Category: News

Drivers will be subjected to London’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez) rules if they move off official diversion routes during this weekend’s M25 closure.

National Highways said anyone ignoring diversion signs in an attempt to find shorter alternative routes will be liable for the £12.50 daily Ulez fee if their vehicle does not meet minimum emissions standards.

Failure to pay the charge when required can result in a £180 fine, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

The M25 will be closed in both directions between Junctions 9 and 10 in Surrey from 9pm on Friday until 6am on Monday while concrete beams for a new bridge and a gantry are lifted into place.

Drivers are being advised to avoid the area if possible.

Diversion routes will take cars on a 19-mile journey on A roads, crossing from Surrey into London’s Ulez area.

National Highways senior project manager Jonathan Wade told the PA news agency: “Although the (Ulez) cameras will be active, no enforcement action will be taken.

“However, if you ignore the diversion signs and do your own thing, then if your vehicle’s not compliant you do run the risk of getting caught.

“You’ll be perfectly safe as long as you follow the diversion routes.”

There are concerns sat navs could direct some drivers on to minor roads after leaving the M25, meaning they could be detected by other Ulez cameras as well as risk creating gridlock in residential areas.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan expanded Ulez to cover the whole of the capital on August 29 last year.

This weekend will see the second of five planned closures of the M25 – which encircles London – on sections connecting with Junction 10 as part of a £317 million improvement project.

Fears that diversion routes would become overwhelmed during the first planned closure – between Junctions 10 and 11 – in March proved unfounded as traffic levels were more than two-thirds lower than normal after a widespread awareness campaign.

Mr Wade said there is a “very real” risk that the lack of disruption then means some motorists will not heed warnings to replan journeys this weekend.

“We’ve upped the amount of correspondence that we’ve been sending out to try and counter that but it remains an issue,” he said.

Other stretches of the M25 will also be disrupted this weekend due to ongoing work to retrofit additional emergency stopping areas on smart motorway sections.

Mr Wade explained that the Junction 10 work can be halted at various points throughout the weekend if it runs behind schedule, as “we wouldn’t jeopardise opening the M25 on Monday morning”.

RAC spokesperson Alice Simpson said drivers could face “up to six days of disrupted travel” as the M25 closure follows national rail strikes which are expected to spark increased traffic levels.

She went on: “While the general advice is to avoid driving if possible, people will still need to make essential journeys for work, to access medical care and to reach Gatwick and Heathrow airports.

“Planning ahead is absolutely vital. Rather than relying on a sat nav, check the planned diversion routes ahead of time and be prepared for long delays.

“It’s also a really good idea to check your vehicle’s oil and coolant levels, tyre pressure and tread depth all before setting off to reduce the chances of a very unwelcome breakdown.”

Three more weekend closures of the M25 will take place between August and the end of the year.

The project, due to be completed in summer 2025, will increase the number of lanes and make it easier to enter and exit the M25 at Junction 10, which is one of the UK’s busiest and most dangerous motorway junctions.

Diesel car drivers are being charged up to £250 extra per year for parking near their homes as more than half of London’s councils impose air pollution surcharges, an investigation has found.

Residential on-street parking permits are more expensive for diesel vehicles in 18 of the capital’s 32 boroughs, according to analysis by the PA news agency.

The additional fees, levied to discourage polluting diesel cars as part of efforts to tackle a widespread problem with air pollution, are charged by only a handful of local authorities elsewhere in the UK.

A motoring group branded diesel surcharges a “cash grab” by councils, but environmental campaigners backed them as a tool to cut air pollution, urging more councils to follow suit.

Many drivers wanting to park a vehicle on the street near their home are required to buy a permit from the local authority.

PA analysed the cost of permits issued by councils across the UK.

The highest additional annual fee for parking a diesel vehicle near a home is the £250 charged by east London’s Hackney Council.

The surcharge is halved for council estate residents, while some modern diesel cars are exempt.

Among other London councils with additional permit fees for diesel vehicles are Islington (up to £220), Merton (£150) and Camden (up to £115).

Outside the capital, Bath and North East Somerset Council imposes diesel surcharges of up to £80.

Brighton and Hove City Council excludes diesel cars from its cheapest permits, which means some cost up to £62.05 more.

Edinburgh levies a £50 surcharge.

Encouraging drivers to switch from diesels is part of efforts to boost air quality, as the vehicles tend to emit higher levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx) than their petrol equivalents, and are a significant contributor to the problem.

Air pollution, including NOx and tiny particles known as particulate matter (PMs), are linked to a catalogue of health problems and play a role in the equivalent of 40,000 early deaths a year in the UK.

The most recent government figures show that in 2022 nine areas in the UK including Greater London, Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Nottingham Bristol and the West Midlands and West Yorkshire urban areas, as well as England’s south east region failed to meet annual limits for NOx.

Sales of new diesel cars have plummeted in the UK recent years, with a market share of just 7% in the first three months of 2024.

But at the end of September last year diesels still made up 34% of all cars licensed for use in the UK, with 11.4 million.

AA motoring policy spokesman Luke Bosdet said permits should be used to “regulate on-street parking for the benefit of residents, not as a tool to demonise car choice”.

He went on: “Influencing vehicle ownership towards greener alternatives is done evenly through national taxation, such as vehicle excise duty or company car tax.

“National car taxes ensure that all drivers are treated equally and are rewarded or penalised for their choice of vehicle.

“Diesel surcharges imposed by councils discriminate against residents who have to park their cars on the street outside their homes, while their neighbours with driveways and off-street parking can have whatever vehicle they want.

“Ramped-up parking permit costs are simply a council cash grab.”

But Friends Of The Earth warned that analysis in 2022 showed that 4.5 million Londoners lived in areas where air pollution levels were double World Health Organisation guidelines, which are stricter than UK limits, for at least one of the two key air pollutants.

Much of England and Wales also suffers from poor air quality, the green group said.

The organisation’s pollution campaigner Jenny Bates said: “Variable parking charges are one of the tools local authorities can use to help cut air pollution and encourage motorists to choose cleaner vehicles. This is an initiative we hope more councils will follow.”

She added: “Other policies are also needed to improve air quality and help people get around including better public transport, safer cycling and walking facilities and greater support to help people switch to electric cars.”

Leo Murray, co-director of climate charity Possible, said: “Real-world emissions tests show that toxic NOx emissions from diesel cars in London are on average six times higher than those of petrol cars.

“We need to start seeing more local authorities using parking policy to discourage dirty private cars.”

A Hackney Council spokesperson said: “London’s toxic air is causing a public health crisis and we know that the increased particulate emissions from diesel vehicles can lead to serious health conditions.

“That’s why we introduced a diesel surcharge in 2015, which is encouraging people to switch to cleaner vehicles.”

Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, which represents councils in England and Wales, said: “It is a matter for each council, based on local factors, on how they may wish to improve air quality and reduce pollution, which could include diesel surcharges for residential parking permits.”

Many councils charge different fees for resident parking permits based on a car’s emissions of carbon dioxide, the most significant greenhouse gas driving climate change.

– Here are all the UK councils identified by PA as having a diesel surcharge for residential parking permits (maximum amount for a household’s first vehicle in brackets):

In London:

Barking and Dagenham (£75)

Barnet (£12.20)

Brent (£100)

Camden (£114.69)

Croydon (£50)

Ealing (£55)

Greenwich (£50)

Hackney (£250)

Haringey (£80)

Harrow (£21)

Hounslow (£62.50)

Islington (£220)

Kensington and Chelsea (£82)

Lambeth (£140)

Lewisham (£50)

Merton (£150)

Southwark (£72.60)

Tower Hamlets (£73)

Outside London:

Bath and North East Somerset Council (£50)

Brighton and Hove City Council (£62.05)

City of Edinburgh Council (£50)

There are some cars that were designed just for driving, and this bank holiday weekend may just be the perfect time to use them.

For fans of all things four-wheels,, there is nothing better than just going for a drive in your car, and when the weekend is prolonged by an extra day for a bank holiday there’s even more time to explore. 

Modern cars are getting bigger, safer and less involving to drive, but take a trip down memory lane and there are many vehicles that tick all the right boxes for the perfect weekend toy.

Here is our guide to some of the most entertaining and enjoyable cars for the weekend.

Honda S2000 (1999-2009)

The S2000 was Honda’s fiftieth birthday present to itself and now 25 years after its release, it’s crept into the modern classic category.

The two-seater rear-wheel-drive sports car had a 10-year production run and in that time it went through minor changes to help it stay fresh.

It came as standard with a six-speed manual gearbox, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder VTEC engine that produced 242bhp and had a top speed of 155mph.

A redline of 9000rpm, razor-sharp handling and the open-top wind in the hair thrills and you’ve got a pretty special car. Not only that, but S2000s don’t break, meaning you can drive them hard and they just keep on giving. 

Ford Fiesta ST MK7 (2013-2017)

It was a great shame when the Blue Oval announced that it was dropping its beloved Fiesta in 2023.

The best-selling car in Britain for over a decade was gone in the blink of an eye, but happily however, because they were so popular, it means that we will still see thousands of them on our roads for many years to come and the sweet spot in the Fiesta range was the MK7 ST.

When launched, the ST brought so many smiles to car enthusiasts’ faces, because it had an affordable price tag, fantastic driving dynamics and one of the best sought-after chassis of any hatchback.

Under the bonnet was a 1.6-litre turbocharged Ecoboost engine that produced 179bhp, a little less than its rivals from France but nonetheless, the Fiesta was the better drive.

This is one car that is destined to be a future classic and should certainly be a candidate for our bank holiday weekend blasts list.

Toyota GT86 (2012-2021)

Built-in conjunction with Subaru, the GT86 stole the hearts of many drivers for its excellent handling and rear-wheel-drive layout.

Now over a decade on not only have they become affordable, but they are still great fun on a twisty road and running costs are not too high, either.

The GT86 was the same car as the Subaru BRZ. They both used 2.0-litre four-cylinder Boxer engines that produced 197bhp and though that doesn’t sound like a lot, they only weighed 1270kg – making them very light.

Porsche Cayman GT4 (2015-2016)

The Cayman 981 was released in 2012, not only was it better looking and more high-tech than the original that was released in 2005 – they also made some pretty special models such as the GT4.

The Cayman GT4 981 was only on sale for one year, and that’s no bad thing as it made them rare.

The engine was a 3.8-litre six-cylinder engine that produced 390bhp, had a top speed of 182mph and did 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds.

Not only was it fast, but it also had a limited-slip differential, a six-speed manual gearbox and was designed and engineered to be the perfect driver’s car.

Mazda MX-5 (1990-)

Any generation, specification or colour, the Mazda MX-5 could well just be the perfect car for your weekend needs.

Not only was and is affordable, but its simplistic rear-wheel-drive layout and superb handling have made it become one of the best and recognisable sports cars ever made.

The MX-5 is now in its fourth generation and in that time its recipe has hardly changed. It might have more safety equipment and driver aids, but the back-to-basics no-nonsense fun strategy is still there.

A light body, low power and snickety gear change make it a very user-friendly sports car, while being cheap to maintain and allowing you into convertible motoring for not much money – just make sure that you do all your checks with earlier cars as they can suffer from rust – but if you can find a good example, you can’t go wrong with one of these excellent little sports cars.  

By Cameron Richards

This bank holiday could say as many as 16 million drivers hit the roads.

As we enter May, the first weekend of the month is a bank holiday and we all know what that means – the roads will be jammed full of everyone else doing the same thing.

It’s predicted that as many as 16 million drivers will be hitting the roads this weekend with Friday being the busiest day for travelling.

Whether you’re going out just for a day or spending time with friends and family, you want to make sure that you arrive at your destination in enough time and be prepared, too.

No one likes to turn up to their destination late, behind schedule or even worse of all – never at all.

But, there are many things you can do to prevent any of these occurrences happening if you plan and manage your time wisely – especially if you’re planning on a trip away this bank holiday weekend.

Here is our guide on how to manage your travelling time when you’re out and about this weekend.

Plan your route

This might sound harder than it is, but planning your route can save you a whole load of headaches when driving during peak times.

Online mapping services can help to suggest the best possible route, though just be wary of some suggestions – these apps can often be telling all its users to head in the same direction, resulting in bottlenecks. You may still be better taking the ‘normal’ route. 

Planning your route before heading off is much more time efficient as it gives you a clearer outlook into your journey. 

Check the weather forecast and see what type of conditions you’ll be driving in, if it’s wet and windy, always set off earlier as the roads are usually busier when torrential rain is upon us. 

Travel the day before

If you’re travelling further afield and you know that you’re staying in accommodation, it might be wise to head up the night before as this will mean you’ll miss all of the rush hour times – whether that be early evening or early morning. 

Staying in a hotel might be a great alternative as it will give you a head start. Not only that, but you’ll have somewhere to sleep, have facilities and you can carry on with your journey further ahead than already planned.

Make sure you have a full tank of fuel

Filling up your car with fuel might only take a few minutes, but when you add up the time you lose by queuing for the fuel, refuelling and then paying, it extends precious minutes you may not be able to recoup back.

To prevent yourself from losing track of time, it’s better to fill up your car with fuel the evening before you’re due to head off. Not only that, but if when driving and you find yourself low on fuel, an unfamiliar area may cause you to become lost which can then lead to stress, anxiety or even rows with your passengers.

Set off early in the morning 

When driving on the road for a long time, it’s better to set off in the early hours of the morning rather than mid-day as there will be less traffic and the roads will be easier to navigate.

Also, with fewer cars on the road it means that your travelling time can be significantly reduced due to no traffic jams and accidents – meaning there’s less chance of any stress or panic you may encounter.

Look for shortcuts

Planning a journey can take time, but use that time wisely as finding some shortcuts can shave a lot of time off your trip.

Look to see if there are any smaller B roads that cut through towns and villages, or there might be dual carriageways that can skip past busy town centres – meaning you bypass all the traffic and don’t run the risk of arriving late to your destination.  

By Cameron Richards

First design sketches appear of Skoda’s next generation of race cars.

Skoda has teased its first design sketches of the new Enyaq RS Race Concept.

The Concept is based on the standard Skoda Enyaq VRS Coupe, and also comes as standard with all-wheel-drive like the road car.

However, the outside features a large rear wing to help with downforce and there are a lot more aggressive styling cues like the stuck-out front bumper lips and a sculpted bonnet with grooves. It has a lower and widened chassis, different shock absorbers and 20-inch alloy wheels with low-profile tyres.

Inside, the car will only feature two seats and certain parts of the cabin will be replaced with lighter materials, or be removed altogether to save weight.

The Enyaq RS Race Concept demonstrates Skoda’s contribution to a more sustainable future in motorsport – as well as following the recent reveal of the Vision GT supercar and Fabia RE-X electric.

This week's content published on our #Skoda Storyboard. Here's an overview ⤵️

— Škoda Auto News (@skodaautonews) May 3, 2024

Michal Boleslav, head of Skoda Motorsport said: “Sustainability is a cornerstone of Skoda Motorsport’s strategy. As early as 2021, we ventured into the realm of electric rally cars with the Skoda Fabia RE-X1.”

He added: “The insights and expertise we gained from this have fed into the unique new Skoda Enyaq RS Race.”

The Fabia RE-X1 was built on the same chassis as the Fabia Rally2 Evo and was equipped with an 860-volt electric motor – the Fabia Rally2 runs on fossil-free fuel. The Enyaq is set to complete the line-up of electrified and low carbon racing cars for the marque.

Daniel Petr, Senior Designer at Skoda Auto said: “The Skoda Enyaq RS Race is not a design study that will just remain on paper; it is going to be a real car. It will be lower, wider, lighter and most importantly more dynamic. So, it was clear from the start that the design had to be aggressive with strong racing DNA.”

Further details are yet to be revealed, but we can expect performance figures and specification to be announced later down the line when the project is near complete.

By Cameron Richards

This new model will sit on an extended platform of the current Renault Captur.

Renault has revealed its latest offering in the compact SUV segment with the Symbioz Hybrid.

The car will be a direct rival to the Nissan Qashqai, features a new design and interior, and sits on an extended version of Renault’s CMF-B platform allowing for more space inside the cabin.

Externally, Renault’s latest design language has been adopted into this new SUV with lots of angular and sculpted design cues. The logo is incorporated into the front grille, along with vertical LED daytime running lights – while the rear end is sculpted and has a flat tailgate to give extra room inside.

Inside, depending on what specification you opt for features a dashboard with a soft-touch paint finish or a blue gradient pattern. There is a 10.4-inch vertical touchscreen and a second 10.3-inch display facing the driver.

As standard, all models come with a wireless smartphone charger, two USB-C sockets in the front and a further two located in the rear.

The rear bench can slide over 16cm creating more knee room for passengers – allowing for an extra 221mm of space. Boot space with the seats upright and in their normal position is 492 litres, however, slide the rear seats forward and that increases to 624 litres – while folding them down expands it to 1,582 litres.

There will be three trim levels on offer – Techno, Techno Esprit Alpine and Iconic Esprit Alpine. Final specifications are yet to be revealed.

Under the bonnet features Renault’s latest E-Tech Hybrid technology. The engine is a 1.6-litre four-cylinder that produces 94bhp. There are two electric motors with a 48bhp e-motor and a 24bhp High-voltage starter generator and a 1.2 kWh battery to give the best blend of smoothness and efficiency.

Order books open for the Symbioz in July this year. Prices are yet to be revealed but we expect it to start from under £30,000 when the car goes on sale.

By Cameron Richards

The Commercial version replaces the two-seat Utility Wagon in the Grenadier line-up.

Ineos has released a Commercial version of its rugged Grenadier off-roader to replace the two-seat Utility Wagon.

The Grenadier Commercial features a full-length flat floor and a floor-to-roof cargo barrier behind the front seats.

Unlike the standard car, the Commercial has rear passenger window glass instead of aluminium panels, blacked-out glazing on the 30:70 split rear doors and permanently disabled chassis mounting points to prevent a second row of seats from being added – all features that qualify it for exemption from VAT.

It comes with a cargo capacity of more than 2,000 litres, can tow up to 3.5 tonnes and boasts 5.5 tonnes of winching power.

George Ratcliffe, Commercial Director of Ineos Automotive, said: “Customers in the UK have been asking for this addition to our model line-up since we launched in 2022, so we’re pleased to make this available so quickly.

“The versatility of the Grenadier platform allows this level of modification without any compromise to the driving dynamics or off-road capabilities.”

Underneath features a box-section ladder frame chassis with heavy-duty solid axle beams as well as up to three locking differentials.

The engine is the same as in the standard Grenadier, which is a 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder from BMW, and available in petrol or diesel guise.

The vehicle will be built at Ineos’s Hambach factory in France, which was acquired from Mercedes-Benz in January 2021.

Prices for the Grenadier Commercial start at £51,931 excluding VAT, with order books opening from today.

By Cameron Richards

Very few councils plan to increase the size of their parking bays, despite cars getting bigger.

Fewer than one in 10 councils across the UK plan on increasing the size of their parking bays despite modern cars getting bigger.

That’s according to data collected from 287 local authorities by Autocar, which also found that the most popular cars have grown since 2018, with their lengths going up by 97.7mm on average.

The three cars that have grown the most are the Peugeot 208, which is now 580mm longer than it was six years ago, the Toyota Yaris at 445mm longer and the Mazda 3 at 400mm longer.

The new BMW 7 Series is nearly a foot (0.3m) longer than the outgoing model, meaning it pokes out of most parking spaces in the UK.

Currently, there are five councils that have a maximum length restriction on vehicles, risking fines for their drivers if they don’t park in a space big enough for their car.

Mark Tisshaw, Editor of Autocar Business, said: “We know that cars are getting longer and wider, typically due to ever-stricter crash and safety legislation they must meet, and these figures show too few councils are adapting to this new reality.

“Fewer than one in 10 of them plan to increase the size of their parking bays, and in some regions you run the risk of receiving a fine for parking a car the size of a BMW 7 Series.”

He added: “Space sizes should reflect the UK vehicle parc so that motorists can park without fear of damaging other vehicles or being fined for overstepping a bay.”

Thurrock Council has a maximum car space length of 5,350mm, while Wokingham, South Hams, Broadland and South Norfolk, and Devon all have a cap at 5,000mm.

The Autocar data also found that since 2018 councils across the region have issued more than 357,000 parking fines for cars parked outside marked bays – netting them over £8m.

By Cameron Richards

Cheap and cheerful city car receives a major overhaul with an updated front and improved equipment levels.

Kia has revealed pricing and specifications for its freshly designed Picanto city car.

The Aygo X rival receives a new front end and updated interior, alongside new alloy wheel designs and paint schemes.

As standard, the new Picanto features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an eight-inch touchscreen navigation and multiple USB charging ports.

There will be four different trim levels to choose from, starting with the base ‘2’ specification which gets 14-inch alloy wheels, electrically adjustable heated door mirrors and cloth upholstery and comes in at £15,595.

Sporty GT-Line starts from £16,745 and features a gloss black radiator grille, LED headlights, power folding door mirrors and privacy glass.

Move up to the ‘3’ for an extra £800 at £17,545 and it adds heated front seats and steering wheel, automatic air conditioning, wireless smartphone charger and keyless entry and start.

The top-of-the-line GT-Line S boasts 16-inch alloy wheels, ambient lighting, blind-spot collision warning and forward collision warning.

Under the bonnet is a choice of two different engines. The entry-level 1.0-litre three-cylinder produces 62bhp and is available on every model except the GT-Line S.

A 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine that produces 77bhp is available only on the top-spec GT-Line S.

All versions come as standard with a five-speed manual transmission – with the option of a five-speed automatic gearbox available, too.

Prices start at £15,595 for the basic ‘2’ spec with a manual gearbox and rise to £19,145 for the GT-Line S with automatic transmission. The new Picanto is available to order now with deliveries expected in July.

By Cameron Richards

Residents of an East Lothian town can now charge their cars up using an old street cabinet.

The UK’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure continues to grow and while there are gaps in the allocation of chargers across the country, there are certainly more ways to top up than there ever have been.

BT Group announced last year that it would convert its old on-street cabinets into EV chargers, but how do they work and what sort of impact will they have on the overall network?

Here are a few key questions answered.

How many old BT Group cabinets are being converted to EV chargers?

As of today, a trial begins to see whether the old street BT cabinets will be of use to an EV owner. Currently, 600 charging points will be installed all over the country, with the first being completed today (May 1) in a street in East Lothian, Scotland.

What were the old BT Group cabinets used for originally?

Before they became surplus to requirements, they stored telephone and broadband cables – which means that all their electronic gubbins are already installed inside, which means that they can be easily converted into EV chargers.

Can I charge my car for free?

The first installation will be free to use for residents up until May 31. Users will also have to download an app to allow access to the charging point.

What is the point of upcycling an old broadband cabinet?

The whole point of this experiment is to not only improve the country’s EV infrastructure but to also help on-street charging.

Tom Guy, from BT Group said: “Our research shows 78 per cent of petrol and diesel drivers see not being able to conveniently charge and EV as a key barrier to purchasing one. ”

How many old cabinets could be transformed into EV chargers?

The BT Group looked into how many could be converted and that at the moment, a total of 4,800 street cabinets in Scotland alone could be suitable for the change.

Where is the next location?

As it stands, the pilot is looking at another site in West Yorkshire, though it’s expected that the roll-out will continue throughout the rest of the UK.

Where can I get the App to access the charger?

The Trail app is available to purchase via the App Store or Google Play Store. EV owners can connect their cars to get live updates and battery levels, smart estimated costs, charge times and access to their charge history.

The UK government has a target to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035, and while EV uptake has slowed in recent months, it’s expected that further increases in charging infrastructure – including these BT ones – will help boost interest.

By Cameron Richards