McLaren has sold part of its heritage collection to its main shareholder to raise money for its Artura project. The manufacturer went in search of the money after discovering that ‘certain technical upgrades’ to the hybrid supercar were needed so the Bahrain-based sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat Holding Co – which owns almost 60 per cent of McLaren – agreed to stump up £100m, says Bloomberg UK … [Read more...]
Newslines 28 November
Government plans that could see novice drivers being allowed to automatically drive lorries have been condemned by the UK’s leading independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart. A recent government consultation suggested that drivers who possess a category B car licence should be instantly entitled to a category C1 licence, which allows motorists to drive vehicles weighing up to 7.5 tonnes … [Read more...]
The updated Highway Code & fines
The Highway Code was updated in January 2022 and with it there have been several changes to pre-existing rules that motorists are to abide by or risk being fined. However, a survey by AA Accident Assist found that only 39% of British drivers have read these new rules, and a subsequent survey conducted by Nextbase found that 70% of respondents don’t understand the new rules. The new rules being … [Read more...]
Young Driver takes to the electric road
Did 1930’s safety experts have the right idea when it came to helping youngsters to be better drivers? One company certainly thinks so and it’s even designed and produced the first all-British electric vehicle – which so happens to be for children – to prove it. Back in 1938, the Atco SafetyFirst Trainer was created as part of a Government-backed initiative to reduce road deaths … [Read more...]
Young drivers hit by rising costs
A new report from Go.Compare Car Insurance revealed that the cost of getting a young driver on the road has risen to £6,574 – the highest since 2019, representing a shift backwards to pre-pandemic costs. Costs for young drivers – those aged between 17- 21 - and their families dipped to £6,394 in 2021 and £6,071 in 2020, a sharp fall from £6,846 in 2019. The research shows that, in the … [Read more...]
A fifth of drivers risking insurance fraud
Go.Compare insurance has found that one in five parents with children who have a car could be risking a significant fine and a criminal record for ‘fronting’ their child’s insurance policy. ‘Fronting’ is when an older or more experienced driver - usually a parent - claims that they’re the main user of the car but it’s mostly driven by a young person, or other high-risk motorists, to reduce the … [Read more...]
Manual cars are dying out among learners
Practical driving tests will soon be conducted almost exclusively in automatic electric cars, according to one electromobility expert. Emma Loveday (below), EV Consultant at Volkswagen Financial Services UK, explained that young people learning to drive in automatic vehicles will ‘soon be the norm’ as consumers become more environmentally conscious and cost savings for green transport become more … [Read more...]
Newslines 23 August
The Swedish electric performance car company Polestar confirmed plans to put their electric roadster concept into production. The production car is expected to launch in 2026 as the Polestar 6 electric performance roadster and interested customers can now reserve a car online. Latest research shows that an increasing number of young Brits are bracing themselves for the huge … [Read more...]
Fraudster sat 150 driving tests
A woman living in Wales who impersonated learner drivers taking theory and practical driving tests over two years has been jailed for eight months. Inderjeet Kaur, 29, of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, admitted taking 150 tests between 2018 and 2020 for people who had difficulty with English. Swansea Crown Court heard suspicion grew at test centres that Kaur was impersonating … [Read more...]
Yamaha Off-Road Experience centre officially opens in Wales
British Superbike champion Tarran Mackenzie has officially opened a new £200,000 Welcome Centre at the Yamaha Off-Road Experience in the Cambrian Mountains near Llanidloes. The business, which attracts around 2,000 visitors annually and generates around £600,000 for the local economy, is run by former 10-time British Enduro champion Geraint Jones, his wife Jane and their sons Rowan and Dylan, who … [Read more...]