Tom Wiltshire

Staff writer

Tom fell into the world of automotive journalism fresh from a challenging and rewarding job stacking shelves at his local corner shop. Since then, he's moved between several motoring titles such as Auto Express, Evo and the Press Association.

He's worked across print and web reviewing cars, writing news, performing tests of automotive products and - in one particularly memorable incident - measuring the height of a vehicle in pancakes.

Supercars and racers don’t interest Tom half as much as the unloved, the weird and the wonderful, and at any car show he's far more likely to be fawning over unusual windscreen wiper geometries or lusting over a naturally-aspirated diesel than searching out the fastest cars there. In modern machines, he values user-friendliness, comfort and familiarity - nothing's better than stepping out of a car after a long drive and still feeling as fresh as a daisy.

As staff writer on Parkers.co.uk, Tom turns his hand to everything from updating the mpg figures in a review to helping out on photoshoots and attending new car launches. He really enjoys stepping behind the wheel of the latest cars, getting in the shoes of the car-buying public and trying to figure out if they’ll like what they see. 

'Contrary to what plenty of people tell me, it's absolutely possible to buy a bad new car these days,' Tom says. 'I think it's hugely important that people are aware of all the options available to them, so that they're not blinded by brand loyalty, image or convenience and simply coast from one mediocre motor to another.'

Though his motoring back catalogue contains such wonders as a purple Mercedes-Benz C-Class and an Audi A2, Tom's current garage consists of a Peugeot 605 and a Fiat X1/9. Both spend their lives in various states of disrepair. He's convinced that the Peugeot model range of the early 1990s can cover every concievable motoring task, but his dream garage also features a Tatra T603, Alvis Speed 30 and Ford Model T Speedster.

Outside of work and cars, Tom collects vintage appliances of dubious electrical safety and spends a lot of time baking. You can also find him whiling away time on Twitter where he's open to engaging with one and all.