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Following on from my note explaining that Mayor Khan is trying to reduce the number of diesels driving into central London, the London Assembly is calling on Mayor Khan to do more about the daily gridlock. It is suggesting that they need to replace the daily congestion charge with a road pricing scheme.

It currently costs £11.50 per day to drive around the congestion zone area which would be replaced by charges relating to the amount of time spent in the restricted area. Subject to consultations this new scheme could be introduced as soon as 2018.

According to the Assembly traffic delays costs London’s economy £5.5 billion in 2015/16 which represents an increase of 30% compared to 2012/13. Can’t for the life of me see how they arrive at such a figure. The Assembly pointed to a similar scheme operated in Stockholm whereby you pay between £1-£3 each time you cross in or out of a central zone, with the charges increasing at peak times.

The result was a drop in traffic by 22%. The proposal is that they consider a similar scheme but also include an allowance for emissions and adjust the rates accordingly. Before you start writing into Mayor Khan there are discounts and exemptions which the Assembly intends to keep but with no plans to extend further.

If you’re a Londoner I guess you must hope that Mayor Khan doesn’t have another Trump moment and apply the new rules by the end of February! By Graham Hill

What happens to the laws being introduced by the EU after Prime Minister May has started the Brexit process by enacting Article 50? Over the next couple of years, called the transition period, the EU will impose laws on all member countries but where does it leave us as we will still be part of the EU for two years after Article 50 is passed through parliament?

Take the European Court of Justice ruling in the Vnuk case. A Slovakian man was injured when a tractor reversed into a ladder that Mr Vnuk was on. Insurers refused to pay up as the accident happened on private land so it was up to Mr Vnuk to sue the driver privately for his injuries.

His claim went through the courts and failed at eac level until it was referred to the European Court of Justice. The European Court of Justice ruled in 2014 that it was compulsory for all vehicles to have insurance, whether on the road or not, and whether used as a vehicle or machine, which should have therefore protected Mr Vnuk.

The EU’s Motor Insurance Directive states that vehicles such as lawnmowers, disability scooters and golf buggies should all carry insurance, much to the annoyance of our own insurance industry. The Government is, as a result, consulting about changes to the Road Traffic Act in order to meet the EU regulations.

Having expressed concerns regarding the cost of conforming to the EU regulations it would seem that as we are expecting to be outside the EU when the changes have been formalised the lawmakers have introduced a ‘sunset’ clause which means that changes to our current laws, as a result of this directive, can be immediately ditched the minute we Brexit. What a waste of time and money.

The question is how many more regulations will be introduced with ‘sunset’ clauses incorporated into the UK laws before we fully exit the EU? And where do we stand when European workers come into the UK to work on farms and experience similar accidents, will we need regulations to cover UK workers and others to cover EU workers and will UK workers be happy to be refused the same protection as those working in EU countries? And so my concerns about the full implications of Brexit continue. By Graham Hill

There are a great number of misunderstandings when it comes to resolving problems with garages and dealerships. You can avoid the costs of a court case by turning to an Alternative Dispute Resolution company, recommended by the Government as a way to stop courts from getting clogged up.

If you have a dispute with a dealer that you cannot resolve between yourselves you can refer your complaint to an ADR company. In fact the dealer must suggest an ADR company if they are part of a trade body. If they aren’t part of a trade body the dealer must point you in the direction of ADR but they do not have to adhere to the recommendations of the ADR company, which kinda makes the whole process a bit of a nonsense.

If they are part of a trade body the dealer must be signed up to a code of practice against which their performance is judged. I have my reservations regarding this practice, especially as the courts themselves can encourage you to go through a court appointed ADR company in order to avoid taking up court time and the possibility of you carrying the costs if your court case fails.

I just feel that a court appointed ADR service would carry more weight than an independent working with the dealership’s trade body. Time will tell if my reservations were justified. By Graham Hill

One of the great things about new cars is the quietness of them. Improved car design reduces wind resistance and wind noise. Drive a diesel car and you could be mistaken into believing that diesel engines no longer rattle, they do, but because the soundproofing is of such a high standard now, you can hardly hear the engine from inside the car.

Tyre compounds and new suspension systems reduce road noise dramatically and of course hybrids and full electric vehicles are as quiet as a mouse when operating in electric mode. The problem is that many of the changes have come about very quickly so when a driver moves from a 3 year old car to a new car the noise level drops so significantly that he or she loses all perception of speed.

The main indicators such as engine noise, road and wind noise have been all but eliminated in some cars so the fear of many safety experts is that we will see a significant increase in accidents and/or speeding tickets as a result of speeding. Having read about the latest Tesla challenging Faraday Future FF91 capable of developing over 1000 bhp out of its electric engine taking it from 0 – 60 in 2.39 seconds without making a noise, I’m very worried.

Even petrol and diesel engine’d cars pose a threat to safety. So if I or anyone else has convinced you to ditch your 5 year old car for a brand new model make sure that you acclimatise yourself to the noise levels before you start ‘opening her up’ on an A road or motorway. You don’t want to be writing your new car and/or you off in the first few weeks of taking delivery! By Graham Hill

Over the near 30 years that I have been in this industry I have seen and done many things, seen some of the most crooked activities carried out by dealers, brokers and car supermarkets, amongst others, as well as fraudulent attempts to acquire cars by crooked customers.

For many years I was an expert witness for the Crown Prosecution Service in cases of vehicle and asset finance fraud so I’ve seen most things crooked that go on in the automotive industry, some of them revolving around so called pre-registered cars and ex demonstrators.

Whilst I won’t bore you with all the fraudulent things I’ve witnessed, you’ll have to buy my upcoming book for that, I’ll share a couple of things with you as I’ve had a couple of potential clients who have recently avoided contract hiring a new car in favour of a so called pre-registered car or an ex demonstrator on HP or PCP.

First of all I should point out that it is possible to get a good deal on an ex demonstrator but it’s the luck of the draw and I’ll explain why. But let’s start with ‘pre-registered’ cars. First of all let’s be quite clear, there is no such thing as a pre-registered car in the way that it is advertised by dealers. Even the head of CAP HPI refers to pre-registered cars when referring to cars that are registered then sold when they include huge discounts. The pre-registering of highly discounted cars is an illegal act made illegal by Stephen Byers when he was Labour Trade Secretary in 2000.

He was concerned that the practice carried out by manufacturers who forced their franchised dealers to buy cars, albeit at heavily discounted prices, was skewing the new car registration figures. So as part of his Supply of New Cars Order 2000 it was made illegal to pre-register cars, here is the excerpt:

This order was made under the monopoly provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1973. It prevents new car suppliers from:

• discriminating on price between dealers and fleet buyers
• providing bonuses and discounts to dealers on pre-registered cars
• imposing on dealers restrictions on price advertising

Now let me be clear, dealers can pre-register cars but not as a result of increased incentives applied by the manufacturer on individual cars. However, some dealers and manufacturers have found a way around this. As an incentive and across the board, a dealer will be set a sales target for the month/quarter/year and he will be paid a Volume Related Bonus (VRB) by the manufacturer if he can achieve the target.

This money is paid retrospectively on all cars sold during the month, quarter or year. As the bonus is not specifically on the ‘pre-registered’ cars they kind of get around the regulations. As an example let’s say the dealer is offered a VRB of £2,000 per car provided he hits his target of 100 cars for the month. With a few days to go he has sold 90 cars and he is aware that if he doesn’t sell the 100 he will lose £200,000 VRB.

So in order to hit his target he pre-registers the 10 cars in the name of the dealership and pays his normal purchase price for the cars – keeps him onside with the Supply of New Car Order. He now factors in the £2,000 per car that he will receive as additional discount then adds in the normal discount that he would include in the deal making the car a cheap car.

I’ve heard of some dealers preregistering cars and selling them through auction just to recover a reasonable proportion of the money spent out rather than have the cars sitting on their forecourt. Whilst the above may sound like pre-registered cars are a great idea there are other, far more shady, methods used to heavily discount cars and sell as new cars even though they have already been registered. Some, not all, car supermarkets have been known to use this method as well as some dealers.

The cars are diverted from where they were intended – daily rental companies, driving schools or insurance company/bodyshop courtesy cars. When supplying cars to these companies the manufacturer uses part of his marketing budget to heavily discount cars that either get them seen on the road more or are driven by potential buyers. In my experience a daily rental company can buy cars at up to 45% off the list price with 20 – 25% being very common.

In order to get around the Supply of New Car Order dealers started to set up their own daily rental companies and bought their ‘pre-registered’ cars through the new operation at huge discounts then sell them on to buyers, having never put them out on hire, with just delivery miles on the clock, on big discounts as ‘pre-registered’. Nothing wrong with that. Of course the extra name in the log book will affect the resale value of the car – but only marginally. But this is where the 3 month rule comes in.

If you have ever bought a pre-reg. car you will sometimes be told that you won’t receive the V5 log book until after 3 months. This is because in order for a daily rental company to qualify for the extra discount they (normally) have to keep the car for a minimum of 3 months or say 5,000 miles, whichever comes first. Now if the manufacturer wants to carry out an audit the dealer needs to be able to show the auditor that he still has the car.

Whilst he may argue that the car is out on hire, so can’t be inspected, he can produce the copy of the V5, supposedly proving that he still has the car, and everyone is happy. Again, whilst this is shady, is this something that a buyer should worry about? There are also some dealers who will keep the cars in stock for 3 months to avoid this situation. But here’s the crunch. Remember that I said these cars were intended for daily rental companies and they are then supposed to be sold as used cars after 3 months?

Well, many years ago I became involved in this process. Before realising exactly what was going on, I had been arranging stocking finance for wholesalers who would arrange to buy batches of brand new cars from daily rental companies and sell on to car supermarkets for a small profit, similar procedure to the operation following the Stephen Byers order.

This allowed the car supermarkets to sell new cars at less than main dealers could buy them for. The daily rental company would order say 100 cars that would be funded by the wholesaler. The cars would be diverted, at the time of delivery, to the wholesaler who would pay the daily rental company £100 per car for their trouble – they never actually saw the cars.

However, as the cars were intended for daily rental I had calls from dealers, and one comes to mind, who would say that the manufacturer had produced a batch of cars using up old stock of parts, for sale to daily rental companies. In this particular case the interior trim was lower grade, items were missing in the car such as cup holders and front fog lights were missing, all part of the standard spec. of the model badge on the back of the car.

In return the dealer knocked off £250 per car. The wholesaler agreed but do you think he explained this to the supermarkets who were selling these cars as brand new but pre-registered cars? Of course not! It would be fine to sell the cars in their sub spec. condition to the daily rental company who were supposed to rent them out.

A customer is hardly likely to refuse a rental car because the interior trim didn’t match the manufacturer’s brochure for the model he was hiring. And of course they were to be sold as used cars at the end of the 3 months or when they had covered 5,000 miles so the buyer would be buying not a new car but a used car as seen.

There is another way that you can achieve a big discount on a ‘pre-registered’ car. When there is a new model coming out or a facelift on the current model the dealers need to make way for the new model and get rid of the old model cars so he practically sells them at cost but they don’t always tell you about the new model.

I’ve also heard of cars turning up at the customer’s house only to find that he has bought or leased an old model car when he thought he was buying the new model. So check the spec. very carefully if you are going to buy a pre-registered car – it may not turn out to be what you thought you were buying. Oh and some of the cheap lease deals are cars as illustrated above so make sure that you check the spec. meticulously.

You sometimes get what you pay for. Moving on to ex-demonstrators. There are two points to be made here. First is the discount. Demonstrators are taken by dealers not just to demonstrate the basic car. They will often have a mass of options fitted, clearly so that they can be demonstrated to potential customers.

So when they tell you that they will knock 8 grand off the list price of the car that’s the list price including the options that may still make this used car, having had multiple drivers, more expensive than the brand new car with the standard spec. which is what you were originally looking for.

Their trick is to compare the cost of the demo with the full list price of the new standard car – but you’d not have paid full list on the new car in the first place. Balance up the desire of the options and the fact that the car is used against a new car without the options and with a discount. Secondly we have perception.

When you call into a dealership and take a demonstrator out with a nice salesman beside you, toodling along at 30 mph you believe that this is the way that all ex-demonstrators have been treated. Well, let me correct that perception. Many years ago in industry as general manager in one of the UK’s most successful PLC’s, I had a fleet department report into me, responsible for around 700 vehicles.

With a fleet that size we were signed into the manufacturers’ demonstrator programmes which meant that every day transporters of brand new cars would turn up, with virtually every make of car on board, that we would have on loan for anything up to 3 months, often 2-4 weeks. I would allow our sales and service staff to use these cars. As they weren’t their own company car they would proceed to ‘burn rubber’ out of our depot and treat the cars like rallycross cars till they were returned.

As we didn’t own the cars I wasn’t worried but at that point I thought to myself I will never ever buy an ex demonstrator as I know how many of them are treated. Oh and often dealer sales staff get to use the demonstrators for personal use and I’ve seen the way they drive them away from the dealership so I strongly recommend that you give ex-demonstrators a very wide berth or you may end up spending more time waiting for repairs to be carried out than actually driving the car! By Graham Hill

One of the things I’ve never quite understood is the way that so many industries, the motor industry in particular, avoid like the plague the rights of consumers. If the rules are considered to be unfair on the providers then the industry should fight to have them changed.

Take for example personal contract purchases (PCP). Dealers try to con customers into coming out of the agreement early in order to put them into another new car. They will tell the customer that they are simply taking their old car back and allowing them to go again with a brand new car.

Nothing wrong with that you might think but they are exercising, on behalf of the customer, what is known as Voluntary Termination (VT), sections 99 & 100 of the Consumer Credit Act. This allows a customer to simply hand back anything (cars, TV’s, lounge suites, computers etc.) he has on HP or Conditional Sale after 50% of the total cost has been fully paid.

Again nothing wrong with that, it’s your legal right. However, few dealers actually explain the process properly and forget to mention that whilst exercising a VT shouldn’t affect your credit score it is noted on your credit file and could affect your ability to obtain finance in the future. Miss-selling? Only time will tell when the claims companies move into the PCP arena.

Now that process exercised by car dealers, as it seems to have a somewhat minor affect on the leasing companies that provide PCP, has become an acceptable practice as it would seem very few people exercise the VT right in order to obtain a car a little early anyway.

However, when I suggest that people who are locked into a PCP, should use VT to terminate their agreement early in order to avoid a service and MOT that is usually due just as the car is due for return at the end of a 3 year agreement, you’d think I’d turned into Satan himself! Even worse when I go on to use VT to avoid excess mileage charges.

Let’s say you have been conned by a salesman to take out an agreement based on 5,000 miles per annum, without him asking what your actual mileage is likely to be, and find that you have actually overshot the mileage allowance by 20,000 miles. It is common to find that you will be facing an end of agreement excess mileage cost of £2,000.

So I suggest that the driver VT the car to avoid the excess mileage charge because if you return the car under the VT rules there is no reference to mileage so in theory you could be 100,000 miles over the mileage allowance but as there is no mileage restriction on the VT of a PCP, as long as the car is in reasonable condition you can VT the car.

Finance companies will try to charge the excess mileage on a pro-rata basis but here’s the thing, they are abusing the law. They know that they can’t charge the excess mileage but they do it in order to frighten the driver with a court case. And that shouldn’t be allowed to happen. The lender knows the rules perfectly well but they are allowed to frighten customers into parting with cash – it’s not right! By Graham Hill

Sadly I have already started to see dealerships and some brokers trying to benefit from the ignorance of consumers and SME’s by manipulating the FCA rules to their advantage. So in this extract from my new updated book, launching in 2017, I have exposed some industry secrets, never before explained and then answered some fundamental questions about Personal Contract Purchase as to why most consumers use this product to finance their new cars and yet the vast majority of businesses use Contract Hire, a product that is also available to consumers.

I’m going to talk about, what appears to be, one of the motor industry’s great mysteries. Recent statistics, from a variety of sources, show that somewhere in the region of 85% of new cars, acquired by consumers, are financed on a Personal Contract Purchase (PCP), with less than 5% financed on Contract Hire, often referred to as a lease. But this isn’t the case with businesses who have accountants and fleet specialists to advise them on the best method to use. Around 85% of businesses acquire their cars through Contract Hire. So why should this be so?

One could argue that PCP is only available to consumers so businesses are denied this facility. Not true, it is possible, from some funders, to arrange a business Contract Purchase with a guaranteed future value, allowing the business to simply hand the car back or purchase it, at the contracted figure, at the end of the agreement, as you or I would do with a PCP. But businesses aren’t interested, for a number of reasons, the main one being cost. And as business takeup of Contract Purchase has been so low, many leasing companies have dropped it from their product range.

So if contract hire is so great for businesses why does it only account for less than 5% of new cars funded by consumers? The answer must surely be VAT as VAT is charged on the contract hire initial and monthly rentals? And as businesses can claim back 50% of the VAT this must be the reason for the high business take up? As PCP payments don’t have VAT added it must therefore be a better product for consumers? Again not strictly true. Firstly many businesses are not VAT registered so they can’t claim back the 50% of the VAT from the VAT man anyway. Secondly, the VAT man isn’t dopey, he will get his pound of flesh one way or the other.

In the case of a car, if you contract hire the car, without getting too technical, the contract hire company can claim back 100% of the VAT it pays on the new car. So a car costing £20,000 + VAT actually only costs the leasing company £20,000 because the car is a business asset that no-one in the leasing company will have use of. It applies its magic formula, allowing for the balloon payment, interest charges and admin costs and comes up with a monthly figure. The VAT man needs some money so he now insists on VAT being applied to the monthly payment. However, with a PCP, whilst the formula for calculating the monthly cost is very similar, as you will have ownership rights in the car the finance company cannot claim back the VAT on the purchase price of the vehicle. Don’t ask – it’s the rules.

So instead of making his calculations based on a purchase price of £20,000 he now has to make his calculations based on a purchase price of £24,000 (£20,000 + VAT). But here is the crunch. Included in both calculations are interest charges. In a lease the interest is calculated on the net purchase price of £20,000 whilst a PCP uses a purchase price of £24,000. So with a PCP you pay additional interest on the unrecoverable £4,000 worth of VAT. I hope you followed that but if you didn’t let me explain simply: In summary, and often contrary to advice given by car salesmen, paying VAT on the contract hire rentals is better for you than making PCP payments that effectively include VAT as well as an additional chunk of interest charge. MYTH EXPLODED!!!!!

Maybe the difference is in rate? Do consumers get charged a much higher rate than businesses making contract hire much less attractive. If you are a business user would you not expect to lease a car for less than a consumer and if you were a large company with hundreds of cars would you not expect to lease cars for less than say a sole trader or small business? Again the answer is no. Whilst one might assume this to be the case, thanks to a rather bizarre ruling, introduced by Labour Secretary of State for Trade and Industry at the time, Stephen Byers, there can be no discrimination between the terms offered to businesses of any size and to those offered to consumers.

The rule falls within the Supply of New Cars Order 2000. So that argument doesn’t stand up to scrutiny and my own experience suggests that most leasing companies operate a like for like rate system. So consumers and SME’s enjoy the same cheap rates enjoyed by some of the biggest companies in the country. Dealers may cite the VAT case and the differential between lease rates provided to consumers compared to businesses as reasons why you should opt for the wildly popular PCP but you now know the truth. Unfortunately as more consumers are convinced of the ‘advantages’ of PCP it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

The more people that take out a PCP the more that dealers can claim it to be the best product suggesting that 85% of consumers can’t all be wrong! So it’s clear to see that dealers would prefer you didn’t know the above, as the VAT implications are often part of their sales pitch. But I’m now going deeper. I’m going to take you to the dark side and expose the way that a large number of PCP users are simply led by the nose in the name of profit and are often not even offered the choice of PCH.

OK, let’s say you are a salesman working in an electronics store selling TV’s. You have two virtually identical TV’s all the same features, same size etc. For selling one TV the salesman is told he will make £30 commission but for selling the second he will be paid £100 commission. Boy will he find features in the second TV that probably haven’t even been invented yet! However many times salesmen are told to ‘treat customers fairly’ and be honest about the products and not misrepresent them, money talks. So when a salesman is incentivized to sell PCP he will of course sell PCP over HP or any other product.

The reason for the greater incentive is that the finance provider makes significantly more interest out of a PCP and as only 20% of customers ever buy their car on PCP the leasing company also stand to make a profit out of the resell of the car at the end of the contract along with any excess mileage charges and charges for repairs. First off let’s look at the shady comparison between a 3 year PCP agreement and a 3 year HP agreement and the reason why the dealer and lender prefer PCP. Your intention is to own the car at the end of the 3 years, either by paying off the final balloon payment, incorporated into the PCP, or simply paying off the whole of the HP. You are paying exactly the same APR on both agreements – this is important.

The car is a £20,000 car after you have paid the deposit. Now if you took the car on a PCP with an £8,000 final payment, also known as a balloon, the monthly payment over 3 years would be £460.45, according to an online calculator. If you add in the balloon payment you would end up paying £24,576 in total. So let’s be clear, you buy a £20,000 car after deposit on a PCP on 10% APR over 3 years and pay the balloon to own the car at the end of 3 years. If you were to take a straight HP over 3 years on 10% APR you would pay £645.34 per month which makes the total amount payable to be £23,232. So you end up paying over £1,300 more on a PCP over the same period on the same APR – That my friends is why dealers and lenders prefer you to take a PCP over an HP agreement!!! The lender makes more and in turn pays more to the dealership in commission.

I have actually been in showrooms where sales staff have said things like: ‘On a PCP you push back part of the cost to the end of the agreement. As you pay no interest on that final figure – that is the reason why the monthly costs are so low compared to HP.’ Completely wrong. The structure of the deal is such that the final balloon payment is the equivalent of an interest only loan. It is far from interest free. It’s like taking out an interest only mortgage of let’s say £200,000 over 15 years. You pay much less than a repayment mortgage per month but you still owe the £200,000 at the end of the agreement. Same principal.

Another common statement used if a customer asks about PCH is something like, ‘Contract hire is mainly for businesses, the rates are cheaper for business users and whilst businesses can claim back the VAT of course you can’t as a consumer so not only are you likely to be paying more per month in the first place you have the added burden of VAT which isn’t applied to PCP payments’. Again, as you can see from above totally misleading and completely untrue. And finally, ‘With PCP you have the choice of buying the car at the end of the agreement or you can simply hand the car back, unlike a lease where you have no choice. Added to which you will no doubt have a profit in the car at the end of the agreement which you can put down on the next car.’ Again, not strictly accurate.

With some PCH funders you have the opportunity to buy the car at the end of the lease at something around trade value but this is trade value at the end of the lease, it isn’t a pre-determined figure. As only 20% of PCP customers buy their cars at the end of the agreement it doesn’t appear to be a major benefit. And if you have a ‘profit’ at the end of the agreement it isn’t actually a profit, you have simply paid more depreciation than was necessary and you are receiving a refund of the money you have paid. Moving on to Contract Hire for consumers, known as PCH, I hear from customers constantly, after visiting dealerships, that PCH is not even offered.

This can be for a number of reasons, often the most obvious is that the salesman is not even aware of the availability of the product. And even if he is he often hasn’t been trained sufficiently to be competent enough to be able to provide you with a comprehensive guide to the product. On the other hand he may know of the product but, like the TV salesman, the incentive may not be so great for him to sell it in preference to PCP. The problem for dealerships is that generally speaking, the price they have to sell the car to their leasing company is dictated by their quoting system and is generally less than what they would sell the car for on a PCP.

The good news for consumers is that they don’t have to go through the negotiating thing, the computer system has already been geared up to your advantage. In many cases the car manufacturer provides the leasing arm with some extra bonus that wouldn’t be available when you take a PCP. It can be shocking to learn that the combined discount from the dealer and the bonus from the manufacturer can sometimes reach 45% off the retail price of the car. And it is very common for discounts of 25 – 30% to be incorporated into the contract hire rate. And here’s the thing, when you contract hire a car all that will appear on your quotes and on the agreement is the rental. No mention whatsoever of the cost of the car. But on a PCP quote and on the agreement the price of the car must be shown.

It would hardly help the sale of the used, 12 month old cars on the dealer’s forecourt if it could be seen that new cars were being sold cheaper than their 12 month old cars. Used car sales, often with more profit in, would collapse as customers learned the truth. But supply a £30,000 car on rentals of £200 + VAT per month – and it seems like a pretty good deal. The fact that a 40% discount has been built into the rate has no effect on the dealer’s used stock. Having said that, in an effort to help the franchised dealers retail more vehicles, manufacturers and the leasing companies can provide discounts in the form of: Manufacturer’s contribution, PCP contribution and Dealer Contribution but even then they won’t normally discount as much as may be achieved in a PCH. Even a discounted APR, free tank of fuel and even free service can still be considerably short of the 30% or £6,000 off a £20,000 car that can then be hidden away in a contract hire rate.

So there you have my thoughts on PCP vs PCH. I am not dismissing PCP as it can occasionally work out cheaper if the manufacturer is not giving away any extra bonus to the leasing companies but the manufacturer bonus is allowing the leasing arm to provide discounted APR on PCP agreements. It may also be convenient to pay extra per month if it results in some equity in the car at the end of the agreement. In other words, if the final payment is say £8,000 and the dealer offers £9,000 in part exchange, giving you £1,000 towards the next car. However, this is a gamble and there is always a chance that the car isn’t worth the final balloon payment. And as only 20% of cars financed on PCP are ever bought it suggests that this is rarely the case. I should also add that PCP can certainly work well on used cars, especially as you cannot usually arrange PCH on a used car.

My final thought is don’t dismiss HP if you are still hell bent on owning or at least having the option to own the car at the end of the agreement. Before the sudden surge in PCP consumers would generally use HP as their funding method of choice. They would finance the car over 5 years with no intention of keeping the car for 5 years. It was common knowledge that after 3 years you could settle the finance and for most cars you would be at the sweet spot when the settlement figure to the finance company matched the trade value of the car. It doesn’t take an accountant to realise this is pretty much what happens with a PCP. After 3 years you settle out the finance simply by handing the car back and this is the advantage of PCP if the car is worth less than the final payment, the finance company suffers the loss. With HP you may not suffer the loss, you would probably keep the car a little longer till the settlement matched the car’s value.

But here’s another revelation. Take the PCP example above on the £20,000 car with an £8,000 balloon, as you can see the monthly payment is £460.45. However, if you took out a 5 year HP on the same APR you would pay just £427.14 per month and guess what, the settlement figure at the end of 36 months is £8,135. So whilst the car salesman may rave over the benefits of PCP you may be better off with an HP agreement, in this case you would be £1,000 better off over the 3 years.

To sum up each type of finance has its place. What I’m suggesting is that when financing a new car you look at all options including HP, PCP and PCH to make sure that you are getting the best deal to suit your needs. And if you are currently looking at a used car as this is all you feel you can afford consider a new car on PCH you might be pleasantly surprised.  By Graham Hill

New Model Citroen C3 Pure Tech Petrol Feel 82 5Dr Manual

Business & Personal

Based on 24 & 36 months, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                                                                 £159 + VAT per month

6+23                                                                 £169 + VAT per month

There Is No Documentation Fee To Pay. For Personal Add VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Contract. Other Mileages Available.

Jeep Renegade 1.6 Multijet II 120 Limited & Longtitude 5Dr Manual – Limited Stock

Limited Includes: 18″ Alloys, Front & Rear Parking Sensors, Sat Nav, Leather Seats, Heated Front Seats & Steering Wheel, DAB Radio, Privacy Glass etc. 

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                           Longtitude                      £169 + VAT per month

6+35                           Limited                             £209 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

Mazda 6 Various Models 5Dr Saloon 

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                         2.2D 150ps SE Man                      £215 + VAT per month

6+35                         2.2D 150ps SE Nav Man             £223 + VAT per month

6+35                         2.2D 150ps SE-L Nav Man         £235 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available, Other Models Available

Nissan Qashqai 1.5DCi Acenta (Smart Vision) 5Dr Manual (Stock Available – Delivery By 31st December)

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                                Solid Paint                        £179 + VAT per month

6+35                                Metallic Paint                    £189 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available, Some Other Models Available

Honda Civic Various Models 5Dr 

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                         1.8i VTEC Sport Manual               £195 + VAT per month

6+35                        1.8i VTEC Sport Auto                    £205 + VAT per month

6+35                        1.4i VTEC Sport Manual               £179 + VAT per month

6+35                        1.4i VTEC SE Plus Nav Man        £187 + VAT per month

6+35                        1.6i DTEC SE Plus Nav Man        £177 + VAT per month

6+35                        1.6i DTEC Sport Manual               £167 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

Honda CRV 1.6i DTEC S & SE Plus Nav 5Dr Manual 

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 2 & 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+23                         S 2WD                               £199 + VAT per month

6+35                         SE Plus 2WD                  £209 + VAT per month

6+35                         SE Plus 4WD  160bhp £232 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available, Other Models Available

Honda HRV Various Models 5Dr

(Slightly smaller SUV than the Qashqai) 

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                                1.6i DTEC S Manual                £199 + VAT per month

6+35                                1.6i DTEC SE Manual             £219 + VAT per month

6+35                                1.6i DTEC SE Nav                  £229 + VAT per month

6+35                                1.5i VTEC S Manual                £195 + VAT per month

6+35                                1.5i VTEC SE CVT Auto         £230 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

Hyundai Tucson Blue Drive Various Models 5Dr 

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                       1.6GDi SE Nav 2WD Manual                   £199 + VAT per month

6+35                       1.7CRDi SE Nav 2WD Manual                £209 + VAT per month

6+35                       1.7CRDi SE Nav 2WD DCT Auto           £215 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

VW Touareg 3.0 262 R-Line & R-Line Plus 5Dr Auto

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                          R-Line                                 £375 + VAT per month

6+35                          R-Line Plus                       £378 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

Volvo XC90 2.0 Power Pulse AWD Momentum 5Dr Auto

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 2 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+23                                                           £429 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0 PHEV GX3h+ 5Dr Auto

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                                                           £299 + VAT per month

6+35                        Leather                    £319 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

VW Tiguan 2.0TDi 150 Various Models 5Dr  

Business & Personal

Based on 2 & 3 Year Rates, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

Please note that I have shown the cheaper rate – either 2 years or 3 years

6+23              SE Nav 2Wd Manual                                £225 + VAT per month

6+23              SE Nav 4Wd DSG Auto                            £256 + VAT per month

6+23              SEL Nav 2Wd Manual                               £247 + VAT per month

6+35              SEL Nav 4Wd DSG Auto                           £283 + VAT per month

6+35              R-Line 4Wd DSG Auto                              £317 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT. Other Mileages Available. There Is A Documentation Fee Of £199 Payable On Delivery

VW Beetle 2.0TDi 110 Design Manual 

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                      3Dr                                  £193 + VAT per month

6+35                      Cabriolet                        £226 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT. Other Mileages Available. There Is A Documentation Fee Of £199 Payable On Delivery

VW Polo Match Various Engines 5Dr Manual 

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                      1.0TSi 75PS                  £121 + VAT per month

6+35                      1.2TSi                             £131 + VAT per month

6+35                      1.4TDi 75PS                  £140 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT. Other Mileages Available. There Is A Documentation Fee Of £199 Payable On Delivery

VW Golf Various Models 5Dr  

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Year Rates, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35              1.6TDi Match Edition BMT 110 Man                        £175 + VAT per month

6+35              1.6TDi Match Edition BMT 110 DSG Auto               £184 + VAT per month

6+35              2.0TDi Match Edition BMT 150 Man                        £193 + VAT per month

6+35              2.0TDi Match Edition BMT 150 DSG Auto              £202 + VAT per month

6+35              1.4TSi Match Edition BMT 110 Man                           £184 + VAT per month

6+35              1.4TSi Match Edition BMT 110 DSG Auto                £193 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT. Other Mileages Available. There Is A Documentation Fee Of £199 Payable On Delivery

Skoda Fabia 1.0MPi 60 S 5Dr Manual 

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                                                        £98 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT. Other Mileages Available. There Is A Documentation Fee Of £199 Payable On Delivery

Skoda Yeti Outdoor 5Dr Manual

L&K Includes: Sat Nav, Heated Leather Seats, Alloys, Power Folding Mirrors, Park Assist, Headlamp Washer etc.  

Business & Personal

Based on 2 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+23               1.4TSi 4×4 L&K                                    £157 + VAT per month

6+23               1.2TSi SE                                                £132 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT. Other Mileages Available. There Is A Documentation Fee Of £199 Payable On Delivery

Skoda Superb 2.0TDi CR SE Tech 5Dr Hatch & Estate Manual & Auto

Business & Personal

Based on 2 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+23                      Hatch                                     £176 + VAT per month

6+23                      Estate                                    £171 + VAT per month

6+23                      Hatch Auto                          £194 + VAT per month

6+23                      Estate Auto                         £194 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT. Other Mileages Available. There Is A Documentation Fee Of £199 Payable On Delivery

 Seat Ibiza 1.0 S A/C & SE Tech 5Dr Hatch Manual

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                1.0 SE Tech 5Dr                                         £109 + VAT per month

6+35                1.0 S A/C 5Dr Hatch                                    £99 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT. Other Mileages Available. There Is A Documentation Fee Of £199 Payable On Delivery

Seat Leon 1.6TDi SE Dynamic Tech 5Dr Manual 

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                                                                 £165 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT. Other Mileages Available. There Is A Documentation Fee Of £199 Payable On Delivery

Seat Leon 2.0TDi SE X-Perience AWD 5Dr Estate Manual

Very Cheap 4 WD Car For The Winter 

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                                                                 £179 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT. Other Mileages Available. There Is A Documentation Fee Of £199 Payable On Delivery

Seat Ateca 5Dr Manual

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                                1.6TDi SE 2WD                                 £199 + VAT per month

6+35                                2.0TDi Excellence AWD                £255 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT. Other Mileages Available. There Is A Documentation Fee Of £199 Payable On Delivery

Range Rover Sport 3.0SDV6 306 HSE 5Dr Auto

Business & Personal

Based on 36 & 48 months, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+47                                                                 £575 + VAT per month

6+35                                                                 £629 + VAT per month

There Is No Documentation Fee To Pay. For Personal Add VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Contract. Other Mileages Available. Factory Order – Feb 2017 Delivery

Mercedes GLC 4Matic 4WD 5Dr SUV 9G Tronic Auto – Various Models In Metallic Paint in Stock – More Cars Released

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                       220d Sport                                     £352 + VAT per month

6+35                       220d AMG Line                              £375 + VAT per month

6+35                       220d Sport Premium Plus         £375 + VAT per month

6+35                       250d AMG Line                             £375 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT To The Personal Rate, Road Fund Licence Included For Contract Term Other Mileages Available & Various Colours

Audi A4 Various Models Saloon & Avant 12 weeks delivery factory order

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                        1.4TFSi SE Manual Sal                   £229 + VAT per month

6+35                        1.4TFSi SE Manual Avant              £245 + VAT per month

6+35                        1.4TFSi Sport Manual Sal              £229 + VAT per month

6+35                        1.4TFSi Sport Manual Avant          £251 + VAT per month

6+35                        2.0TDi 150 SE Ult Man Sal              £255 + VAT per month

6+35                        2.0TDi 150 SE Ult Man Avant         £269 + VAT per month

6+35                        2.0TDi 150 SE Ult Auto Sal             £279 + VAT per month

6+35                        2.0TDi 150 SE Ult Auto Avant        £295 + VAT per month

6+23               3.0 V6TDi Quattro 218 S-Line 7Sp Sal  £325 + VAT per month

6+23               3.0 V6TDi Quattro 272 S-Line 8Sp Sal £349 + VAT per month

Many More Models Available – Please Contact Me

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

BMW i3 eDrive Electric 94AH Auto 5Dr + Metallic

Business Only

Based on 2 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+23                                                                    £269 + VAT per month

Business Only, Road Fund Licence Included For Contract Term Other Mileages Available

All New – Volvo S90 Various Models 5Dr Inc Metallic Paint 

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                       D4 190 Momentum Auto                           £319 + VAT per month

6+35                       D4 190 R-Design Auto                                £345 + VAT per month

6+35                       D4 190 Inscription Auto                             £355 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Contract Term Other Models & Mileages Available

Hyundai i30CRDi 110 5Dr + Metallic

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                                    SE Manual                      £169 + VAT per month

6+35                                    SE Nav Manual             £189 + VAT per month

6+35                                    SE Auto                          £189 + VAT per month

6+35                                    SE Nav Auto                 £205 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available, 2 Year Rates A Little Higher

Seat Leon 1.6TDi SE Dynamic Tech 5Dr Manual Inc Metallic

Sat Nav, Bluetooth, 17″ Alloys, Rear Parking Sensors

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 2 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+23                                                                      £150 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

Audi Q5 2.0TDi 190 Quattro S-Line Plus 5Dr S-Tronic + Metallic + Hill Start Assist + Elec. Fold Mirrors(Limited stock available, some with other extras – current model)

Business & Personal

Based on 24 & 36 months, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+23                                                                 £327 + VAT per month

6+35                                                                 £334 + VAT per month

There Is No Documentation Fee To Pay. For Personal Add VAT To The Personal Rate, Road Fund Licence Included For Contract Term Other Mileages Available. Some Cars Have Additional Extras Fitted

NEW Peugeot 2008 1.6 BlueHD 100 Allure 5Dr Inc Metallic

Half Leather, Bluetooth, Rear Parking Aid

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                                                                      £179 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

Mercedes CLA Sport 5Dr Shooting Brake – Including Metallic & Panoramic Sunroof

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 2 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+23                                    200D Manual                   £245 + VAT per month

6+23                                    220D Auto                       £275 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

Jaguar XF 2.0D 180 R-Sport 4Dr Auto + Metallic Paint

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                                                                            £295 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT To The Personal Rate, Road Fund Licence Included For Contract Term Other Mileages Available & Various Colours – Factory Order – 8 Week Delivery

Mercedes C Class Various Models 4Dr Saloon + Metallic (Cars In Stock)

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                        220d SE Auto                           £269 + VAT per month

6+35                        200d AMG Line Auto            £309 + VAT per month

6+35                        220d Sport Auto                     £309 + VAT per month

For Personal Add £10 + VAT To The Rates, Road Fund Licence Included For Year 1, You Pay For Year 2 & 3. Other Mileages Available & Other Models – Some With Extras

Kia Sportage Various Models 5Dr Inc Metallic Paint

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                       1.6GDi Petrol 1 2WD Man                                 £189 + VAT per month

6+35                       1.6GDi Petrol 2 2WD Man                                 £215 + VAT per month

6+35                       1.6T GDi GT-Line 4WD Man                             £239 + VAT per month

6+35                       1.6T GDi GT-Line 4WD Auto                             £253 + VAT per month

6+35                       1.7CRDi Dsl ISG 1 2WD Man                            £195 + VAT per month

6+35                       1.7CRDi Dsl ISG 2 2WD Man                            £209 + VAT per month

6+35                       2.0CRDi Dsl KX1 4WD Man                             £219 + VAT per month

6+35                       2.0CRDi Dsl KX2 4WD Man                             £239 + VAT per month

6+35                       2.0CRDi Dsl KX2 4WD Auto                             £255 + VAT per month

6+35                       2.0CRDi Dsl GT-Line 4WD Man                       £242 + VAT per month

6+35                       2.0CRDi Dsl GT-Line 4WD Auto                      £259 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT To The Personal Rate, Road Fund Licence Included For Contract Term Other Mileages Available & Other Models Also Available

Volvo XC60 D4 Various Models 2WD 5Dr Inc Metallic Paint 

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                        R Design Nav Man.                            £279 + VAT per month

6+35                        SE Nav (Leather) Auto                       £289 + VAT per month

6+35                        R Design Nav 190 Auto                      £299 + VAT per month

6+35                        SE Lux Nav Man.                                 £305 + VAT per month

6+35                        R Design Lux Nav Man.                     £309 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Contract Term Other Models & Mileages Available

Renault Kadjar Various Models Nav 5Dr Manual inc Metallic 

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                  Dynamique Nav TCe 130                 £215 + VAT per month

6+35                  Dynamique S Nav TCe 130              £220 + VAT per month

6+35                  Dynamique Nav DCi 110                   £219 + VAT per month

6+35                  Dynamique S Nav DCi 110                £225 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

Renault Captur Various Models Nav 5Dr Manual inc Metallic 

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                  Dynamique Nav TCe 90                 £179 + VAT per month

6+35                  Dynamique S Nav TCe 90              £192 + VAT per month

6+35                  Dynamique Nav DCi 90                   £195 + VAT per month

6+35                  Dynamique S Nav DCi 90                £204 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available
 

Mercedes GLA 200D SE & AMG Line 2WD 5Dr (Cars In Stock – Very Limited)

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 2 & 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+23                                    SE Manual Metallic                     £249 + VAT per month

6+23                                    AMG Line Manual Metallic        £259 + VAT per month

6+23                                    AMG Line Auto Metallic             £279 + VAT per month

6+35                                    AMG Line Auto Metallic             £265 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

Mercedes A45 AMG 4Matic Auto (Cars In Stock) (OTR £41,000)

Business & Personal

Based on 2 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+23                        From                                £389 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT To The Figures, Road Fund Licence Included For Year 1, You Pay For Year 2. Other Mileages Available & Other Models – Some With Extras

Mercedes C63 AMG Auto + Carbon Fibre Trim + Premium Pack

Business & Personal

Based on 2 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+23                                                                £609 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT To The Figures, Road Fund Licence Included For Year 1, You Pay For Year 2. Other Mileages Available & Other Models – Some With Extras

Volvo V40 T2 Petrol & D2 Diesel 5Dr Estate Manual 

Business & Personal

Based on 3 Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+35                        T2 Momentum                     £179 + VAT per month

6+35                        D2 Momentum                     £209 + VAT per month

6+35                        T2 R-Design                         £199 + VAT per month

6+35                        D2 R-Design                        £227 + VAT per month

6+35                        T2 R-Design Nav Plus         £205 + VAT per month

For Personal Add VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Contract Term Other Models & Mileages Available

Citroen C1 Puretech 82HP Flair 5Dr Manual (Stock Available)

Business & Personal Rates

Based on 2 & 3Years, 10,000 miles per annum, No Maintenance Included

6+23                                                                      £125 + VAT per month

6+35                                                                      £115 + VAT per month

For Personal Please Add The VAT, Road Fund Licence Included For Period Of Lease. Other Mileages Available

If, like me, you are worried about the damage that pollution is doing to our environment and to the health of our children then Brexit carries with it some additional concerns. The Government has lost a legal battle in the High Court against environmental campaigners over pollution levels and now have to take action by drawing up more ambitious plans to reduce emissions.

The ruling by the High Court was the result of an appeal by the Government over a Supreme Court ruling in favour of environmental lawyers, ClientEarth who successfully argued that the Government had continually failed to tackle the national air pollution crisis.

Mr Justice Garnham, presiding over the High Court case, said that the Government had continually failed to take steps to bring the UK into compliance with European pollution laws, and that they should take steps, as soon as possible, to correct the situation. However, this is fine whilst we are within the EU but when we are outside will the Government be as keen as the Europeans to keep pollution under control?

I somehow have my doubts which must be a worry to those of us who believe, unlike president elect Trump, that humans are the biggest contributors to the high pollution levels we see around the world, through the poorly controlled burning of fossil fuels. What a doughnut! By Graham Hill