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How to watch Top Gear online: stream season 29 from anywhere

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Buckle up for a new season of everyone's favorite motoring show

How to watch top gear season 29 online
(Image credit: BBC/Top Gear)

Season 29 of Top Gear has been thrilling as ever so far, and we've seen Harris, Flintoff and McGuiness put rental cars through their paces, toy with bargain bangers, and take a brand-new Ferrari for a spin around Italy, naturally. Here's how to watch Top Gear online wherever you are.

How to watch Top Gear online

New episodes of Top Gear season 29 go out every Sunday at 8pm GMT (4pm ET, 1pm PT) on BBC1 in the UK. You can also catch it on BBC America, albeit three episodes behind, every Sunday at 8pm in both ET and PT. TV licence fee payers in the US can catch it live or on catch-up using  iPlayer - all you need is a speedy VPN and you can watch for free just like you would at home.

Now in its 29th iteration, Top Gear is one of the only true motoring shows worth watching, and we can't help but ogle the gorgeous machinery driven by not-so-gorgeous men, and the glossy, expensive production that's identifiable from a single frame.

Beaters racing around a wall of death? Check. A road trip through Cyprus in rental cars? Check. A 'Rari thrashing through the heart of Italy? Check. An F40, XJ220 and a Diablo going head to head? Triple check. It's all classic Top Gear fare, and there's plenty more left in the tank yet. 

Watching fresh episodes of Top Gear, though, can be a little tricky for those outside of the UK – and it can be even trickier avoiding spoilers thanks to the fact that broadcasts on BBC America are three weeks behind the original airing date in the UK. However, there are a few ways around this, and here we'll be outlining exactly how to watch Top Gear season 29 wherever you happen to be.

How to watch Top Gear free online in the UK

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It's easy! Just head over to BBC iPlayer, where you can get a live BBC1 stream and watch new Top Gear season 29 episodes online at 8pm every Sunday - just live you would on the telly!

The best bit is that (provided you've got a valid UK TV license (which are now also required to use streaming services like iPlayer, ITV Hub etc), it's totally free to watch Top Gear online with the BBC.

How to watch Top Gear season 29 online from outside your country

Taking a well-earned vacation or out of the country on business? Not a problem. You can easily keep up with new episodes of Top Gear from almost anywhere, despite geo-blocking restrictions.

The solution is simple. Just download a VPN to alter your IP address to your home country, which will then let you watch your favorite shows – like Top Gear – no matter where you are. Once installed, select the location of your home country and simply click connect. That's all there is to it.

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How to watch Top Gear season 29 online in the US for FREE

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If you're in the US, you've got a couple of options. Every Sunday at 8pm ET and PT, 7pm CT, you'll be able to catch a brand new episode of Top Gear on BBC America.

If you don't have a cable package with BBC America included, signing up to an OTT provider like FuboTV or Sling will be your best bet – and new subscribers can claim a free 7-day trial with either.

However, if you want to catch the very latest episodes of Top Gear (BBC America is three weeks behind), grabbing a VPN and watching it live on the UK's BBC iPlayer at 3pm ET/12pm PT is your best bet. However, this is only suitable for Brits abroad, as iPlayer is only meant to be used by those who pay the TV licence fee. 

Can you watch Top Gear online in Canada?

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For those up north, it's not possible to watch Top Gear season 29 online when it airs without a bit of a workaround, as no domestic networks are carrying the show live.

If you've got a US cable subscription or a service like Fubo TV that carries BBC America and you're in Canada, you'll need to set yourself up with a VPN. Change the location to the US, log in, and then you can watch Top Gear online as if you were south of the border. 

However, without a subscription that gets you access to BBC America (and without a US credit card to sign up for one), you'll still be able to get your petrolhead fix from BBC Canada. Old episodes are often shown around the clock, and regularly from 8pm ET on Saturdays.

If you're a UK TV licence fee payer, you can also use a VPN to watch Top Gear when it's officially aired. All you need to do is change your location to the UK, and watch it live on iPlayer at 3pm ET/12pm PT.

Can you watch Top Gear season 29 online in Australia?

Australia gets short shrift when it comes to watching Top Gear, especially the new iteration without Clarkson, May and Hammond. 

If you're a Brit in Australia and you pay a licence fee, you'll be able to catch it live on iPlayer, but you'll be waiting up until 3am AWST/6am AEDT on Monday morning to catch it. All you need to do is grab yourself a VPN, and change your location to the UK, log in, and watch.

If you don't want to do that, you can catch a number of old seasons on Stan and 9now, which should be enough to tide you over until the newest seasons are aired in Aus.

Mo Harber-Lamond
Mo Harber-Lamond

Mo Harber-Lamond is VPN Editor at Tom's Guide, and contributor for TechRadar. He focuses on cybersecurity content for Tom's Guide, and creates insightful content across the board to help readers make informed buying choices.