Ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV) registrations shot-up by 125% during 2020 compared to the year before, according to new figures from the Department for Transport. There was more good news for ULEV manufacturers, with registrations speeding-up over the course of year, which helped put 179,000 registered cars on the road by the end of 2020. After ULEVs, alternative fuel cars enjoyed 87% growth, … [Read more...]
Insurance Features
Crash for Cash scams escalating, warn Fraud Bureau
The Insurance Fraud Bureau has released new figures confirming the UK’s top 30 worst-affected postal districts for ‘Crash for Cash’ scams. ‘Crash for Cash’ is a common insurance scam which sees fraudsters invent or deliberately cause road traffic collisions, often involving innocent people, to try and get compensation. The hotspots analysis confirms Birmingham remains the most prevalent area in … [Read more...]
Drivers support motorway average speed cameras
More than half of drivers (56%) admit to breaking the speed limit on motorways with a third (34%) of those confessing to having travelled at speeds in excess of 80mph, research from an RAC reveals. Three per cent say their fastest speed on a motorway was over 100mph while 4% believe their top speed was 91-100mph. While the vast majority – two-thirds (66%) – state their highest speed on a motorway … [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...]
Government “misguided” by science of assisted driving
The Government is being “misguided” by science according to road safety experts concerned at the planned permission of assisted driving on motorways. Responding to the UK Government’s announcement yesterday around paving the way for Automated Driving, Thatcham Research and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) are urging caution. “There is still a lot of work needed though by both … [Read more...]
Demand for Welsh mobile mechanics surges during pandemic
New data from one of the country’s leading insurance comparison websites revealed a 158% year-on-year rise in Welsh mobile mechanics taking out insurance for their sole traderships. Quotezone.co.uk figures also reveal a 71% year-on-year spike in new policies for full time motor trade businesses, and a 49% jump in cover for part time firms, in Wales. The data, taken from a sample of 4,500 … [Read more...]
Premiums dip to new low but expect rises
The average annual car insurance premium has dipped slightly to £602 in March 2021. This marginal decline from the previous month suggests the end of the big price falls and the average premium is still £110 cheaper than the same month last year. Dan Hutson, head of motor insurance, comparethemarket.com said,“The rapid fall in car insurance premiums, seen during the winter, appears to have come … [Read more...]
Dacia Sandero slammed over safety risks
In the latest round of new vehicle assessments, Euro NCAP tests highlighted some major safety flaws with the Dacia Sandero after it only scored a two-star Euro NCAP Safety Rating. Euro NCAP's fully-transparent testing protocols were overhauled in 2020 and are the toughest and the most exacting ever, ensuring European vehicles remain the safest in the world. The Sandero was let … [Read more...]
Tradelines 14 April
Marmalade Insurance says the successive lockdowns have created an eight month backlog of driving tests. It calculates about 1.16M provisional licence holders are waiting for test dates and it’s been made worse by instructors numbers going down. Peugeot's introducing a reduction in Advance Payments across the range of up to £1,250, in comparison with Q1, through the Motability scheme. For the … [Read more...]
Over £12M fines for Welsh speeders last year
More than 121,000 motorists were caught speeding in Wales last year, despite the ‘stay at home’ order. That’s according to new Freedom of Information data obtained by Confused.com, which suggests drivers in the region collectively paid out at least £12 million in fines for speeding last year, based on the minimum fine a driver must being £100. According to the data, police forces in Wales … [Read more...]