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...]
Insurance Features
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...]
Good and bad cars’ survey
One of the biggest factors for drivers choosing a car will be whether the model they select can last the test of time. Fortunately for them, MotorEasy has revealed the cars that are most likely to have a breakdown. Using their own warranty data, MotorEasy analysed almost 10,000repair claims from 353 UK car models over three years, 2018-2020. Their research reveals the best and worst cars for … [Read more...]
Premiums fall for older cars
The average cost of insurance for older cars fell by £87 in 2020 as more drivers kept their existing cars rather than upgrading to a new model according to research from comparethemarket.com. Cars normally become more expensive to insure as they get older, however, the pandemic has caused a decline in premiums which has offset the usual increase. In 2020, the average premium for a car that is … [Read more...]
Fewer car thefts in Wales
Vehicle theft throughout Wales remains among the lowest in the country, according to analysis by Quotezone.co.uk using the latest data gathered by the Economic Policy Centre. Dyfed-Powys Police recorded the 3rd lowest crime rate of 43 forces nationwide, with 1.43 incidents per 1,000 residents in 2020. This was followed by North Wales in 5th place (1.86 / 1,000), Gwent in 13th position (3.72 / … [Read more...]
Depreciation despair for drivers
With new 21-numberplate cars now on sale, GoCompare Car Insurance is urging drivers looking for a new car to think about depreciation and the possible impact on their insurance. Depreciation is one of the biggest costs of running a car. The price of a new car falls dramatically as soon as it is driven off the forecourt. Depending on the make and model, this can be between 15% to 35% in the … [Read more...]
Older drivers collect more points, study shows
There are more than 304,000 over 65s currently driving on UK roads with penalty points on their licence, nearly 25 times the number of young teenagers – of which there are just over 12,000 with penalty points. The findings, which came from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the DVLA by the UK’s largest independent road safety charity – IAM RoadSmart – also revealed that the oldest person … [Read more...]
Newslines 12 March
Nissan plans for a major expansion to renewable energy generation at its record-breaking plant in Sunderland. Complementing the plant’s existing wind turbines and solar farm, the proposed 20MW solar farm extension represents a further step in Nissan’s path to carbon neutrality and the 37,000-panel extension would result in 20% of the plant’s energy coming from all onsite renewables, enough to … [Read more...]
Beauties to behold even after 2,500 years
A mathematical ratio dating back 2,500 years has been used to analyse the aesthetics of performance cars over the last 70 years. The study conducted by carwow analysed the proportions of 197 of the world’s most powerful cars and then compared them to ‘the golden ratio’ – a mathematic measure for perfect proportions. The top 10 is dominated by classic sports cars from the 60s and 70s, but … [Read more...]