Quentin Willson, motoring expert and EV campaigner passes away

Motoring journalist, fuel pricing campaigner and electric car advocate Quentin Willson has passed away aged 68.

Willson made his name as one of the co-hosts of the BBC motoring programme between 1991 and 2001. He then went on to present Fifth Gear on Channel 5, as well as presenting the shows Britain’s Worst Drivers and The Car’s The Star. 

He was an active consumer advocate, leading campaigns such as FairFuel, which sought freeze fuel duty, and FairCharge, which made the case for making electric vehicles more affordable.

As a journalist, Willson wrote columns for The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Classic Cars Magazine. He was named motoring writer of the year at the British Press Awards in 2004, when working for the Sunday Mirror. 

Ginny Buckley, chief executive of EV advice site Electrifying.com, also paid tribute, saying: “Quentin was a true national treasure. I was lucky to get to know him in recent years through his excellent work with FairCharge, where his passion for making electric vehicles accessible to all really shone through.

“He was warm, generous with his knowledge and unfailingly kind. He brought the joy of motoring – from petrol to plug – into our homes and hearts, and will be greatly missed.”

In recent years, he worked with Alec Peachey, founder and editorial director at Transport + Energy, who said: “The loss of Quentin will leave a massive hole in the electric vehicle and motoring sector, but his legacy will live on. Us and others will make sure of that.”

Willson was a patron of the Hydrogen Trust, was a Bafta film judge and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, where he still holds the lowest score in the show’s history.

A family statement said: “Much-loved husband to Michaela, devoted father to Mercedes, Max and Mini, and cherished grandfather to Saskia, Xander and Roxana. Quentin will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who knew him personally and professionally The void he has left can never be filled. His knowledge was not just learned but lived; a library of experience now beyond our reach.”