Driving tests are heading for a crash with demand far exceeding available examination slots. New research shows demand for practical driving test slots across the UK far exceeds the DVSA’s ability for testing, despite the new measures it’s put in place. The data gathered through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and existing Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures by learner driver … [Read more...]
Cost of getting on the road has fallen
A new report from Go.Compare Car Insurance has revealed that the cost of getting on the road in 2023, including the cost of a first car, has fallen to £5,947.40 from £6,574 in 2022. The comparison site has researched these costs as it celebrates its own 17th birthday – an age where many of us would be looking at taking to the roads. This is the first time in four years that the report has … [Read more...]
Welsh learner drivers are best in Britain, say Veygo
Welsh driving-test pass rates beat UK national average, but there are concerns over driving test changes. Veygo, part of the Admiral Insurance group based in Cardiff, showed Park Avenue Test Centre in Aberystwyth, is the top place to take your driving test, with 65% now passing their test at the centre. This marks the highest pass rate on record for the centre. With only 35% of all learners … [Read more...]
Veygo finds learners slow to drive
A new study analysing the latest DVLA data by Cardiff based learner driver insurance company Veygo shows more people are putting off learning to drive until later in life. It also reveals drivers under 30 are now less likely to get their full licence, despite provisional licence ownership growing since 2019. Learning to drive is a costly endeavour and the price of lessons, tests and insurance … [Read more...]
Newslines 7 April
Car manufacturers next year must sell 22% of their EVs or face fines of up to £15,000 per car they miss their target by. Ministers have announced proposed new targets as part of a major green agenda which details tough goals and punitive measures for car makers while a credits based system will allow manufacturers to trade EV tokens between each other if they think they are going to miss their … [Read more...]
Ten most common driving test failures
It’s rare to pass the driving test without picking up a few faults. And it’s not just the serious or dangerous mistakes you need to worry about, Go.Compare said after looking at the results. If you add up 15 minor faults, or make the same one three times, you’ll fail your test. But which mistakes do learners make the most? Scotland wins hands down for the highest pass rates in … [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...]
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...]
Newslines 15 November
British chemicals specialist and sustainble technology company Johnson Matthey has pulled out of the UK battery industry. The company said potential returns would not justify future investment and it is instead looking into hydrogen and decarbonisation systems for transport. Vertu Motors says Brits need to save £6,098 to afford to be a new driver for their first year in the UK. The … [Read more...]
Newslines 5 July
Over the past 12 months used car purchases completed entirely via mobile devices have soared by 48.7%, compared with a rise of 22.1% on desktop or laptop computers and BuyaCar analysts say that transactions via tablets, such as iPads, are also up, but account for little more than one in every 100 sales. Mobile phones are thought to account for a tenth of sales. One in 20 learner drivers have … [Read more...]