Former Top Gear presenter and EV advocate Quentin Willson dies

Former Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson has died aged 68 after a short illness, his family has confirmed.

Willson, who became one of the first UK television presenters to champion electric vehicles (EVs), was diagnosed with lung cancer and died on Saturday. His family described him as a “true national treasure” whose automotive knowledge was “not just learned but lived”.

The Leicester-born presenter was notably ahead of his time in advocating for electric vehicles, championing General Motors’ EV1 in the 1990s and helping normalise discussion around electrification long before it entered the mainstream. His early support for EVs predates much of the policy framework that countries like New Zealand would later adopt to encourage electric vehicle uptake.

Television career spanned multiple motoring shows

Willson joined the BBC’s Top Gear programme in 1991 and remained with the show for a decade. Known for his dry humour and deep knowledge of the car market, he served as the programme’s used-car expert alongside Jeremy Clarkson, Tiff Needell and Vicki Butler-Henderson.

His television career extended well beyond Top Gear. He went on to co-host Fifth Gear on Channel 5, presented The Car’s the Star for the BBC, and fronted The Classic Car Show.

Consumer advocacy and journalism achievements

In later years, Willson became a prominent campaigner for motorists, launching the FairFuel UK movement calling for lower fuel duties and founding the FairCharge group advocating for affordable electric vehicles.

Away from television, he was a long-time motoring journalist for Classic Cars magazine and The Mirror, earning recognition as Motoring Writer of the Year at the British Press Awards in 2004.

Industry pays tribute

Tributes have poured in from across the motoring world. Former Top Gear and Fifth Gear colleague Vicki Butler-Henderson said he was “very much the champion of the consumer”, while Top Gear presenter James May recalled Willson’s encouragement early in his own television career.

AA president Edmund King described him as “a brilliant TV presenter and amazing campaigner”, saying his work “helped keep money in drivers’ pockets for well over a decade”.

Willson’s family said he “brought the joy of motoring, from combustion to electric, into our living rooms” and that “the void he has left can never be filled”.

Willson also took an unlikely turn on Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, where his cha-cha remains one of the show’s lowest-ever scoring performances — something he later said he was “very proud” of, joking that he was “the dancing equivalent of a JCB.”

Quentin Willson is survived by his wife Michaela and three children.