Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of motorists are delaying having their car serviced or carrying out maintenance themselves as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

The survey from the RAC found that 10 per cent had postponed a service on their car by up to a year, but five per cent had delayed this essential maintenance by more than a year, and are relying solely on the annual MOT test.

A further 10 per cent had decided to start servicing their car themselves or called in the help of a friend to do so. Of the 1,900 motorists surveyed, nine per cent had opted for cheaper servicing, such as swapping a major service for a minor one. Elsewhere, eight per cent had switched to a different garage to help save money.

While it’s easy to see why motorists are keen to save money when finances are tough, the RAC has advised motorists “strongly against” skipping on maintenance as it risks safety and increases the chance of a breakdown.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Not keeping on top of servicing a vehicle is almost always a false economy, as the probability of suffering a breakdown emergency and having to fork out even more for expensive repairs down the line go up massively.

“So, while drivers might feel the best thing to do is to put off servicing or opt for a cheaper service even if their car is due a full one, we advise strongly against it as repair costs are likely to snowball when things start to go wrong.”

The UK Government appears less likely to meet its net zero targets since it became more transparent on its plans, its climate advisers have said.

Lord Deben said he was sad that his last progress report as chair of the Climate Change Committee (CCC) “is not a report that suggests satisfactory progress”.

It is the 15th such report from the CCC, which has been tracking the Government’s decarbonisation efforts since the introduction of the Climate Change Act 2008.

Last year, a High Court judge ruled that the Government must provide greater transparency on its net zero plans but now the CCC said that as a result, it has less confidence in the UK reaching milestone targets for 2030.

UK greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 46% from 1990 levels, mainly because of the removal of coal from electricity generation.

The Government has pledged to reduce emissions by 68% by 2030 but the CCC said the pace of scale-up action is “worryingly slow”.

Four areas in particular have the climate advisers concerned – industry, transport, buildings and fuel supply.

They said the pace of decarbonisation in these sectors over the next seven years has to quadruple what it has been over the previous eight.

Chris Stark, the CCC’s chief executive, said: “There are no secrets for net zero any longer, we know how to do it.

“Right across the board we have well-worked-through strategies for how to cut carbon emissions to zero in most areas and for those sectors that we can’t get to absolute zero, we have enough capacity in the natural world and through more engineered solutions to take carbon out of the atmosphere.

“Those things take time. They need to put policies in place now that would steer us towards that future. That’s what we’re not seeing at the pace that’s required.”

The Government claimed to be a world leader in net zero despite the CCC saying it is throwing that position away by supporting the development of new oil, gas and coal at home while telling other countries to stop.

It also celebrated decarbonising electricity, the one area the CCC said has moved at the correct pace so far, but did not address any of the specific issues raised in the CCC’s report, such as how to realistically decarbonise industry, transport and buildings.

A Government spokesperson said: “The UK is cutting emissions faster than any other G7 country and attracted billions of investment into renewables, which now account for 40% of our electricity.

“In the last year alone, we have confirmed the first state backing of a nuclear project in over 30 years and invested billions to kick-start new industries like carbon capture and floating offshore wind.”

Mr Stark said the Government could do much more to encourage the adoption of low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps, as the UK currently ranks 21st in Europe for the number of heat pumps installed.

There could also be more incentives for people to change to electric vans and more charge points, with a change in pricing to avoid entrenching further inequality.

Mr Stark said: “We’re reinforcing a general unfairness here if we don’t act on this with policy.

“Those who are rich enough to have that company car Tesla and the driveway and can charge it overnight have the cheapest car travel now by some margin.

“Those of the population that don’t have those benefits do not have that opportunity in front of them and face higher costs when they drive their car.”

The UK’s climate is warming along with the global average and last year saw 40C for the first time on record – grassfires destroyed dozens of properties and there were more than 3,000 excess deaths during the heatwaves.

Despite this, the Government is wasting time by shying away from taking difficult decisions, such as allowing new homes to be built that will need retrofitting, Lord Deben said.

He added: “The fact is that if you lead then there are bound to be people who would prefer you not to have made those decisions.

“And what we’re seeing at the moment is not only in Government, but in opposition, people being unwilling to lead lest some people don’t like the decisions that are being made.

“But these decisions have to be made and there will be some people who disagree with them. And it is no good hoping that it will all go away. In the end, you have to make those decisions.”

Ads for Hyundai and Toyota electric cars have been banned for exaggerating the speed of recharging and failing to mention the limited availability of the fastest chargers across the road network.

Three ads for Hyundai’s IONIQ 5, seen in January last year, all stated that the car could be charged from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes using a 350kw “ultra-fast” charger.

Three complainants, who believed there were significant limitations to achieving the advertised charging rate including low temperature, said the claim was misleading.

Hyundai told the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that its internal factory testing established a time of 17 minutes and 16 seconds to charge the battery from 10% to 80% when using a 350 kW ultra-fast charger, and with the battery at temperatures of 22 and 25 degrees centigrade.

However the carmaker said it was wrong to infer that this meant that the ambient temperature must also be 22 or 25 degrees centigrade.

Hyundai accepted that there were “a large number of variables” which could influence the charge time for an electric vehicle battery, including battery temperature, ambient temperature and the age and condition of the battery, and that actual results for individual drivers could therefore vary.

It said the Charge myHyundai website showed 37 ultra-fast 350 kW charging locations in the UK and six ultra-fast 350 kW charging locations in the Republic of Ireland at the time of the ad, while a fully charged IONIQ5 would provide between 238 and 298 miles of range depending on the battery size.

The ASA said any “less than optimal” factors such as battery temperature, ambient temperature and age and condition of the battery might affect the time it would take for a battery to charge to 80%.

It said: “We would therefore expect Hyundai to qualify the charging claim with an explanation of the conditions under which the figures were achieved and that they may not reflect actual consumer experience.”

It added: “We concluded that because the ads omitted material information about the factors that could significantly affect the advertised charging time and the limitations in relation to the availability of 350 kW chargers, the claims that the Hyundai IONIQ 5 could charge from 10% to 80% charge “in 18 minutes” or “less than 18 minutes” using a 350 kW charger had not been substantiated and were misleading.”

The watchdog also banned claims made by Toyota on its website in March last year that its bZ4X model could reach 80% charge in around 30 minutes using a 150 kW fast-charging system.

A complainant said there were “significant limitations” to the “misleading” claim.

Toyota said the claim was caveated with a prominent footnote informing consumers that the charging times were subject to local circumstances and that rapid charging power ratings could vary by location.

It believed consumers would know that not all charging units were rated 150 kW and that they would need to travel to access the relevant units.

The firm said it understood that 150 kW+ chargers were available in “multiple” locations across the UK, including in major population centres and major travel points on motorways or major arterial roads, and it believed it was those areas where drivers were most likely to need them.

The ASA said it would have expected Toyota to qualify the charging claim with an explanation of the conditions under which the figures were achieved, and that they may not reflect actual consumer experience.

It said: “We concluded that because the ad omitted material information about the factors that could significantly affect the advertised charging time and the limitations in relation to the availability of 150 kW chargers in Northern Ireland and across the UK, the claim ‘use rapid public charging to reach 80% charge in around 30 minutes with a 150 kW fast-charging system’ had not been substantiated and was misleading.”

The ASA ruled that neither of the ads should appear again.

A classic Ford Fiesta due to appear in a special Wheeler Dealers episode with Mike Brewer has been stolen ahead of its star appearance.

Wheeler Dealers is a long-running TV series that sees classic cars in need of repair being bought to restore, with the aim of selling them for profit once complete.

Now in its 20th year, the show has been working on a special 1979 Ford Fiesta 1300S to mark the anniversary, while also helping to celebrate the imminent end of the production of the best-selling Ford hatchback.

However, the star car was last night stolen along with the white covered trailer it was inside from the car park of the Premier Inn in Pontefract, North Yorkshire.

In a plea on social media, Wheeler Dealers’ Mike Brewer, alongside co-presenter Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley, urged the public to try and locate the stolen Fiesta.

Brewer said: “We urge you to share those pictures and get them out to as many people as possible in the hope that the classic car community can come together and we can find our trailer and find our car and finish this epic show.”

In the video, Priestley adds: “Please do help as we’re heartbroken and it’s a car that deserves to be out there for the world to see, not being squirrelled away on the back of some thief’s trailer.”

The dark blue Ford Fiesta 1300S (registration JBY 10V) is said to have had a ‘nut and bolt restoration’, with Brewer describing it as ‘the best mk1 Ford Fiesta in this country’.

It was due to make a special appearance at an event at The Motorist car cafe near Leeds today (June 27), where it would be assembled alongside 500 other Ford Fiestas in the show’s biggest event.

In a follow-up post, Brewer said he had received CCTV of a white Mercedes Sprinter towing the trailer away.

Goodwood’s Festival of Speed is rapidly approaching, with the annual celebration of all things motoring bringing cars, motorcycles and everything in between to the famous estate in the heart of West Sussex.

Kicking off on July 13 and running until July 16, this year’s Festival of Speed is jam-packed with displays, shows and some of the latest metal to check out. Here, we’ve got a breakdown of some of the things you can expect from this year’s event.

Sebastian Vettel to champion e-fuels

The Festival of Speed is always attended by some of the best racing drivers of all time and this year’s event is no different. Four-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel will be heading to the show on Saturday and Sunday in a number of cars from his own personal collection, including a 1993 McLaren MP4/8 that was driven by Ayrton Senna.

But he’s here for more than just cars alone. Vettel will also be powering his cars entirely with synthetic fuels, while around 20 per cent of all the vehicles at this year’s event will be run on alternative fuels, be that hydrogen, electric or synthetic.

Porsche’s 75th-anniversary celebration

It’s a big year for Porsche. The German sports car manufacturer is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and, fittingly, it’s going to be the ‘honoured marque’ at this year’s Festival of Speed.

As a result, there will be parades of all things Porsche while the famous Central Feature sculpture will also be Porsche themed – though the look of it is being kept tightly under wraps until the big event.

100 years of Le Mans 24 Hours

It’s a year of big milestones, with one of the most famous endurance races of all time – the Le Mans 24 Hours – celebrating its 100th year. This year’s Le Mans race was quite the spectacle, with a number of spills and thrills happening throughout the gruelling challenge.

Le Mans is being celebrated during this year’s Festival of Speed, too. A total of 16 drivers – who between them hold 46 Le Mans race wins – will be in attendance, including nine-time winner Tom Kristensen and five-time winner Derek Bell.

Jenson Button to celebrate Williams Racing

Williams Racing is set to have a big presence at this year’s festival, with a number of its iconic cars taking to the famous hill climb. It’ll also be the first time that fans will get to see the winning livery from a Williams Racing x Gulf fan-voted competition.

But it’s not just cars that’ll be in attendance. Formula 1 drivers Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon will be driving Keke Rosberg’s race-winning FW08C, while 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button will be in the heart of the action on the Sunday.

Future Lab returns with Tim Peake

Future Lab has proven to be a big hit at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It’s a section of the show dedicated to – you guessed it – the future of motoring and mobility, with this year’s instalment based around ‘Technology for a Better World’.

Astronaut Tim Peake will also be in attendance as a curator of the ‘Beyond Earth, For Earth’ section of the exhibit which looks at the latest innovations in space travel and transportation.

Mick Schumacher drives his father’s car

Mick Schumacher will be in attendance at this year’s Festival of Speed and he’ll be driving a very prominent car – the Mercedes W02 raced by his father Michael during the 2011 season.

It’ll be 24-year-old Mick’s first time at Goodwood, too, and he’ll be in attendance on both Saturday and Sunday.

Thursday tickets for the Goodwood Festival of Speed remain on sale – though in limited numbers. Adult tickets start at £60.

Nearly a fifth (19%) of drivers say their local authority has either scrapped parking payment machines or is consulting on doing so, a survey suggests.

The RAC said its poll of 1,900 UK motorists indicates that millions of people are or will soon be forced to use their phones to pay for parking.

There are concerns that requiring drivers to use a mobile app or call a phone number is particularly difficult for some elderly or vulnerable people, putting them at risk of being fined for non-payment.

Almost three out of five (59%) respondents to the survey said they felt angry about the idea of parking machines being removed, believing they should be able to pay however they want.

The figure rose to 73% for those aged 65 and older.

A fifth (20%) of drivers said they felt discriminated against as they cannot use mobile apps to pay for parking.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils, said there are “advantages in going digital” and work is being done to “make the process as simple as possible”.

Communities Secretary Michael Gove wrote to councils in April expressing concern about drivers being “digitally excluded” through a lack of alternative payment methods.

There are complaints among drivers about the number of different parking apps used by councils, such as RingGo, PayByPhone, JustPark, ParkMobile and ParkMe.

To use each one, drivers must download them and enter their details. Some charge an additional fee.

Some 11% of people surveyed reported that a proportion or all parking payment machines have been removed near where they live, with an additional 8% saying their local authority is consulting on doing so.

Drivers in London were most likely to say either of the scenarios applied to them (44%) followed by those in the east of England (23%) and the East Midlands (22%).

Many councils and private parking operators are getting rid of older machines that process card payments by 3G mobile signals, which telecoms operators are switching off.

This has left them with the choice of buying more modern machines or switching to a phone-based payment system, which does not require physical infrastructure in car parks beyond signs.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “While for many people a switch to purely mobile phone-based parking payment poses no problems, our research clearly shows that for others it spells bad news.

“In fact, a majority of drivers across all age groups think getting rid of parking payment machines is a bad idea.

“Of course, cash-strapped councils will find it difficult to justify spending large sums of public money on upgrading parking machines, which explains why some are bringing in third-party parking app providers instead.

“But it’s vital councils, and indeed private parking operators, carefully assess the impact of going down this route before taking machines away.

“Our research shows that – by removing some methods of paying for parking – they are undoubtedly making life harder for some drivers and possibly contributing to social isolation.

“The move could also lead to lower parking revenue as a result of drivers being put off from parking in the first place, something that’s surely not in any local authority’s interests.”

The RAC surveyed 1,900 UK drivers who are part of its driver opinion panel. They figures were weighted to be nationally representative.

LGA transport spokesman Darren Rodwell said: “The removal of the 3G network is posing considerable challenges to some councils who operate physical parking meters.

“This change, along with other customer trends, has led to councils digitising parts of their parking services.

“This includes moving to cashless payments and in certain cases removing parking meters when other more beneficial, efficient and secure ways can be taken to make payments.

“In line with other public and private services, there are advantages in going digital, such as drivers getting a text warning that time will expire, or being able to extend their stay without returning to the car park, as well as reducing the risks of theft from payment machines.

“Councils are working with Government and parking operators to streamline the number of apps needed to make payments, to make the process as simple as possible for residents.”

Chinese firm BYD has launched its second new model in the UK – the Dolphin.

Following on from the Atto 3, the Dolphin brings a range of up to 265 miles courtesy of a 60.5kWh ‘Blade’ battery which is cobalt-free and offers a ‘much higher level of safety’ compared with conventional lithium-ion batteries.

Priced from £25,490 and due to start delivery in the year’s final quarter, the Dolphin will be offered in four different specifications – Active, Boost, Comfort and Design. Active models use a smaller 44.9kWh battery and bring a lower range of up to 211 miles, while boost versions use the same setup but add in multi-link rear suspension and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Step up to Comfort and you get that larger battery and longer range, while a maximum charging speed of 88kW means that a 30 to 80 per cent charge can be conducted in 29 minutes. These versions are priced from £29,490.

Finally, the Design has the same mechanical setup as the Comfort, but adds a panoramic roof, two-tone paint and tri-colour wheels alongside wireless smartphone charging and privacy glass. Prices for Design-spec Dolphin models start from £30,990.

All versions of the Dolphin get a heat pump as standard, too, which helps to improve the efficiency of the batteries during colder weather. Versions of the Dolphin equipped with the 60.4kWh battery use a single electric motor that enables a zero to 60mph time of just under seven seconds and a top speed of 100mph.

Vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology also means that the Dolphin can use its battery charge to power external devices, while its 345-litre boot can be expanded up to 1,310 litres by folding down the rear seats.

The number of UK vehicles with illegal or near-illegal tyre tread depth has soared in 12 months, new figures indicate.

Motoring services company Halfords said 6.5% of the vehicles it checked in April had at least one tyre with tread depth below the permitted minimum, up from 3.8% in the same month a year earlier.

For tyres on the borderline of legal levels, the proportion rose from 7.0% to 7.8% over the same period.

Halfords believes the increase is due to a rise in the number of potholes and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.

The company, which inspects around 10 million vehicles a year for MoTs and servicing, said if its figures are representative of all vehicles on UK roads then more than 4.2 million have tyres with illegal or near-illegal tread depth.

Tread is the grooved section of tyres which comes into contact with the road.

In the UK, the legal minimum depth is 1.6mm.

Low tread tyres are more susceptible to punctures and blowouts, and have a detrimental effect on fuel economy, braking and steering.

Halfords chief executive Graham Stapleton said: “There’s a perfect storm of increasingly poorly maintained roads, caused by the squeeze on public finances, and increasingly worn tyres, caused by the squeeze on people’s pockets.

“Now more than ever we need to make it affordable for people to stay safe.

Halfords is offering customers the option of having tyres replaced now and deferring almost all of the cost until next year, interest-free.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “For all the hi-tech features modern cars now contain, our safety is still dependent on the four small patches of rubber that connect them to the road.

“The condition of our tyres is safety-critical and well worth the matter of minutes it would take drivers to quickly check that they have enough tread and are correctly inflated.

“Hard-pressed households looking to save money might want to take a chance on when to get their car tyres replaced, but running on bald rubber is surely a risk too far.”

The AA said it received more than 52,000 call-outs to vehicles stranded due to faults likely to have been caused by potholes in April, up 29% on the same month in 2022.

The cost of bringing pothole-plagued local roads in England and Wales up to scratch has been estimated at £14 billion.

Highways authorities and landowners need to help tackle the ‘menace’ of road signs being obscured by hedges, according to a leading road safety organisation.

GEM Motoring Assist has said that blocked road signs are ‘at best’ a nuisance for drivers, but could be misleading and dangerous at their worst.

The Highways Act 1980 (Section 154) states that landowners must protect the safety of road users by maintaining roadside hedges and trees. Though the bird nesting season usually stops any tree cutting from happening until after August, this doesn’t apply to a tree or hedgerow overhanging a highway and blocking the view of drivers.

Neil Worth, GEM chief executive, said: “Road signs provide vital instructions and information for drivers, who choose their speeds and actions based on what the signs tell them.

“If they can’t see the signs, then their ability to make safe decisions is compromised, especially if they’re on unfamiliar roads.”

GEM has added that any driver who finds a road sign that is obscured by foliage should report it to the ‘appropriate local authority’.

Worth added: “Dealing with trees, branches and plants that hide traffic signs is a vital task, ensuring that speed limit and other signs are made as clear as possible to everyone using their roads.

“We therefore ask any farmer and landowners to do their bit for road safety and ensure any signs are clearly visible for road users, and that drivers have a clear and unobstructed view ahead, particularly at junctions and on the inside of bends.”