The Week In Motoring #6

2014 Budget

First on the motoring agenda for George Osborne in the 2014 budget announcement was to reveal that the proposed fuel duty rise in September of this year is to be abandoned: fuel duty will now in fact be frozen until September 2015 – welcome news for motorists.

More good news was to come, this time for classic cars as a 40-year rolling period keeps them exempt from vehicle tax duty – likely to have a welcome positive impact on their values, too.

It’s not all good news however, as the Chancellor announced that vehicles in tax bands D upwards would experience a minimum of £5 increase in vehicle excise duty.

Perhaps the most widely reported outcome of the Budget was the revelation that a £200million fund would be handed to local authorities in a bid to help repair the potholes that have appeared on Britain’s roads as a result of several harsh winters. Whilst this is a good start, many critics have pointed out that it’s not nearly enough to address the widespread poor state of our roads. Professor Stephen Glaister, RAC Director, stated: ‘our road maintenance backlog stretches back to some £10.5billion worth of repair, which means that the cash will go less than two percent of the way to addressing the problem.’

Tyre Safety Campaign Encourages Drivers to Regularly Check Their Tyres

Britain’s battered and bruised roads have sparked a tyre safety campaign to urge drivers to check their tyres and wheels for damage more often. The advice comes after the Chancellor announced that increased funds will be provided to local governments to help fix Britain’s roads.

TyreSafe chairman Stuart Jackson stated, “While the announcement of extra funds to help repair the UK’s roads is welcome news, it will not happen overnight. In the meantime, it’s critical that drivers pay particular attention to the condition of their tyres and wheels as hitting a pothole can cause significant damage.”

Jackson goes on to say that untreated tyre damage could present substantial danger not just the driver but other road users too.

Even slight damage to tyres, such as hairline cracks, can cause the tyre to slowly deflate. If a wheel is driven with an under-inflated state for prolonged periods it can cause the tyre to overheat, resulting in a greater chance of deflation in the future.

It is vitally important to check your tyre pressure regularly, particularly in the days after hitting a pothole. The correct tyre pressures for your vehicle can be found in its handbook.

Company Car Drivers Leading the way with Low CO₂ Emissions

The amount of Carbon Emissions from new company cars reached an all time low of 120.4g/km in February according to ALD Automotive, beating the previous low of 125.2g/km set at the end of 2013.

Company car CO₂ emissions have been significantly reduced in the past 5 years, having fallen by a total 17% (27% in the past 10 years). Moreover, they are also 8g/km below the UK’s average for new vehicles, something Fleet News claim “demonstrates that company car drivers are leading the way in terms of reducing carbon emissions.”

The latest findings from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) indicate that a car produced in 2014 is typically 14% more efficient than one produced in 2009. Mel Dawson, Managing Director at ALD, suggested that Benefit in Kind taxation is the main driving force behind low CO₂ emissions for company cars: “Our survey of over 1,000 company car drivers in 2013 found that BIK was the most influential factor for company car drivers when choosing their next vehicle.”

With increases in BIK announced for vehicles with over 75g/km of carbon emissions in last week’s Budget, this form of taxation is likely to continue to be a major influencer for company car drivers and their choice of vehicle.

Car of the Week

Our vehicle of the week is this executive BMW 318d SAL 2.0 Luxury Auto – Business Media:

If you’d like to book a test drive or talk to us out about the latest leasing options for this vehicle, then don’t hesitate to call on 01753 851561.