I sit on a thing call the Car Of The Year jury, and as the name implies, every year a bunch of us get together to draw up a shortlist of those cars that have impressed us most during the course of said year. I’m not going to dwell on this because it’s very much aimed at the consumer rather than the enthusiast motorist, but it’s interesting to me that all seven cars shortlisted for this award (upon which we’ll vote in February) are either pure EVs, or have a pure EV model in the range. We’re not at a tipping point, for we have already tipped.

Nor will I delay you for long with my view of the rights and wrongs of this process – in my view we’re doing largely the right thing – decarbonising personal transport – in largely the wrong way. The rush to EV adoption smacks somewhat of the politician’s syllogism (we must do something, this is something, therefore we must do it) and I remain convinced the technology will ultimately provide merely a link to a future powered by sustainably sourced hydrogen. Time alone will tell how long that process takes.

For now, and so far as 2023 is concerned, I must exhort you once again to ignore those who’d like you to believe, if only because you might buy their magazine if you do, that it’s been a vintage year for new cars. Sadly we’ve not had one of those for some time.

If I can persuade my editor, I might devote one of these pieces into examining when we reached what is sometimes loosely referred to as ‘peak car’. Of course everyone’s view will be different, but if we accept we are past that peak now, then a peak there must have been. All I will say for now is that I’m glad I was around in this business to see it.

Not that it’s been all bad – I’ve even driven some EVs I’ve really liked. Among the big players, BMW has impressed most with its i5 and i7 luxury saloons, but actually the EVs I enjoyed most were both from the other end of the scale: the Abarth 500E and Volvo EX30, with the latter just a sensible operating system away from being the best car of its kind. But when a Volvo requires you to take your eyes off the road just to see how fast you’re going, something’s up. Kia’s vast and striking EV9 was impressive as was Hyundai’s great looking Ioniq 6, but I still can’t quite believe how much such cars cost these days. The heavily revised Polestar 2 is greatly improved too.

BMW also produced its first ever M3 Touring, which I quite liked until I drove Alpina’s B3 alternative which was simply delightful. The new M2 is hideous and far too heavy, but you still simply have to rejoice that you can still buy a car with a straight six engine at one end, driven wheels at the other and a six speed manual gearbox between the two.

Some cars promised more than they delivered: the new Mercedes-Benz SL doesn’t know whether it’s a touring or a sports car and falls slightly uncomfortably between the two stools, while the Alpine A110R should have been the crowning achievement of one of my favourite designs but succeeded only costing twice as much for no additional fun.

As for the cars I’ve most enjoyed, it comes down to just three: the McLaren 750S is exactly what its creators were aiming for: a car with the usability of a 720S — my long-time favourite supercar — but an even sharper driving experience, while the Aston Martin DB12 is a quantum leap forward for the brand. Aston has a massive year in 2024 when it will bring to market a new Vantage, DBS replacement, the Valhalla hypercar and significant mid-life updates to the DBX, but if this rate of improvement continues, the future’s looking bright.

But the car I’d most want to own of all I drove in 2023? A Porsche 911 Dakar without a doubt. I’d spec it without a livery, in sober colours and enjoy it every day as the most usable version of the world’s most usable sports car. Lovely.