Archive for June, 2009
With the cost of driving increasing due to petrol prices, car insurance and road taxes, more and more people are looking at alternative modes of transport.
One of the options open to some is the pay-as-you-go car rental schemes which are run throughout the country. These include City Car Club, Streetcar, WhizzGo and Zipcar. Many of these have been around for a good couple of years now and have been growing in popularity and one journalist for The Guardian experienced a saving of between £330 and £530 after giving their car up for a year to try out pay as you go motoring.
Car Clubs allow you to pick up a car from the roadside at a moment’s notice (once booked) and just pay for the time you use it. It is ideal for people who don’t use a car very much and can save two-thirds on the cost of running a car.
How they operate
* Each of the clubs has a joining fee which can be as little as £25 for partners of members, going up to £60.
* You go on to the car club website and book when you would like a car choosing the nearest available place to pick it up
* You then pay for what you use and return the car to a designated car club parking space.
* Prices include basic insurance, breakdown cover and, for those living in London, the congestion charge fee.
* You also get 50 miles free fuel for each 24 hour period and then 24p a mile after.
In order to use these schemes it sounds like you have to be very organised and book them well in advance, particularly around holiday periods as they would get booked up very quickly. They sound very convenient but it may work out more cost effective for journeys over longer periods if you book through a traditional car rental company.
June 23rd, 2009
According to a survey by Motors.co.uk, Dads spend an average of six months of their lives driving their children about.
Apparently the typical dad would cover 56,000 miles, the equivalent to 266 trips by the time their child reaches 18 years of age.
The research was clearly done with Father’s day in mind which is on Sunday 21st June but there is no mention of how long the Mums spend behind the wheel and my personal experience would put this at a much higher level.
In the current climate families may actually be cutting back on the amount of time they use their car but there are ways of reducing your costs. Research by car insurance provider swiftcover.com showed that many families are paying too much money for their insurance. For example, for bigger families a vehicle like the Volvo V70 estate might be the perfect choice, but whilst a 30 year old male driver would have a premium of around £320 with swiftcover.com, they could be shelling out over £1,000 with other providers.
So make sure you shop around and don’t be swayed by car insurance ’special offers’ - they aren’t always as good as they seem and may end up costing you more!
June 18th, 2009
The third-generation Toyota Prius T-Spirit has had a great write up in The Times Online.
Previously seen as being a bit boring, the new Prius is now more powerful, less thirsty and more environmentally considerate yet with the basic concept being unchanged. Autocar.co.uk are saying that the Toyota Prius is ‘the world’s best-selling hyrbid’ with good reason. It corners well, has had its power steering retuned, 6mm more headroom due and even soft-touch finishes for the dash and door tops.
If you live in London having a car with a hybrid engine means you will be exempt from the congestion charge, saving up to £1,250 a year. Owning a Toyota Prius whilst living in London means you can drive around not worrying skirting around the outskirts of the city. It is also apparently one of the least expensive cars to maintain.
The only downsize I can see to the Toyota Prius is the price. Starting from £21,210 it puts the car out of reach for many families.
June 17th, 2009
New research from online car insurer swiftcover.com shows that Male drivers cost motor insurers more in car insurance claims because of aggressive hunter-gatherer behavioural traits that hark-back to stone-age man.
This is why men usually face higher car insurance premiums, despite constantly claiming to be better drivers than women.
Swiftcover’s own data shows that male drivers accounted for 52% of the total claims costs in 2008, despite actually making fewer claims. Women made 52% of claims, but only accounted for 48% of total claims costs. This means women tend to make lower value claims for small knocks and scratches, whilst men claim more for larger more expensive incidents.
Data shows that men are also more likely than women to speed and goverment figures show that men are four times more likely to be convicted of driving and speeding offences. This could be down to the survival instincts developed by stone-age man according to a study by Oxford academics. Men are more likely to be aggressive and take more risks. ‘Stone-age man’ behavioural traits are still evident today when men defend their territory - their cars - from other drivers on the road.
Whether you are a male or female driver make sure that you compare car insurance prices as you could be paying over the odds.
For more information on this article visit the press release at swiftcover.com.
June 11th, 2009
Travel disruption affected at least a million people today as a 48 hour strike hit the tubes.
The two day strike, starting at 7pm yesterday, has been very shaky with half of London Underground’s 20,000 drivers, station and maintenance staff arriving for work according to The Times.
It hasn’t only disrupted commuters. Ticket-holders attending tonight’s football international between England and Andorra at Wembley are anxious as to how they are going to get to the game. They have been told to check the TfL website.
Many people with car insurance have had to turn to their car today leading to much of London being gridlocked.
The dispute is over pay but it is reported in The Telegraph that the RMT have agreed to put an offer of a two year deal to a referendum of its 9,000 members, so an end may be in sight. However, according to RMT the deal was scuppered at the last minute blaming Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, as having a change of heart. This was denied by Kulveer Ranger who insisted it was RMT that walked out without giving any time for the proposal to be considered. He said:
“London Underground made the very reasonable request that the RMT suspend strike action so that this could be worked through. However, the RMT leadership refused to continue or give the talks more time, and walked out.
“Londoners will be infuriated by their behaviour and will join us in calling for the RMT to suspend this strike immediately and return to negotiations.”
June 10th, 2009
Research by online car insurer swiftcover.com shows that many car insurance offers are not as special as they claim to be, with drivers still paying too much for their insurance.
Some motor insurance companies are trying to woo motorists with special offers such as multi-car policies and 52 days’ free insurance. However these are not always the best options.
Admiral’s multi-car cover policy is £283.47 more expensive than swiftcover.com when insuring a Ford Fiesta and a Ford Mondeo – two policies with swiftcover.com would cost a total of £392.01 compared to £675.48 for Admiral’s multi-car cover.
Direct Line’s 52 days free insurance special offer is still £110.05 more costly than swiftcover.com when insuring a Ford Mondeo - insurance with swiftcover.com would cost £185 compared to £295.05 with Direct Line.
swiftcover.com’s special offer warning forms part of the insurer’s credit crunch tips for cutting your insurance costs. Shortle continues: “Getting the lowest possible insurance quote is one thing, but there is a lot more drivers can do to keep their insurance costs down. Our credit crunch tips will help people identify where else they can save money.”
To view Swiftcover’s top tips click here: swiftcover.com’s credit crunch motor insurance saving tips
Make sure you compare car insurance prices before your renew your car insurance policy.
June 4th, 2009
The summer season appears to be upon us with the UK experiencing some fantastic weather at the moment.
Over the past week many parts of the UK have hit their highest temperatures of the year with 22c (72F). Many seaside resorts have been swamped with people making the most of the heat.
It is also the time of year when people are getting ready for their holidays or trying to secure a late deal. The Times have revealed their 20 top British summer holidays. Some include:
The Observer has a great article on the top 10 places to stay in the UK if you have reduced mobility. It ranges from a coastal spa hotel to a five bed barn conversion.
June 3rd, 2009
