been waiting years and now the brand's Australian boss has given us the most direct answer yet on whether the next-generation Forester will have turbocharged petrol power - and it's good news.
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Has Chery changed for the better?
By Laura Berry · 20 Feb 2023
Ten years ago Chinese carmaker Chery left Australia with its tail between its legs after being rocked by several scandals including an asbestos scare and dismal crash test results. Now Chery is back having just launched its Omoda 5 SUV in Australia but are its woes behind it?
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Subaru Outback Sport XT 2023 review: snapshot
By Laura Berry · 18 Feb 2023
The Sport XT is the turbocharged version of the Sport grade and lists for $52,190.The Sport XT has a 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine making 183kW and 350Nm, with a continuously variable auto transmission. Like all Outbacks the Sport is all-wheel drive, too.Subaru says that after a combination of open and urban roads the 2.4-litre turbo engine should use 9.0L/100km.Coming standard on the Sport are LED headlights, LED fog lights and LED running lights, roof rails, privacy glass and 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside there’s an 11.6-inch central touchscreen with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, power front seats, a proximity key, push button start, 'X-Mode' drive modes, paddle shifters, a power tailgate, heated front seats and sports pedals.A cool feature of the Sport grade is its water repellent seats. All Outbacks come standard with an excellent array of advanced safety tech including Subaru’s 'Eyesight' system which uses two cameras to scan the road ahead. 
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