bristol-test-centre-blog

Diesel prices reaches record high

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:01:30 +0100

THE PRICE of diesel at the pumps has reached record levels, the AA said.

The average price is now 143.05p a litre - climbing past the previous high of 143.04p a litre reached on May 5 last year.

The pump price of diesel fell back to 137.59p in July 2011 before starting to climb again. Two years ago, diesel in the UK averaged 113.62p a litre.

The AA said that for a commercial van with an 80-litre fuel tank, the cost of filling up has risen from £90.90 in February 2010 to £114.44 now, having dropped to £110.07 in July this year.

Over the same period, the average price of petrol was 112.03p a litre two years ago and set a new record of 137.43p on May 5, 2011. Since then, it fell to 132.25p a litre at the beginning of January 2012, before starting the climb to the latest average of 135.39p.

AA president Edmund King said: "A stronger pound has staved off this moment for longer than might have been expected, but diesel drivers across the country will have been watching in trepidation. They hoped that below-record prices would hold until the spring, when winter price pressures on diesel traditionally ease."

He went on: "However, the impact of record diesel prices will be felt by everyone as higher transport costs are passed on to business and consumers. With some delivery and haulage firms adding a diesel surcharge to invoices, costs will rise faster than most people expect and stoke inflation again.

"Like petrol, there is no price transparency in the wholesale and retail diesel market. Although the diesel price has been influenced by refinery closures, unreliable supply into Europe and stock market speculators taking advantage of a tight market, there is no way for businesses and consumers to find out whether or not they are paying a fair price."

Mr King said it was "galling to see Brent crude shoot up from around 112 dollars a barrel earlier this month to nearly 120 dollars now, despite the International Energy Agency's lower forecasts for oil consumption in 2012".

The AA has written to Chancellor George Osborne calling for an investigation of the oil, refining, fuel product and retail markets "to ensure UK families and business are protected from over-inflated prices and supply difficulties".

Fuel costs top driver pet hate list

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:59:35 +0100

HIGH FUEL costs top the list of pet hates for motorists, according to a survey.

With diesel now at record levels, the soaring cost of fuel at the pumps is the single thing that most annoys drivers, the poll by breakdown company Autonational Rescue found.

The next biggest bugbear was "bad driving techniques" followed by the cost of car parking, high insurance premiums and high car-servicing costs.

Just 3% cited pollution from vehicles as the thing they get most annoyed about, while only 2% got worked up about toll road or city congestion charges.

Autonational's marketing manager Ronan Hart said: "The UK consistently ranks among the top three most expensive countries for fuel prices for motorists in the entire world, with only Norway regularly beating us.

"If you want really cheap fuel you have to go to Venezuela (average price 3p a litre) or some of the Gulf States."

He went on: "One of the few good things to come out of this time of austerity is that many councils are cutting back, or even removing, their public car parking charges, principally to bring shoppers into their towns and cities rather than to specifically help the motorist.

"But so much more should be done to keep the cost of motoring down."

A total of 1,013 adults were surveyed.

New drivers 'feel under-prepared'

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:35:53 +0100

AS MANY as 50% of motorists felt under-prepared and nervous when taking to the road for the first time after passing their driving test, it was revealed today.

Nearly 90% took less than the recommended 40 hours of lessons before taking the test, according to a survey by car insurance company ingenie and the RoadSafe organisation.

Male drivers aged 17-25 said their main emotion after passing the test was confidence.

Yet they were more than twice as likely to have a collision in their first month of driving compared with female drivers.

Overall, the poll of 1,000 UK motorists showed that 35% of drivers admitted to having had a collision in their first year of driving.

Also, young drivers were apt to change their driving style depending on their passengers - driving less safely with friends but more cautiously with parents.

Ingenie chief executive Richard King said: "It's clear from our research findings that many young drivers speed through their theory and practical tests and get straight out on to the road without the essential skills necessary to give them confidence to drive alone."

Satnav causes distracting damage

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:34:03 +0100

MISLEADING satnavs have caused more than £200 million worth of damage to cars in the past 12 months, it has been revealed, with drivers in the East Midlands exhibiting the most rage with their devices.

As many as 83% of satnav users have been misled by their system, a survey by Confused.com found.

Accidents caused by drivers going the wrong way have led to damage totalling £203 million in the past year, the poll also showed.

Of those led astray, 52% ended up screaming at their devices, while 68% have ended up doing longer journeys and clocking up unnecessary miles.

The poll of 2,000 drivers also revealed that women were more likely than men to get angry with their satnav.

Gareth Kloet, head of car insurance at Confused.com, said: "As car insurance costs continue to rise, it's never been more important to keep your motoring costs as low as possible.

"Our research has shown that the satnav is not always the blessing it was once hailed to be and, increasingly, motorists appear to be citing the device as a source of frustration and danger."

Transport Minister Norman Baker said: "When used sensibly, satnavs can be useful in helping drivers to plan their journey and navigate.

"However, all too often out-of-date directions mean misdirected traffic - a scourge of local communities and an annoyance for drivers.

"That is why I am holding a summit this March to get highway authorities, mapping companies and satnav manufacturers to work more closely together to provide drivers with accurate, up-to-date information."

Pm To Vow Action On Whiplash Claims

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 07:23:01 +0100

IN A bid to reduce the £2 billion-a-year cost of insurance claims for whiplash to help deal with the UK's "compensation culture", Prime Minister David Cameron will host a summit with insurance, consumer and business groups at Downing Street to discuss ways to bring down soaring premiums.

Britain has become "the whiplash capital of Europe", Number 10 has said, with 1,500 claims a day for even the most minor accidents adding £90 a year to the average bill.

Ministers are examining recent calls by the Commons Transport Committee for a higher threshold - using factors such as speed or more extensive medical evidence.

Other issues to be examined are the wider use of in-car monitoring of young drivers, reform of the "no win, no fee" system and reducing lawyer fees for small personal accident cases. Concerns raised by businesses that they are being forced to go far beyond legal minimums in order to secure insurance cover will also be discussed.

Few aware of EU emergency number

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 07:22:10 +0100

FEW PEOPLE are aware of the Europe-wide tourist emergency number of 112, with some Britons believing it is a brand of perfume, it has been revealed.

Just 14% of Britons surveyed knew that by dialling 112 they could reach emergency services, a survey by the Foreign Office (FO) found.

And just 3% recognised it as the EU emergency number, making the UK one of three countries in Europe where awareness was the lowest.

A total of 12% thought dialling 112 connected them to directory inquiries, while some believed it was a brand of perfume or aftershave, the number of a bus or "a pair of Levi jeans".

Lynda St Cooke, from the FO's Know Before You Go campaign, said: "Knowing that you can phone 112 can save you time in critical situations. It is an essential number which we would encourage everyone to carry with them when on holiday in Europe."

A total of 2,016 UK adults were surveyed.

Porsche's junior SUV to be called 'Macan'

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 07:52:31 +0100

The Porsche Macan will be a 'sports car in the SUV segment' and goes on sale in 2013.

Porsche has confirmed that its new junior SUV will be called the Macan and will go into production next year.

It had previously been thought that the new model, which will sit below the Cayenne in Porsche's product line-up, would be called the Cajun. However, Porsche has today confirmed that its new "sports car in the SUV segment" will be called Macan, which is derived from the Indonesian word for tiger.

The Macan will be built at Porsche's factory in Leipzig, creating more than 1,000 new jobs in the medium-term. It will be based on the Audi Q5 and act as a rival for the Range Rover Evoque.

"The Macan combines all sports car characteristics with the benefits of an SUV and is a genuine Porsche", said Bernhard Maier, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG.

Commenting on the choice of name, he added: "The name of a new Porsche has to fit with the brand, sound good in very many languages and dialects and evoke positive associations."

MSA Euroclassic 20th anniversary car rally now open

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 07:51:37 +0100

All classic cars more than 20 years old are invited to join a tempting tour of Spain and France as part of the MSA Euroclassic.

The route for the MSA Euroclassic from September 25 to October 2, which is this year celebrating the event's 20th anniversary, is a non-competitive scenic tour centred on Spain and south-west France.

Any car more than 20 years old is invited to take part in a tour that combines challenging roads, sightseeing, car museums and motorsport venues old and new.

Starting from León, Spain, the route will encompass northern Spain and south-western France before ending with two nights at the spa town of Vichy in central France.

Highlights of the event include laps of the racing circuits at Jarama, Albi and Charade, with checkpoints in Salamanca and at the Pic du Midi in the French Pyrenées, as well as a full day exploring the city of Madrid.

There are no timings or penalties for not following the supplied route and participants are free to travel at their own pace. Peace of mind comes from the event having an experienced team of officials and the provision of full breakdown support along the route.

For the second consecutive year, a limited number of entries are available for more modern cars which do not meet the 20-year age requirement. These will only be accepted at the discretion of the organisers.

Full route and entry information can be found at the MSA Euroclassic website.

Audi's 174mph RS4 estate car

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 07:31:14 +0100

The new Audi RS4 uses a V8 engine and four-wheel drive to give it supercar-like performance.

Audi has revealed details of the high performance RS4 version of its latest A4 Avant, which will be powered by a 444bhp V8 engine and have a top speed of 174mph.

The RS4 uses the 4.2-litre naturally aspirated motor from the RS5, which delivers its maximum power at 8,250rpm as well as 317lb ft of torque between 4,000-6,000rpm. Combined with quattro four-wheel drive, this results in a family estate car that can accelerate from 0-62mph in 4.7sec on the way to an electronically limited 155mph, or, if you tick the correct options box, 174mph.

That engine is mated to a seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch gearbox complete with launch control function and long seventh-gear, which helps the RS4 to return 25.7mpg on the EU Combined cycle.

Elsewhere in the box of tricks, the quattro running gear features Audi's crown-gear centre differential, which can direct up to 85 per cent of power to the rear wheels, as well as a sport differential on the rear axle to shuffle power between wheels for maximum grip. The "speed-dependent" steering has electro-mechanical power assistance which can make small corrections when braking on a surface with different levels of grip, and for the brakes there is the option of 380mm carbon-fibre ceramic discs with six-piston callipers.

Audi's driver select package means you can switch between comfort, auto or dynamic settings for the steering, throttle response and gearbox, as well as the volume of the exhaust and the stiffness of the optional Dynamic Ride Control adaptive damping.

The RS4 is 20mm longer and 24mm wider than a standard A4 Avant, as well as 20mm lower, and features new bumpers, sills, flared wheel arches and sports exhaust system.

Audi has yet to announce prices for the RS4 Avant, which is expected to reach showrooms in September.

More than half of all motorists use DVLA’s digital service

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 07:30:01 +0100

More than half of all motorists now use digital services to tax or declare their vehicles off the road, according to latest figures released today by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

The DVLA’s digital service - which includes online and telephone facilities - has been used more than 100 million times. Last year the service was used more than 26 million times.

Roads Minister Mike Penning said:

“The numbers show that more and more motorists want to deal with the DVLA at a time and place that suits them. The digital service is quick and easy to use and enables the DVLA to automatically check that MOT and insurance is in place so customers do not have to dig out additional paperwork.”

Currently around two million vehicles each month are taxed or declared off the road by the digital service. The busiest day for motorists using this service last year was on 28 February 2011 when 227,000 vehicles were taxed or declared off the road.

To tax or declare off road using the digital service, go to direct.gov.uk/taxdisc or telephone 0300 123 4321.