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It has been predicted that insurance premiums are set to rise by around 10% next year with further rises expected over the following 2 years. You really need to look carefully at your requirements and ways to protect your no-claims bonus. With all the hype surrounding the comparison sites don’t write off your local broker, I saved £70 per annum by switching to a local broker who provided Read more »

One of the biggest problems with running a car either privately or through a business is being able to predict the true ‘whole life’ cost in order to select the most appropriate way to fund the car. Few of us actually enjoy playing with figures so we tend to concentrate on the car itself (much more exciting) and relying upon advice from friends rather than doing the calculations to work out the most Read more »

Did the measures regarding VAT, announced by the Chancellor of the 24^th November, have any affect on drivers or the industry? Not much is the answer. The VAT drop on fuel has been balanced out by increased duty but will the duty come off again when VAT returns to it’s current level? It will also have the affect of putting up prices Read more »

Most of us are aware that talking on a hand held mobile phone whilst driving is illegal as is sending text messages but a district judge ruling in a recent case took the issue of using a mobile phone whilst driving one step further when a driver was caught switching off the alarm on his phone. The judge ruled that the act of switching off the alarm on the phone constituted Read more »

As often happens I have found myself at odds with some leasing companies who are promoting either sale and rentback or sale and leaseback. The majority of company vehicles are still owned outright and with times getting tougher out there some lenders have been promoting a scheme known as sale and rentback, whereby you sell your company cars to Read more »

 Lease cars are better maintained than privately owned cars – fact! Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions carried out a check on privately owned cars to see how well maintained they were and shockingly found that 88% were in need of attention. Whilst Hitachi admitted that some faults were somewhat minor there were a significant number that were more serious such as Read more »

Times are getting tougher, I don’t need to tell you that but if you are considering changing your car you need to consider who is going to supply your finance if you are going to use someone off the internet. One of the latest problems faced by applicants is the tightening of underwriting by lenders. Missing a couple of credit card payments, something that would have been ignored by lenders a year ago, is enough for some lenders running short of money to turn their back on you. And if you think about it Read more »

Following from my recent warnings about the use of some brokers that advertise on the Internet the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) have warned also that it is a big risk using a broker who is not accredited by one of the professional bodies. We are members of the NACFB and in addition to complying to a code of practice it is also a condition of membership Read more »

CAP who provide vehicle valuation guides based on achieved auction prices have said that they are about to launch a significant downward price review based on the continued drop in prices achieved by fleet sellers in auction. This will have the affect of putting up lease rates unless the leasing companies can counter this with greater bonuses from the manufacturers. And be dismal news for those who Read more »

Car thefts are down by 12% according to Home Office statistics to end of June 2008. But HPI have been quick to point out that car theft is not the only crime and motorists need to be more vigilant than ever if they are to avoid some of the more sophisticated crime that the crooks are now perpetrating. As a result HPI have offered up some advice for motorists to follow. HPI checks reveal that around 30 vehicles Read more »