Tom Webster

Contributor

Tom started writing about vehicles with four wheels in 2008 after realising that he wasn’t cut out for a career in sales.

Unlike many of his compatriots he didn’t grow up tinkering with an old classic car and isn’t too sure which end of a spanner is the right one to brandish. His love of cars instead manifested itself through many trips to Thruxton as a child in the 1990s and by poring over the data pages in magazines like What Car? and the Parkers price guide.

It was perhaps little surprise that, when he started writing about cars professionally, his first job was at a trade magazine for company car drivers, BusinessCar. A stint at an editorial agency followed, where he wrote for a diverse selection of automotive websites including Fifth Gear and Autoblog UK. A four-year stint in proper consumer journalism at What Car? followed where, among other things, he presented a huge number of videos and popped up as a motoring expert on TV shows such as Watchdog and Don’t Get Done, Get Dom.

In 2016 he went freelance and the world of vans came beckoning (more lovely numbers and stats to pore over) and, although he still covers cars, he now spends more time in Transits than he does in family hatchbacks. As well as Parkers he has also contributed to the likes of Company Van Today, Auto Trader, Auto Retail Network, Haynes, The Express, Carwow, Heycar and Honest John.

Tom’s advice for Parkers readers:

If you have something specific you need to get into a car – a child seat, a bike, a dog cage – take it along to the test drive
Know your rights – distance selling/click and collect means that there is a mandated cooling off period when you can return a car with no questions asked
Push for a van with the most safety kit you can get. Vans, especially ones that have been on sale for a while, can lag a long way behind cars on this front