Stuff Gadget Awards 2012 – Tech Transport of the Year winner

Renault Twizy
from £6690, renault.co.uk
The Twizy might well be the answer to a question that very few people were asking. But it’s an answer that’s delivered in such a charming, unusual way that it defrosts the hearts of all who see it. Drive it and that slightly condescending ‘aww’ turns into an excited ‘ooh’ as you realise how much of an urban weapon the Twizy really is – instant-on electric torque and a wheel at each corner combine to make every traffic gap an attainable goal. True, it’s hardly cheap for a box-on-wheels that doesn’t have proper doors. But as an example of real-world electric vehicle design, it’s brilliant. You might just  want to save it for the summer months, though. Watch review

Runners-up...

Agility Saietta
This electron-breathing banshee of a bike visually, and physically, blows the minds of those petrol-sniffing EV-naysayers.

Specialized Turbo
The fastest electric bicycle we’ve ridden. In fact, its 28mph max speed makes it illegal in the UK. Which only makes us want one more. 

Audi A3
A family hatchback, yes, but one with a Tegra-based multimedia system: web access, wireless phone sync and touch controls.

Vauxhall Ampera
Petrol just drives the Ampera’s generator, so you get all the earth- and cash-saving benefits – plus range. Not a petrol-electric hybrid – more electric with a little petrol.

Pacific Cycle IF Mode
By and large, folding bikes are about compromise, not cool. Not so the IF Mode, with its 26in mag wheels, enclosed drive train and sci-fi style.