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dogandlemon.com
It's like a Lonely Planet guide to the world of cars
Vital information the car companies would rather you didn't have.
dogandlemon.com (we used to call ourselves The Dog & Lemon Guide) is unlike any other website on Earth. Witty, astute, cynical yet warm and human, dogandlemon.com isn't just the world's toughest car buyer's guide – it's a literary experience that few forget.
Thoughtful, entertaining and often outrageous, dogandlemon.com challenges you to rethink your most basic assumptions about cars and how we use them. As well as dozens of free articles with titles as diverse as Cars & Women, Dangerous Liaisons &The Emperor's New Car, you can buy tough, objective, cynical reviews of most popular makes & models of car since about 1980, including most current models.
dogandlemon.com also contains a wealth of free useful information on how to select the right car at the right price, including a step-by-step illustrated DIY guide to checking out a car before purchase.
dogandlemon.com - Latest News [Page 1]
The Government’s Choice: Grand Highways For Some, Or Safe Roads For All
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 3:06 pm | The Dog and Lemon Guide
“New highways offer convenience and safety, but only over relatively short distances, as they are extremely expensive and therefore limited in length.” More >>
Driving Through Floodwaters Could Kill You
Thursday, 22 January 2026, 9:25 am | The Dog and Lemon Guide
Matthew-Wilson suggests that motorists avoid driving their vehicles through floodwaters deeper than 15-20cm (15cm in a small vehicle and 20cm in a taller vehicle such as an SUV). More >>
Economic Recession Kept The 2025 Road Toll Low
Wednesday, 31 December 2025, 5:59 pm | Dog And Lemon Guide
About two-thirds of fatal accidents occur on rural roads, many of them far beyond the reach of speed cameras and police radar. A large percentage of these deaths are males, with Maori heavily over-represented. More >>
Electric Vehicle Buyers May Lose Out In Industry Meltdown
Sunday, 14 December 2025, 7:10 pm | The Dog and Lemon Guide
In place of EVs with a doubtful future, the government should be investing in rail, discouraging the use of longhaul freight trucks, and encouraging the purchase of durable, proven vehicles such as Toyota hybrids. More >>
Gig Economy Driving Transport Industry Corruption
Thursday, 4 December 2025, 3:17 pm | The Dog and Lemon Guide
“The solution is equally obvious: ensure that these vital employees are paid sufficiently high wages to discourage the temptation to take bribes.” More >>
"Speeding Tourists, Unrestrained Toddlers: The Chaos One Highway Cop Faces Daily"
Sunday, 21 September 2025, 5:15 pm | The Dog and Lemon Guide
There’s a pattern in many tourist accidents: a combination of fatigue, inexperience, unfamiliarity, distraction, plus, often, recklessness and unsafe roads. If we can eliminate one or more of these factors, we can prevent many of these accidents, says ... More >>
Time To Get Tough On Drivers Using Cellphones
Monday, 1 September 2025, 10:19 am | The Dog and Lemon Guide
The police should permanently seize cellphones that are operated by the driver of a moving vehicle , says the car review website dogandlemon.com . (Photo/Supplied) Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, says: “First ... More >>
Tourist Drivers Still A Major Menace On Our Roads
Thursday, 21 August 2025, 9:58 am | The Dog and Lemon Guide
Dogandlemon.com editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, was commenting after three different tourists lost their licenses due to being caught speeding at up to 180kph on State Highway 8 between Omarama and Twizel on Wednesday. More >>
Proposed Electronic Road User Charges System “Likely To Become An Expensive Lemon"
Thursday, 7 August 2025, 7:57 pm | The Dog and Lemon Guide
Matthew-Wilson believes the only feasible system for recording road user charges over the entire country would require some kind of satellite monitoring system, permanently connected to each vehicle. More >>
NZTA Anti-drugged-driving Campaign A Waste Of Money
Tuesday, 25 February 2025, 2:22 pm | The Dog and Lemon Guide
Improve the roads, improve the cars, move longhaul road freight from trucks to rail, make it harder to get a motorbike licence and re-target enforcement to high risk groups, such as impaired and reckless drivers, drivers using cellphones and vehicle ... More >>
Low Road Toll: Thank The Recession
Saturday, 28 December 2024, 8:51 pm | The Dog and Lemon Guide
“The overall road toll has been steadily falling since the late 1980s, but the annual highs and lows of the toll closely follow the economy. This is true globally,” says editor Clive Matthew-Wilson. More >>
Increasing Speed Penalties Unlikely To Change The Behaviour Of High Risk Offenders
Monday, 18 November 2024, 12:05 pm | The Dog and Lemon Guide
Matthew-Wilson’s conclusions are backed up by most available studies, including the largest study of fines as a deterrent ever conducted in Australia, which concluded that fines and disqualification do not reduce the risk of offending. More >>
Nil Weekend Road Toll, Thanks To Economic Recession
Tuesday, 29 October 2024, 3:59 pm | The Dog and Lemon Guide
Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, was commenting after a record low road toll during the recent Labour Weekend holiday period. More >>
Effective Enforcement Of Cellphone Laws Could Have Prevented Fatal Truck Crash
Monday, 21 October 2024, 9:00 pm | The Dog and Lemon Guide
Sarah Hope Schmidt was sentenced to two years and four months in prison after crashing her 30-tonne truck and trailer unit into the back of stationary vehicles while using a cellphone, killing another driver. Picture credit: NZME The police should permanently ... More >>
Inept Median Barrier Strategies Alienate Locals
Sunday, 4 August 2024, 4:19 pm | The Dog and Lemon Guide
“The science is quite clear: median barriers are a proven way of saving lives. However, the way in which median barriers have been imposed in country areas has alienated rural residents and produced a huge push-back against these projects.” More >>
The Trucking Industry Wants The Government To Close Down Its More-Efficient Rival: Rail
Wednesday, 26 June 2024, 6:28 am | The Dog and Lemon Guide
“Truck drivers are not the enemy here. The enemy is a cosy historical arrangement between the trucking industry and the government, that allows the trucking companies to grow rich at the taxpayers’ expense." More >>
Median Barriers Could Have Prevented Five Highway Fatalities
Thursday, 30 May 2024, 1:01 pm | Dog And Lemon Guide
Five people are dead because a simple barrier was missing off that road. If the government is serious about lowering the road toll, the highest priority must be given to improving the safety of our Third World roads: dogandlemon.com Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson. More >>
Reversing Cameras Could Have Prevented Recent Driveway Deaths
Sunday, 28 April 2024, 2:20 pm | The Dog and Lemon Guide
Matthew-Wilson pointed to a major study showing that children were far safer on driveways if vehicles were fitted with reversing cameras. More >>
Replacing Police With Speed Cameras Will Not Improve Road Safety
Monday, 19 February 2024, 8:47 am | Dog And Lemon Guide
The proposed introduction of mass speed cameras is an attempt to replace police with technology, says the car review website dogandlemon.com . Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, says a high police presence is essential ... More >>
Congestion Charges Won’t Solve The Mass Transport Problem
Thursday, 16 November 2023, 9:10 am | The Dog and Lemon Guide
Efficient public transport would remove the need for congestion charges, says the car review website dogandlemon.com Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson says: “The biggest reason people drive is because public transport is mostly crap. Public transport ... More >>
