More than two in three motorists believe all learner drivers should undergo at least a year of driving lessons before being able to take their driving test.

The support is for 12 months’ minimum learning for all new drivers, regardless of age.

The survey by IAM Roadsmart follows a 2019 government commitment to investigate a form of Graduated Driver Licencing, or GDL.

This could include a minimum 12-month learning period, although no final decisions have been made.

IAM Roadsmart now wants “urgent action” on the issue.

“The government must listen to the concerns of the vast majority of motorists who clearly understand the long-term safety benefits that a 12-month minimum learning period for all new drivers would bring,” said the road safety charity’s policy director, Neil Greig.

“Even the government’s own statistics show that one in five new drivers crash within their first year on the road, so a longer learning period can only help make our roads safer for all road users.”

The charity says evidence presented during a recent House of Commons Transport Committee Inquiry into young and novice drivers further demonstrates the benefits of Graduated Driver Licencing.

A move to GDL would be “a crucial step forward in improving road safety”.

What do you think? Should all new drivers have to undergo a minimum 12-month period of lessons and practice before taking a practical test? Let us know in the comments below

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Kia launches public access app for charging electric cars

Kia is making life easier for electric car drivers with a new public charging network access service called KiaCharge.

Through one account, EV motorists can access almost 14,000 UK charging points – and nearly 180,000 more across 28 other EU countries.

Owners access the service through a KiaCharge smartphone app or a traditional RFID card.

Kia says the service will give owners direct access to almost seven in 10 UK public chargers, including those owned by:

• BP Pulse
• Pod Point
• Ionity
• Source London
• Chargepoint
• NewMotion
• Char-gy
• ESB

More networks will be added to the KiaCharge service during 2021.

“The availability and suitability of public charge points remains a perceived hurdle for many would-be electric car buyers,’ said Kia UK president and CEO Paul Philpott

“KiaCharge seeks to remedy this by providing a comprehensive, easy-to-use public charging service for our customers, accessible from a single account.”

Kia says the service will make EV ownership a more viable and stress-free option.

KiaCharge: how it works

KiaCharge offers two tariffs: Easy and Plus.

Easy is aimed at light users. There is a one-off £1.99 charge to access the service and receive an RFID card.

There are no monthly fees: instead, a 49p ‘session fee’ is charged each time users plug in (except at BP Pulse and Pod Point).

They then pay per kWh of electricity, directly through the app.

The Plus option is for heavier users more reliant on public charging. There is a £2.99 monthly tariff – but no up-front or session fees.

Users again pay per kWh, and also get a 15 percent discount per kWh from many networks (except BP Pulse, Pod Point and Ionity).

There is a BP Pulse ‘bolt-on’ subscription for £7.85 a month, which gives a discount of up to 40 percent.

An Ionity bolt-on is coming later in the year, when Kia launches a new electric car battery – which will be able to use Ionity’s high-speed 800V chargers.

Meanwhile, the KiaCharge app gives real-time information for EV networks, including pricing and availability.

It can function as a route planner to find charging stations during a journey – and can be used through Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

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Most popular time to buy a car online revealed

The pandemic has led to a “dramatic” change in car buying behaviour, with growing numbers of motorists now choosing to buy online.

Lockdown restrictions and work-from-home requirements have also led to a shift in when people are making new car transactions.

Data from automotive ecommerce firm GForces shows that between 10am and midday is now the most popular time to buy a car online.

Its systems also helped sell a car every nine minutes during January 2021.

GForces chief commercial officer Tim Smith said the acceleration in online car buying has been huge. “There has never been a more pressing need for the auto industry to invest in online buying platforms.

This doesn’t mean the traditional showroom no longer has a place, he added. “Blending ‘bricks and clicks’ as part of an enjoyable, seamless consumer experience is the key to the future.”

Buy with Android and Apple Pay

An increase in buying a car online is also leading to a change in how motorists pay reservation fees.

GForces data showed that Android and Apple Pay accounted for £23m of sales from motorists paying reservation fees, deposits – and even outright purchases.

Home delivery of new cars has risen 35 percent in a year, understandably peaking during lockdown months.

British buyers are also using the flexibility to search for cars further afield.

The average distance recorded with online transactions is 80 miles from home – significantly greater than the average of 35 miles for face-to-face purchases.

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Cupra Formentor VZ5 set for UK launch – but in LHD

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Hyundai has revealed the new Ioniq 5 midsize crossover electric vehicle, a premium model it hopes will take on Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz rivals.

It will launch in the UK in mid-2021, with prices to be confirmed, but likely upwards of £45,000.

Built on an extended three-metre wheelbase, the firm is promising a particularly spacious interior, one that benefits from a flat floor throughout.

There’s even a movable centre console with built-in charging sockets, plus aircraft-style reclining electric front seats.

The retro-themed design is inspired by the original Hyundai Pony, which was the company’s first car to be imported into the UK back in 1977.

It was previewed by the 45 EV concept shown at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The styling of the 4.6-metre long Ioniq 5 (it’s similar in length to a Volvo XC60, but not as tall) is sharp, angular and geometric. Innovative Parametric Pixel lights feature front and rear, and 20-inch wheels are the biggest ever fitted to a Hyundai EV.

Inside, the modern dashboard features two widescreen 12.0-inch displays and a simple, minimalist appearance. Many of the materials, including the seats and door trim, are made from recycled materials.

A head-up display uses augmented reality.

Ioniq 5 range

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is offered with two batteries, either a 58 kWh or 72.6 kWh pack. There are two motor options too – single-motor rear-wheel drive, or dual-motor all-wheel drive.

The most powerful 305hp option can do 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds.

Maximum range with the single motor option pared with the largest battery will be just under 300 miles, estimates Hyundai.

The Ioniq 5 can also use ultra-fast 400v and 800v charging infrastructures. Via a 350 kW charger, it will charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in 18 minutes.

Adding enough charge for 60 miles of range will take five minutes.

It’s also a ‘charger on wheels’ and ‘V2L’ functionality delivers 3.6 kW of power to charge devices such as electric bicycles or camping equipment.

There’s an additional V2L port on the outside: Hyundai will sell a converter so customers can use the car’s batteries to charge high-power electric devices.  

The boot is a vast 531 litres with the seats up – and there’s an additional 57-litre front boot too.  

Impressively, it is rated as a tow car, and is capable of hauling a maximum 1,600kg load.  

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The Cupra Formentor VZ5 is a 390hp limited-run range-topper that uses Audi’s award-winning 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo engine to set a new performance benchmark for the three-year-old brand.

It also marks the end of the firm’s petrol performance car era as every Cupra halo car after this will be electrified.

By 2030, the majority of the Cupra model range will be pure EVs.

Capable of 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds, the five-cylinder Formentor is the “maximum expression of combustion performance for car enthusiasts,” said Cupra president Wayne Griffiths.

Although the Formentor VZ5 will only be offered in left-hand drive, bosses have confirmed the model will be coming to the UK. It is expected to arrive before the end of the year.

Production will be strictly limited to 7,000 cars.

Five-cylinder Formentor

The performance division of Seat, Cupra is using the Audi five-cylinder engine to demonstrate how it plans to create distinctive halo cars in the future.

It is “a genuine one-off” said the firm’s president of engineering Dr Werner Tietz.  

“The VZ5 is the most powerful and sophisticated variant ever created to date and I am confident that with its exclusive performance elements, it will become a dream for car enthusiasts.”

It’s paired as standard with a seven-speed DSG gearbox and Cupra says the unique noise from the quad copper exhaust pipes has not needed any artificial enhancement.

All-wheel drive, 20-inch wheels and adaptive suspension are standard, and the Formentor VZ5 sits 10mm lower than the existing 310hp model that so impressed Motoring Research recently.

Cupra also fits unique 18-inch six-piston Akebono brakes.

Other visual cues include a unique bonnet with flared lines, meatier wheelarches to house the 20-inch wheels, and (real) carbon fibre front splitter and rear diffuser.

Inside, unique ‘CUPBucket’ seats are more hip-hugging than the regular chairs and are mounted lower for a sportier driving position.

Cupra bosses say the Formentor is “the perfect vehicle to celebrate Cupra’s third anniversary as a standalone brand and continues the work and dedication to create vehicles that personify the Cupra DNA.”

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