Experts’ car buying tips for getting the best deal

Experts' car buying tips

Picking when to go to the dealership and building relationships with sales staff will help you make the most of your visit(Picture © Mazda)

We asked for some experts’ car buying tips in an effort to make purchasing a new car a less stressful experience. For a start there is no training and no hard and fast rules about buying a car. And it’s difficult to know if you’ve been taken for a ride or nabbed the bargain of the decade. Then there are the sales staff who are highly trained and have all the facts and figures about how much profit they might make at their fingertips. To find out how customers can get the best out of the car buying process, we asked the experts: three people whose job is to train sales executives.  Continue reading →

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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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Great British Drives: the Cotswolds

The Cotswolds

Bourton-on-the-Water has been described as the Venice of the Cotswolds ( (Picture © Cotswolds District Council)

Where? Bourton-on-the-Water to Chipping Campden

When to drive it? Spring/Summer

Essential stop? Broadway Tower

Perfect Stay: Charingworth Manor, Chipping Campden
If anywhere wants to claim to be one of the most beautiful Great British Drives it will have to do battle with the Cotswolds. This route takes in some of the most picturesque towns and countryside in the British Isles with a combination of quiet and secluded valleys, streams of crystal water and high streets that will make visitors feel they’re on the set of a period drama.  Continue reading →

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Car reliability ranks highest among drivers

Car reliability ranks highest among drivers

Hoping to avoid break downs? The Honda Jazz is Britain’s most reliable car according to a warranty company (Picture © Honda)

Being stranded roadside is never an appealing prospect and a new survey proves it, showing car reliability ranks highest among drivers. The research was carried out for What Car’s Motoring Panel of 4000 buyers. It asked them which of 29 elements was the most important to them when it comes to buying a new or used car. Two thirds said reliability was the most crucial factor. The excellence of the car’s finish and the brand’s reputation for quality were the next most important.  Continue reading →

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Car auctions: the insider’s guide

Car auctions

To novice buyers, auction halls can look intimidating. Our tips bust that idea
(Picture © Anglia Car Auctions)

Car auctions offer a guaranteed way of saving money on a second-hand car. However, there’s a catch; because it’s more involved than strolling in, nodding your head and driving out in a bargain, it can be daunting for private individuals, which is why only around one in 10 cars sold by British Car Auctions (BCA), one of the UK’s major auctioneers, go to buyers outside the car trade.

The advantage of successfully bidding at car auctions is that you’ll get a car at what’s known as trade price. On a three-year-old Ford Focus, used car valuation expert Glass’s Guide claims trade price to be £2350 (28 per cent) less than the £8230 the dealer would sell the car for. For a dealer, that’s not all profit as they have to account for the time and money it takes to prepare the car and display it in a showroom or forecourt, as well as market the car to potential buyers. But for non-trade buyers it can be a significant saving. We tracked down Mark Davis, a private buyer from Hampshire who’s bought around 10 cars from auction. Here are his tips.  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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Driving in snow: How to prepare and stay safe

Driving in snow

Snow can make for the most hazardous driving conditions (Picture © Renault)

Driving in snow presents car owners with one of their biggest challenges at the wheel. And with an arctic blast prompting forecasters to predict snow for the rest of the week, and some reports suggesting we’ve got a month of icy weather to look forward to, it’s time to be prepared for driving on slippery surfaces.

Research by tyre maker Goodyear showed that less than half of drivers, 48 per cent, ready their car for freezing conditions. Here are some simple steps to prepare for and then actually drive in snow.  Continue reading →

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The real cost of learning to drive

Cost of learning to drive

Experts say learning to drive is far more than simply moving a car from A to B. (Picture © Renault)

The cost of learning to drive varies from driver to driver. But it’s safe to say it’s one of the pricier parts of motoring, particularly considering that every year only around half of the 1.5 million drivers who take their test will actually pass. Here we look at the costs and potential pitfalls. As Mike Frisby from the Driving Instructors Association (DIA) explained, learning to drive is far more than simply moving a car from A to B. “It’s about attitude, behaviour, a whole variety of situations and how you go about dealing with them,” he said.  Continue reading →

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Car hire costs: How they catch drivers out

Car hire costs

Hiring a car means freedom but watch the costs. (Picture © Europcar)

Car hire costs can more than double at this time of year thanks to extras tacked on at the rental desk, new research suggests. The study found the average £214 basic cost could be inflated to £379 by extras sold to unsuspecting drivers as they collect their cars.

The study by iCarhireinsurance.com looked at car hire costs for the half term week during February, comparing five mainstream rental companies (Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt) at seven European airports. Here are how car hire costs can be inflated and, importantly, tips for negotiating them down.  Continue reading →

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Expert advice: what you should know about checking engine oil

Checking engine oil

Wearing a ball gown to inspect your oil in a field might be taking things a bit far… But it’s still important to check it regularly. (Picture © Mobil 1)

If the engine is the heart of your car, the oil is its blood, but checking engine oil is a lot simpler than major surgery! Without oil your engine can’t function as the oil lubricates all the moving parts and ensures your engine leads a long, healthy and happy life. It’s a worry that surveys show the majority of drivers can’t and don’t check the oil level in their cars because if the lubricant level gets too low, an engine will literally grind to a halt.  Continue reading →

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Scrapping cars: everything you need to know

How to scrap your old car

Scrapping an old car in favour of a newer model is a straightforward process (Picture © Ford)

Many of us imagine scrapping an old car involves taking it to a junk yard where a huge crane drops it into a massive machine that compresses a once-loved motor into a suitcase-sized cube. In reality, scrapping cars doesn’t involve a scrap heap at all: in Eurocrat-speak, worn out cars are subjected to recycling and energy recovery as part of the End of Life Vehicle Directive (ELV). And as of 2015, the law demands that an impressive 95 per cent of every new car must be recycled. Continue reading →

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Owning some new cars cheaper than used

New cars cheaper than used

Audi A1 is one of the new cars that can be cheaper to own from new than buy used. (Picture © Audi)

New cars cheaper than used? Surely it flies in the face of popular wisdom that suggests you’ll save money owning a used car compared to a new model. This is because from the moment you start owning a car its value starts tumbling. It’s called depreciation and it beats the cost of fuel, insurance and servicing to be the largest contributor towards the amount we pay to go motoring. Depreciation is at its steepest – and therefore costliest – in year one of the life of most new cars. That’s why it’s generally regarded as being cheaper to own a used car.  Continue reading →

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Electric car myths busted

Electric car myths

Electric cars spend a lot of time doing this. That and other myths explained. (Picture © Nissan)

New research from the Government and Britain’s car industry claims 62 per cent of potential car buyers believe the electric car myths that surround battery powered and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The survey by Go Ultra Low reviews drivers’ attitudes to electric or Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs). It claims a third have considered purchasing a ULEV, while nearly a third believe it’s more expensive to buy, own and run a ULEV over five years compared to a conventional car. Here we bust some of the more popular electric car myths.  Continue reading →

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In-car cameras: all you need to know

In-car cameras

As insurance fraud increases so does the popularity of in-car cameras

In-car cameras or dash cams as they’re more commonly known are rapidly becoming the must-have gadget for drivers. The increase in the number of ‘crash for cash’ scams, where criminals prompt prangs to make hefty compensation claims, is causing law-abiding drivers to fight back.  Continue reading →

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Driving in fog: all you need to know

Driving in fog

Fog can cause drivers big problems. (Picture © IAM)

Being on the road in the winter can mean driving in fog which is responsible for some of the most treacherous conditions car owners face. Hardly surprising that it’s believed a large number of crashes every year are caused by poor visibility. In 2013, 60 drivers were injured (35 of them hospitalised) when 130 vehicles were involved in a series of accidents in heavy fog on the Sheppey Crossing in Kent. Here’s all you need to know about driving in fog and the steps you can take to avoid something similar happening to you.  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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Great British Drives: The Wash

Great British Drives The Wash

Cromer is famous for its beach, pier and of course crabs. It’s a great drive getting there too. (Picture © North Norfolk District Council)

Where? Boston to Cromer

When to drive it? Winter/Spring

Essential stop? Henry Blogg Museum

Perfect Stay: Captains House, Cromer, Norfolk

Say Boston and many will instantly think of the city on the US east coast. However, it gets its name from Boston in Lincolnshire, the starting point for a version of Great British Drives that takes in the beautiful coastline of The Wash.  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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Expert tips: how to drive safely in winter weather

Driving tips for winter weather

As winter sets in, drivers face a host of hazards from the harsh weather. From dark mornings to icy roads, and smearing windscreens to sudden heavy snowfall, the winter brings added challenges that are just waiting to catch out drivers.

To help ensure everyone gets to their destination safely, Green Flag turned to the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) which promotes better driving, and asked Peter Rodger, its head of driving advice, to share his top 10 tips for driving safely in winter weather. Continue reading →

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