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...]
Newcomers
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...]
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...]
It’s getting tougher for Welsh automotive sector
The UK Automotive industry is unlikely to return to previous high levels of production and component suppliers in Wales must look elsewhere to survive, delegates to the Autolink 2022 conference were told yesterday. The gloomy outlook and warning was given by Prof Ian Henry, managing director of AutoAnalysis and a HM Government advisor on the motor industry speaking at the annual Welsh Automotive … [Read more...]
Tradelines 28 September
The all-electric Fisker Ocean SUV will debut at the 2022 Mondial de l'Auto held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from 17 October. Costing about €70,000 the 380 miles range SUV has been designed to be the most sustainable SUV on Earth, using ethically sourced, upcycled materials throughout. Volvo has developed an internal radar system to alert drivers if a pet or child is left in a … [Read more...]
Public EV charging costs rise 42%
The cost to charge an electric car on a pay-as-you-go basis at a publicly accessible ‘rapid’ charger has increased by 42% – or 18.75p per kilowatt hour – since May to reach an average of 63.29p per kilowatt hour, new data from RAC Charge Watch indicates. The increase – caused by the soaring costs of wholesale gas and electricity – means that it now costs drivers on average £32.41 to rapid charge … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Audi RS3 Sportback
The latest Audi RS3 is really a supercar, for sensible money. There has been a long line of highly acclaimed Audi RS3 models, higher performance versions of the popular A3 series which launched in 1996 and included the S derivatives three years later before the original Audi RS3 appeared in dealerships in 2011. The revised RS then ran from 2015 until 2020 and in late 2021 we saw the current third … [Read more...]
Safety and higher emissions issues from older vehicles
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...]
Charger availability will be 98% worse in 2031
Finding an electric car charger in 2031 will be 98% harder than it is today, according to a GoCompare Car Insurance. This emerges despite the ban on new petrol and diesel car sales, which is set to come in from 2030, highlighting that the country’s infrastructure may struggle to accommodate electric vehicles. Last year, there were 266 electric vehicles (EVs) to each public charger in the UK, … [Read more...]
Homeowners cashing in with EV charge-points
Homeowners with an electric vehicle charging point on their driveway are earning an average of £1,020 a year by renting out their amenity to motorists looking for somewhere to park and charge. That’s according to the online parking portal, yourparkingspace.co.uk, who in recognition of World EV Day on 9 September, has analysed its booking data to reveal that clever homeowners are making a handy … [Read more...]