Category Archives: Motoring news

Everyone wants to save money on their car insurance, especially if they’ve just had to shell out for a car turbocharger unexpectedly, but fronting is something that should be avoided at all costs, as you could find yourself left with a criminal record as a result.

Figures from Gocompare.com, however, show that 17 per cent of parents have actually insured their child’s car in their name to help drive down the overall cost of the policy. Furthermore, 36 per cent of parents with children aged between 16 and 25 admitted that they would consider fronting in the future.

Whenever fronting is exposed, insurance companies retain the right to cancel the policy, which can make it harder and even more expensive for people to take out insurance in the future. What’s more, insurers can refuse to pay for claims as well.

“When applying for car insurance you are obliged to tell the insurer of anything that could influence their decision in offering cover – the age and experience of a driver are both crucial factors.  Not telling the truth about who is the principal driver is technically fraud which may result in a policy being cancelled and any claims refused,” car insurance spokesman with Gocompare.com Matt Oliver said.

If you want to save your child money on their car insurance, consider putting yourself down as a named driver as this can really help bring the costs down. Shopping around for the best deal is also advisable – but be aware that the cheapest cover isn’t necessarily the best and you should always take out a fully comprehensive policy.

Good news for drivers in their Skoda turbos – November saw the lowest average pump prices for diesel in six years, while filling up on a tank of petrol is now almost £8 cheaper than 12 months ago.

According to RAC Fuel Watch data for the month, the average price of petrol dropped for the fifth month in a row to settle at 106.98p, hitting a nine-month low on November 11^th at 106.92p. Diesel, meanwhile, reached its lowest average price since December 2009, falling to 109.48p on November 30^th.

Simon Williams, spokesman for RAC Fuel Watch, observed that drivers of both petrol and diesel cars are now benefitting from cheaper fill-ups in the lead-up to Christmas than compared with last year.

“The lower forecourt prices we’re enjoying at the moment are a product of the fall in world crude oil prices, which began in September 2014. After a six-year low of $45 a barrel in early February and two instances of going back up to the $60 level twice briefly since, the price has been consistently below $50 since mid-October, reaching a new six-year low in mid-November,” he said.

If you’re looking for other ways to save fuel, consider driving in the highest gear possible for the slowest speed, don’t use cruise control and try not to slow down and accelerate repeatedly as you’ll end up using more fuel… and therefore spending more money.

Those of you travelling over Christmas should try and make the car as light as possible, as this will have an impact on fuel consumption.

If you’ve changed your job recently and have just sorted out your Ford turbos, you’ll need to make sure you let your insurer know as research has just revealed that 60 per cent of drivers are potentially on the road without valid cover in place because they’ve changed their job title or career without making it known.

It’s up to you to tell your insurance company if you do have a change in circumstances, as occupation is one of the factors that are taken into consideration when premiums are set. However, research from uSwitch.com suggests that 41 per cent of drivers do not know it’s their responsibility to inform theIR insurer of job changes.

Be aware, however, that changing your policy can cost you, with motorists being charged an average of £22 to amend any details on their insurance.

“Consumers can avoid surprise administration fees by reading the small print before taking out a car insurance policy. If you’re likely to move house or change jobs you will need to change your policy details, so consider any admin charges as well as the final premium when taking out your policy,” insurance expert Rod Jones said.

If you want to save even more money on your car insurance, make sure you spend time haggling with your provider when it comes time to renew your policy. Don’t just accept the tariff they give you – you can shave off a few pounds if you take it upon yourself to query the quote you’re given.

Owners of Mercedes turbos may be interested to learn that new car registrations in the country reached levels not seen since 2004, according to recent research.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed that 2,096,886 cars have been registered so far this year, up 7.1 per cent from 2014. The organisation’s data also showed September registrations were the highest on record.

Figures for last month continued an ongoing trend of growth, with the SMMT stating there has been 43 months of consecutive registration increases. Overall, 462,517 new car registrations were reported for September.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes claimed buyers were “busier than ever” last month. Furthermore, the statistics were impressive across all segments, including private, business and fleet customers.

“September is traditionally one of the year’s biggest months for new car registrations, and last month set an autumn record,” he explained.

The release of the latest 65-plate in September was a significant contributing factor for the results. A new plate has been released during the month every year since 2001.

Mr Hawes said dealers were offering a range of attractive options for the 65-plate, helping to further boost interest. The most popular car models last month were the Ford Fiesta, with 22,807 vehicles sold, and the Vauxhall Corsa, which 15,670 people bought.

Diesel and petrol cars experienced 4.1 and 12.3 per cent monthly growth respectively in September, while alternatively fuelled vehicle registrations jumped 21.7 per cent. Over the year to date, these three segments have climbed 3.1, 9.5 and 48.7 per cent respectively.

If you’ve recently replaced your turbocharger, chances are you’re ready to get back on the road. However, after hearing about some of the strangest motorway spills in the UK, you may think twice about travelling Britain’s biggest roads!

Highways England has revealed the weird and wonderful items and substances that have held up traffic following an incident. The news comes just days after 24 tonnes of lard caused the M11 to be closed for 24 hours, although no one was hurt.

While hold-ups are often frustrating, some lager fans may have seen the funny side of an incident on the M6 in Coventry four years ago when thousands of beers ended up on the road. The clean-up operation took four hours, with workers having to pick each can up by hand.

In 2012, the Highways Agency enlisted the services of a mini-digger to scoop up thousands of tins of beans that had spilled onto the M11 southbound. Drivers were delayed for three hours while the beans were removed.

Motorists travelling on the A3 Stoke Interchange in Guildford on March 20 2009 were unfortunate enough to face the aftermath of a HGV crash. The lorry had been carrying a full container of raw human sewage, which required the help of the Environment Agency.

Other less savoury spills include a tanker that leaked animal blood across the A50 in Stoke on Trent and a powdered cement accident on the M6 in Lancashire. The latter incident caused the motorway to shut down for 18 hours.

Drivers of BMW turbos and other vehicles might want to make the switch to diesel, since it’s now being suggested that the average cost of this type of fuel will be less than petrol for the first time in nearly two decades.

Figures from the RAC indicate that average diesel prices have now dropped to 118.98p per litre, while unleaded stands at 117.24p per litre. And since wholesale diesel prices have been lower than petrol since the end of May this year, there is a good chance that the average diesel price will soon dip below that of petrol.

But that’s not all – the organisation thinks that up to another 4p per litre could be cut from diesel prices in the next two weeks.

“RAC Fuel Watch records show diesel was last cheaper than petrol 15 years ago on 17 July 2001, so these price cuts are great news for the nation’s 10.7 million diesel car drivers. Fifteen years ago when this happened last diesel was cheaper than petrol for two and a half months, but with a new supply of diesel being produced from Saudi Arabia there is real chance that we may see the diesel price staying below petrol for some considerable time,” Simon Williams of the RAC said.

The RAC helped found the FairFuelUK campaign back in 2011, which calls for a fairer taxation system for drivers in the country. It aims to stop fuel duty rises, to bring petrol and diesel in the UK to European parity with regards to pricing and taxation and to prove that by controlling fuel duty economic growth will be stimulated.