The Best Car Finance Blog In The World

When Kelvin MacKenzie, the ex editor of the Sun newspaper, received an end of lease charge of £1,867.48 he was shocked and immediately tore into Mercedes Benz Finance through the columns of the Sun. In the same column he said, referring to the charge from the lender and following details of the charges, “as per the agreement (my fault I didn’t read it).” He didn’t read the agreement but he’s lambasting the lender Read more �

Leasing fell dramatically across Europe during 2009 according to Leaseurope, the trade association representing the European leasing and vehicle rental industries. New lease business was down by 28.4% last year compared to 2008, this represented the greatest fall since they started keeping records in 1994. My own view is that much of this was the result of manufacturers diverting money into scrappage whilst Read more �

Has diesel had its day? For the first time in 10 years we saw a drop in diesel car sales compared to petrol sales. The proportion of diesels sold to petrol dropped to 41% compared to petrol, 58%. The proportion for the previous year was 43%, an all time high following 10 years of year on year increases. The move has been brought about by improved small petrol engine technology. Manufacturers have turned their Read more �

You would no doubt have followed my reporting of the major pot hole problem that local authorities face following the harsh winter with no money to spend. But it wasn’t just the bad weather that led to the problems, it was the increase in Johnny Foreigner trucks covering 600 million miles on our roads last year. The problem, according to the Department for Transport, is that these trucks use our public roads but Read more �

Mobile phone users who still use their phones whilst driving without a hands free kit are back in the news as conviction figures show another fall. Recently published figures show that convictions in England and Wales were down to 116,000 in 2008/9, down by 5% on the previous year, which in turn was down on the 167,000 convictions in 2006/7 even though the use of a mobile phone whilst driving was introduced as Read more �

Tyre prices have started to increase according to Continental and Goodyear as a result of a global shortage of rubber. Drivers will be expected to pay more for tyres as a result of a drought in Thailand and increasing Asian demand. The price of rubber as a raw material rose by 40% in January which reflected an increase of 150% year on year. The recent price hikes announced by Continental and Goodyear of 10% is expected to be followed by all other tyre manufacturers. Hmmm, must get on to the fetish club, this news will shock them if nothing else does! By Graham Hill

I am, without doubt, the leading expert in car finance in the UK. However, wherever you look there are ‘experts’ who will not fail to give bad advice. This seriously winds me up because it can cost people a lot of money and in some of the worst cases, their home. It’s bad enough when this bad advice is given by well meaning friends down the pub or an accountant who is really not specialist, as I am, in vehicle finance. Read more �

We have such short memories! I remember the furore when petrol prices hit 119.7pence per litre 2 years ago. Fuel suppliers were challenged and emails flew around in all directions telling everyone to boycott the main oil companies in an attempt to force petrol suppliers to drop their prices. At the time oil prices were $147 per barrel but with exchange rates at about 2 dollars to the pound it put the price per barrel at Read more �

To say that Toyota have had a bit of a rough time is somewhat of an understatement and the repercussions continue on. After they dismissed cars flying across roundabouts and over cliffs, having been unable to stop following uncontrolled acceleration, as being a problem with dopey drivers being unable to fit carpet mats back in their cars after cleaning them, they have paid a hefty price. That ‘bigotgate’ moment Read more �

There are now 3 EU research projects under way to trial ‘talking’ cars, which can communicate with each other and road infrastructure such as traffic signs, lights and congestion management centres. Vehicles will receive information about hazards ahead such as congestion, accidents, oil spills, potholes, debris etc. Drivers will then be alerted by dashboard communications. Developed into prototypes by three Read more �