With the next generation Civic waiting in the wings at Frankfurt, Honda has announced an even more powerful version of its special-order Civic Type-R Mugen.

A production run of 20 cars was earmarked for the existing model, each hand-built by the tuning experts at Mugen.

Now an extra 18bhp has been extracted by increasing the engine size to 2.2 litres. Torque and power are up by 30 per cent compared to the standard Type-R.

Honda has yet to make a decision on how the changes will be incorporated: the 2.2-litre unit could be added to the four remaining cars from the production run of 20, or Mugen may offer existing owners an upgrade.

Either way, the Civic Type-R Mugen is further enhanced by a unique bodykit, sports suspension and a substantial brake upgrade.

A Vauxhall electric car has been named Green Car of the Year by What Car? magazine.

The winning vehicle, the Vauxhall Ampera, represented “a massive step for alternative-fuel cars”, said What Car? editor-in-chief Chas Hallett.

He said: “It offers all the benefits of owning an electric vehicle with virtually none of the drawbacks. It gives motorists the ability to dramatically reduce their emissions without changing their lifestyle, which is exactly what green cars need to do.”

The Kia Picanto 1.0 1 Air was voted the top green supermini, while the award for best green small family car went to Volkswagen for the Golf Bluemotion.

Ford’s Mondeo picked up the green family car prize, and the BMW 3 Series 318d was named best green executive car. Renault’s Scenic was named best green MPV.

The green SUV award went to Peugeot for the 3008 2.0 HDi Hybrid4.

The Cowley-built Mini 1.6D Cooper picked up the fun car award.

A third (34 per cent) of drivers don’t book their MOT in advance, and are in danger of being caught out when it expires.

In addition to the motorists who forget their MOT expiry date, there are 1.1 million car owners who are choosing not to get their car’s MOT renewed on the due date.

They say they will either wait until they are required to show their MOT certificate to renew it, or are letting time elapse to maximise the longevity of the new test.

However, while some drivers may feel the MOT to be an inconvenience, the test is crucial to road safety.

A massive 40 per cent of all cars fail their annual MOT, with an average vehicle failing the test on more than three issues.

The five most common reasons for failure are: Lighting and signalling defects; suspension defects; defective brakes; illegal tyres; and impaired driver’s view of the road.

David White, customer services director at Kwik Fit, said: “The test plays a vital role in identifying defects on a car that render it unroadworthy and unsafe to drive.”