Subsidies are go(ing)

Despite all the rhetoric, just last month, Shapps admitted in an interview that the £3,500 subsidy toward buying an electric vehicle (the Plug-in Car Grant) is in danger of being stopped a little sooner than we’d like, and this means that it’s likely that the help to install a charge system will also go.

With that said, it has been announced that the government are looking to invest £400m in the public charging networks, of which £70m will fund the installation of 3,000 rapid chargers over the next five years. One could only guess at the financial model attached to it.

Shapps: “We must go further to protect our environment and improve our competitive edge. If we’re to become the world-leader in green technology, we must always be looking to expand our ambitions. The Government’s advisory committee on climate change has said that 2035 is the date to aim for”.

“Just as we rejuvenated our automotive sector in the 1980s, we’re going to work with our pioneering car sector to help them sell the next generation of vehicles around the world”.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) isn’t quite as convinced as the crowd at the party conference, suggesting that the government needs to do more to incentivise people to make the switch, if they want to encourage drivers to swap over sooner.

“The car industry is committed to zero-emission transport for all, however, low and zero-emission vehicles still only make up a fraction of the market, underscoring the huge challenge of fast-tracking a shift to zero-emission transport; ambition must be matched by measures that support the industry, allowing manufacturers time to invest, innovate and sell competitively”.

“This includes long-term government commitment to incentives and investment in infrastructure to accelerate the uptake of these new technologies”.

Six electric vehicles

Back in July, we reported that the Green Alliance stated that it could only take six electric vehicles charging in the same location to cause a ‘brownout’ on the national grid, unless immediate action is taken to improve the network, a fact that seems to be missing from Shapps’ speech to the conference.

And therein lies the problem with all the chest-beating toward changing the driving habits and motive power source for all transportation; the car industry could possibly swap over much earlier, but could the infrastructure of the United Kingdom cope with the change?

It’s all very well taxing internal combustion cars to within an inch of their life, in a bid to ‘promote green transport’, but the reality is that according to sources and specialised groups such as the Green Alliance, the switch over to ‘green’ may not be dictated by the willingness of manufacturers or even the buying consumers to adopt green transport, but by the limitations set in place by outdated infrastructure.

Electric vehicles are now a viable alternative (albeit expensive) for a great many of motorists, and if you’ve made the switch to an all-electric vehicle, and it works for you, that’s great. But for the hundreds of thousands of drivers that have no viable access to a charging network, or need a range above average, or just can’t stretch to the budget needed to purchase one, then what’s next?

Of course it’s easy to point out that even at 2035, that’s still a decade and a half away, plenty of time to manage the infrastructure, but environmental groups are telling the government that significant changes need to be made by 2020, and that’s simply not happening, certainly not at scale.

We genuinely believe that electricity will revolutionise the transport world, but only when everything is in place for that to happen correctly, until then, the government should at least take some of the responsibility from the motorist and stop penalising them so harshly for driving fossil fuelled vehicles.

Should the government take some responsibility? Do you believe that electrically powered vehicles will be the saviour of motoring? Let us know in the comments.

Arrogant Audi

We reported last year that upmarket Audis seem to top the list of recognised speeders, and surprisingly, they’re only third on the list of disliked drivers, with just 50% of respondents disliking them, although 71% said they felt that Audi drivers would be fast drivers.

“Why are Audi drivers so arrogant?” and “Why are Audi drivers so bad?” are two of the popular searches related to the marque, and 14% of those questioned would never go on a date with an Audi driver.

Of course, for the main part, this research is purely subjective; it’s about the perceived perception of different brands, although in the case of the speeding Audis, statistical evidence does back that perception, to a degree.

Toyotas are friendly

If you’re on the lookout for another car, and genuinely pay heed to research such as this, then your choice of vehicle should be Toyota – just 10% of the survey group said they disliked Toyotas, although 60% said that there was an issue with them driving too slowly, and if you’re single the news is good; 85% said they would date someone that owned a Toyota.

Popular Google search? “Why are Toyota drivers so slow?”.

Other brands came out favourably also – Volvo in particular did pretty well in the poll, with 80% claiming that Volvo drivers were safe behind the wheel (although if you’d have asked a motorcyclist, that figure would have probably been much less, rightly or wrongly).

Light-hearted fun

On the face of it, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of useful information, as already stated, for the main part it’s subjective (although the Google searches do hold a level of accuracy), and knowing whether you’re likely to score a date or not due to your car choice is hardly the stuff of Jane Austen or Lord Byron.

We should also consider that for the brands listed (including BMW, Audi, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Subaru, Volkswagen and Volvo), there is always going to be an element of distaste toward them; they’re all popular car brands, that sell many units every year (Volkswagen sold just under 40,000 vehicles in the single month of March in 2019).

Just by the very nature of the amount sold, you’re going to encompass a vast selection of drivers and driving styles, and it’s highly likely that a percentage of those drivers are going to be … less inclined toward societal benefit.

Autofill

It seems that potentially, the Google search enquiry information was nothing more than using Google autofill, you can try that yourself – head to Google and type in “Why are XXX drivers (use your favoured, or least favoured marque)” and wait for Google to return the most popular searches in the search bar.

This just lends credence to the fact that the research was aimed more as a light-hearted view into the mind of the UK motorist, rather than anything with scientific or relevant merit.

The reality is that we’re lucky to have the different choices of vehicles and marques; it’s possible to choose from a wide range of cars that can offer us everything from the ability to crawl through a rain forest, to transporting the largest of families, or even just heading out for a sunny Sunday drive when we feel like it.

Of course there will always be an element of being tarred with the same brush (I’m as guilty as the next man for doing that), but that doesn’t matter – why limit your vehicle choice because of what others may think of it? It seems to me that many of the respondents are accounting for the ‘flash’ factor when giving their answer, and honestly … if you’re a petrolhead that’s fallen in love with a specific model or brand, a few naysayers won’t put you off.

^* ‘Jerk’ is very much an American colloquialism, so perhaps the problem is wider than anticipated.

What do you think of the study? Do you think it’s accurate? Are BMW drivers the scourge of the UK road network, or is this hype? Let us know in the comments.

Image adjusted with BMW logo and thumbs-down icon superimposed onto foreground © Copyright Jaggery and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Perhaps the most shocking insight is that 33% of drivers said that time alone in their car offers them some much welcomed respite from their children. (Although if you’re a parent, maybe that statistic isn’t such shocking news).

The 63-hour commute

However, look a little deeper at some of the figures and you’d have to question the veracity of them; we typically spend 63 hours commuting each year, which works out to just under an hour and a quarter weekly, or less than fifteen minutes each day (assuming a 5-day working week, there and back). Does that sound right?

With that said, if the figures for the average commute are to be believed, it is possible that it’s a reflection on modern life, and the technology that now allows us to work digitally, or remotely; why spend an hour each day commuting to work when all you need is an internet connection, laptop and a decent cup of something warm? Personally speaking, I haven’t commuted to a single place of work for over ten years.

For many of us, the car can be seen as our own private sanctuary, which is perhaps why 67% of drivers confess to singing as loudly as they can while driving, or spending nearly three and a half weeks swearing or shouting. Perhaps that’s partly down to spending five weeks searching for a parking spot?

And when it comes to driving companions, nearly half of the respondents said their partner was their favourite person to have in the car, but if you’re a dad, there’s sad news – just 5% preferred to have their dad in the car with them while driving.

Naming your car

If you believe that your car has its own personality, there’s a chance that you’ve given him or her, a name – 4.7 million drivers in the UK do. The most popular choices are Poppy, Dolly and … The Beast.

To an extent, a car’s name could be dictated by the registration number, but cherished registrations are seemingly gaining in popularity – in 2017, we spent £111 million on private plates. I recently attended a Ferrari press day at Silverstone circuit, out of the 100+ privately owned cars there, around five of them had a regular registration number.

Top ten activities

According to Privilege, then ten biggest drains on our time when driving are:

1. Commuting to work – 63 hours every year
2. Driving to meet friends and family – 35 hours per year
3. Getting to the supermarket – 33 hours
4. Driving for household errands – 32 hours per year
5. Heading to shopping centres – 24 hours each year
6. Driving friends and family around – 21 hours
7. Taking kids to ‘activities’ – 14 hours per year
8. Taking kids to social events – 13 hours
9. Heading to the gym or keep-fit classes – 12 hours a year
10. The dreaded school run – 11 hours a year

Of course there are other, more random drains – we spend 8.4 hours a year programming satellite-navigation systems, and nearly nine hours (8.7) each year getting lost.

It’s clear that cars & transportation are playing an increasingly important part of our lives, and while we may complain that driving is becoming more of a chore rather than a pleasurable pastime, there’s still 59% of British drivers that believe driving offers a great opportunity for some thinking time, and just over half of us (52%) are thankful for a break from the pervasive nature of the mobile phone.

Charlotte Fielding, head of Privilege Car Insurance, said: “This research has shown what a significant amount of our lives is being spent in our cars – who knew how much time we spent driving to work, or simply going to and from the supermarket for example?

“Whether getting from ‘A to B’ or enjoying our own space and time, there’s no doubt we spend a considerable amount of time in our cars.

“It is, therefore, important that we take care of ourselves and other road users by driving safely and remembering to consider everyone else on the roads.”

Are these statistics surprising? Do you think that the commuting time is much longer? Are you one of the 67% that confesses to singing as loudly as they can? Let us know in the comments.

Tried and tested

In the United Kingdom, vehicles registered for use on the road must pass an ‘MOT’ (named after the Department for Transport’s predecessor, the Ministry of Transport) test—an annual mechanical and emissions inspection, with the first test due three years after the vehicle manufacture date.

Under the new DVSA rules, the MOT tester must classify any faults found during MOT tests as either ‘minor’, ‘major’ (which should receive immediate repair), or ‘dangerous’. With a dangerous fault, you shouldn’t drive the vehicle until carrying out the repairs.

The new MOT includes an emissions inspection, which involves looking for smoke (of any colour) coming from the exhaust, for evidence of Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) tampering, and sometimes a roadside emission check.

The government body’s records show that almost 1.2 million vehicles failed the emissions tests in the first 12 months of the new-style MOT. If a vehicle fails any of these checks, the MOT tester assigns it a major fault. Yet DVSA findings show a significant improvement in our air quality after either removing the failed vehicles from the road or by garages repairing the faults.

Since May 2018, the MOT includes looking for signs of obvious tyre underinflation, brake fluid contamination, fluid leaks posing an environmental risk, missing brake pads or discs, and checking your brake pad warning lights.

The test also now looks at reversing lights on vehicles first used from the 1st of September 2009, headlight washers on vehicles first used from the 1st of September 2009 (if fitted with them), and daytime running lights on vehicles first used from the 1st of March 2018 (most of the latter will have their first MOT in 2021 when they’re three years old).

The DVSA shared the 10 most common reasons class 3&4 cars and vans failed MOTs between the 20th May 2018 and 19th May 2019:

Top 10 reasons for MOT failure (by percentage)

1. Lamps, reflectors, and electrical equipment:14.9%
2. Suspension:18.3%
3. Brakes: 8.8%
4. Tyres: 6.8%
5. Visibility: 6.1%
6. Body, chassis, structure: 4.7%
7. Noise, emissions, leaks: 3.9%
8. Steering: 2.2%
9. Seat belts: 1.5%
10. Identification of the vehicle: 0.5%

Cars, vans, and passenger vehicles with up to 12 seats (Class 3 and 4) saw a 66.7% pass rate, private passenger vehicles with over 12 seats (Class 5) a 70.3% pass rate, and vehicles between two and 35 tonnes (Class 7) received just a 40% pass rate. Motorcycles had the highest pass rates with an impressive 83%.

On the danger list

Neil Barlow, Head of MOT Policy and MOT Service Manager at DVSA, said:

‘If a car has failed its MOT with a dangerous fault, DVSA’s advice is that it should not be driven until the defect is repaired. This is because it’s dangerous to both the driver and other road users.

‘Garages are unable to prevent owners from driving their cars away. But they will provide advice to the owner on what they should do to keep the car safe.’

Barlow added: ‘DVSA’s priority is helping everyone keep their vehicle safe to drive.

‘Thanks to the MOT, three million dangerous vehicles have been taken off the road.

‘But with a quarter of cars turning up late for MOT every year, that means there are lots of potentially dangerous vehicles badly in need of inspection.

A valid MOT certificate only confirms a vehicle has met the minimum standard of roadworthiness at the moment of completing and passing the test.

A recent Halfords Autocentres study of 2,000 drivers found 47% of respondents considered a vehicle passing an MOT as not needing any more checks for another year and, for 42%, the MOT was their vehicle’s only annual check.

Aaron Edwards, Category Manager at Halfords Autocentre, said:

‘An MOT is only a certificate to say the car is safe to drive the moment it has been tested, so it is concerning that so many motorists treat it as a service.

‘It is not a guarantee that the car is in good running order six months down the line, and it is vital that motorists carry out regular checks as well as an annual service.’

Driving down risk

You’re liable for a £1,000 fine for driving without a valid MOT and the only time you can drive without one is if you’re driving to a pre-booked test, via a direct route, and to your nearest approved test centre.

Although no law states a maximum distance, you could get a fine or a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) for exceeding a ‘reasonable and acceptable’ distance, driving to the garage.

Driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition with defective tyres, brakes, or lights, for example, may mean getting penalty points and a fine of up to £2,500—even if you’ve booked your MOT, so if you think your vehicle is unsafe and not roadworthy, consider transporting to the garage using a trailer.

Thirty per cent of MOT faults relate to lighting and signalling, tyre condition and pressure account for 10%, and 8.5% of fails relate to the ‘driver’s view of the road’, so avoid the common MOT fails by paying attention to your vehicle’s lightbulbs, tyres, mirrors, washers, and wipers.

If you want to avoid forgetting when your vehicle is due for its MOT, add your vehicle to your garage on the PetrolPrices service (in the mobile app or in your account on the website), ‘help to keep Britain’s roads safe’.

Has your car failed the new MOT? What did it fail? Do you welcome the new test? Tell us in the comment section.