The first details of the new Aston Martin DB12 Volante have been released, before a public debut later this week.
Building upon the considerable changes brought to the DB12 Coupe, the new convertible version is said to combine performance with ‘the irresistible sensory thrills of roof-down driving’.
The open-top version of the DB12 has been developed by Aston Martin alongside its Coupe sibling. As such, Aston Martin states that the engineering improvements found in the DB12’s aluminium structure were intended not only to make the Coupe better, but the Volante as well.
‘The ultimate open-top Super Tourer’
Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Amedeo Felisa, said: “For many of our customers, roof down driving is the greatest pleasure.
“Aston Martin Volantes have captured that emotion and expressed it in unique style for more than six decades. With the new DB12 Volante we have changed the rules, creating a car that intensifies those feelings by preserving all the purity and exceptional sporting capabilities of the DB12 Coupe”.
Power for the Volante comes from the same 4.0 twin-turbo V8 engine as found in the DB12, producing 680hp and 590lb ft of torque. Combined with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, the DB12 Volante can accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds – 0.4 seconds slower than the Coupe.
Top speed is the same 202mph, though.
Intelligent adaptive dampers, and upgraded electronic power-assisted steering, having been tuned to make the DB12 Volante just as potent in the corners. As Aston Martin Chief Technical Officer Roberto Fedeli says, the Volante is “no longer the soft option”.
Rapid car, rapid roof
Key to the appeal of the new DB12 Volante is the ‘K-Fold’ convertible roof. Featuring eight layers of insulation, the fabric roof is able to squeeze itself into a stack height of just 260mm. Aston says this boosts luggage capacity, and allows the Volante to have a low-level tonneau cover.
Offered in a choice of four colours, the hood takes 14 seconds to open, and can be operated when moving at speeds of up to 31mph.
Like the DB12 Coupe, the Volante benefits from a significantly upgraded interior in comparison to the DB11. The Mercedes-Benz infotainment system has been ditched, with an all-new bespoke user interface included.
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included, whilst a 1,170W Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system with 15 speakers can be found on the options list.
A global debut in California
To celebrate the launch of the new DB12 Volante, Aston Martin will display its latest open-top creation during Monterey Car Week.
The DB12 Volante will be on show at The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering this Friday 18 August, and then at the exclusive clubhouse Aston Martin Club 1913 at Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance over the weekend.
Production of the DB12 Volante is due to commence in the third-quarter of 2023, with delivery of the first completed examples planned for the fourth-quarter.
The average price hike for motorists renewing their car insurance was £36, taking the quarterly average up to £471, while the average premium for a new policy rose £21 to £566.
The analysis is robust, with the ABI surveying 28 million car insurance policies. It says the upward trend is due to sustained cost pressures including a 33% rise in vehicle repair costs.
The figures come after international consultants EY noted the UK motor insurance market “experienced its worst performing year in a decade in 2022”.
For every £1 car insurers received in premiums, they paid out £1.10 in claims and costs.
Rising costs
“These continue to be tough times for many motorists and motor insurers alike,” said ABI director of general insurance policy Mervyn Skeet.
“With many families facing higher cost of living bills, no-one wants to see the cost of their motor insurance rise.
“Insurers remain determined to ensure that motor insurance remains as competitively priced as possible, but this has become increasingly challenging, given the continued rising costs that they are facing.”
Car insurers paid out £2.4 billion to settle claims in Q1 2023. This figure, which includes theft, repairs and personal injury, rose 14% in a year.
The 33% increase in vehicle repair cots takes the figure up to £1.5 billion. It reflects rising costs that include energy inflation and more expensive repairs, says the ABI.
Indeed, one car insurer quoted a 40% rise in labour rates between June 2022 and January 2023. Meanwhile the cost of replacement parts for the UK’s most popular cars has gone up by between 12% and 21% in a year.
The ABI advises motorists struggling with the cost of car insurance to speak with their current insurer – and be sure to shop around.
The Totem GT restomod makes its UK debut this month at Salon Privé, the high-end classic and supercar show hosted in the grounds of Blenheim Palace. Taking inspiration from the iconic Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA, the Totem GT marries classic styling with ultra-modern technology.
Totem Automobili was founded in 2018 by automotive designer Riccardo Quaggio, following a career at Honda and Alfa Romeo. He describes the Totem GT as being the car he dreamed of as a child.
Several years have been spent refining the design of the Totem GT, which comprehensively updates the classic Giulia coupe shape.
Crafted from carbon fibre
Each Totem GT is based on a 1970s Alfa Romeo GT Junior 1300 or 1600. This is stripped down to leave just the firewall from the donor car.
Totem then adds its own bespoke carbon fibre monocoque chassis, and clothes the car in carbon bodywork. The panels take 8,000 hours to produce, and weigh just 95kg.
The Totem GT Super comes with a twin-turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 engine that produces 600hp in standard tune, or a supercar-rivalling 750hp in Stage 2 guise.
Alternatively, buyers can opt for the Totem GT Electric, with a 500hp electric motor and 81kWh battery. The restomod EV can sprint to 62mph in just 2.9 seconds, and offers a potential range of nearly 300 miles.
Electric heart, classic soul
The Totem GT Electric uses a 13-speaker 125dB external sound system to recreate the noise of a conventional, petrol-powered car.
Carbon fibre seats based on those in the original Alfa Romeo 1750 Giulia GT are fitted, each one individually moulded to the customer’s body shape. The bespoke pedals are also aligned to the driver’s shoe size.
Totem Automobili will display the new Totem GT at Salon Privé, Blenheim Palace, between 30 August and 2 September 2023. Tickets for the event are available to buy now.
The term ‘connected car’ is often used, but what does it actually mean? Well, in basic terms, a connected car is one that has the ability to communicate wirelessly with other devices.
It might be a relatively simple interface like a smartphone connection to allow music playback. It could also link to the car manufacturer, so the vehicle’s software can be updated over-the-air without a service appointment. Increasingly, it might also involve a remote connection to the owner’s smart home system.
The current Volkswagen Golf helped bring connected car technology to the mainstream. It was the first vehicle in Europe with Car2X technology as standard, which uses a type of wi-fi tailored to local communication between cars. It does not use the mobile phone network, which means blanket coverage with a radius of up to 800 metres.
Thanks to a traffic hazard alert function, the Golf can alert its driver within a matter of milliseconds. In one scenario, the ‘emergency services vehicle’ icon will appear on the digital instrument panel, with an arrow indicating the direction from which the police car, ambulance or fire engine is coming. It will also indicate the approximate distance and sound an acoustic warning.
Cars can be connected to each other and the road infrastructure around them. They can be programmed to travel safely in tight groups at high speed, anticipating traffic signs and signals, reacting to changing road conditions, and avoiding collisions by ‘seeing’ hazards half a mile or more down the road.
All these connected technologies together add up to nothing short of a revolution. The connected car is arguably the most significant safety advance since the seat belt, and will be the biggest change to the way we drive since the horse was put out to pasture.
So, what is the car connecting to?
There are two basic categories of car connectivity. The first is via a mobile phone network such as 4G or 5G, which includes communication, internet and/or cloud services. Cloud services are the ones we use every day on our smartphones.
Want to hear a music track? Your device sends a request to a server that sends the coded music back to it, allowing the song to be played. Need directions? Your connected device searches for GPS satellites, mobile phone masts, wireless connections, or a combination thereof to position itself, then requests map data from a server, perhaps with a few restaurant recommendations from the internet thrown in for good measure.
This kind of connectivity also allows for the Internet of Things (IoT) to be accessed. The IoT is anything that has an on/off connection to the internet, from a toaster, to a heating system, to various components in a car. The toaster can access the latest time and temperature recipes for various breads. A heating system can be turned on while the homeowner is sitting in traffic, ensuring a comfortable house at dinner time. A car’s main computer can receive an updated operating system.
The second kind of car connectivity is dedicated short-range communications (DSRC). DSRC allows cars to securely and privately talk to each other, as well as the infrastructure around them: a collective system called vehicle-to-everything (V2X). It has extremely low latency (it’s fast, in other words) and enables the high data transmission rates necessary to manage multiple vehicles in traffic.
In the the future, DSRC will work in sync with mobile phone technology to keep cars connected.
Connected car features available now
Most car manufacturers today offer some level of connectivity, whether it be in the form of an dashboard system that connects the car to existing apps and services, or more involved experience that allows drivers such features as scheduling service appointments, having the car refueled, or controlling a smart home system.
A quick sampling of available services demonstrates the breadth of today’s connected car ecosystem. There are, of course, dozens more applications available, and the list is growing every day.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can display selected apps from your smartphone on the car’s built-in screen. The interfaces are very similar to those found on your phone, so are familiar and easy to use.
Streaming music, directions, text messaging, and phone calls are all available, and can be accessed in a way that doesn’t distract the driver. You can also access content, such as music tracks or podcasts, that are downloaded onto your phone.
Amazon Alexa
Many manufacturers are linking their infotainment systems to home automation services like Amazon Alexa, allowing consumers to control lights and thermostats from the car. While at home, the system interacts with the car, so it can be warmed up, unlocked or ready to go on cold days. Driving the vehicle requires a proximity key, discouraging theft.
The tech is especially beneficial for electric cars, which can be heated or cooled in advance, using your home electricity supply, without depleting the vehicle’s batteries.
Alexa also offers a broad range of additional voice-activated services, such as a location search that transfers your destination to the car’s navigation system, audiobook search and play, and shopping.
But what about hacking?
There are dozens of processors on a vehicle and they are wired into everything: engine and transmission, brake actuators, seat belt pre-tensioners, automatic bonnet closers, and much more. These electronics and their predecessors have been in vehicles for generations now, and the software that runs them has built up year after year, layer after layer.
There are tens of millions of lines of computer code necessary to make all these components work properly, and that number will only go up in the future. This older, less secure software is everywhere and could be vulnerable to attack.
Stories of vehicles being taken over by hackers exposing security flaws in those systems have made headlines. The transmission, braking, acceleration and steering were all controlled remotely and the driver was placed in a dangerous and terrifying situation.
What was a bit underreported at the time, however, was that the hackers involved were researchers, not criminals, and that it took them about a year to gain control of the vehicle. They also used a hard connection, a cable plugged into the subject vehicle, in order to understand and break into the system
The flaws those researchers exposed have made cars more secure by highlighting the need to separate the control side of the vehicle from internet-connected systems.
Researchers in Belgium discovered they could hack and steal a Tesla Model X in a few minutes using a Bluetooth-connected key fob. The equipment used to hack into the Tesla cost no more than a few hundred pounds. Tesla responded by issuing an over-the-air software update.
Smartphone hacks are another problem. Without security protocols in place, malicious software can unknowingly be downloaded from the internet or even hidden inside a totally unrelated app. This software looks for an automotive control app and launches invisibly alongside it. The vehicle’s credentials and passwords are recorded and transmitted, allowing the car can to be located, unlocked and sometimes even started for a brief time. However, because of the previous research work, the control systems in most cars are disconnected from the smartphone app. Simple two-factor authentication, fingerprint recognition or proximity key requirements would also avoid the hack entirely.
Hacking is indeed a concern, but manufacturers and suppliers are working hard to keep connected cars safe, and to make them more so in the future.
What comes next for connected cars?
Connected cars might seem like little more than the latest gadget, but the advances those gadgets pioneered will soon make driving safer and more efficient than ever.
As semi-autonomous car components, such as automatic emergency braking systems, become mandated by law, connectivity has more of a pivotal role than ever in near-future vehicles.
What about V2X technology?
Cars use DSRC to connect to each other and the road around them. Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) is two short-range, wireless-based technologies designed from the ground up to be both private and secure: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I). Their main function is to prevent accidents and save lives.
V2V works by transmitting and receiving key data such as vehicle position, speed, direction of travel, braking and steering input. Additional systems spot pedestrians, road hazards, emergency vehicles, potentially unsafe drivers and more. V2I sends information about things like traffic lights, construction projects, bridge height, weather reports and pedestrian crossing locations. Working as one system, V2X creates a complete picture of the driving conditions surrounding the vehicles.
A future group of V2V-enabled vehicles, such as the Chinese-market Buicks in the image above, will travel together in a convoy that acts like a school of fish or flock of birds, one group made of myriad individual movements and fluctuations.
If a pothole is detected in one lane, the impacted car will swerve slightly to avoid it, but other vehicles may not have to. Drivers can join or leave the convoy; there is no leader. The cars can be tightly packed together at high speed, taking advantage of group aerodynamics to improve fuel economy.
In city traffic, speed is adjusted so that red lights and other stops are avoided. Pedestrian crossings broadcast their occupants, and the vehicles avoid impacts. Emergency vehicles are automatically given the right of way, improving public safety. The position of empty parking spaces is broadcast, putting an end to circling the block. No one gets rear-ended at traffic lights by somebody who can’t put down their mobile phone, because both vehicles are paying attention.
The next steps
The individual technologies that create the connected car are advancing at breakneck speed. Manufacturers are now working together with suppliers and lawmakers to bring all the pieces together as a whole. Companies such as General Motors, Qualcomm and Microsoft have invested heavily in the technologies, and face stiff competition from competitors.
As the mobile phone market reaches full saturation and therefore declining growth, companies are looking to the connected car to increase revenues. Qualcomm released Snapdragon processors and modems specifically for the automotive market, including data collection, analytics, parking assistance and wireless electric vehicle charging, as well as infotainment.
Microsoft launched its Connected Vehicle Platform to speed up connected car development, built on the Azure cloud platform. Unlike car manufacturers, Microsoft already has and continually develops a living, agile, cloud-based platform. The software giant is working with several manufacturers and developing telematics, predictive services, in-car productivity, advanced navigation, advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicle tech.
People spend a huge amount of time in their vehicles. Connected cars offer a plethora of safety, comfort and convenience advantages, with only a slight increase in cost. All the manufacturers are on board, the communications and information companies are on board, and even lawmakers around the world are moving to embrace the benefits of connectivity. The connected car is here to stay.
Nissan Ariya electric SUV prices have been cut by up to £3,750 as the firm looks to offer “a more competitive customer proposition”.
The new Nissan Ariya now starts from less than £40,000 – undercutting the price of an entry-level Tesla Model Y by more than £5,000.
The Nissan Ariya is offered with a choice of two batteries, either 63kWh or 87kWh.
Prices of all existing 63kWh Nissan Ariya have been reduced by £3,000.
All 87kWh versions are reduced by £3,750 – which cuts the price difference between the two batteries to £5,000.
Nissan Ariya Engage-s
The new entry-level Nissan Ariya is called the Engage 2WD. Prices start from £39,645.
A new model grade, it features 19-inch alloys with aero covers, LED headlights, LED rear fog lamps and folding door mirrors as standard.
The new Nissan Ariya Engage also has dual 12.0-inch TFT screens and an energy-saving heat pump as standard.
Nissan GB marketing manager Nic Thomas said the new Nissan Ariya Engage entry grade helps make the model more accessible and enticing to a wider audience.
At the other end of the range, Nissan has also introduced a new top-spec Ariya version, the Evolve+.
This has 394ps and all-wheel drive, for 0-62mph in just over 5.0 seconds, “perfect for customers who seek a more exciting driving experience”.
Exciting indeed: but it will be the Nissan Ariya price cuts that resonate with more customers, we’re sure…
Automobili Pininfarina has unveiled a new design concept to inspire its next generation of electric vehicles. Named the Pura Vision, it envisages what the Italian company calls a ‘Luxury Utility Vehicle’.
CEO Paolo Dellachà said: “Pura Vision is the bridge from our present to an exciting new chapter in the history of Automobili Pininfarina.
“In our fifth year, we have already celebrated our unique heritage with the introduction of the Battista Edizione Nino Farina [revealed last month at the Goodwood Festival of Speed]. Pura Vision previews an exciting future and shows what can be achieved if we apply our Pura design principles to an entirely new kind of vehicle.”
A sustainable future
Dave Amantea, chief design officer at Automobili Pininfarina, added: “Pura Vision embraces the DNA of iconic vehicles from Pininfarina’s past to shape the future, with sharp lines and a modern aesthetic. It is distinctive from every angle and showcases our Pura design philosophy on a new kind of vehicle.”
The design incorporates hidden headlights and ultra-slim nanofibre lighting, along with imposing 23-inch alloy wheels, a wraparound beltline and powerful rear haunches.
Sustainability is a key aim for the Pura Vision, which features a new herringbone textile trim made from 30 percent Nativa wool and 70 percent recycled polyester. The interior’s exposed carbon fibre and anodised aluminium mirror the materials used outside the car, while the door sill covers are created from leftover alloy wheel material.
Classic design updated
Large ‘Lounge Doors’ are said to be inspired by the pillarless Lancia Florida saloon, designed by ‘Battista’ Farina in the 1950s. The car’s floating front seats resemble the foil of a sailing boat, and its large central display can be retracted to minimise distractions. Speakers mounted in the four individual seats give each occupant their own ‘sound zone’. Passengers even get an integrated wine cooler.
As this is solely a styling exercise, Pininfarina has not released any powertrain or performance details for the Pura Vision concept. If it reaches production, it could be a rival for the forthcoming Aehra electric SUV – also designed in Italy.
Automobili Pininfarina will display the Pura Vision at the forthcoming Monterey Car Week in California, including at The Quail concours in Carmel.
At the age of 60, some of us are eligible for a free bus pass, but the Porsche 911 shows no signs of slowing down, Quite the opposite, in fact.
First launched in 1963 as the 901 (Peugeot claimed the trademark, forcing an early name-change) the world’s most famous sports car celebrates its 60th anniversary this September, and the new 911 S/T is marks that occasion. It’s the fantasy 911 you’d create if you could combine all the best bits from the configurator: a GT3 RS engine, manual gearbox and subtle Touring-style body.
Porsche will build 1,963 examples of the 911 S/T, in reference to the car’s birth year, with a UK price of £231,600. First deliveries are expected later this year.
Plastic fantastic
The S/T name is significant. In 1969, Porsche introduced a lightweight (and now highly sought-after) racing version of 911S called the ST. The new S/T is also the lightest 911 in the range, tipping the scales at 1,380kg – 40kg less than a manual 911 GT3 Touring.
Those weight savings come primarily via carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP), used for the bonnet, front wings, doors and roof panel, along with the roll cage and rear anti-roll bar.
Forged magnesium centre-lock wheels (20 inches at the front, 21s at the rear), a lithium-ion starter battery and thinner glass are all fitted as standard, while Porsche also removes some sound deadening and the rear-axle steering system.
For the road, not the ‘Ring
The beating heart of the 911 S/T is a 525hp 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six – shared with the GT3 RS and closely related to the engine in Porsche’s GT3 Cup racer. However, while the bewinged RS only comes with a paddle-shift PDK transmission, the S/T gains a short-ratio manual. Praise be.
The numbers are impressive – 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 186mph – but don’t expect any Nurburgring lap records. Rather like the new 718 Spyder RS (effectively a softer version of the Cayman GT4 RS), Porsche says this car is ‘designed for maximum driving enjoyment on winding country roads’.
With the GT3’s double wishbone front suspension, a more responsive lightweight clutch and PCCB carbon-ceramic brakes, the 911 S/T promises to be intoxicatingly intense.
All that glitters
Choose the optional Heritage Design Package, seen here, and you get a racing number (anything from 0 to 99) on the doors, a classic-style Porsche crest on the bonnet and a gold 911 S/T badge.
The Heritage Design interior features plenty of luxurious Cognac leather, a roof lining in perforated Dinamica and cloth seat centres with retro black pinstripes. Sadly, the only of our most-wanted options that you can’t specify is rear seats.
Like most special edition Porsches, we suspect the S/T will sell out almost instantly. For those lucky enough to acquire one, though, it might go down in history as the greatest 911 of its generation. We’ll find out soon.
“Lotus was born in London 75 years ago, so this is a coming home moment,” says Niels de Gruijter. The director for Lotus Cars Europe is standing in front of a bright yellow Eletre SUV, speaking to the assembled press at Lotus London – a new flagship store, opening today.
In truth, this stylish showcase for all things Lotus is a long way from the lock-up garage in Hornsey, where company founder Colin Chapman created his first car – a modified Austin Seven christened the Mark I – back in 1948.
Located at 73 Piccadilly, directly opposite The Ritz hotel, it’s more about ‘brand experience’ than selling cars, with a minimalist aesthetic, ‘the best coffee in Mayfair’ and a brand new Evija hypercar taking centre-stage.
Past meets future
Walk into Lotus London and you’re greeted by a huge, nine-metre screen, also visible to anyone waiting for a taxi outside The Ritz. Framed photographs from the marque’s history, including its innovative F1 cars, are displayed straight ahead on the ‘heritage wall’.
The Evija currently on display is one of eight Fittipaldi limited editions, in black and gold JPS livery, and it shares the ground floor with the rest of the Lotus range: the Emira coupe and Eletre SUV.
Visiting the new flagship Lotus showroom in Mayfair today.
Evija Fittipaldi is one of eight cars marking 50 years since Emerson Fittipaldi and Lotus won the F1 drivers’ and constructors’ world championships.
Competition for showroom space may soon become more heated, however. Lotus plans to reveal an electric saloon later this year, followed by a smaller SUV and a fully electric sports car. Its quest to become a fully fledged Porsche-rival means increasing sales exponentially, from just 641 cars in 2022 to a goal of 150,000 by 2028.
Design your new Lotus
The ‘by invitation only’ downstairs area is where you can personalise your new car, using trim samples and an incredibly detailed life-sized screen. I spent a very diverting 10 minutes configuring a purple Evija with a blue interior, but – thankfully, perhaps – didn’t have the requisite £2 million to order it.
If that sounds a bit steep, Lotus London also sells a range of branded merchandise, from KEF Lotus Edition home speakers (£7,000 a pair) to T-shirts and baseball caps.
Niels de Gruijter hopes the Mayfair site will become London’s newest tourist attraction, heading up a Lotus network that will expand to 35 UK dealers by 2025. It’s definitely worth a visit on a London day out – and the coffee is exceptional, too.
You wrote a great advert and have sold your used car for the best price. Now you need to agree on how the buyer will pay for your car.
There are three methods of payment: cash, a cheque or banker’s draft, or electronic transfer. In all cases, don’t hand over the car keys or documents until the money is safe – regardless of whether it’s cash or electronic. The transaction isn’t complete until you have received cleared funds.
Make sure you give the seller a receipt when payment for the car has been made. Keep a receipt for yourself, too.
Payment in cash
Cash is the most immediate form of payment, so it’s ideal if you’re selling a used car for a relatively small sum. Make sure you count the money in front of the buyer. Ideally, arrange for the handover of the cash to take place in a bank. The cashier can count the money and ensure the notes are genuine, plus the funds can go straight into your account.
Be careful when walking around with large sums of money. Keep the notes hidden and don’t remove them from your pocket or bag until you reach the bank.
Bank transfer
A bank transfer is the safest and most convenient method of payment. How long it takes for the funds to clear depends on whether it’s via Faster Payments or the Clearance House Automated Payment System (CHAPS).
If your bank or building society accepts Faster Payments, the payment will arrive almost immediately, although in some cases it can take up to two hours. These electronic payments can be made online, over the phone or via a bank using a self-service machine.
A CHAPS payment could take longer. It is guaranteed to arrive on the day the buyer makes the payment, as long as it’s done before 3.30pm in a bank or over the phone, or 5pm if online. A payment made after these times, over the weekend or on a public holiday will clear on the next working day.
In both cases, make sure the payment is showing as clear funds before releasing the car. If in doubt, contact your bank.
Cheque or banker’s draft
If you’re accepting payment via cheque or banker’s draft, you’ll need to inform the car buyer that you won’t release the car until clearance of funds. Be warned: seeing the funds in your account isn’t the same as cleared funds. Your bank will tell you when the transaction is complete.
Make sure you have proof of the buyer’s name and address when they are paying by cheque or banker’s draft. A utility bill is a valid proof of address. Forged cheques and banker’s drafts are commonplace, so be on your guard.
PayPal
PayPal is ideal for paying for goods online, but it’s not recommended for buying and selling cars. There’s no safety net for the buyer or seller, as vehicles are exempt from PayPal’s protection policies.
While this does mean that once the transaction is authorised, the payment is final, you’re exposed to potential fraudulent activity. The account could have been set-up using false credit card details, or the buyer might have unauthorised access to somebody’s account.
As bank transfers are swift and secure, there’s no reason to use PayPal or another form of e-payment. It also means that neither the seller nor the buyer will have to pay any PayPal fees.
Escrow
Although it’s rare, some cars are bought and sold using escrow. This is when funds are trusted to a neutral third party until a set of conditions are met by the buyer and seller. Escrow might typically be used for expensive classic cars and supercars.
You should ensure that the third party company is legitimate by checking with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). If in doubt, use one of the other forms of payment listed above.
Fuel retailers will be forced to publish live prices to prevent drivers from being overcharged, the government has stated. The proposed change in the law comes after UK motorists were found to have paid an additional 6p per litre for petrol and diesel at supermarkets in 2022 – equivalent to £900 million in extra costs.
Although the major supermarkets, including Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, were still generally the cheapest places to buy fuel, the Competition and Markets Authority found these retailers’ profit margins had increased hugely due to a lack of competition.
“We’ll shine a light on rip-off retailers to drive down prices and make sure they’re held to account by putting into law new powers to increase transparency,” said Energy Security Secretary, Grant Shapps.
In the meantime, you can already spend less on fuel by tracking down the best prices in your area. A few pence per litre can add up to a significant monthly saving. Read on for our comprehensive guide to finding the cheapest petrol and diesel near you.
Price comparison websites
Price comparison website Confused.com has a dedicated cheapest fuel price finder tool (pictured above).
Sign up for free, pop in your postcode, tick whether you want fuel stations that are open at that particular time and away you go. It’s a clean and crisp facility. The weekly update could catch you by surprise if there’s a sudden price hike mid-week, though.
That said, the cheapest fuel station tends to stay the cheapest, regardless of across-the-board rises. The main drawback of this tool is that you’ll have to search for your chosen fuel station separately on a map.
That’s where Petrolprices.com (pictured above) comes in. Like Confused, you enter your postcode, but the filling stations appear on a map within a radius around your chosen starting point. It seems the best of the website-based facilities that feature a map.
Where the Petrolprices website falters is in its clunkiness (we suspect due to the ads), but there is also a free mobile phone app you can download. The average user is claimed to save £200 a year on fuel fill-ups.
Waze
Waze is a free user-supported navigation app for Apple and Android smartphones. Accident alerts, roadworks, speed camera locations and more are fed in as contributions from people using Waze, thus keeping information up to date for the entire user base.
That user contribution-based system isn’t limited to route planning, either. One incredibly useful feature is the fuel station finder complete with, you guessed it, prices to match.
If the BP up the road is a bit pricey, Waze might show you a Sainsbury’s nearby that is 5p-a-litre cheaper. We are dealing with pennies here, of course, but if you have a long journey ahead, you’d save £2.50 on a 50-litre fill-up.
What are the drawbacks? Well, depending on where you are, the user-supported nature can be patchy. In busy urban areas, it’s great. Savvy commuters are always online, keeping the information fresh on all of the above, including fuel prices.
Find yourself further out in the countryside, however, and it falters. The user base is Waze’s most precious resource and if that dries up, so does Waze. The ads can also get irritating, but it’s a handy first port of call to have installed on your phone.
Connected cars
If you’re in a new car with internet connectivity via the infotainment system – an Audi equipped with Audi Connect, for instance – your route to the cheapest fuel in your area could be very swift indeed.
Audi utilises an online database to find fuel stations with the cheapest fuel options for you. Simply follow your way through the infotainment to the petrol stations icon, where it says ‘Refuel for the best price’.
Many manufacturers have taken similar measures to get connected and now offer comparable services – it’s worth asking the salesman as you shop around for the best car deals.
Know your fuel brands
One thing it’s easy to overlook is a knowledge of fuel station brands. As mentioned, a general rule is that supermarket filling stations are cheaper than branded stops such as Shell, BP and Esso. Especially if you’re in the market for super unleaded.
The AA produces a regular report on fuel prices, and the results make for interesting reading. The average at supermarkets is nearly always cheaper than the national average. Asda regularly sets the standard for fuel price-cuts.
A rule of thumb? Stay well away from motorway service stations unless you want to pay a huge premium for a litre over literally anywhere else.
So, if you’re in an unfamiliar area and want a safe bet on cheap fuel, simply ask someone where the local supermarket filling station is.
