The Best Car Finance Blog In The World

Up to 800 Shell electric vehicle (EV) charging points will be installed in as many as 100 Waitrose shops across the UK by 2025.

Each site is expected to have six 22kW and two 50kW rapid charging points so customers can charge their vehicles while they shop.

The first charge points are expected to go live early next year and will represent Shell Recharge’s first move into ‘destination charging’, whereby customers charge their vehicle while it is parked at a location they are primarily visiting for another activity such as shopping.

Shell’s ambition is to grow its Shell Recharge-branded network to 5,000 charge points on forecourts and other locations by 2025.

Bernadette Williamson, general manager Shell UK Retail, said: “This is great news for EV drivers across the UK, knowing they can easily, quickly and reliably charge up at Shell charge points while shopping at Waitrose.

“We want to make EV charging as hassle-free as possible and support our customers wherever they want to charge.”

Waitrose executive director, James Bailey, added: “We’re delighted to bring our customers 800 new charging points for electric vehicles, including new rapid charging capabilities, as the UK moves more and more towards a sustainable transport network.”

The charge point deal comes as a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation has found that some areas of the development of the UK’s charging infrastructure are facing problems which will hinder the roll-out of electric vehicles (EVs). 

It says that this could impact the Government’s plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and its wider commitment to make the UK net zero by 2050. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Transport for London (TfL) has invested in 50 new cameras to enforce banned turns, bus lanes, yellow box junctions and weight restrictions.

The cameras, which can be moved around the road network to where they are most needed, can be adapted for each new location.

A trial of the cameras carried out in 2020 saw an improvement in compliance of up to 60% in six months, says TfL.

The ability to relocate the cameras also means that they can be used to target non-compliance ‘hot-spots’. This capability ensures that TfL can target junctions with the most dangerous driver behaviour and can remove cameras from locations where enforcement activity has been successful in cutting danger and making drivers’ behaviour safer, it said.

Improving enforcement at junctions on the TfL road network will also help to cut congestion on the capital’s roads, by keeping junctions clear and ensuring traffic can move through them as intended.

A contract has been awarded to P Ducker Systems (PDS) for the new enforcement cameras.

Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said: “Most collisions on London’s roads happen at junctions and it’s absolutely vital for everybody’s safety that we can enforce effectively against the minority of drivers who break the rules.

“We’re determined to meet our Vision Zero goal of eliminating death and serious injury and our partnership with PDS to deliver these innovative new cameras will give us much-needed extra capability to tackle danger hot-spots on our road network.

“We’ll be closely monitoring the success of this new technology and will continue to work closely with the police and others to keep our road network safe, efficient and sustainable for everybody in the capital.”

The new cameras will be introduced to the TfL road network from this autumn and it will be closely monitoring how successful the cameras have been at cutting road danger, reducing congestion and improving bus journey reliability.

All money recovered by drivers being penalised is reinvested in maintaining a safe and efficient road network for everyone travelling in the capital, it said.

The cameras will be used for enforcement of civil traffic rules only and will be fully compliant with data protection legislation. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Used car values continue to outstrip expectations by a significant margin, with the market expected to remain bouyant over the coming months.

Figures from Cap HPI, published earlier this month, showed that, on average, trade prices for used cars have increased by £1,700 or 13.5% in the past three months.

Now, new data from BCA shows that average used car values at the auction house rose above £9,000 for the first time on record in June.

It reports average used car values rose by £835 month-on-month, equivalent to a 10% increase and averaging around 3% ahead of guide values.

The acceleration of price rises had showed some signs of easing towards the end of June, but the July market has continued the trend of steady improvements seen over the past few months.

Stuart Pearson, chief operating officer, said: “There is no doubt that the used car sector has seen some exceptional price movements this year, in the main fuelled by extraordinary levels of demand for the right vehicles.”

He continued: “Whilst there will always be some nervousness in a market that continues to rise, based on BCA’s current intelligence, it would seem highly unlikely that any significant changes will occur over the next few months.”

Premium used cars most in demand

Aston Barclay has revealed its latest Used Car Desirability Index for July, which highlights premium SUVs and used sports cars are the most in-demand stock across both its physical and online auction channels.

Its data takes into consideration three key metrics: web views prior to sale, number of physical and online bids per sale, and the sale price achieved as a percentage of CAP average.

The BMW 7-series and BMW M4 tied for first place with the Mercedes S-Class and Range Rover Velar close behind.

This is the first month where no full electric cars have made the top 25, previously Tesla had made the June list, while the Lexus NX was the only hybrid on the list.

In July, 19 out of the top 25 places were taken up by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Jaguar, Range Rover and Lexus. Higher end SUVs and sports cars are most sought after, as the new car supply challenges caused by the semiconductor shortage have increased used car demand.

The Fiat 500C, the Suzuki Jimny and the Skoda Yeti reflects the high demand at the lower price end of the market for cars that are in short supply.

Martin Potter, Aston Barclay’s managing director – customer, said: “Our latest index highlights the current demand for premium vehicles.

“At this end of the market consumers do not want to wait long periods for a new car to arrive so they have switched their attention to the used market to source their next car. This has meant many dealers are competing for the same make and model of car which continues to push up prices.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Tesla will enable cars from other manufacturers to use its Supercharger network later this year, according to Elon Musk.

The company’s CEO made the announcement on Twitter, but no further details of the arrangement have been outlined.

His tweet said: “we’re making our Supercharger network open to other EVs later this year.”

Currently the Tesla Supercharger Network is available exclusively to Tesla drivers, meaning units in the UK do not have to meet the Government’s requirements for ad-hoc access to public charging.

The Supercharger points provide up to 250kW of charging power, but would require users of non-Tesla vehicles to use a socket adapter for compatibility. There are currently 600 charge points in the network.

Telsa’s Supercharger network was found to be the nation’s favourite in a recent poll by What Car?

Users rated it very highly for reliability, charging speed, ease of payment and value for money, giving it an overall score of 89.8%.

Drivers of other electric vehicles told What Car? that the Instavolt network was their preferred public charger. It achieved an overall score of 81.2% and was the top scoring network for reliability with 92.6%.

Gridserve’s Electric Highway gained the highest score of 74.9% for location, the motorway network was rated worst for reliability, scoring just 23.7%. This network was previously operated by Ecotricity and has only recently been taken over by Gridserve, which has promised to revamp every location by the end of this year.  

Steve Huntingford, editor, What Car?, said: “Our investigation highlights the significant differences between electric car public charging networks. Those that offer the fastest charging speeds are not necessarily the best to use, and some of the most affordable can also be the most inaccessible. As more people switch to EVs the demand for public chargers will increase, and EV owners really do need to shop around to find the best charging solutions.”

When it comes to charging speed, Tesla took the lead and scored 95.5%, followed closely by Ionity with 95.3% – both providers offer charging speeds of above 200kW.

Tesla’s flat charging fee of 28p per kWh helped it gain the best score for value for money, too, whereas Ionity’s 69p per kWh charge earned it a rating of just 19.5%, the worst in What Car?’s data. 

The easiest networks to use were those that allowed drivers to tap and pay and didn’t require them to register, while those with glitchy apps, lengthy sign-up processes or a requirement to use a physical charging card to activate a charge point were rated down in this area. Worst of all was Charge Place Scotland, which has a complex registration process and took 10 days to send out a charging card, without which you can’t access the network.

However, it was Charge Your Car that came last overall because its charge points were deemed unreliable and in What Car?’s experience were frequently blocked by other vehicles because they were at the roadside with no dedicated electric car bays. It scored just 26.6% for reliability and 34.4% for location, and managed only 43.5% overall.

What Car? charge point survey results:

Company	Reliability	Location	Charging speed	Value for money	Ease of payment	Overall score
1 Tesla	83.7%	74.3%	95.5%	95.5%	100%	89.8%
2 Instavolt	92.6%	63.5%	79.0%	71.0%	100%	81.2%
3 Osprey	80.6%	71.3%	61.7%	69.8%	100%	76.7%
4 Shell Recharge	75.0%	53.5%	91.7%	57.5%	100%	75.5%
5 Pod Point	70.3%	69.9%	54.7%	93.0%	70.0%	71.6%
6 Gridserve Electric Highway	23.7%	74.9%	84.6%	67.6%	100%	70.2%
7 BP Pulse	36.9%	45.0%	87.2%	52.0%	100%	64.2%
8 Ionity	60.6%	61.4%	95.3%	19.5%	70.0%	61.4%
9 Engie	53.8%	54.5%	59.5%	91.9%	40.0%	59.9%
10 Charge Place Scotland	55.0%	63.7%	60.5%	90.9%	20.0%	58.0%
11 GeniePoint	58.5%	34.6%	55.0%	70.8%	70.0%	57.8%
12 Charge Your Car	26.6%	34.4%	49.2%	67.2%	40.0%	43.5%

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Stellantis, owners of Vauxhall has outlined a £25 billion electrification strategy, which includes switching Vauxhall to an EV-only brand by 2028.

The automotive group, which owns 14 car brands, has set a target for electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) to account for 70% of its European sales by 2030.

It plans to secure five battery factories across Europe and North America and says it will reduce the cost of batteries by 60% by 2030.

The Company is also targeting for the total cost of ownership of EVs to be equivalent to internal combustion engine vehicles by 2026.

Four platforms form the backbone of the electrified vehicles from all Stellantis brands. The platforms are said to provide a high level of flexibility, both in length and width, and component sharing.

Alongside the Small, Medium and Large car platforms will be one dedicated for commercial vehicles, such as vans an pick-ups.

The platforms can be paired with a family of three electric motors, offering varied configurations including front- rear- and all-wheel-drive, plus plug-in hybrid.

Battery packs will range from 37kWh up to 200kWh and offer between 300-500 miles of driving range, with the charging ability to add 20 miles per minute.

“Our electrification journey is quite possibly the most important brick to lay as we start to reveal the future of Stellantis just six months after its birth, and now the entire company is in full execution mode to exceed every customer’s expectations and accelerate our role in redefining the way the world moves,” said Carlos Tavares.

“We have the scale, the skills, the spirit and the sustainability to achieve double-digit Adjusted Operating Income margins, lead the industry with benchmark efficiencies and deliver electrified vehicles that ignite passion.” By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Petrol prices have soared in the last eight months to reach an eight-year high of 132.19p per litre, according to data from RAC Fuel Watch.

Since November 2020, it shows the price of a litre of unleaded has risen by 18p – boosting the price of filling the average car by £10.

Diesel has also reached a two-year high, costing 134.32p per litre on average.

In June alone, a litre of unleaded rose by 2.7p, while diesel went up 2.5p.The rises were driven by a 10% increase in the cost of oil, which now stands at $76.12 per barrel.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams, said: “June proved to be a shocking month for drivers with not just the eighth straight monthly rise at the pumps, but a return to 132p a litre petrol –something we haven’t seen since October 2013.

“And if an 18p a litre hike in cost over eight months isn’t bad enough it’s hard to see the increases coming to an end as the price of oil seems to be going up and up, with $6 being added to a barrel in June alone.

“Compared a year ago oil is now $35 more expensive. What’s even more worrying is that some analysts are predicting an oil deficit by the end of the year, which could mean further relentless price rises in the coming months.”

The average price of unleaded at the country’s four big supermarkets now stands at 128.17p after going up 3.3p in a month. Diesel is 130.25p after a rise of 2.91p. This makes a tank of supermarket fuel on average £2.20 cheaper than at other forecourts.

Regional pump prices compared:

Unleaded	01/06/2021	30/06/2021	Change
UK average	129.52	132.19	2.67
East	129.91	132.60	2.69
East Midlands	128.96	131.46	2.5
London	130.88	133.53	2.65
North East	128.37	130.90	2.53
North West	128.94	131.83	2.89
Northern Ireland	125.04	128.52	3.48
Scotland	129.15	132.18	3.03
South East	130.51	133.21	2.7
South West	129.88	132.57	2.69
Wales	128.57	131.24	2.67
West Midlands	129.45	131.99	2.54
Yorkshire And The Humber	128.57	131.29	2.72

Diesel	01/06/2021	30/06/2021	Change
UK average	131.79	134.32	2.53
East	132.54	134.96	2.42
East Midlands	131.51	134.07	2.56
London	133.10	135.35	2.25
North East	130.44	133.02	2.58
North West	131.21	133.99	2.78
Northern Ireland	127.53	130.21	2.68
Scotland	131.43	134.22	2.79
South East	132.99	135.48	2.49
South West	132.11	134.70	2.59
Wales	130.82	133.42	2.6
West Midlands	131.70	134.32	2.62
Yorkshire And The Humber	131.21	133.73	2.52

 By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Public charge points are currently outnumbered three-to-one by home units, with 80% of all charging sessions taking place at residential addresses.

But it is the public charging network which will, arguably, have a more important role in the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).

This is, primarily, for two reasons. Around 40% of households do not have off-street parking, while the availability and reliability of public charge points is also critical to build consumer confidence.

This was highlighted in the latest Department for Transport (DfT) Transport and Technology Public Attitudes Tracker report, which cited worries around charging infrastructure as the biggest disadvantage to EVs.

“People might only have to charge their EVs once or twice a week, but they still want it to be convenient and it is still a big barrier for people in terms of thinking ‘how am I going to charge?’, ‘what am I going to do?,” says Natasha Robinson, head of Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).

“We’ve looked to help move that market through our infrastructure schemes, but this is definitely an area we’re looking for a more accelerated timetable.”

In recognition of the need to increase the public charging network, the Government announced £1.3 billion of funding to grow it in its November spending review:

• £950 million to support the rollout of rapid EV charging hubs at every service station on England’s motorways and major A-roads.
• £275m to extend support for charge point installation at homes, workplaces and on-street locations, while reforming these schemes so they target difficult parts of the market such as leaseholders and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
• £90m to fund local EV charging infrastructure to support the roll-out of larger on-street charging schemes and rapid hubs in England.

The DfT’s latest Electric Vehicle Charging Device Statistic report found the number of public charge points had increased 18% in the past year to 19,487, with 3,530 of those being rapid devices.

The report says there is an uneven geographical distribution of charging devices within the UK, with fewer charge points in rural or remote areas.

London has the highest level of charging device provision per 100,000 of population with 63, while Northern Ireland is lowest with 17. The UK average is 29 per 100,000 people.

The locations of public charge points are split into three segments: destination, transit and on-street.

Here we look at what these segments are and some of the developments within them.

Destination

‘Destination’ charge points are found at locations where people go to for a reason other than to charge their EV, such as supermarkets, shopping centres, cinemas or restaurants.

The charge points are often installed by businesses to provide an additional benefit or incentive to customers, says John Murray, head of EVs at energy research and consultancy company Delta-EE, and the length of stay is typically 30-to-60 minutes.

“We expect this segment to continue to be led by standard-speed (22kW or less) chargers, with some rapids (22-100kW), and only a small number of high-power chargers (100kW or more),” Murray adds.

This certainly seems to be the current trend, with numerous retailers and restaurants announcing partnerships to install charge points at their sites for customer use.

One of the earliest major announcements came from a partnership of Tesco, Volkswagen and PodPoint and this will see more than 2,400 EV charging bays introduced across 600 Tesco stores by the end of this year.

The bulk of these will be 7kW chargers, while some sites will also offer 22kW and 50kW units.

Other supermarkets are following suit. In the summer, Aldi announced it was partnering with NewMotion to provide charge points at all new store locations, adding 140 chargers to the UK public charging network over the next three years.

These will support charging speeds of up to 22kW, with Fritz Walleczek, managing director of corporate responsibility at Aldi UK, saying this will ensure the retailer’s EV charging infrastructure is future-proofed to accommodate newer EV models that will have bigger battery sizes and support greater charging speeds.

Restaurant chains are another obvious location for charge points, allowing customers to top-up EVs while they eat (in a post-coronavirus world).

Marstons Inns and Taverns has, so far, had 400 50kW chargers installed at 200 of its sites by Engenie, and says these can provide customers with up to 75-100 miles of charge in 30 minutes (assuming the EV is capable of pulling that charge capacity).

Further examples of how restaurants are embracing the technology came last summer when McDonald’s and KFC both announced partnerships with InstaVolt.

McDonald’s will introduce 125kW charging points at both new and existing Drive Thru restaurants within the McDonald’s estate where they can be accommodated.

Its first charge point went live at its restaurant in Port Talbot, Wales, last month (December) as the first step in the business’s ambition to have more EV charging points than any other company in the UK and Ireland.

“With more than 1,300 restaurants, our ambition would mean you would never be far from a charging point,” says Paul Pomroy, CEO of McDonald’s UK and Ireland.

“Drivers will be able to pop in for a coffee or a meal and get an 80% charge in 20 minutes. We are known for speed and convenience, and this partnership with InstaVolt will provide just that for EV drivers.”

InstaVolt’s deal with KFC will see rapid chargers installed at up to 450 KFC drive-through restaurants. It already has chargers at KFCs in Sheffield, Nottingham, Rotherham and Crewe.

Transit

The ‘transit’ segment refers to charge points at locations where the primary reason for the visit is to charge an EV, similar to the current petrol and diesel forecourt model.

At the moment, these account for less than 1% of the UK’s charge points and this proportion is likely to be similar in 2030, says Murray.

However, the proportion of the actual electricity they will charge EVs with will be around 20% of the UK’s total in 2030 due to their higher power than other charge points and increased utilisation.

“We expect a greater reliance on transit charging, similar to the forecourt model we see today for refuelling ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles,” says Murray.

The Government has been looking at this sector in “quite a lot of detail over the past 12-to-18 months”, says OZEV’s Robinson.

“By 2035, we expect to see around 6,000 high-powered charge points across the motorway and A-road network,” she adds. “We’re working hard with others, such as Highways England, Ofgem, the DNOs (distribution network operators) and National Grid, to make sure we’re getting our motorway network ready for mass uptake.

“We want to ensure there is a good experience for the drivers and also, critically, for fleets, which have slightly different needs and requirements of the charging infrastructure network.”

As well as drivers who do long journeys, transit charging will appeal to those who either do not have access to a home charger or on-street charging, or just want the convenience of a fast top-up.

An example of a transit charging facility is BP’s Hammersmith Flyover site, which features four 150kW chargers and one 50kW unit.

“We believe Hammersmith Flyover is the most-visited public charging destination in the UK, recently charging an average of 115 vehicles each day with more than 2,000kWh of energy,” says Matteo de Renzi, CEO of BP Pulse.

“Ultra-fast is the new frontier of public charging, with even the latest generation of small electric cars offering 100kW charging speeds, and it is as important to private motorists without off-street parking as it is to drivers with higher mileage needs.”

Like BP, Shell is one of the fuel suppliers also installing charge points on existing forecourts.

It plans to have a combination of 200 50kW and 150kW chargers on forecourts located on major routes across the UK, in addition to a network of chargers available on local roads.

A new entrant in this sector is Gridserve, which plans to build 100 Electric Forecourts in the UK in the next five years as part of a £1bn programme.

It opened its first one in Braintree last month and this enables 36 vehicles to be charged at the same time at speeds up to 350kW.

Electricity is generated from both solar power canopies above the chargers and a network of hybrid solar farms, also operated by Gridserve.

The Electric Forecourt blurs the line between transit and destination segments, as it includes a retail space hosting partners including WH Smith Travel, Costa Coffee, Booths and the Post Office. It also has a waiting lounge, washrooms, dedicated children’s area and business meeting rooms.

On-street

As the term suggests, ‘on-street’ charge points are found on roads or near homes, typically for the estimated 40% to 50% of UK households that do not have access to off-street car parking.

“We’ve got to support this area with our on-street residential scheme,” says Robinson. “This provides funding for local authorities to put in 7kW to 22kW charge points in locations that people can access so it unlocks the option of having an EV.”

The deployment of on-street charge points faces a number of difficulties, including costs for providers to install as well as practical constraints in space and capacity to meet likely demand.

“There are already concerns about the impact of existing chargers to the streetscape: they’re large, can be loud and often unsightly,” says Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO of Connected Kerb.

“Instead of constructing another mammoth-sized thing to plonk on the footpath and inconvenience all parents with prams out for an evening stroll, how about utilising posts and bollards that have been inconveniencing people for years which they have already learned to live with?”

Connected Kerb develops charge points which can be attached to signposts or other existing street furniture.

Some companies are developing solutions which will allow lampposts to be used to charge EVs.

Chargy, for example, became the first company to install lamppost charge points in London in 2018 in a deal with Southwark Council, while last year Siemens and Ubitricity began installing them in Richmond-upon-Thames.

“The standard lamppost is connected to a 25-amp supply,” says Richard Stobart, CEO of Chargy. “If it has gone across to LED lighting, that leaves 24 amps for charging cars.

“You will be able to get around 20 miles of driving for every hour of lamppost charging.”

In March last year, Westminster City Council teamed up with Siemens and Ubitricity to unveil the UK’s first converted lamppost charging street: Sutherland Avenue, Maida Vale, W9, which the local authority has dubbed ‘Electric Avenue, W9’.

Residents can charge their EVs at 24 lampposts at various locations along the street.

“While we cannot solve the challenge of air quality overnight, Electric Avenue W9 is an important showcase of what’s possible using existing city infrastructure,” says Cedrik Neike, CEO of Siemens Smart Infrastructure. “It illustrates how residential streets will look in the near future and accelerates the shift to zero emission vehicles.”

Another potential on-street charging solution is the app-operated pop-up charger, which sits flush to the pavement when not in use, extending only when it is needed.

Oxford became the first city in the world to trial this technology after its city council and charge point developer Urban Electric were awarded £474,000 funding through Innovate UK.

The trial ran from September 2019 to the end of February 2020 and was a success, says the council.

“Resident satisfaction and utilisation was very high and all project partners learned a great deal about the possibilities of the technology,” it adds.

The technology is being deployed in Dundee as part of a £3.8m trial, jointly funded by OLEZ (Office for Low Emission Vehicles) and Innovate UK.

“I think is a really exciting development and I think it will increase the resident charging across many cities in the UK,” says Fraser Crichton, fleet manager for Dundee City Council.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Used car trade values are continuing an “unparalleled shift upwards”, according to Cap HPI.

The data provider’s daily Live trade values show that, on average, trade prices for used cars have increased by £1,700 or 13.5% in the last three months.

Younger cars, up to one-year old, have seen rises of £2,500 in the same period.

In June alone, the average used car price was up 4.8%.

“Consumer demand has remained very strong in June, despite half-term, great weather, and Euro 2020 to distract people.

“With stock-turn high, this has led to retailers requiring a constant supply of cars to replenish their forecourts,” said Derren Martin, head of valuations at Cap HPI.

“Well-documented new car supply issues resulting from several component shortages, have led to fewer fleet returns and part exchanges. This has caused demand to outweigh supply for the third month running,” he added.

Every sector and fuel-type has seen values increase in May. Examples of some volume models from across various sectors that have increased in value at the 3-year, 60,000-mile point are Ford Fiesta (+6% or £500), BMW 1-Series Diesel (+7% or £850), Hyundai Tucson (+10% or £1,150) and Vauxhall Zafira (+9% or £750).

Martin concluded that even if demand dips from its current levels, supply is still going to be lower than normal for some time yet.

He said: “With new cars being in such short supply and likely to continue to be so for at least the next quarter, there is no bow wave of fleet returns coming through. One million less cars have been registered than would reasonably have been forecast over the last 18 months. These cars are lost to the used car market. It will be a while before supply outweighs demand again.” By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

New tyre label regulations from the EU are expected to be introduced in the UK before the end of the year.

The new rules, which are designed to improve awareness of tyre characteristics, were introduced in Ireland and Northern Ireland on May 1.

The new EU tyre label must be applied to heavy-duty commercial vehicle tyres including trucks and buses (Class C3) with all tyre suppliers – including commercial vehicle suppliers – now required to inform buyers of the label values during the sales process.

It now rates wet braking distances and fuel efficiency from A to E, with A being the best performing, and ranks external noise of the tyre from A to C, with A the quietest.

It also includes winter performance data, via the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMS) symbol, which determines whether a tyre meets tough snow performance requirements, as stipulated when driving across many European countries during colder seasons.

For C1 and C2 tyres, for cars and vans respectively, those previously in class E for fuel efficiency and wet grip will now be assigned to Class D which was previously empty, while those formerly in classes F and G will be assigned to class E. This makes the label clearer and easier to interpret.

Another addition to the EU tyre label is the stipulation that it must include a unique QR code, both on the on actual label and in the tyre manufacturers’ information that links the tyre to the European Product Database for Energy Labelling (EPREL) database, where additional tyre label information can be obtained.

As it stands, the regulation underpinning the new EU tyre labels only applies to new tyres, with revised legislation relating to retread tyres expected in 2023.

Importantly for commercial vehicle operators, mileage performance is not yet incorporated into the label, on the basis that suitable test methods are not currently available.

The label values are also based on the tyre’s performance when new and do not take into account the performance characteristics of the tyre across its lifetime.

Tony Stapleton, head of group fleet sales at Continental Tyres, said: “The new EU tyre label is designed to help people choose safer, more fuel-efficient tyres, factors which are vitally important whether you drive a car, a van or are responsible for choosing tyres for a commercial vehicle fleet.

 “However commercial vehicle customers should view the labelling as just one part of their discussions with tyre suppliers, to ensure performance factors not included in the labelling, such as the opposing requirements of mileage and durability, are factored into their choice.

Most fleets need to make sure their tyres offer a balance between these contrasting drivers, and this will greatly differ fleet to fleet depending on the type of operation and vehicles.

“For example, for construction and waste disposal fleets, tyre durability is critical, with fuel efficiency taking a secondary role, whereas in general haulage such as retail distribution, the fuel efficiency capabilities of a tyre will likely play a far greater role.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Is this the end of insurance rip-off? £1billion saving predicted as firms are stopped from charging existing loyal customers more than new ones.

The Financial Conduct Authority announced that insurers would not be allowed to charge loyal clients more than new ones.

The FCA found insurers were making it harder for customers to stop automatic renewals by keeping them on hold on the telephone for a long time.

These practices were costing around six million households an average of £200 each a year.

INSURANCE customers will no longer be punished for their loyalty under plans that could save households £1billion a year.

In a victory for Money Mail, the Financial Conduct Authority yesterday announced that insurers would not be allowed to charge existing clients more than new ones.

The regulator said its reforms would ‘put an end to the very high prices paid by some long-standing customers’.

Under ‘price walking’, a new car insurance customer typically pays £285 a year, while one who is loyal for five years pays £370. The equivalent figures for home cover are £130 and £238.

One Money Mail reader saw their household premium rise from £313 in 2019 to £1,119 in 2020, despite not having made a claim since 2012.

Ten million policies across home and motor insurance are held by customers who have been with their provider for five years or more. A third of those overpaying for cover are vulnerable, elderly or low paid, the FCA found.

It said insurers were making it harder for customers to stop automatic renewals by keeping them on hold on the telephone for a long time.

Those switching regularly will be flagged by insurers and potentially denied the best deals.

The watchdog said these ‘complex and opaque pricing practices’ were costing around six million households an average of £200 each a year.

Under its proposals, firms will be free to set prices for new customers, but they would be prevented from raising premiums over time, other than in line with changes in a customer’s risk. The FCA said it could save customers between £3.7billion and £11billion over ten years.

Sarah Coles, personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, warned that some customers would lose out.

She added: ‘Insurers offer far better deals for new customers. Some will actually make a loss on the first year, and aim to claw it back with price rises on renewal. Switchers can take advantage of these introductory deals, and then move before the price hikes. The new rules would put a stop to this overnight.’

Gareth Shaw of consumer champions Which? said the FCA should ‘closely monitor insurance firms to ensure they do right by their loyal customers’.

Huw Evans of the Association of British Insurers, an industry body, said: ‘We will consider carefully this package of proposals, so that we can engage with the FCA on the most effective measures possible. There are winners and losers in the way the market works currently with those who switch provider every year often ending up with lower prices.’

 WHEN John Finlay saw his car premium rise by 85 per cent in four years, he decided enough was enough.

Instead of coughing up for a £626 policy with existing provider AA, he bought one for £437 with AXA. But he is now back with the AA after AXA hiked his premium – and the AA offered him a quote for £384.

Mr Finlay, a 79-year-old from Mayfield in East Sussex, also saw his AA home cover rise from £155 to £201. It was cut to £156 when he objected.

He said: ‘It’s disrespectful to existing customers. They get loyalty from us but there is no reciprocation.’

AXA said its rise reflected ‘claims cost inflation’. The AA said its quotes were competitive and reflected the new business discounts typically available.  By Graham Hill thanks to What Car?