Car Loan News

With all the news about the potential fixing of fuel prices by some of the giant oil companies, much of our attention is on the price of fuel. Saving money on fuel is not just about the pump price though and there are many ways to help your motoring finances by keeping your fuel bills down.

A British MP has reacted angrily to news that EU investigators have raided Shell and BP over suspicions of oil price market rigging, just months after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) published a report that claimed the fuel market was working well.

MPs and motorists alike have long thought that the price UK drivers pay for petrol on the country's forecourts is too high. Many industry observers pointed out that while prices rose the instant the cost of crude went up, they were slow to fall when the crude market dipped.

The UK government has announced that it intends to oppose an EU proposal for tough new emissions targets for 2025. The targets call for an ultra low CO2 emissions target of no more than 70g/km per car. To put this figure in context, cars emitting less than 100g/km are currently exempt from road tax in the UK.

Motorists across the UK are always looking for ways to cut motoring costs and for many, especially younger drivers, insurance premiums are a substantial element of those costs. Towards the end of last year, the EU changed the rules regarding how the insurance companies assessed their risks.

With all the money splashing around in Formula One it is often overlooked that the home of the British Grand Prix Formula One race, Silverstone, is actually run and owned by a not-for-profit organisation. With the UK economy experiencing such tough times there is little spare cash around to help fund such organisations, so it is good news indeed for British motorsport fans that Silverstone has managed to secure £9.1 million in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Most drivers will have complaints about the quality of roads we drive on. Potholes seem to be an ever increasing problem and the rising incidence of damage to springs and other suspension and steering components would testify to this. Poorly finished and worn out roads also mean more road works and UK drivers are all too familiar with the miles of traffic cones and traffic jams caused by resurfacing work.

The UK may have avoided the embarrassment of a triple dip recession by the skin of its teeth according to figures released in April but the car industry provided far cheerier news for the economy. Figures just released for April show that car sales in the UK jumped by 15% in April this year compared to the same month in 2012.

A new report has revealed that new car CO2 emissions in Europe are continuing to fall. The report, released on 30 April by the European Environment Agency (EAA) suggests that average CO2 emissions from new cars across the EU fell by 2.6% to 132.2g/km in 2012. The EEA suggests that the figures are down due to improved car engine technologies arriving in the market but also because of an increase in diesel car sales.

Today there is much focus on what is being loosely termed 'alternatively fuelled' cars. For the most part this refers to electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrids. The market is expanding now though and is not quite as simple anymore. You can always plump for an EV, but very soon you will see hydrogen fuel cell cars on the market. The hybrid market is more complex.

The UK government is doing much to encourage the next generation of cars. Electric Vehicles (EVs) attract substantial grants to make them more competitive and they get exemption from road tax. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are also gaining government backing, with joint government and industry bodies trying to establish a strategic plan for the development of a hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in advance of the roll out of fuel cell cars.