British Insurers have highlighted the potential dangers of ‘autonomous ambiguity’, as vehicles with different levels of autonomy, or driverless technology, increasingly become a feature of UK roads. With important and wide-reaching changes being defined by international regulators on what Assisted and Automated systems can and can't do, the Automated Driving Insurer Group (ADIG), led by the … [Read more...]
Changing trends in travel highlighted, says RAC
The National Travel Survey gives us an eye-opening view on the long-term changing trends in travel across the UK, says the RAC, “The number of young people learning to drive is clearly decreasing, with the main reasons given for this being a lack of interest in driving and the cost,” said an RAC roads policy spokesman. “ While the cost of learning to drive is significant, the spiralling cost … [Read more...]
Young are being priced off the road
With car insurance sky high and education and living costs increasing, research shows that over one in five under 25s (22%) cannot afford to learn to drive. Insurance is a further barrier. With the average cost of car insurance costing around £1400*, and rising to £3878 for a 17 to 20 year old driver, it’s no wonder that this demographic is struggling. An online petition recently achieved over … [Read more...]
Government EV plans are short of range, says RAC
Drivers will be let down by Government proposals outlined to Parliament this morning, according to the RAC. Reacting to announcements made as part of today's Queen's Speech at the Houses of Parliament, RAC chief engineer David Bizley said, “While more electric vehicle charging points are welcome, the proposals are rather unambitious and do not include plans for more charging points in places … [Read more...]
Write-offs and your rights explained
The Financial Ombudsman regularly deals with complaints from people who believe that their insurer has not properly valued their car after it has been damaged to the extent that its insurer decides it is a ‘write-off' and uneconomical to repair. Typically, cars are considered to be a total write-off when they have been so severely damaged that they cannot and should not be repaired or, where … [Read more...]
Motorists most likely to neglect tyres to save money
GoCompare insurance found that almost one in seven drivers have put off essential vehicle repairs and servicing because they couldn't afford them at the time. The survey of 2,000 UK motorists found that replacing tyres was the repair most likely to be delayed by motorists with brake related problems, mechanical repairs and windscreen repairs also highlighted. Drivers aged 25-34 were the most … [Read more...]
Insurance tax hike hits motorists this weekend
Sunday’s increase in Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) from 6% to 9.5% is due to cost motorists an extra £386m a year, taking their insurance tax contribution to over £1bn¹ for the first time. As 80% of drivers questioned did not know of the IPT rise, the RAC analysis of industry figures reveals that the tax hike – which comes into effect on Sunday 1 November 2015– is yet another burden on motorists … [Read more...]
Fraudsters and claims companies blamed for continuing premium rises
British Insurance Premium Index for the third quarter shows that costs have sharply risen again for the second quarter in succession, except for Northern Ireland, where premiums have fallen. This follows two years of falling premiums, prompted by reforms intended to cut the number of fraudulent car insurance claims, particularly for whiplash injury, which have had little effect. With the … [Read more...]
Nearly 6 million drivers risk paying too much for insurance
Gocompare.com's Car Insurance Auto-Renewal Survey reveals that 5.8 million motorists a year fall into the auto-renewal trap by simply allowing their car insurance to automatically renew without checking other quotes first. September is traditionally one of the busiest months for car insurance renewals due to the high volume of new car sales. However, the new survey shows that many drivers are … [Read more...]
Motorists risk losing cover if selling lifts
Gocompare.com is warning drivers to check with their car insurer before joining up to a lift-share scheme or risk invalidating their cover. The Wales-based comparison website is also advising drivers signed up to the ‘taxi-like' smartphone app Uber that they are not covered under standard car insurance - they need taxi insurance. The warning comes following a review of 227 comprehensive car … [Read more...]