Labour pledges to scrap hospital car park charges

May 10, 2017

There was little to excite motorists in Labour’s 2017 election manifesto. The only notable inclusion was the party’s pledge to allow visitors to English hospitals to park their cars for free.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn claims the current charges should be abolished, as they are “a tax on serious illness” and an “unnecessary burden on families.”

The pledge goes on to state that the lost revenue would be made up in other areas, with insurance premium tax seeing an 8% rise and a premium tax of 20% on private health insurance products. Labour asserts that this tax rise will suffice to cover the £162 million cost of providing free parking at English NHS hospitals.

A recent investigation found that the most expensive hospital in the country to park at is the Royal Surrey in Guildford. An average two-hour stay there costs £4. The same study found the Royal Surrey made £1,421,172 from parking charges and fines. In 2015-16, NHS trusts in England netted £120,662,650 in car park charges, up from £114,873,867 the year before.

Meanwhile, a nursing union found that it can cost up to £100 per month for nurses to park at their workplace. In some cases, nurses were having to rush out in-between tending to patients to avoid being fined.

Embarrassment for the Conservatives

Labour’s pledge is an embarrassment for the Conservatives, who despite promising on numerous occasions to take away the “stress” of unfair parking charges, have yet to amend any policies

Hospitals’ fees are not the only issue facing UK residents when it comes to car parking. Fees are rising around the country, by up to 17% in some areas. In addition, recent reports show that private companies handed out 25% more parking fines to motorists over the last year. Parking companies spend an estimated £12 million pounds annually on penalising drivers.

While many English residents would welcome the new free parking scheme, we remain sceptical about the damage that the extra tax charges could do to our wallets (although – arguably – the proposed tax does seem like the lesser of two evils). It is great to see a party putting effort into combating some of the everyday difficulties that motorist’s face. With the Conservative election manifesto soon to be released, we would love to see the current government rise to the challenge of doing more in this area.

Would you be happy with this Labour manifesto pledge to scrap hospital parking fees? What else would you like to see in the Conservative manifesto? Let us know in the comments below.

Image credit – PEXELS

Poll finds 80% want to drive faster, not slower on motorways

May 9, 2017

Last week the Government delivered its draft plan to tackle pollution. One of the key recommendations was cutting emissions by reducing the speed limit on UK motorways from the current 70 mph to 60 mph.

When cars are travelling at faster speeds, they emit more harmful toxins. Thus by reducing speed limits, toxicity levels will fall. The motorway speed limit decrease is one of the few recommendations that will cost nothing to implement but could make a big difference to road emissions. Enforcing it, however, is a different story entirely, although the growth of “smart motorways” (sections of motorway fully monitored by cameras) does seem almost purpose-built for this task.

This week, PetrolPrices.com conducted an in-house survey. We asked over 100 members what they think the motorway speed limit should be. The results show the scale of the task that the Government has in convincing motorists to slow down.

What should the UK motorway speed limit be?

• 60 mph – 5.66 %
• 70 mph – 15.09 %
• 80 mph – 49.06 %
• 90 mph – 15.09%
• 100 mph – 5.66 %
• No limits – 9.43%

[Source: PetrolPrices.com Facebook Poll May 2017]

Just 6% of motorists agree that 60 mph is a good speed limit for the UK’s motorways. Meanwhile, a staggering 79% think that the current motorway speed limit of 70 mph needs to be raised. Of those, 48% feel that the motorway speed limit should be 80 mph. 10% of respondents even go to the extreme and argue the UK’s motorways should have no enforceable speed limits, like the German Autobahn.

Statistics show that 67% of accidents on German roads occur on motorways without speed limits, resulting in twice as many speed-related deaths as the UK. Interestingly, Germany has the same number of speed-related accidents per 100,000 drivers as the UK. Speed is one of the main killers on the roads (alongside distraction), even when accident levels are the same.

These statistics come at an interesting moment. We’re seeing a widespread push from pressure groups and the government to reduce pollution and improve road safety at the same time. There is an argument that, whatever the speed limit, there will always be those who break it. However, there will also be those who comply with it. This suggests that lower speed limits do mean fewer deaths, fewer accidents and lower emissions. The question is whether the police will turn a blind eye to those who break the speed limits (as they do now), or whether there will be a huge crackdown using “smart motorways” or other methods in the near future. Only time will tell.

What’s your view on the proposed reduction in motorway speed limits to 60 mph? Should they be higher or the same as they are now? Let us know in the comments below.

Regulators concern over car finance mis-selling

May 4, 2017

The car finance market is one of the fastest growing industries in the UK. Its current value is estimated to be around £40 billion. Some 86% of new vehicles are purchased through personal contract purchase (PCP).

Now, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced it will begin investigations into what it classifies as “irresponsible” lenders. This will include assessing who buys car finance, how cars are sold and whether or not sales staff are carrying out enough checks to make sure that borrowers can afford the repayments. Lenders found by the FCA to have mis-sold policies could find themselves in hot water – the FCA could potentially force them to pay out millions of pounds in compensation to consumers.

Impact on car finance

The effect of the FCA crackdown in the short-term could be that drivers will find it more difficult to secure car finance, as dealerships are forced into performing more thorough credit checks before allowing customers to purchase vehicles. Of more concern is the worry that the current boom in car finance could be causing a financial bubble, in much the same way that we saw a few years ago with mortgages. With the mortgage crisis, too many people found themselves on payment plans that they were subsequently unable to repay, causing a financial crash. The fact that so many drivers are now stuck on contracts with repayment arrangements that they may not fully understand (after staff encouraged them to take out plans on the spot) could mean that we will see history repeat itself.

Our advice

We recommend steering clear of the car finance market altogether. One reason for this is that car finance can add thousands of pounds to the value of the vehicle you are purchasing. There are also other factors to consider, such a depreciation – you may find that the vehicle you’ve toiled so hard to pay off is worth a fraction of your initial outlay, once the three-year payment period is over.

If you do intend to dip into the car finance market, we strongly recommend you go to more than one dealership and get quotes from each. In addition, don’t fall into the trap of buying on the spot – make sure you take the time to thoroughly read through all the paperwork associated with the purchase. Using a service like Carwow is also a sensible move. You input the details of the vehicle you want to purchase and it provides quotes from various dealerships, enabling you to find the cheapest offer. PetrolPrices.com has a fuelback offer in place with Carwow here, where you can earn £50 of fuel when you buy a car with them.

Before you do go ahead and make a purchase, we also recommend visiting a bank to find out how much a loan would cost to buy the car outright. Compare that figure against the prices you have been quoted at the dealerships before you commit to taking out a contract. You will often find that a bank’s repayment plan will be far more cost-effective than that of a dealership. In addition, the bank will thoroughly vet you as an applicant, to make sure that you can afford the repayments before it gives you the loan. It is also worth remembering that by financing a new vehicle in this way, you will actually own the car and won’t be penalised for any dents or scratches it may pick up.

Is your vehicle on a PCP plan? If so, we would love to hear about your experience in the comments section below. If you haven’t taken out a PCP plan, would you be more wary of purchasing a vehicle through one now, given the FCA’s concerns? Let us know in the comments.

Image credit – Pixabay

Is your mechanic overcharging you?

May 3, 2017

Few things can make your pulse quicken like being handed the bill for your car’s service. Why is it that it is always more than you’d initially accounted for? Now, a new study has revealed the cheapest and most expensive areas in the country to have your car serviced.

According to the survey, the average price for labour in Britain is around £67 per hour. However, that rockets up to £234 per hour at the country’s most expensive garage – and that’s just for the labour! The study also revealed that Surrey is the most expensive place in the UK to have your car serviced, with an average price of £81.07 per hour for labour. Meanwhile, the cheapest place is the Scottish county of Selkirkshire, where an hour’s labour from a mechanic will set you back around £50.

How can you get the best deal?

The statistics reveal that having your car repaired can be a financial minefield. For those looking to cut down on motoring costs, here are some helpful tips and tricks you can use, which may aid you in saving money next time you visit a mechanic. Firstly, a good rule of thumb is to avoid chain and franchised outlets. These generally charge you more and you may even sacrifice the quality of work done on your vehicle. The cost of an independent mechanic versus a franchise can go from £56 to £99 per hour in some areas.

We recommend that you go in search of the cheapest garage and compare prices at the different garages local to you. We’ve found that this can save you a small fortune. We also recommend that you do some research online to find out the average cost of the work you’re having done. Before instructing your mechanic to proceed, compare the average cost to your quote to ensure you aren’t overpaying.

Be cost-conscious

After the work on your vehicle has been completed, double-check the final bill and look for any irregularities that may appear on it. A  statistic found that nearly 31% of a test group didn’t even check the final bill before paying it. By falling into this trap, you are putting yourself at risk of sneaky additions appearing on the final bill.

The fact that many motorists are so unaware of labour costs is part of the issue. It aids garages that seek to ramp up the final bill as much as possible. The statistics indicate that 77% of motorists have no idea how much the hourly rate was the last time they took their vehicle to be serviced.

If you would like to dispense with the cost of garages altogether, it’s worth checking out ClickMechanic. They provide fixed price quotes online for the cost of your repairs. The company then sends out a mechanic to whichever location is most convenient for you. You can find out more about the benefits of using the service here. Note that we also have a promotional offer running with them, which allows you to save 10% on all bookings when you use the code UNLEADED10 at checkout.

Let us know in the comments section below what you think of these new statistics. What do you do to save money when you get your car serviced? Do you know how much you paid for labour last time your car was repaired?

Image credit – Pixabay 

Parking companies spend £12m on fining 4.7m drivers

Apr 27, 2017

Parking operators are spending up to £12m a year on the names and addresses of drivers they want to chase and fine for parking offences, ThisisMoney.co.uk reports.

The driver data comes from the DVLA, which charges £2.50 per information application. Last year, parking companies bought 4.7m records from the DVLA, amounting to nearly £12 million in fees.

Parking firms earn £500m a year from these fines, so the £12m cost is more than worth it.

How are they getting away with it?

The government has faced criticism for selling personal details in this way. However, they insist that the £2.50 charge only covers administrative costs, thus ensuring that the applicant foots the bill rather than the taxpayer.

The DVLA has a legal duty to provide this information to car park owners for legitimate fines. However, the sheer number of applications being made is an abuse of the system. The number of details requested was a million more than last year, and a staggering 15 times more than a decade ago, according to The Times.

The rise in private parking firms buying drivers’ details is largely due to The Protection of Freedoms Act from 2012. The law was introduced as a way to protect motorists from being clamped on private property but has led to a surge in parking companies buying details from the DVLA in order to pursue drivers for unpaid fines.

The information exchanged includes drivers’ names and addresses, in addition to the details of their vehicles.

Abuse of information for profit

The millions of requests to the DVLA in the last few years shows how many fines parking companies are issuing, yet not all of those fines are justified. Some companies have been found guilty of having unclear signs, while technology faults, over-enthusiastic attendants and even altered photographs have also all resulted in the issue of parking charges.

One company, Parking Eye, even tried to fine a driver who circled a car park but never actually used it. Meanwhile, The Standard reports that two council-run carparks near Heathrow Airport gave some users up to five parking tickets at the same time, even though the cars’ owners had actually paid for a meet and greet service with secure parking.

In total, parking companies made a combined £500 million last year through receiving drivers’ information from the DVLA. This has triggered some debate, with several MPs arguing that the practice should be banned, especially as some companies have gone to ruthless and excessive measures to obtain information. Labour Commons Transport Committee member Robert Flello, commented:

“Parking firms which resort to bully boy tactics should be blocked from obtaining drivers details from the DVLA.”

Are you facing a fine?

The government is looking at reforming some of the laws regarding private parking companies. Meanwhile, there are steps you can take to protect yourself. We always recommend appealing if you feel you’ve been unfairly ticketed, and be sure to photograph any evidence that might help you – such as an unclear sign or ticket. Getting a witness to write a statement can also help your case.

You can also follow your local council’s appeal process, which should be fair and impartial – the same might be true with parking companies’ own appeal processes.

You can also use websites such as donotpay.co.uk, which offers free legal advice. Another great resource is the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Should the DVLA be allowed to sell this data so that parking firms can hassle drivers? Are parking firms operating fairly inside the law? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Government MOT plan to make cars unsafe?

Apr 26, 2017

The government is proposing that newly purchased vehicles have their first MOT when they are four years old (rather than three, as per the current requirement).

This information is from the SMMT. They report that the proposal has caused widespread concern from UK motorists who fear that it could lead to unsafe cars being allowed on the roads.

The government argues that extending the wait for MOTs could save an average of £45 over the course of a vehicle’s lifetime. That works out at a saving of £100 million per year for the UK’s motorists. Of course, the counter-argument is that it will cost the car servicing industry to lose the same amount.

In order to put the proposal into action, a public consultation will occur. If successful, it could lead to the new measures being in place as early as 2018.

It seems, however, that the majority of motorists oppose the proposal. YouGov has conducted a survey on the matter, which indicates that 83% of drivers would rather have peace of mind over the safety of their vehicle than an extra £45. 76% of a similar data set back calls from the automotive industry to keep the law as it stands (currently a three-year wait between the purchase of a new vehicle and its first MOT).

What risk does this bring to road safety?

During an MOT, a mechanic rigorously tests the vehicle against legal requirements. This includes examining lights, seatbelts, tyres, brakes and emission levels. Motorists can receive fines of up £1,000 for driving a car without a valid MOT.

Interestingly, many in the car industry actually believe that the current MOT checks are not rigorous enough. They would prefer reform in this area, rather than a new policy that they see as potentially harming the safety of motorists even more.

In reality, most four year old cars should pass an MOT with flying colours. Indeed, the Department for Transport points out that improvements in manufacturing standards mean that new vehicles stay roadworthy for much longer nowadays.

However, as AA President Edmund King said, the new proposal could see an increase in the number of cars on the road with “faulty tyres and lights,” which an MOT would address and which enhanced manufacturing standards have not necessarily impacted. King did also acknowledge, however, that the new measures would bring “cost and time savings for drivers.”

What do you think about the government’s new proposal? Would you take the £45 saving over the full peace of mind regarding vehicle safety? Let us know in the comments section below.