Tom Webster

Unlike many of his compatriots in the industry, he didn’t grow up tinkering with an old classic car and there is a very good reason why he writes about cars rather than working on them. Instead he prefers to look at the industry through the eyes of the consumer, concentrating on the many things that matter to the average motorist that is similarly mechanically disinclined.

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. Other highlights of his career include a stint at What Car? where, among other things, he presented a huge number of review and advice videos and even popped up as a motoring expert on TV shows such as Watchdog and Don’t Get Done, Get Dom.

In 2016 he went freelance, which is where the world of vans came beckoning. During that period he wrote for a variety of publications including Company Van Today, Auto Trader, Auto Retail Network, Haynes, The Express, Carwow, Heycar, Honest John and Parkers. In 2022 the opportunity arose to join Parkers full time, as the Vans and Pickups Editor. Rarely has a chance been so eagerly seized and he is proud to work alongside a team that always has the consumer’s best interests at heart.

Tom’s top tips for Parkers readers:

• If you have something specific you need to get into a car or van – 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. Although things are slowly starting to improve, vans have lagged a long way behind cars on this front