The polished floors, shiny cars and bright lights of car salesrooms still appeal to the over 55s, but younger age groups are much more likely than older generations to buy their car elsewhere, according to a new Opinium survey of over 2,000 UK drivers.
The National Association of Motor Auctions’ (NAMA) market attitude survey shows that most auction centres expect to see petrol and diesel car values remain stable, with only five per cent of respondents expecting a decrease in petrol prices and 15 per cent expecting a drop in diesel. Values of Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) which include hybrid and electric vehicles are thought also to remain steady during April, although unlike petrol and diesel, some members have indicated that these values could actually increase as demand for them steadily rises.
Halfords will extend its Mobile Expert service to London, following its pilot in the West Midlands, Manchester and Surrey. The retailer will place five new vans in London from 30 March, which it says will cover the capital. The service means that Halfords Mobile Expert vans will be available to nearly a third of UK households. The company added that it plans to roll out between 100 and 150 vans across the UK within the next two years.
Britons buying new cars this March are a sensible bunch, according to a new Opinium survey, mostly diligently researching cars before picking one; however, it also found plenty of people swayed by emotional factors from how good a car looks to whether it had that new car ‘look and feel’.
The UK’s biggest online garage and car repair marketplace has revealed that more than four fifths (83 per cent) of British drivers believe there should be annual safety checks for older drivers in the UK, following Prince Philip’s car accident last month.
With recent Home Office figures revealing a near 50 per cent increase in vehicle thefts over the last five years (up from 75,308 in 2013-14 to 111,999 in 2017-18), a new mycarcheck survey highlights the shocking extent of online phishing scams.
James Tomlinson, chairman of The National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA), has revealed an optimistic outlook from the association’s latest sentiment survey. “February looks set to be a strong month for motor auctions, with the majority of sites expecting both volumes and conversion rates to increase,” he said.
New research conducted to coincide with the launch of CarNext.com, a new digital high-quality used car platform powered by LeasePlan, revealed how strong Britons’ love affair with their motors is. The research revealed that cars (72 per cent) rank second only to their partners (74 per cent) in importance to everyday life. It turns out, cars are prioritised over jobs (52 per cent), television (43 per cent) and jewellery (18 per cent).
Van drivers should be asking Santa for a new van this Christmas according to research from Vanarama, the UK’s leading van leasing company. The research revealed how dirty old vans are costing tradespeople money, with 75 per cent of homeowners saying that turning up in a van that had clearly seen better days would mean they were less likely to offer them the job.
Drink-driving skyrockets around festive period – latest police data shows there were 5,869 positive or refused breath tests in December vs 4,446 in February.
A CarTakeBack.com and YouGov survey revealed that almost 1 in 5 (17 per cent) think it’s sometimes acceptable to drive after drinking – as long as they feel unaffected. With 40 million driving licenses in Great Britain, this is nearly 7 million drivers.
At a time when many motorists look to make plans to drive abroad for the Christmas break and the start of the ski season, a YouGov survey commissioned by The Motor Ombudsman suggests that 87 per cent of car owners in Great Britain are unaware which countries across the Channel have laws pertaining to winter tyre use.
For the French it’s a pastime for couples, for the Spanish a group activity, but going solo is the preferred way of doing it in the UK. We are of course talking about motorcycling – according to a survey performed by Moto-tyres.co.uk, 71 per cent of British respondents said they’d rather ride alone than in a group.
From parking fines, to mounting the kerb, forgetting homework or being scolded by teachers for missing the school bell, it is no surprise that parents across the UK feel a sense of dread when they think about the school run. New research by MORE TH>N Car Insurance has revealed just how stressful parents find the daily journey, with 31 per cent confessing it is the most stressful part of their entire day and over a quarter (26 per cent) saying they find the school run as stressful – if not a more stressful experience – as buying a house.
UK franchised dealers are more positive about their relationship with vehicle manufacturers, the latest NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey has shown. “It is encouraging to see that the overall relationship between franchised car dealers and manufacturers recorded an average score of 5.7 in the NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey Summer 2018, which is 0.4 higher than six months ago”, said Sue Robinson, Director of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers in the UK, commenting on the results of the NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey Summer 2018, published at the beginning of September 2018.
Research from Auto Trader shows that many drivers are looking to move away from petrol and diesel cars but lack of charging infrastructure and confusing terminology remain significant barriers to electric car adoption among UK drivers. Drivers say they will wait an average of nine years to buy an electric car; drivers are split as to whether the proposed 2040 ban is a positive thing – with 40 per cent each in favour and against; and 74 per cent did not know that the government offers plug-in grants for buyers of electric and hybrid vehicles.
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