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Consumer Rights Act: What new law means for car buyers and owners

Consumer Rights Act

Choosing and buying a car is often the easy bit. Now the Consumer Rights Act should make it more straightforward if things go wrong afterwards


Think the Consumer Rights Act doesn’t apply to you? Actually the reverse is the case. Despite what we may sometimes think, the law is on our side to ensure we don’t come unstuck at the hands of unscrupulous traders. However, on Thursday October 1, that law changes. The new Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the biggest shake up in consumer law for a generation, theoretically making it easier for buyers to assert their rights. But how will it work in practice for car owners? Here we explain the main things you need to know.
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Young drivers: Experts say new laws needed to help cut casualties

Young drivers

One government idea is for drivers to have a minimum 20 hours of driving at night before they can take their driving test


The number of people killed on Britain’s roads increased in 2014 and young drivers are still the most dangerous category of vehicle user. It’s prompted experts to call for a review of driver training. Road safety experts say figures show one in five young drivers aged 17 to 24 crashes within six months of passing their test. And road accidents are the biggest killer of young people in the UK, higher than both alcohol and drugs. We investigate plans to reverse that trend.

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The boom in bus lane fines: how to appeal a ticket or PCN

One bus lane camera in south London has so far raised more than £6m in fines (Picture © iStock)

First it was officious parking wardens, then it was hidden speed cameras; now comes a new menace to motorists: bus-lane ‘entrapment’.

Underhand tactics are being blamed for a massive rise in fines handed out to drivers who are caught straying into a bus lane. Five years ago, approximately 321,000 bus lane fines or ‘infringement tickets’ were issued. But last year that figure had climbed to over one million, raising around £30million in revenue for cash-strapped councils.

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Car buyers sold hire cars: crooks now selling rental cars to the unsuspecting

Car buyers sold hire cars

Private used car buyers should be aware of crooks selling hire cars

A new scam that sees unsuspecting private car buyers sold hire cars by crooks has been revealed. We’ve already warned of the danger of buying cars that are really owned by finance companies. Now car check experts are warning of unscrupulous crooks hiring cars for the day from rental firms and using them to fleece unsuspecting used car buyers.  Continue reading →

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Driverless cars: vital questions answered

Driverless cars

The LUTZ Pathfinder pod will begin real-life testing in Milton Keynes in 2015 (Picture © Transport Systems Catapult)

Driverless cars are the future of motoring according to the British Government. It wants Britain to be a centre for the technology and has given an initial £19m towards a pilot project. A new report by the Department for Transport (DfT) believes the challenging driving conditions and weather in the UK make it the perfect place for testing driverless cars. We look at what the trial entails, how drivers can benefit, and the potential threats.  Continue reading →

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£6bn not enough to fix pothole plague

Pothole plague

Potholes have become a regular and unwelcome feature of our motoring landscape. (Picture © Warranty Direct)

The Government’s promised £6 billion over six years to tackle the country’s pothole plague won’t be enough to fix the huge backlog of road repairs, according to councils. Some local authorities claim it will take them £100m to complete work on the holes in the road that can wreck car tyres, wheels and suspension parts.  Continue reading →

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How far can you drive for cheap fuel prices?

Cheap fuel prices

Even a small drop in cost per litre can save big money when you’re filling up. (Picture © Ford)

If you go out of your way to find cheap fuel prices, you won’t be alone. Research shows that 42 per cent of drivers buy their fuel purely on cost. As proof, look no further than a Worcestershire garage that has run out of fuel three times in the past two weeks after its manager slashed fuel prices to just £1.09 for a litre of petrol.  Continue reading →

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Prangs up as parking space sizes fail to keep pace with bigger cars

Parking spaces are getting smaller.

\\\\\\ Cars are getting cleverer with self-parking functions. But parking spaces are becoming smaller. (Picture © Nissan)

As cars are getting bigger, parking spaces are staying the same size, prompting an increase in the number of people claiming for low-speed damage. According to new figures, Britain’s drivers are having to spend between £500million and £760m a year on repairs.  Continue reading →

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Company drivers urged to ensure they are properly trained

Ford Kuga rear-view parking camera

Ensuring company cars have the latest safety aids such as a reversing camera and object detection helps those who drive for work (Picture © Ford)

Do you drive for your employer? Have you had the correct training or, indeed, any training at all? If the answer is no, then it’s time to take action: at least 24% of road deaths and serious injuries in this country involve a vehicle that is being driven for work.  Continue reading →

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Is the Apple ‘iWatch’ legal to use when driving?

The DfT reveals the Apple Watch is not legal to use when driving

(Picture © Apple)

Drivers face a lot of potential distractions from today’s technology, and Apple’s new watch – dubbed the ‘iWatch’ – will be the latest to join the list when it goes on sale in the UK in spring. But drivers who count themselves as fans of the Apple brand shouldn’t get too excited just yet – Apple’s Watch will be illegal to use when driving.  Continue reading →

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Used car essential checks: eight to do when buying a motor

Essential research when buying a used car

(Picture © PistonHeads)

Buying a used car involves a degree of luck. But to adapt a quote from famous film producer Samuel Goldwyn: “The harder you work, the luckier you’ll get.” The mantra is one which used car buyers should follow, as the more background checks and research that are carried out, the less chance there is of buying a dodgy motor or being the victim of fraud. These eight checks will help steer drivers towards the used cars that are least likely to let them down.  Continue reading →

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How to wash Sahara dust off your car

Cleaning carpandara / Shutterstock

Getting rid of the Saharan dust that periodically blows up from Africa is vital to the future value of your car.

Dust is bad news for a car’s paintwork. Not only does it dull the finish of your once immaculate motor, it can also be very abrasive, causing millions of minute scratches to the surface it’s sitting on. And the duller and less appealing a car’s bodywork is, the less it will be worth when it’s time to sell it.

Cleaning a car involves slightly more than giving it a wipe over with a wet rag. We’ve taken advice from car care experts Autoglym to give you four simple steps that will enable you to return your dust-covered paintwork to its former glory…

Step 1: the first rinse

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