Articles by Stephen Ottley

Stephen Ottley

Contributing Journalist

Steve has been obsessed with all things automotive for as long as he can remember. Literally, his earliest memory is of a car. Having amassed an enviable Hot Wheels and Matchbox collection as a kid he moved into the world of real cars with an Alfa Romeo Alfasud.

Despite that questionable history he carved a successful career for himself, firstly covering motorsport for Auto Action magazine before eventually moving into the automotive publishing world with CarsGuide in 2008. Since then he's worked for every major outlet, having work published in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Drive.com.au, Street Machine, V8X and F1 Racing.

These days he still loves cars as much as he did as a kid and has an Alfa Romeo Alfasud in the garage (but not the same one as before... that's a long story).

Fanciest car brands of all time

By Stephen Ottley · 31 May 2024

Posh. Bougie. Lux. Call them what you want, but fancy cars are all the rage these days, with sales of premium models at record levels.

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Is the Toyota LC70 safe enough?

By Stephen Ottley · 26 May 2024

There appears to be a loophole in ANCAP’s testing policy so big you can drive a truck through it.

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Which car brands will survive NVES?

By Stephen Ottley · 25 May 2024

Despite their best efforts to buy more time, the Australian car industry is now on the clock to cut emissions or face millions of dollars in penalties by the end of the decade.

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Porsche 911 2024 review: Dakar

By Stephen Ottley · 22 May 2024

Porsche already had 23 variants of its iconic 911 sports car but believed there was space for at least one more. Hence this wild and unlikely addition, inspired by its triumph in the world's toughest motor racing way back in 1984. The Porsche 911 Dakar is a sports car that's also an off-roader. We take this strictly limited edition (and very expensive) car and hit the trails.

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Why the car industry acted like children

By Stephen Ottley · 22 May 2024

Since the first automobile arrived in Australia, the car industry has had no boundaries on how much harmful CO2 gas its vehicles could emit into the atmosphere. That changed in the past week with the Federal Government pushing through its New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) after several months of back-and-forth with the industry.

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Why not all brands will survive NVES

By Stephen Ottley · 19 May 2024

The New Vehicle Efficiency Standards (NVES) was formally passed into law this week in Federal Parliament, which officially starts the clock for car brands to cut emissions or exit the Australian market.

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Can EVs save these brands?

By Stephen Ottley · 12 May 2024

Have you ever categorically committed yourself to something only to then have second-thoughts and try to get out of it? It can be awkward at a social event or work occasion, but it may be incredibly difficult if you’re a multi-billion dollar car maker.

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Why smaller cars are better | Opinion

By Stephen Ottley · 11 May 2024

Truly compact cars are becoming a rarity in modern motoring and it’s a terrible shame, in my humble opinion.

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Chevrolet Corvette 2024 review: Stingray

By Stephen Ottley · 06 May 2024

The Chevrolet Corvette finally arrived as a factory-produced right-hand drive model in Australia in 2022, like a apology gift from General Motors after shutting down Holden. Not surprisingly the iconic American sports car was in hot demand from day one but was missing a few obvious features. So GM has given it an update for 2024 and we've driven it.

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Why EV haters need to calm down

By Stephen Ottley · 04 May 2024

Electric cars and range anxiety. The two concepts have been inextricably linked as we struggle with the seismic change in the cars we drive.

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