Jeremy Clarkson has sparked controversy among electric car fans over his comments during the latest special of The Grand Tour.
Titled One for the Road, the feature-length special marked the last time Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May would work together after a 22-year working relationship.
The trio headed to Zimbabwe for the final journey, with Clarkson driving a 1982 Lancia Montecarlo while Hammond opted for a 1974 Ford Capri 3-litre and May decided he would drive a 1974 Triumph Stag.
Of course, the African road trip was far from a walk in the park, with all three men encountering problems with their vehicles, ranging from overheating engines to faulty shock absorbers.
But nonetheless, all three vehicles managed to make it to the end of the special as Hammond, May and Clarkson crossed the border into Botswana to finish filming on Kubu Island – the same location from their first Top Gear special 17 years ago.
One of the main talking points of the special, however, came during the final miles of their journey, when Clarkson decided to share with Amazon viewers one of the many reasons why he and his co-stars decided to end the show.
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May head to Zimbabwe for their final Grand Tour
AMAZON
Hearing the sound of the Lancia’s engine, Clarkson addressed the camera mounted in his car: “There’s always a nice clunk and pop from the back. Can you hear that? I love that sound.”
After Clarkson imitated the rumble, he continued: “And all of you growing up today with your electric cars, you’ll never hear it.
“There are many reasons why we hijack this show, but for me, one of the main ones is that I’m just not interested in electric cars.
“They are just household appliances, washing machines, microwave ovens. You can’t evaluate them, you can’t appreciate them.
Jeremy Clarkson and James May in One for the Road
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“They’re just crap,” he concluded in his scathing critique of electric vehicles.
Clarkson is no stranger to expressing his less-than-positive views on electric vehicles, but this instance appears to have angered several EV enthusiasts who have accused the Grand Tour host of spreading untruths globally.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one person took aim at the former Top Gear star: “As always, this old braggart is wrong. And that’s what we love about him. Like your old grandad talking about the good old days. God bless him. In the meantime, EVs are great to drive.”
“Faster (a lot) than conventional cars, instant torque, really nice and engaging and super reliable. All this without poisoning Jeremy’s grandchildren. Too bad he doesn’t care, but he’s our Jezza.”
And automotive journalist and YouTuber Jonny Smith echoed this, fuming: “Bullshit. Total, blinding bullshit that feeds those who assume that electric vehicles threaten their right to drive classic cars with interesting engines. They don’t. They’re not exclusive.”
“In fact, one feeds the other (because who would drive a bloody 70s Lancia daily). And I bet the majority of those who agree drive a boring 10 year old diesel family car.
“Comments like this should be lumped in with ‘women can’t park’ and ‘being vegetarian is kinda gay’. You are a legend and an inspiration @JeremyClarkson but let’s not spread manure.”
Clarkson has not publicly addressed the backlash against electric vehicles, but several of her fans have come to her defense on social media.
“Jeremy Clarkson is right about electric cars,” one fan simply wrote, before a second added: “#TGTOneForTheRoad Jeremy Clarkson on electric cars. “They’re just white goods… You can’t rate them. You can’t appreciate them. They’re just s***.”
“Absolutely. I will continue to drive my nice, fast, gas-guzzling car, thank you.” (sic)
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