The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders recently held its annual regional Test Days in the north and south of the country which are always much-liked and useful events on the calendar of many motoring scribes. An annual event that provides new cars galore on offer for motoring writers to road test in the same locality on the same day, always seems a very good idea to me. It also gives the … [Read more...]
Finance
Tradelines 5 October
The Kia Niro has been named the best new car on sale by leading car buying advice website Carbuyer.co.uk. The Niro, which is available with a choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully-electric powertrains, scooped no fewer than three of the 18 categories on offer. Kia has been named the top UK car brand by Reputation.com in the 2022 Automotive Reputation Report, according to Reputation’s … [Read more...]
Welsh car sales falling back
Wales saw a fall in new car registrations last month, the only part of Britain suffering as the cost of living rose. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reported 8,342 new cars were registered by Welsh dealerships last month compared with 8,637 a year ago. That’s a decline of 3.42% on the year to date. The top ten models sold in Wales in September were: Nissan Qashqai, Ford Puma, … [Read more...]
Bumping in the trade under HMRC watch
HMRC has identified an increasing risk of an error in the VAT returns for certain Franchised Dealerships, described as “Bumping”. HMRC are sending letters to some motor retailers that they believe are at risk from ‘Bumping’. Bumping is where there is a discrepancy between a vehicle sales invoice on the DMS system and the finance proposal one, which can lead to the underpayment of output VAT on … [Read more...]
Warming up for winter
With temperatures dropping across the UK, and fuel prices rising, Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Car Leasing shares ways drivers and their cars can stay warm behind the wheel without breaking the bank. “On frosty cold mornings, many drivers will wake up extra early to whack the heating up in their car. Whilst this won't consume a significant amount of fuel, it can actually shorten the … [Read more...]
Newslines 30 September
An Aston Martin DB5 replica stunt car featured in No Time To Die (2021) has raised £2,922,000 for good causes in a charity auction at Christie’s to celebrate 60 years of the James Bond films. Two Land Rover Defenders used in the film No Time To Die helped raised £352,800 for charities and they were sold as part of 60 lots from EON Productions to mark the iconic jubilee. UK car manufacturing … [Read more...]
Britains best and worst cars listed
Britain’s most and least reliable cars have been revealed in the 2022 What Car? Reliability Survey, held in association with MotorEasy. Feedback from 24,927 car owners on 248 models and 32 brands was analysed by the country’s leading consumer champion and new car buying platform, What Car?, to find the most dependable vehicles. Four models achieved a perfect 100% score: the current versions of … [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...]
Eyes are focussed on BMW X1
Research by the UK's largest automotive marketplace Auto Trader has revealed the BMW X1 is the most anticipated car release of the year. Its newly released study compared the number of Google searches made in the last 12 months for over 50 popular cars which are set to be released in 2022 and 2023. The BMW X1 takes top spot, followed by the Honda Civic Type R, and the Nissan X-Trail takes … [Read more...]
Filling stations’ fears over rising energy costs
Filling stations are extremely worried about soaring energy costs, said Gordon Balmer, Executive Director of the Petrol Retailers Association. "While we are encouraged by the Government’s recognition of this issue through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, we are concerned that it will not be enough to mitigate the long-term effects of price increases.” Earlier this month, Prime Minister Liz Truss … [Read more...]