Jan 10, 2017
Last year, we discussed potential trouble ahead for diesel drivers. It was a highly emotive subject – something proven by the 26 pages of comments we received about the article.
Now, 2017 seems set to be the year that diesel drivers are hit with a perfect storm of issues and difficulties, with chatter already building about the potential for tax hikes and even diesel vehicle bans in cities.
Many diesel drivers have a solid reason to feel aggrieved by the government’s rapidly evolving stance on diesel vehicles and the emissions they produce. Under the last Labour government, people were positively encouraged to switch to diesel and Gordon Brown even gave tax breaks to individuals purchasing them.
Of course, that’s all changed since evidence emerged that diesel vehicles are far more damaging to the environment. Now the present government finds itself in the awkward position of having to disincentivise the use of vehicles that people were once proactively encouraged to buy – in a country with over 10 Million diesel cars on the road.
Pollution
Last year, the High Court ruled that the government must urgently act to address air pollution. As we moved into 2017 this was brought into sharp focus with the news that it only took five days for London to breach its air pollution targets. Almost 10,000 annual deaths in London are being blamed on air pollution, with many experts considering diesels to be the main issue.
Last year, a campaigning group called Doctors Against Diesel called on the mayor to put in place a ban on diesel vehicles in London. While this may sound extreme, such bans are actually planned in Athens, Madrid and Paris within the next decade.
However, there are some major practicalities to consider – not least the fact that a government cannot simply ban vehicles that people have previously been encouraged to buy! This is why there are calls for scrappage schemes and incentives to persuade people to move to “cleaner” cars. However, these ideas would be costly and need to be incredibly broad in scope to placate everyone. As yet, the government hasn’t indicated any such schemes are under serious consideration.
Taxation
One thing we may realistically see later this year is tax increases for diesel vehicles. The government has frozen fuel duty for six years in a row, and one has to ponder whether this may come to an end in 2017.
Last year, Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport secretary at the time, indicated that taxes may have to rise to address diesel emissions. A fuel duty increase for diesel seems most likely here, which will be especially galling for long-term diesel drivers who will have seen Gordon Brown do exactly the opposite to incentivise diesel use back in 2001.
Diesel Recalls
In addition to all the uncertainty above, if you own a diesel car you may well find yourself needing to visit your dealership for a recall or a software tweak at some point in 2017.
Obviously, the Volkswagen group scandal springs immediately to mind, and owners of diesel VWs, Audis, Skodas, Seats and Porsches should already have been notified if they need to take their car in for recall work. Meanwhile, a class-action lawsuit involving 10,000 owners is in the works. If the action is successful and sets a legal precedent, this could see over a million owners of such cars being awarded £3000 in compensation – something that would cost the VW group £3.6 Billion.
Aside from this however, it’s important to note that the diesel emissions scandal that broke in 2015 has now engulfed numerous other car manufacturers too.
While no other manufacturer has been implicated in the same way, “irregularities” have been found in diesel vehicles from Renault, Fiat and Jaguar, amongst many others, with plenty of companies including Mercedes-Benz and Opel set to conduct voluntary recalls on their vehicles too. It’s an almighty muddle – and that’s without beginning to consider that such recall work could have an impact on performance and fuel economy.
Is buying diesel now a bad idea?
Choosing a new diesel vehicle is certainly a bolder move than it once was. While it seems incredibly unlikely that the government could introduce any measures that would suddenly drastically disadvantage diesel drivers, the negative press alone could serve to make diesel cars less desirable and hit their resale values. Furthermore, a duty increase on diesel could eat into potential fuel economy savings.
If you travel long distances and select a vehicle with low enough emissions to qualify for low road tax (excise duty), a diesel car could still save you money in the short / medium term – but it’s fair to say it’s now a decision that warrants far more consideration than it once did. On the other hand, your options could be a potentially more polluting petrol car or an electric vehicle – and many consider these to still be in their relative infancy – so not an easy decision to make!
What do you think’s in store for diesel drivers in 2017? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Jan 3, 2017
It’s always been a rather strange anomaly that learner drivers in Britain are not allowed to drive on motorways as part of their driving instruction. However, as soon as a new driver has passed their test, they are free to immediately drive on faster and more hectic roads than they are likely to have experienced before.
Driving schools and instructors often encourage new drivers to undertake at least one motorway lesson once they’ve qualified for their full license but, let’s be honest, we don’t often hear of many people who do this!
All this is set to change, with the news that novice drivers will finally be allowed on the UK’s motorways while they are still learning, as part of a set of proposals put forward by ministers.
The proposals are sure to divide opinion; While the thought of learners on fast, busy motorways may cause concern to other drivers, it’s arguably a better scenario than seeing newly qualified drivers take to these roads for the first time with no supervision. There’s also concern that a lack of experience on motorways is causing some new drivers to choose minor roads for their journeys – roads where they’re actually statistically more likely to have an accident.
Dual Controls
One detail that may put some minds at rest is that the proposal only involves learners driving on motorways under the supervision of trained instructors with dual-control cars. This means it won’t merely be a case of a family member slapping some L-plates onto a car and taking an inexperienced driver onto the M25!
Other Potential Changes
This law change is just one of a raft of measures the government has come up with to make Britain’s roads safer. There is also a plan to make all trainee motorcycle / moped riders complete a theory test before they can pass their Compulsory Basic Training (CBT). Furthermore, should all the proposed measures be implemented, motorbike drivers on a provisional license will be banned after just six penalty points.
The new measures don’t focus purely on new drivers. According to reports, ministers are also considering potential life sentences for people who cause death by dangerous driving as a result of using a mobile phone at the wheel – an offense that currently carries a maximum 14-year sentence.
Time will tell as to exactly what measures are implemented. However, reports suggest that some previously discussed proposals, including making youngsters wait until they’re 18 to pass their test, and the implementation of a mandatory 120 hours of supervised driving, will not be taken forward.
How do you feel about the prospect of learner drivers being allowed on motorways? Let us know in the comments.
Dec 27, 2016
Predicting petrol prices in an increasingly unpredictable world isn’t an easy thing to do! However, that doesn’t mean we cannot try.
As we head into 2017, it’s inevitable that we’ll wonder what the new year may have in store for motorists, so in this article, we’ve summarised some of the things we think may come to pass.
Clearly, our predictions can be little more than conjecture, especially as they become more long-term, so please take them in the light-hearted manner intended. It will be fun to look back on these in a year’s time and see just how educated our “educated guesses” turned out to be!
Winter 2017 (January – March)
After seeing petrol prices shoot up in December, we think it’s likely there may be some stabilisation as we head into the New Year, particularly by the end of January – when the world will be watching the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Once Trump takes the keys to the White House, there’s a strong possibility that there will be downward pressure on the oil price, which will hopefully lead to falling petrol prices. While time will tell exactly what kind of protectionist decisions Trump makes, a pro-fossil fuels and pro-fracking president is likely to want to boost national production, which could put pressure on OPEC and other nations to lift their production caps to compete.
While it’s impossible to predict how financial markets will react, there’s also a chance the Dollar will fall once Trump takes office. If it does, this could also contribute to cheaper consumer fuel in the UK.
Spring 2017 (March – June)
The 20th March is the first day of spring in the UK, and the end of March is Theresa May’s target date for invoking Article 50 to begin Britain’s withdrawal from the EU. As such, it’s likely British eyes will turn away from the US and back to more local matters by the time the clocks change!
It’s almost impossible to predict what will happen to petrol prices around the invocation of Article 50, especially because we don’t know at the time of writing whether it will definitely be invoked in March at all. If it is, there’s a change it may result in another fall in Sterling, which is likely to push petrol prices up – to what degree is impossible to say. If it seems as if the UK may be heading for a “soft” Brexit, we could see the opposite happen, with Sterling strengthening and fuel prices falling instead.
Spring will also be time for another budget – the last before the spring budget becomes the “Spring Statement.” With all eyes likely to be firmly on Brexit, another fuel duty freeze seems most likely at this point.
One thing the budget is likely to address, however, is a way to finally deal with the nation’s lack of progress against emissions targets. The likelihood is that the spring budget won’t be a happy one for diesel drivers.
Summer 2017 (June – September)
The Geneva Motor Show takes place in summer 2017, and we expect electric cars to be big news. While there are only 1.5 Million electric cars globally (at the time of writing) and 1 Billion fuel driven vehicles, electric car adoption is growing ten times faster. This could go as far as affecting fuel prices if oil producers begin to worry about a potentially shrinking market.
Autumn 2017 (September – December)
As we head to Autumn 2017 our predictions must, by their nature, be somewhat bolder but potentially less accurate!
Britain will have its first Autumn budget, and we predict it could prove to be one of the most important budgets in recent history. The Chancellor will need a stimulus package for the next year that will reduce the national debt burden. However, he will also have to invest in growth to offset inflationary pressure and increase productivity.
At this point, we’re into the realms of educated guesswork, but we cautiously predict that the Chancellor will make a huge bet that the value of the Pound will rally against the Dollar. Combined with Trump’s USA increasing oil production capacity, this should bring fuel prices down. However, after eight years of fuel duty freezes, we can’t help but wonder if there’s not a good chance the government will finally raise this duty by 2.05 pence to make it 60 pence per litre.
Overall Predictions
2017 is going to be another difficult year for fuel prices with many significant events taking place that could impact costs – upwards or downwards.
While it seems highly unlikely that we’ll see extremes of pricing near the 145 pence per litre levels of 2012, we do expect prices to reach between 120-130 pence per litre at certain points in 2017.
So now, over to you! What do you think of our predictions, and what are yours? Let us know in the comments section below!
IMAGE CREDITS: Pexels,
Geograph, Rich Tea, cc-by-sa2.0
Geograph, David Crocker, cc-by-sa2.0
Dec 27, 2016
The past year was nothing if not eventful in many respects! We’ve seen a vote to leave the EU (complete with no shortage of political drama in the aftermath), and the controversial presidential success of Donald Trump over on the other side of the pond.
Before we move into what seems likely to be an equally notable year, here’s a round-up of what happened in the world of petrol prices and motoring in 2016. Some of this now seems like an awfully long time ago!
January
January 2016 saw many of us enjoying petrol and diesel for less than one Pound per litre, helped along by low oil prices and one of several supermarket price wars we experienced throughout the year. However, as the month drew to a close, oil prices began to recover, causing us to speculate as to whether we’d seen the end of the price reductions.
February
The oil price was volatile throughout February, leading us (and others) to wonder whether petrol prices would rise or fall. As it turned out, no large rises occurred thanks to a global glut of crude. With the budget approaching, there was also considerable speculation as to whether fuel duty would be increased – thankfully something that didn’t happen.
March
In March, fuel duty was frozen, but sadly we did see petrol and diesel prices start to rise slowly. We also witnessed the usual traffic delays over the bank holiday weekend, and saw the launch of fuel price signs along the M5 motorway – part of a pilot scheme from Highways England.
April
In April there was plenty of discussion on the site about changes to road tax, which will still take effect in April 2017 – details here. We reported on the fact that plenty of drivers of relatively low-emission vehicles would end up paying more – something that unsurprisingly remains controversial to this day.
Meanwhile, petrol and diesel prices continued to edge up, and while a 99p litre was still a possibility, these deals became far harder to find.
May
May was a busy month for fuel and motoring news. Brexit referendum fever started to build, and we looked at how the price of fuel varied between Britain and mainland Europe. We also reported on the spread of average speed cameras across the UK and the possibility of driving licenses “going digital” after the DVLA released an app. As yet we’ve heard little more about this particular story!
June
June 2016 marked the launch of our free revamped PetrolPrices.com apps! Since then we’ve continued to work on them, fix bugs and add features. They’re now installed on in excess of 120,000 Android and iOS devices across the UK and hopefully saving our members a considerable amount of money.
Of course the biggest news of June was the “out” vote in the Brexit referendum. While petrol prices continued to climb steadily in run-up and aftermath, the shock price increases some parties predicted didn’t come to pass.
July
July saw opposing forces affecting petrol prices. While a post-referendum Sterling fall served to push prices up, the price of oil stumbled, leading the two factors to largely cancel each other out.
Also in July, we discussed some anecdotal evidence that suggested many drivers were managing to get away with abusing the electronic road tax system, and not being penalised for failing to keep things up to date.
August
August began with another supermarket petrol price war. Morrisons and Asda both introduced price caps and saved money for plenty of drivers.
Unfortunately, while motorists were able to save on fuel, we also reported on rising motor insurance costs – for the first but not the only time in 2016.
September
September 2016 started with chaos on the roads for Kent residents, after problems with traffic queues heading for Dover ferries and the Channel Tunnel were compounded by an accident destroying a bridge on the M20.
Following on from the story about increasing insurance premiums in August, we also conducted a survey that revealed that over 70% of motorists had had cars damaged whilst stationery, with very few perpetrators stopping to “own up.”
October
In October, we launched our exclusive “FuelBack” tools, which allow you to earn fuel cards when purchasing the kind of motoring products and services you need to buy anyway. A large number of our members have already earned fuel cards by taking advantage of these exclusive offers. (Please note you’ll only be able to gain access to “FuelBack” when you’re logged in to our site – membership is completely free if you’ve not joined already!)
Also in October, we saw autumn fuel prices go up – for the first time in six years.
November
November started with another story of car insurance increases, but this rapidly became small news when Donald Trump was elected as President of the United States on 8th November.
Plenty more happened in November too! Trump’s victory caused the Dollar to fall and Sterling to recover slightly, which allowed petrol prices to fall a little. A small-scale supermarket petrol price war also broke out, which included Morrisons offering unleaded for less than a Pound a litre, but only for people spending over £50 in store.
Fuel duty was also frozen in the Autumn Statement, and a report found that Britain’s roads were the most congested in Europe. All in all this made for a very busy month of motoring news!
December
Unfortunately, we didn’t end the year on the highest of notes, because petrol and diesel prices started to climb, as you’re no doubt aware. We also reported, as usual, on the likelihood of travel delays over the Christmas period. We imagine more than one of the members reading has already been caught in a hold up of some description!
So, there we have our round-up of 2016. We thank all our members for being with us throughout the year, and look forward to saving you all more money on fuel in the new year.
IMAGE CREDITS: Geograph, Flickr
Dec 20, 2016
If you have any true motoring enthusiasts to buy Christmas gifts for this year, you have plenty of options. There are lots of items aimed at “petrol heads” and you still have time to order something in time for the big day.
We’ve trawled the Internet to find some items that car-obsessives will be glad to open on Christmas morning, so if you’re still trying to think of something to buy someone who meets the “petrol head” description, this list should hopefully provide a little inspiration.
1. Something to watch
While its impossible to deny that Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May divide option amongst the general public, it’s fair to say that most car enthusiasts have quite a soft spot – for them, and for Top Gear.
With The Grand Tour still exclusive on Amazon Prime, there’s no box set of that available yet, so the next best thing is this 13 DVD set of all the most memorable Top Gear specials.
Included are specials recorded in Botswana, Australia, Italy, and ten other countries. In many cases, they are “Director’s Cut” editions that weren’t shown on mainstream TV.
There are plenty of laughs and no doubt some controversial moments if you choose to seek them out. All in all, however, this will provide hours of entertainment for Top Gear fans.
Positives:
- Great value for many hours of entertainment.
- Includes previously unseen footage.
Negatives:
- Top Gear doesn’t appeal to everyone!
2. Something for eager new drivers
If you have a teenager in the family just itching to get behind the wheel and approaching the right age, this driver bundle will whet their appetite (and perhaps raise your blood pressure!)
Containing magnetic “L” plates, probation plates and a Highway Code, it’s everything required to get a learner started. It doesn’t matter if they’re a few months away from their 17th birthday – it’s never too early to start learning the rules of the road.
Positives:
- A good value gift for learners.
- “P” plates encourage new drivers to display their novice status after passing their test.
Negatives:
- Magnetic plates don’t mount well to all vehicles.
3. Something for racing fans
If you know someone who’s Formula 1 obsessed, this is the perfect gift – and after such an exciting season there are plenty of people who will be keen to relive it.
When we began our petrolhead gift search, we looked for some F1 books, but this double-DVD official review of the season grabbed our eye as a rather more interesting present. (It also didn’t help that many related books seem to be out of stock in the run-up to Christmas.)
A particularly great thing about this gift is that the set was only released on 19th December. As such it’s fairly unlikely that the recipient is going to end up with a duplicate gift from another friend or relative!
Positives:
- Perfect for all F1 fans.
- Previous 2015 edition received great reviews.
Negatives:
4. Something to read
Written by Ben Collins, the man who was formerly the famous “Stig” on Top Gear, this “How to Drive” book is perfect for those people for whom driving is a leisure pursuit and a pleasure.
This isn’t a book designed to turn people into racing drivers – there’s actually a lot of practical information about driving safely and economically.
Reviewers state that they have learned lots of new driving techniques based on the information in the book, which is equally suited to experienced and enthusiastic drivers, as well as those taking to the roads for the first time.
Positives:
- “Stocking filler” price.
- Great for drivers of all experience levels.
Negatives:
- Not suited to those who don’t appreciate a humorous read.
5. A real experience!
If you really want to treat the car enthusiast in the family, this “Driving Thrills” experience is just the thing – and it allows the recipient to choose exactly the experience that appeals to them.
There are over 400 experience options, driving everything from supercars to trucks and quadbikes. It’s also notable that the voucher lasts for two years, rather than just one, and that there are enough possible locations to make using the voucher an enjoyable and hassle-free experience rather than a chore.
Positives:
- Loads of options.
- Long expiry.
- Experiences for one or two people.
Negatives:
- More expensive than some of our other gift ideas!
