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Fuel prices seem to have settled for a while but concerns have been raised about the differential between petrol and diesel. In November 2007 the difference was 2.6 pence per litre. When the cost of a barrel of oil increased to $147 in July 2008 the price differential increased to 14 pence per litre. Whilst oil prices have dropped back to less than $50 per barrel the differential between the two fuels is still at 3 times the Read more »

A company called UTAG has launched a new product for use by fleet drivers but may be made available to all drivers in the case of an emergency. The product is a computer memory stick that contains essential medical and contact information in case of a serious accident when time may be critical enabling emergency services to plug in the device and collect vital information immediately. It may possibly save Read more »

Whilst used car prices are having a negative effect on lease rates as they counter the bonuses given away by manufacturers there has been a mild glimmer of hope during January. British Car Auctions have reported on average a 6% increase in used car prices following several months of continued falls. At the same time they reported that the average price was £1,000 less this January than it was last January so the Read more »

As times become more difficult people turn to desperate measures. Fraud is therefore on the increase. I am hearing each week about many more scams being uncovered. Small used car dealers can no longer get what is known as stocking finance. In the past the dealer would buy say £500,000 worth of cars and a lender would provide the money, charging an interest of say half a percent per month secured against Read more »

As more consumers take out Personal Contract Hire and those that have Personal Contract Purchase end up with cars that are worth less than the final payment, more cars are being returned to the leasing companies at the end of the contract that must be in ‘reasonable condition for its age and mileage’. But what is reasonable? One lady wrote to me complaining that she had some unreasonable Read more »

We are entering a very strange period at the moment in the motor industry. Many manufacturers have reduced production of new cars. Some have stopped altogether for up to 4 months. This drop in production is the result of a corresponding drop in demand (sales of new cars have dropped by 30 – 40% over the last few months). So  could it be that consumers and businesses are switching from new to used cars? If Read more »

I had a great response to last Friday’s FAQ’s which will now become a regular feature. Thanks for all the kind words and sharing my liking for Hob Nobs! I like to think that I am probably the UK’s leading expert when it comes to vehicle finance and I love to over deliver to my customers and friends by providing as much information as I can to help you make the best finance decision for your circumstances. I don’t Read more »

 If you use your own car for company business or you allow employees to drive their own cars for business use Active Risk Management feel they have a solution to checking if employees are totally road legal in their own cars by providing an ongoing audit service. Employees will be issued with an online permit which will confirm whether they are eligible to drive on company business. The record will show whether the Read more »

Things are looking a bit bleak in the motor trade over here but in the US they suffered a drop of 37.1% of new car sales last month over January 2008. However, whilst their sales are dramatically down to the levels of 1992 the sales have been steady for the last 4 months which has drawn the conclusion from the various experts and manufacturers across the pond that sales have bottomed out and are set to rise as we Read more »

Tyres are on the move! Increasing in cost that is. The sudden jump in the cost of crude oil last year followed by the drop in value of sterling resulted in a continued increase in the cost of the raw materials that are used to manufacture tyres. This has meant that prices increased by 20% over recent months with the industry warning that prices will rise even further during 2009. Kwik Fit Fleet say they are expecting some Read more »