A time-bomb in safety and environmental issues is on our roads. With a shortage of new cars and cost of switching to electric vehicles holding back sales, the average age of the UK car park has risen to 8.7 years. That's a rise of 12 months in the last decade and with the brakes on new business and models coming through it is believed the average age might soon exceed 10 years, the oldest it has … [Read more...]
ATS ramp up EV skills training & service
The ATS Euromaster network of tyre and maintenance centres has been upskilled to ensure technicians can work on both hybrid and electric vehicles safely. Technicians have been trained in line with industry standards, set by IMI, as part of a phased roll out by the tyre service and maintenance provider. This ensures it can meet the challenge of working on both vehicle types safely, in … [Read more...]
Classic car owners concerns over new ‘tampering law’
A recent survey shows 84 per cent of classic and specialist car owners are against the Department for Transport’s anti-tampering proposals that would outlaw tampering with a system, part or component of a vehicle intended or adapted to be used on the road. The poll by classic and enthusiast vehicle insurance specialist, Footman James, shows that 84 per cent of the 4,500 respondents are opposed to … [Read more...]
Fleet budgets challenged as hires are extended
Service, maintenance and repair budgets are being severely challenged as fleets are forced to run vehicles for longer, with no end in sight to the immediate lack of vehicle availability due to the semiconductor crisis. According to tyre and maintenance provider ATS Euromaster, both fleets and leasing companies are having to juggle new car availability against extended rentals and increased … [Read more...]
Rising used costs push up accident & write-off payouts
Surging used cr prices have created an unexpected problem when accidents happen, accoding to the National Body Repairers Association. “Following claims that a surge in the price of second-hand cars is driving up the cost of accident repair claims, the NBRA agrees that there is a danger that some insurers may not recognise this fact, and instead will simply think that repairers are charging too … [Read more...]
The automotive industry braces for long Covid
Long Covid is about to hit the car industry with increased warranty costs expected in months or years to come, says Renee Stephens, Vice-President of We Predict automotive analysts. If current and past trends are any indication, the global pandemic has implications to change what automakers and suppliers see in their warranties as they continue to ramp up operations, with the potential for … [Read more...]
RAC underwrite used evs and hybrids
A new warranty for used electric and hybrid cars is launched today by the RAC. The RAC Electric Vehicle warranty will be supplied exclusively through the 1,300-strong RAC Dealer Network and can be applied to any used electric or hybrid car up to a maximum of eight years old and with 80,000 miles on the clock at the time of purchase. Cover is available for a variety of periods up to 24 months and … [Read more...]
Vans will have to carry more miles, warn ATS Euromaster
Fleets will need to keep their new vans in service for longer than planned because of the component shortages affecting vehicle production across the board from cars to heavy trucks. With van production slowed or suspended thanks to lack of microprocessor chips, lack of available product means fleets will not be able to replace vehicles that would normally be de-fleeted during the coming … [Read more...]
Toyota Yaris tops for reliability, German marques low
THE Toyota Yaris is the most reliable of the UK’s best-selling cars. From nippy city runarounds to larger family motors, British drivers have always had their favourites when it comes to getting from A to B with as little fuss as possible. Now warranty specialists MotorEasy have run the numbers on the top 10 models to see which of them really delivers in terms of swerving hefty repairs … [Read more...]
Tradelines 31 March
Select Car Leasing crunched the numbers and found with the introduction of connected cars in 2022, the annual average commute will reduce by 25%, equating to 55.5 hours less commuting every year. Drivers will also benefit from increased safety features such as repair hazard warnings as your car will be able to “listen” to waveforms or vibrations, analyse them and upload them to a cloud-based … [Read more...]