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The Government is planning to apply a £15 surcharge to fixed penalties. Known as a victim’s surcharge it is currently applied to more serious offences such as criminal damage or domestic violence and can only be handed out by the courts. It was introduced in 2007 as a way to contribute towards the victim support services. The recently announced plans will attach the surcharge to fixed penalties where the Read more »

As we know credit has been harder to arrange of late with some vehicle finance funders down to around a 20% acceptance rate. But if you foolishly believed that the situation would ease this year, considering the fact that bankers are again paying themselves some massive bonuses, you would be wrong! You see years ago credit card companies were credit card companies and leasing companies were either part Read more »

A few years ago I was a consultant to Yes Car Credit, a company that I hugely respected because, in many ways, they got it right! However, becoming the UK’s largest seller of used cars in about 4 years carried with it a number of problems that the UK press, as always, was eager to pounce upon. The company was selling nearly 50,000 cars per annum at the point of its demise and I would admit that the combination of Read more »

 I reported last week about the fire sale of Saab to the Chinese and my hope that the manufacturer will still continue. Well I’m pleased to advise that it looks as though the new 9-3 and 9-5 will continue as planned, great news in my opinion albeit that the future of the company is still rather sketchy. However, having just read this news I heard that Ford owned Volvo has just been bought by Chinese company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, with the sale expected to complete by mid year. The Swedes appear to be as indifferent about their car making heritage as we were in this country a few years ago when our home grown car industry collapsed. All such a shame. By Graham Hill

 RMI Petrol Retailers Association is predicting a rise in fuel of 10 pence per litre in 2010 as a result of the VAT increase and other tax increases that are already planned or likely to be introduced when a new Government is elected. Clearly using the green argument to beat drivers over the head and justify exceptional taxation increases will help them to recover the huge deficit brought about by investment Read more »

 Some more great news in my opinion, Bosch have announced that the number of new cars fitted with my favourite safety device, ESP, increased in 2009 by 3% to 59%. This is still not good enough, it should be 100%, which it will be over the next few years but as ESP is a proven lifesaver the sooner all cars are fitted with it the better. By Graham Hill

 As I recently suggested we are hearing from the car manufacturers and industry pundits that as the scrappage scheme comes to an end there will be a change in emphasis from retail car sales to fleet. Bonuses will return in order to bring fleet sales back up having dropped back by over 20% last year. Having said that I have seen no real evidence that we will have an avalanche of bonuses over the next few months but Read more »

 Britain’s roads are now the safest since 1926 with road deaths running at 2,500. In many ways this has confirmed that the Government’s Road Safety Policy has worked although some would say that public demand and safety developments carried out by vehicle manufacturers have been the biggest contributors to improved road safety. All three major political parties are now taking a careful look at how this Read more »

 The cold snap meant that, for the first time in years in the south of England, drivers were not only having to deal with driving in very snowy and icy conditions but also have had to clear large amounts of snow and ice off their bodywork and screens. In some cases I saw drivers clearing snow that had turned to ice off their car with a spade and another with a piece of wood. Whilst most were reasonably sensible and Read more »

 For years I’ve fought against those providing misleading advice on cars and car finance with many of the cons revealed in my book, An Insider Guide To Car Finance, my Friday FAQ’s and the new videos that will be launched very shortly. Having just read the same press release for the umpteenth time I’m now moved to make further comment on the announcement that Autoquake are very generously waving Read more »