Posts filed under 'cars'
Recent research from swiftcover.com found that 80% of drivers want the new government to cut tax on petrol, improve congestion and help the environment, however not many believe that any of the parties will make a positive difference for drivers. Here are a few interesting statistics which they found:
• 50% of drivers don’t know which party would be best
• 11% of drivers believe a Conservative Government would be best for motorists
• 6% say a Labour Government would be best
• 3% feel the Liberal Democrats would be best for drivers
• 2% say the Green Party would be best
The survey also showed how strongly drivers feel about change:
• 80% of drivers want the tax on petrol cut
• 43% want a reduction in road tax
• 61% want the government to get tougher on uninsured drivers
• 43% want greater action to punish dangerous drivers
Hopefully the new government will start to take more interest in motorists concerns and start taking positive action for drivers.
May 7th, 2010
How many people in the country name their car? You would actually be surprised if you talked to your friends, that the majority of girls call their cars something. In fact, being totally incredulous about this, we asked some motorists, and were met with horror that the majority of them named theirs.
Apparently, people who don’t name their cars, are in the minority, when over 4000 car owners were polled, they found that 1 in 20 women gave their cars a name, with over half feeling like their car had a gender.
This is causing jokes that women treat their cars like pets, associating them with a personality. It reminds people of the Herbie series of films from the 70’s, where the VW beetle helps the little old lady save her home from a corrupt developer, amongst other things.
Maybe we are the only people in the world who aren’t experiencing the joy of a car with human attributes! Never the less, they are still cars, and therefore by UK law still require a valid car insurance policy.
April 13th, 2010
Many drivers will be feeling the strain of the rising fuel costs, with petrol prices rising close to a record high in the past few weeks. It seems almost unbelievable that this time last year we were paying an average price of 90.7 pence.
Here are some useful tips to help you save money on fuel:
Shop around for the best prices- some petrol stations offer better value than others so it’s always worth shopping around. There are websites such as www.petrolprices.com where you can find which petrol stations are the cheapest.
Lose unnecessary accessories and gadgets- anything that protrudes from your car will add resistance and cause you to use more fuel, so best to lose the roof racks and roof boxes when you’re not using them.
Drive smartly- breaking hard and accelerating harshly can use more fuel than driving smoothly. Driving fast also uses more petrol so stick to the speed limit. Taking your foot of the accelerator early when slowing down can also help.
Share a ride to work- if you are able to share lifts with others then this is a great way to cut down on fuel costs.
Don’t use your car for short journeys- short journeys are often more cost efficient than longer journeys.
Click here for some more tips on how you can save petrol.
April 9th, 2010
I have just read an article in the Telegraph about a five year old who took his family’s 4×4 on a joyride, which I’m sure was a day his family won’t forget. Just after 7am on Thursday morning the boy took the 4X4 and joined the morning rush hour traffic. A number of motorists called 999 after seeing him, barely tall enough to see out the windscreen. He drove the car ’slowly but erratically’ for four miles before crashing it into a wall, but he and other road users had a lucky escape with no serious injuries. A police spokesperson said:
The boy was crying afterwards because he was a bit shaken. But for a five-year-old he had actually driven quite well. It’s a bizarre case and we’re not taking action against anyone.
After reading this article I think it’s fair to say that you can never underestimate a five year old.
April 1st, 2010
Ladies, have you ever taken your precious car into the garage for an MOT or routine service, and felt like a completely inferior species? Whether it be that the mechanic assumes you do not know what you are talking about, or that you feel uncomfortable with the whole experience, it seems that you are not the only one.
A recent poll of over 4000 women in the UK has revealed that the majority of them felt that garage visits were daunting, while 31% went as far as to say they would rather visit a women only garage. Research shows that women are far more savvy in 2010 about their vehicles, and do basic servicing, like changing tyres and oil, and checking tyre pressures, by themselves. 60% of the women asked said they found car salesmen patronising, with a further 10% saying that if they were to take partner, the mechanic would generally talk to the man.
This is 2010! We are no longer in the dark ages, where women rely on gentleman to help during hardship. Come on! If you do not know how to change a tyre then you shouldn’t be driving a car, regardless of whether you are male or female, but on the flipside, women shouldn’t be made to feel inferior when taking the car in for a service.
A lot of car insurance providers now offer policies that are more favourable if you are female, while some even go as far as to only insure women drivers. While getting insurance for cars, make sure you shop around on the internet to see where is best to buy from. You may find that you get car insurance quotes cheaper here as opposed to over the phone, as a lot of insurers offer a discount for buying online.
It seems that men are causing stress across the board if recent surveys are anything to go by. A study by Swiftcover has revealed that lazy and untidy men are one of the biggest sources of irritation for Britain’s women!
It remains to be seen whether any female only garages will open in the UK, so lets sit on our laurels and see whether any of these garages take on more female staff to redress the balance and appeal to a far wider customer base.
March 24th, 2010
The freezing weather which we experienced at the start of the year has certainly taken its toll on the roads, with the number of potholes increasing by 60 per cent in the past two years. The AA reported that the amount of potholes has resulted in an increasing number of car insurance claims, and people have been left with flat tyres, damage to the wheels, steering and suspension problems.
I came across a useful website last week called fixmystreet.com where you can report potholes and other local issues; they will then forward your report to the local council, who will then look into the problem. There are a number of websites similar to this one which are useful for reporting damaged roads.
If your car has been damaged after hitting a pothole then you may be able to claim from the local highways authority. Here is a useful article about claiming for compensation: http://www.moneywise.co.uk/news-views/2010/02/09/claim-compensation-pothole-damage.
March 19th, 2010
Buying a second hand car is often cheaper than going to a dealer, but if you don’t know what to look for then it may cost you in the long run. Here is some advice for buying a used car:
If you dont know much about cars then take along someone who does. You could ask a friend or get an independent car check from a provider such as the AA.
Get a credit check, which will tell you if a car has any outstanding finance on it, if it does you may find that you don’t actually own it.
Go for a test drive- this will give you a good feel of the car and will help you pick up any potential issues, but make sure you have adequate car insurance cover to drive it.
Check the V5 registration document and make sure the name and address match the sellers. If the car doesn’t have a V5 document then best not to buy it.
Look at the vehicle identification number; make sure it matches the number on the V5 registration document, if it doesn’t then give it a miss.
For more advice click here: http://www.youtube.com/swiftcover
March 9th, 2010
Car insurance fronting is becoming a common problem with UK motorists, especially with parents wanting a cheaper motor insurance quote, but what many drivers are unaware of, is that they are actually breaking the law in doing so.
According to swiftcover.com one in four policy holders claim to accidently putting their son or daughter as a spouse or partner, instead of a named driver. In fact car insurance fronting has almost doubled in the last two years.
What is fronting?
Fronting is where an experienced motorist adds a young or new driver as a named driver to their policy. The main driver should be the one using the car most of the time and any additional drivers should be only driving occasionally. If the young or new driver uses the car more than the main driver, it is called fronting and is illegal as false information has been given to the car insurance company.
In some cases policy holders have often added a younger driver, normally a son or daughter, to their policy under the relation of ‘spouse’ or ‘partner’ therefore saving even more money on car insurance illegally.
Swiftcover says insurance companies share information between themselves and other agencies to help spot the tell-tale signs of attempted fraud.
Robin Reames, claims director for swiftcover.com, states that car insurance companies are “cracking down” on insurance fronting, as it eventually ends up costing other motorists more money.
Furthermore, anybody caught fronting – both the younger driver and the older driving committing the fraud – will face much higher insurance premiums in the future and may even be turned down by many insurers.
March 3rd, 2010
Toyota’s recent recall of vehicles has raised concerns amongst Toyota drivers about whether it is safe to drive their cars, and some are uncertain if their car insurance would cover them in the event of an accident.
Toyota recalled six models of vehicles because of problems with the accelerator pedals. The models affected are the IQ, Aygo, Yaris, Auris, Corolla, Avensis and Verso. The Times Online reported that the recall has cost Toyota $2billion which includes cars in Europe, China and the US. They also reported that drivers will have to wait another week before the new parts arrive in the UK, and repairs are only due to start on the 10th February.
More than 10 000 people in the UK have phoned Toyota with concerns, and to find out whether they should continue driving their cars. If you are concerned about your car and whether you will be covered if you have an accident, then it’s probably best to contact your insurance company to check.
If you are a UK Toyota customer and unsure whether your car is affected, then click here for more information.
February 5th, 2010
After spending a fortune on a brand new car, it is frustrating knowing that as soon as you drive it away from the car dealership it loses value. You may be interested in a recent report from Parkers which named and shamed the cars which depreciate the most. Surprisingly the more luxurious cars such as a Rolls-Royce and Maybach were found to depreciate the most; you could lose up to £127,526 over a year- Is it really worth it?
If you are looking for a car that depreciates slowly then the Honda Jazz may be the car for you, as it topped the list for the top 10 performers of 2009, depreciating only £1379 over the year. Other good buys are the Fiat 500 (08 on) or the SEAT Ibiza. If you don’t want to lose so much money it seems the smaller cars are the ones to go for as they took up 35 of the 40 top places.
The figures were calculated by comparing the estimated market value of 10,000-mile car, which was bought new 12 months earlier, against its list price new. Here is a full list of the findings:
Top 10 performers:
1 Honda Jazz (08 on) - £1,379
2 Fiat 500 (08 on) - £1,460
3 SEAT Ibiza (08 on) - £1,552
4 Hyundai i10 (08 on) - £1,650
5 Mazda2 (07 on) - £1,702
6 Kia Picanto (04 on) - £1,760
7 VW Fox (06 on) - £1,781
8 Suzuki Swift (05 on) - £1,900
9 Toyota Aygo (05 on) - £2,148
10 Mitsubishi i (07 on) - £2,271
Bottom 10 performers:
1 Maybach 62 (03 on) - £127,526
2 Maybach 57 (03 on) - £115,253
3 Rolls-Royce Phantom (03 on) - £81,183
4 Bentley Arnage (98 on) - £66,040
5 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (05 on) - £51,627
6 Mercedes-Benz SL AMG (02 on) - £51,381
7 Bentley Continental Flying Spur (05 on) - £47,080
8 Aston Martin DBS (08 on) - £41,347
9 Bentley Continental GT Coupé - £40,110
10 Ferrari F430 (05 on) - £37,188
January 29th, 2010
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