Daily Motor News – Monday 28 April 2025 

The latest figures from Ireland show uninsured vehicles have almost halved thanks to the new IMID system, helping authorities catch uninsured drivers more easily. Meanwhile, UK motorists are being advised when not to claim on insurance, with pothole damage claim rates also on the rise. 

In automotive news, March pre-registrations are in, while a shortage of driving instructors is causing delays for learner drivers. BMW promises the joy of driving will survive into the autonomous era, even as young drivers are paying more for EVs to save on taxes. 

Elsewhere, the DVLA revealed that 140,000 licences have been revoked and Chinese brand Denza plans a stronger push into Europe. 

On the industry side, DIY repairs are on the rise but come with risks, according to Revive UK, while Allianz Partners celebrates record revenue and private parking fines surge. 

Percentage of uninsured private vehicles on Irish roads halves following introduction of new detection system 

The percentage of uninsured private vehicles on Irish roads has almost halved following the introduction of the new Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID) system, aimed at assisting law enforcement to easily detect uninsured drivers. Read more

3 reasons not to claim on your car insurance – and when it’s worth it 

Motor insurers paid out a record £11.7bn in car insurance claims last year, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI). But just because cover is there, doesn’t mean it’s always worth using. Read more

Can you claim for pothole damage on your car insurance? 

The scourge of potholes has led to a rise in vehicle breakdowns, new figures show. 

According to data from the RAC, some 9,439 callouts to breakdowns as a result of poor road surfaces in the UK were received by the RAC between January and March, up from 7,904 during the same period last year. Read more

March 2025 new car pre-registration figures 

SMMT released figures for March pre-registrations in the UK new car market. The data shows the number of cars disposed of by vehicle manufacturers in March 2025 that were defined as pre-registrations. Read more

Driving instructor shortage ‘adding to test delays’ 

A shortage of training instructors is contributing to the backlog of learner drivers waiting to sit their practical test. Instructors have said delays in booking their own exams, “astronomical” costs and a “convoluted” testing process are deterring people from the industry. Read more

BMW: joy of driving will survive autonomous car era 

BMW has promised the “joy of driving” will never go away and it will continue to invest in dynamic “fun and capability” in future models, in parallel to the development of advanced self-driving technologies. Read more

Young motorists opting to pay £16,000 more for an electric vehicle to save on car taxes – ‘Suits me’ 

Drivers under 25-years-old have been caught paying as much as £16,000 more for an electric car due to cheaper tax rates than petrol and diesel vehicles. Read more

DVLA revokes 140,000 UK driving licences in major crackdown – worst areas named 

Data from the DVLA has revealed that around 140,000 driving licence holders in the UK are currently banned from driving – one in every 374 drivers. Here are the hotspots: Read more 

Denza: Ten times better than the opposition? 

Having just about gotten our heads around BYD’s lexicon of eccentrically named EV and hybrid models, the Chinese conglomerate has thrown us yet another curve ball, with suggestions of a further triple-pronged assault on the European market. Read more

Leave it to the Experts: DIY Damage repairs are on the rise 

When it comes to repairing your own vehicle, many take pride in the fact that they’ve done it themselves, achieving a serviceable result while also saving money and getting one over on those greedy garages. However, when things go wrong with a DIY repair it can often result in increased costs, sometimes even more than what the original damage would have cost to repair. Read more

Audatex UK Data Update 24 April 2025 

We are pleased to announce the release of our latest data update, D4.81, which will be available from 24 April 2025. This update includes enhancements to 64 model sheets and the addition of 15 new models to our industry-leading vehicle database. Read more

Only one in four businesses considering AI within sustainability strategies 

Only a quarter of businesses globally are considering their AI footprint in their sustainability strategy and reporting in relation to AI (27%), new research from BSI has found. It comes following a paper by BSI and CBRE highlighting the environmental impacts of data centres, which are surging in demand as a result of the generative AI boom. Read more

Allianz partners delivers strong profitability while surpassing the 10 billion euros revenue mark 

“2024 has been another great year for Allianz Partners with strongest ever performance both in the operating profit and revenues, surpassing 10 billion euros in total revenues. These results reflect the momentum we’ve generated across all areas of our business and our steadfast commitment to delivering innovative solutions to our partners and peace of mind to their customers.” Read more

Private parking firms on track to issue nearly 14.5m tickets to drivers in a year 

Private parking companies are set to hand out a record 14.5 million tickets to drivers this year, with nearly half of those issued by just five firms, according to an RAC analysis of the latest government data. Read more

The UK government has officially opened a call for evidence on the Men’s Mental Health Crisis. Read more

Steer Prestige High Wycombe has been named UK Bodyshop of the Year by Bentley. 

Gallagher Bassett (GB) has appointed Mark Garnham as director of first response and managed repair. Read more