Former Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson dies aged 68

Jeremy Clarkson and James May have led tributes to fellow Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson, who died on Saturday aged 68.

Willson was a co-host on the BBC motoring programme between 1991 and 2001 – presenting alongside the two before Clarkson’s revamp of the show – and went on to present Fifth Gear on Channel 5.

May, who briefly appeared with Willson on the original Top Gear in the 1990s, called him a “great bloke”, while Clarkson described him as a “properly funny man”.

The Leicester-born father-of-three – who later worked as a campaigner and electric vehicle (EV) advocate – died after a short battle with lung cancer, his family said in a statement.

They described him as a “national treasure” and “true consumer champion”, adding: “Quentin brought the joy of motoring, from combustion to electric, into our living rooms.”

They went on to say: “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.”

May, who went on to become part of the revived Top Gear presenting team, wrote on X that Willson “gave me proper advice and encouragement during my earliest attempts at TV, back in the late 90s”, adding: “I’ve never forgotten it.”

Clarkson recalled: “We had some laughs over the years.”

Willson was Top Gear’s used car expert, known for his wry delivery and scathing reviews.

In one review from 1998, he described Jaguars as being “the domain of spivs, crooks and bookmakers” three decades prior.

He also presented The Car’s the Star for the BBC and The Classic Car Show on Channel 5, and worked as a motoring journalist for Classic Cars magazine and the Mirror. He was named motoring writer of the year at the British Press Awards in 2004.

Willson would later work as a campaigner, fronting the FairFuel group calling for lower fuel duties, and became an early advocate of electric vehicles (EVs).

Presenter Vicki Butler-Henderson, who worked alongside Willson on both Top Gear and Fifth Gear, said he was “very much the champion of the consumer and educated people throughout many car deals, saving people hundreds – if not thousands – of pounds”.

She told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme that he had “made a huge difference” with his campaigning on fuel duties and “definitely helped keep money in our pockets for well over a decade”.

Tiff Needell, who appeared on Top Gear alongside Willson, wrote on X: “Oh Quentin how can you leave us so soon. So many memories…”

Willson was also an early proponent of EVs, lobbying for better infrastructure and lower charging costs through his FairCharge campaign.

The family statement highlighted his championing of General Motors’ EV1 electric car in the 1990s, saying it proved he was “always ahead of the curve”.

“More recently he had worked tirelessly to make EVs affordable for all,” they added.

“Quentin will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who knew him personally and professionally.”

AA president Edmund King said he was “devastated” by Willson’s death, calling him a “brilliant TV presenter” and an “amazing campaigner”.

“He will be missed by all.”

Willson was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, where his eight-point total for one routine still stands as the lowest score given by judges on the show.

He told the Independent three years later that he was “very proud” to have recorded the score.

“Builders ran up to me to shake my hand because I failed so badly. I tried, but I was the dancing equivalent of a JCB,” the presenter said of his Cha Cha Cha.

Willson is survived by his wife, Michaela, his three children and three grandchildren.