Month: January 2023

Drivers are being hit by rising fuel prices after an increase in oil costs.

The average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts on Monday was 148.8p, figures from data company Experian show.

That was up from 148.4p a week earlier but remains considerably lower than the record high of 191.5p in July 2022.

AA fuel price spokesman Luke Bosdet said: “After a fall of close to 43p a litre since the summer record, drivers feared that a rebound in petrol prices would eventually happen.

“So far, pump price averages have risen only slightly.

“But today’s price is only 0.9p below the average price at the start of the Ukraine war on February 24 when pump prices surged.”

Diesel averaged 170.4p a litre on Monday, having fallen to 170.3p on Wednesday and Thursday last week.

It hit a record of 199.1p last July.

Oil had dropped below 78 US dollars (£63.33) a barrel at the start of January but was valued at 86-88 US dollars (£69.83-71.45) last week, sparking rises in the wholesale cost of fuel.

A report by competition watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority published in December said drivers were the victim of “rocket and feather” pricing – when pump prices quickly reflect rising wholesale costs but are slow to fall when costs drop – in 2022.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “Our data shows the slight rise in the average price of petrol has been caused by smaller retailers passing on increased costs when they’ve bought in new supply because there is no indication that the supermarkets have upped their prices.

“We hope this will remain the case, but drivers are likely to see pump prices rise gradually this year as oil is predicted to be go up due to growing demand from China as it reopens after its Covid restrictions.

“But while the price of petrol has clearly bottomed out, diesel is still too expensive based on its wholesale cost.”

Nearly a quarter of drivers believe punishments for not wearing a seat belt are too lenient, a new survey suggests.

Some 24% of 1,800 UK motorists polled for the RAC said the existing maximum penalty in Britain of a £500 fine is not strong enough.

More than two-thirds (69%) of those people think offenders should receive at least three points on their licence as well as a fine.

Drivers can lose their licence if they get 12 or more points within three years.

The results of the survey were released on Tuesday to mark the 40th anniversary of a law coming into force requiring drivers to wear seat belts.

The poll indicated that 68% of drivers believe the person behind the wheel of a vehicle should be responsible for ensuring all their passengers wear seat belts.

UK drivers are currently only required to ensure themselves and children under the age of 14 are buckled up, with older passengers responsible for being secured.

Four percent of respondents admitted having driven without a seat belt in the previous 12 months, with 22% of these saying they do not belt up on at least half of journeys.

Seat belts are a legal requirement for all vehicle occupants, with a few exemptions, such as a driver who is reversing; a vehicle being used for police, fire or rescue services; or a delivery driver travelling no more than 50 metres between stops.

Almost half (48%) of people questioned said compliance with the rules could improve if offenders were sent on dedicated courses similar to speed awareness classes, while 36% were in favour of either more police on the roads or the use of camera-based technology to detect whether seat belts are being worn.

RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: “Today’s anniversary provides the ideal moment for the Government to show it’s serious about improving safety on our roads and put an action plan in place for getting more of us to buckle up in the first place.

“For most people, getting into a car and putting on a seat belt is second nature but it’s obvious more needs to be done to get those who haven’t developed this habit to change their ways.

“Our research shows drivers are clearly supportive of greater penalties, which we know the Government is considering.

“But, arguably, toughening the law isn’t enough: drivers need to think there’s a good chance of being caught in the first place.”

AA Charitable Trust director Edmund King said: “The humble seat belt is arguably one of the greatest road safety inventions, but they are pointless unless people wear them.

“A fine for not wearing a seat belt simply isn’t enough and we will continue to push for greater Government focus on what interventions can be usefully instigated to ensure improved compliance with this life-saving law.

“This could include penalty points for all legal-age car occupants caught not wearing a seatbelt.”

Department for Transport (DfT) figures show the proportion of car occupants killed in crashes on Britain’s roads who were not wearing a seat belt reached 30% in 2021, the most in records dating back to 2013.

In a written response to a parliamentary question published in October 2022, then-transport minister Katherine Fletcher described the figure as “unacceptably high” and said the DfT was “considering options to tackle this including the potential merits of introducing penalty points”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was issued with a fixed penalty notice by Lancashire Police after he was spotted not wearing a seat belt in an Instagram video he filmed while travelling as a passenger in a moving car during a visit to the county on January 19.

Drivers caught not wearing a seat belt in Northern Ireland face a fine of up to £500 and three penalty points.

– The RAC commissioned research agency Online95 to carry out the survey earlier this month.

The ongoing cost-of-living crisis is forcing drivers to change their motoring habits in order to stay on the move, a new survey has revealed.

New research has found that increased costs are causing motorists to consider exchanging their current car or switching to a pay monthly deal. Others are cutting day-to-day spending just to keep their car running.

Carwow spoke to 1,434 people about the impact that the cost of living crisis was having on their plans around buying or selling a car and found that over a third are more likely to consider paying monthly for their next car rather than buying outright.

In addition, 27 per cent would think about selling or exchanging their current car in order to save money, while one in four admit that they can now only afford to buy a used vehicle, having normally considered purchasing a new model.

Two in three respondents stated that owning and running a car is a ‘necessary cost’ while 13 per cent are cutting back on their routine day-to-day spending so that they can afford to run their vehicle.

Hugo Griffiths, carwow consumer editor said: “The cost of living remains stubbornly high for millions, and how we buy and run our cars is not immune from the impact of the current crisis. The jump in petrol prices may be just one factor weighing on motorists, but the scale of the increase in a litre of petrol or diesel gives a good indication of what drivers are dealing with at the moment.”

Though the price of petrol and diesel has fallen from their respective highs of 191.55p per litre and 199.22p per litre in July, today’s figures of 148.79p per litre for petrol and 171.64p for diesel represent increases of 29 per cent and 43 per cent respectively since January 2021.

Transport for London (TfL) has introduced a new scrappage scheme that will offer motorists up to £5,000 to scrap or upgrade their vehicle in order to meet Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) requirements.

It’s based on a £110 million fund that will provide grant payments to applicants on low-income and disability benefits with vehicles that do not meet ULEZ requirements, ahead of the zone’s expansion in August.

Applicants with a wheelchair-accessible car or van can get up to £5,000, while drivers of a standard car can receive up to £2,000 to scrap their vehicle. Motorcycle riders can also receive up to £1,000 for scrapping their bike.

Applicants also have the option of receiving a combination of cash and annual bus and tram passes, too.

Drivers will need to live within one of the 32 London boroughs or the City of London and receive certain benefits in order to be eligible for the scheme. If an owner received a grant payment from the previous ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme, they cannot apply again.

Any vehicle in the scheme must be registered with the DVLA while having insurance, valid road tax, and MOT. Its owner must also have been the registered keeper 12 months prior to the launch of the scrappage scheme (January 30, 2023).

Drivers looking to take part in the scheme must be receiving one or more of a list of benefits which includes Universal Credit, Child Tax Credit and Housing Benefit, among others.

Sole traders, small businesses with up to 10 employees or charities with a registered address in London which operate a van or minibus that doesn’t comply with ULEZ standards can also get up to £9,000 to help scrap their current vehicle and replace it with an electric alternative.

London has come out on top as the UK city leading in EV adoption, a new survey has revealed.

The capital saw EVs representing almost 25 per cent of new and used car sales. However, despite having 8,600 public charging points, London ranks in 15th place when it comes to charging availability, with the ratio of chargers to people standing at one to 1,672 residents.

Nottingham ranks second on the list, which was compiled by online used car marketplace Motorway by reviewing EV sales data by region, charging point availability and clean air policies. Nottingham also has the second-most charging stations outside of London, with 943 people per charger.

Alex Buttle, co-founder of online used-car marketplace Motorway said: “While sales of EVs are on the rise across the UK, some towns and cities are streets ahead of others.

“As more UK areas continue to invest in charging point infrastructure, we will see an even greater number of motorists making the switch, as well as dealers stocking up on quality used EVs to meet this demand.”

Bedford ranked third for its EV readiness, with its focus on public charging installation and a net-zero strategy putting it ahead of others in the country. Manchester followed in fourth in the list of most EV-prepared cities, with sales of both used and new electric vehicles described as ‘strong’ by Motorway.

Newcastle upon Tyne, meanwhile, was an area where more electric cars were financed in 2022 than anywhere else in the country.

Peugeot’s boss has ruled out introducing more affordable electric models, but will instead focus on making the cars it already has more accessible.

Peugeot offers a wide choice of electric models, including the e-208 supermini and e-2008 crossover, as well as a diverse line-up of battery-powered vans. Peugeot will be introducing EVs of its popular 308 and 3008 in 2023 too and will offer a fully-electric derivative of every car it sells by 2025.

However, despite Peugeot being adamant that it “won’t price customers out of the market”, smaller, more affordable city cars are not set to play a part in the picture.

Asked by the PA news agency if the firm would introduce electric models below its e-208, Linda Jackson, chief executive of Peugeot, said it was “concentrating” on making the cars it already sells more affordable.

Jackson said: “I think at this stage what we want to do is ask how can we make more affordable the current line-up [of cars] we’ve got and which we’re concentrating on? And that’s Peugeot-as-you-go, subscriptions, offers and a variety of things.

“Quite honestly, right now we’re concentrating on our current range, because this is where we are. We’re all in this transition phase before full electric, so we want to make our existing cars more accessible for our customers.”

‘Peugeot-as-you-go’ is a scheme currently operating in France, which customers pay a monthly payment of €150 (£131.82) for, and which includes the car and 500km (311 miles) of driving a month. If motorists need to do more miles than this they can ‘top-up’ the mileage at €0.07 (6p) a kilometre.

Phil York, marketing director of Peugeot, added: “The cost of living is rising, and the cost of raw material pricing is going up and it’s really vital that we don’t price customers out of the market. There are several options we’re working on that we’re trialling right now, and the first of those is like a mobile phone package, which is ‘Peugeot as you go’.

“It makes it very easy, very accessible and very affordable for those customers that don’t do long distances.”

York added Peugeot wanted to “expand Peugeot-as-you-go to other markets” outside of France and to more cars, but wouldn’t add which countries would be included.

He also added that “subscriptions are well adapted to electric cars” and that Peugeot was seeing “a lot of interest” in this method of flexible all-inclusive ownership, which includes the cost of the car, along with maintenance, servicing, insurance and even charging.

Volvo is recalling more than 100,000 cars worldwide over a potential issue with the automatic emergency braking systems in its cars.

It affects the Swedish firm’s 2023 model year range, with its full line-up of cars included, such as the popular XC40, electric C40 and flagship XC90. The S60, V60, V60 Cross Country, S90, V90, V90 Cross Country and XC60 are also affected.

A total of 106,691 vehicles worldwide are affected, with Volvo confirming to the PA news agency that 10,197 UK vehicles are due to be recalled.

The issue concerns the autonomous emergency braking system, with Volvo saying that in “rare cases” the “electronic braking support functions” can be lost. This is the automatic system that can slam on the brakes if it senses a crash is imminent and the driver hasn’t responded.

The firm added that it’s a “potential issue with software within the brake control module” that is the cause of the fault, but added that “braking capability remains via the brake pedal”.

In a statement, Volvo said: “To remedy the affected vehicles, Volvo Cars will update the software relating to the brake control module. Safety is a top priority for Volvo Cars, and we take this issue seriously. We are launching this recall to prevent issues and inconvenience for our customers.”

Volvo says it is now contacting owners of affected vehicles and asking them to book their car into one of its dealers “as soon as possible”. The work will be carried out free of charge.

New interim targets are needed if the government is to achieve its plan of having 300,000 electric car chargers by 2030, according to the AA.

Figures released today by the Department for Transport today show that, as of January 1, there were 37,055 public electric car chargers installed. Though this was an increase of 2,418 chargers, or seven per cent, compared to October 2022, it’s still a long way short of the government’s 2030 date when it wants almost 10 times as many electric car chargers to be available across the UK.

The AA is now calling on interim targets to be put into place, amid worry that the government will not hit its target of having 300,000 publicly available electric car chargepoints by 2030. There is also concern that the infrastructure is not keeping pace with the greater number of electric cars being registered.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “New EVs are flying off the factory floor, but we desperately need charge point installations to keep pace with an ever-growing demand.

“With a target of 300,000 publicly available charge points by 2030 and just 37,055 installations in place, more focus is needed to accelerate the nation’s charging infrastructure.

“We urge the government to set marker post targets in place so drivers can see the progress is being made while giving those nervous to switch the confidence to do so.”

Figures from trade body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that 267,203 new electric cars were registered in 2022 in the UK, with the third most popular car being the Tesla Model Y EV, which accounted for 35,551 registrations. Electric cars accounted for a 16.6 per cent share of new cars sold in 2022 – up five per cent on the previous year – and now outperform all fuel types other than petrol cars.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay appeared to criticise the Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s planned ultra-low emissions zone expansion for imposing an “additional cost” on NHS staff and others.

But a spokesperson for Mr Khan said it was “surprising for a Health Secretary to ignore the advice of their own chief medical officer” on the dangers of air pollution.

London’s ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez) is due to be expanded to cover the whole of the capital from August 29 to boost air quality, with a £12.50 daily fee for vehicles not meeting minimum standards.

Speaking in the House of Commons during a session of questions to transport ministers on Tuesday, Conservative MP Louie French warned of the effect the charge would have on London’s emergency workers.

The MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup said: “One of the biggest issues my local hospital has raised with me in outer London is the impact of Sadiq Khan’s Ulez expansion, with nurses and other staff facing charges of £12.50 per shift, or £25 if working nights.

“Given 50% of London’s emergency workers live outside the capital, does the minister agree that the mayor and the Labour Party should stop ignoring Londoners and drop their Ulez tax rate?”

Mr Barclay responded: “My honourable friend raises an extremely important point in terms of the additional cost that the London mayor is imposing, not just on NHS staff but all staff working in the capital, and how that contrasts with the approach the Chancellor has taken in terms of energy support and how that helps staff across the workforce, including in the NHS, in terms of cost of living.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, said: “It is surprising for a Health Secretary to ignore the advice of their own chief medical officer.

“Chris Whitty has been clear that air pollution is everyone’s problem. Not only is toxic air causing 4,000 premature deaths in the capital, it’s also expected to cost the NHS and social care system in London around £10.4 billion by 2050.”

They added: “Most vehicles, more than four in five, seen in the zone will not need to pay the Ulez charge.

“It’s only the most polluting vehicles doing the most damage to our health that are affected.

“The mayor has also announced the biggest scrappage scheme yet, £110 million, to help the Londoners who need it most.”

Mr Khan issued an air pollution alert at the weekend in response to weather conditions he said were temporarily causing poor dispersal of vehicle emissions.

He said: “We all need to be careful over the next few days.

“I’m urging Londoners to look after each other by choosing to walk, cycle or take public transport where possible, avoiding unnecessary car journeys, stopping engine idling and not burning garden waste, all of which contributes to high levels of pollution.”