Category: Blog

Car showrooms in England can re-open to the public on June 1, following the easing of the existing lockdown measures, but decisions when dealerships in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can re-open has yet to be decided and will be made independently.

Buyers can now visit showrooms to see the cars and talk to sales staff face-to-face, but with strict social distancing measures in place. Sales can be processed in person or online, including finance agreements, and many dealerships have already intr0duced home delivery services.

Government guidance will require that all dealers undertake a full risk assessment and implement safety measures to protect both customers and staff. These will include signage, posters and markers to clearly communicate social distancing measures, one-way systems for entrances and exits, zero direct contact for greetings, unaccompanied test drives, regularly sanitising all facilities and surfaces, and improving ventilation in buildings.

Most car dealers have been closed since March 23, resulting in a huge 97 per cent drop in sales during April, and as the UK is the second largest new car market in Europe, after Germany, it is considered essential in the bid to restart the nation’s economy.

In these uncertain times what dealers can and can’t do will most likely change as things progress over time, so it is probably a good idea to contact a dealership first before visiting.

According to research undertaken by Auto Express, many car speedometer readings are not as accurate as they could be.

The results, taken from a sample of 10 models from leading car manufacturers, including BMW, Volvo, Peugeot, Kia, Skoda, Mazda, Dacia and Seat, showed that it would be wise for driver’s not to put too much trust on the accuracy of their cars’s speedo. Continue reading Can you trust your car’s speedo?

New rules provisionally agreed by the EU regarding speed limiting technology look set to become mandatory for all vehicles sold in Europe from 2022.

The Department for Transport said the system would also apply in the UK, despite the outcome of the Brexit negotiations.

Road safety campaigners welcomed the decision, saying it would save thousands of lives. Continue reading UK set to adopt vehicle speed limitation technology

Jaguar Land Rover has issued a voluntary recall after it was found that 10 models were emitting more CO2 than they were officially certified for.

The Vehicle Certification Agency found the irregularities, which affect a number of models using 2.0-litre petrol or diesel engines, sold in the UK between 2016 and 2019.

Models include the Jaguar E-Pace, F-Pace, F-Type, XE and XF and the Land Rover Discovery and Discovery Sport and certain Range Rover Evoque, Velar and Sport models. Continue reading Jaguar Land Rover recall 44,000 cars over high CO2 emissions

One of the most desirable Porsche’s ever made will be up for auction at this weekend’s Race Retro at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry.

An original Porsche 356 A Speedster will be going under the hammer and could fetch between £280,000 and £320,000.

Built in 1958, the 356 A T2 Speedster is one of an estimated 555 making up the final and most desirable production run of the model. Continue reading 1958 Porsche 356 Speedster to go under the hammer at Race Retro

Fingerprint scanners will now be used to unlock and start your car, as Hyundai have announced that the technology will initially be available on its 2019 Santa Fe SUV.

The South Korean manufacturer is making the feature available in select markets (as yet unknown) in the first quarter of this year before making it more widely available. Continue reading Is this the end of the car key?

A new car sharing service is to be launched at Manchester Airport with future plans to expand to Birmingham and Gatwick airports.

ForestCar will enable passengers flying from Manchester Airport to rent out their vehicles while they’re away, in a move that will potentially disrupt the airport parking and car rental market. Continue reading Car sharing service for passengers to be launched at Manchester Airport

Car Mats make a perfect gift for Christmas. But as our luxury car mats and rubber car mats are custom made and fully tailored to fit, orders for presents for Christmas will have to be placed by 9am on Monday 13 December to guarantee arrival for the big day.

Happy Christmas everybody from the Prestige Car Mat Company.

The number of cars failing the MOT has more than doubled since tougher rules were introduced in May to improve air quality and make UK roads safer.

Nearly 750,000 cars failed the test in the six months after the change on May 20, compared with 350,000 during the same period last year. Continue reading MOT failure’s soar after rule changes

Jaguar’s first all-electric vehicle, the I-Pace, has been voted the overall Car of the Year at the 2018 Scottish Car of the Year Awards.

The I-Pace was also voted the Best Alternative Fuel Car, as Jaguar picked a trio of top-spot’s at the awards ceremony held at the Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club in Edinburgh last night.

The F-Pace’s ‘little brother’, the compact performance SUV, the E-Pace, completed the hat-trick of awards, as it beat all rivals to collect the Best Premium SUV title. Continue reading Jaguar I-Pace named 2018 Scottish Car Of The Year

BMW will unveil the new 2019 BMW 3 Series at the Paris Motor Show which begins today.

Codenamed G20, the all-new seventh-generation executive saloon is larger, lighter and more efficient, and continues BMW’s evolutionary design philosophy that has underlined every new 3 Series since it was first launched in 1975. Continue reading BMW to unveil new 3 series at Paris motor show

Drivers who are stopped by the police will have their licences immediately revoked if they fail a a new on-the-spot eyesight test, as part of a crackdown on road safety.

Throughout September, every motorist stopped by officers in three pilot areas, Thames Valley, Hampshire and West Midlands, will have to pass a basic vision test before being allowed to continue driving. If the driver cannot read a number plate clearly from a distance of 20 metres they will have their licence revoked on the spot. Continue reading Drivers will lose licence for on-the-spot eye test failure

New research suggests that one in three car buyers would consider purchasing a car they have not seen up close and personal.

The survey, carried out by CitNOW, an automotive video specialist, asked 2000 second-hand car buyers about their car buying habits and it was found that a third of car buyers would consider parting with their money after seeing a picture or video of the vehicle. Continue reading One third of car buyers would consider buying a car they haven’t seen

The RAC is warning drivers about fake social media posts and emails falsely linking cars to recent fires that only occur in hot weather and heatwaves.

According to some online reports, filling your car’s petrol tank in high temperatures could cause a fuel tank explosion, however the RAC has dismissed these claims as a social media hoax. Continue reading RAC issues ‘fake news’ warning over exploding petrol tanks

A new Guinness World Record has been set by Jaguar Land Rover Deutschland GmbH for the largest ever parade of Land Rovers and Range Rovers.

The world record, set in Bad Kissingen, Bavaria, Germany, consisted of 632 Land Rover and Range Rovers, of which over 80% were Land Rover Defenders.

Jaguar Land Rover Deutschland set the new record, with the help of volunteers, as part of Land Rover’s 70th anniversary celebrations marking the original Land Rover’s unveiling, which took place on 30 April 1948 at the Amsterdam Motor Show. Continue reading Parade of Land Rovers and Range Rovers sets new Guinness World Record

The most expensive car in the world has been bought by an American entrepreneur, who made his money selling rubber car mats.

Sold for a reported £52 million, the rare 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO is now the most expensive car ever bought.

David MacNeil, founder of WeatherTech, paid the record sum for the 1963 super car, one of only 39 models of the Tour de France winning Ferrari 250 GTO built by the Italian car maker between 1962 and 1964. Continue reading World’s most expensive car sold to car mat maker

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the £1.7 billion deal which saw the creation of Jaguar Land Rover Limited following the acquisition by Tata Motors of Jaguar Cars and Land Rover from the Ford Motor Company.

Jaguar Rover Limited (JLR) became a British-registered and wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors following completion of the deal on 2 June 2008, which also included the rights to three other British brands, Daimler, Rover and Lanchester – a Birmingham based car manufacturer which hadn’t produced a car since 1955 but became part of Jaguar Cars in 1960. Continue reading Jaguar Land Rover – Ten years of Tata

Fiat has unveiled the new special edition ‘Collezione’ 500 in London to mark 10 years of special 500 city car models.

Trendy Covent Garden played host on the second stop of its European city tour, which started in Milan.

London sells more 500’s than any other city in the world outside of Italy, so it was fitting that London should be the second venue after Milan. After the London showcase the ‘new edition’ Fiat 500 tour will visit Berlin and Paris before finishing in Madrid. Continue reading Fiat unveiles new special edition ‘Collezione’ 500 in London

This weekend the MOT test will be changing and it has been estimated that an extra 115,000 cars could be back on UK roads as they no longer need an MOT test.

One of the new MOT rule changes will allow cars over 40 years old to be on the road without a test, as long as the car hasn’t been heavily modified.

From Sunday (20th May), owners of any car over 40 years old will simply have to declare every year that the car meets the rules for not needing an MOT test. Continue reading 115,000 cars will be MOT exempt from Sunday

Five years ago Jaguar revealed the C-X17 at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and two years later, in 2015, they revealed the fully-fledged model – the Jaguar F-Pace, now accounting for two in every five Jaguars sold.

Jaguar’s first ever SUV, born from the C-X17 concept, not only had to live up to an SUV owner’s lifestyle and expectations, it also had to embody the core Jaguar values. Continue reading The F-Pace – the Jewel in Jaguar’s crown