Daily Motor News – Tuesday 19 May 2026 

‘Since January 2024, over 1,000 misleading car finance claims adverts have been removed or amended.  Three claims management companies reduced unreasonable fees, protecting over half a million people.  Four firms cannot currently take on new clients and enforcement investigations are under way.’ Alison Walters, Director of consumer finance at the FCA. Read more

More than 12,300 motorists caught drug-driving three or more times in the last 11 years 

More than 12,300 drivers have been caught drug-driving on at least three separate occasions in the last 11 years – five times the number caught repeat drink-driving over the same period – new RAC analysis of DVLA data shows. Read more

FCA: Is the claims management market working? 

Alison Walters, Director of consumer finance at the FCA, outlines key concerns in the claims management market, highlighting poor practices by some firms and the actions taken to address them. Read more

75% of UK businesses fear AI risk in supply chain but only 28% audit for it 

Three in four UK businesses (75%) are concerned about the cyber risks arising from their vendors and suppliers using Artificial Intelligence (AI), yet only 28% of AI-using businesses have taken steps to assess or audit their third-party suppliers’ AI systems, new research from business insurer QBE reveals. Read more

Intact–Hiscox deal talk adds to wave of foreign bids for UK names: Report 

Shares in Hiscox climbed to record levels on Friday after a report that Canada’s Intact Financial Corporation is exploring a potential takeover of the FTSE 100 specialty insurer, adding another high‑profile London market name to the list of UK companies attracting overseas interest. Read more

Low emission vehicles dominate May’s fastest selling rankings in wake of rising pump prices 

With Brits facing rising costs at the pumps, Autotrader’s data reveals that low emission vehicles are selling at an increasingly rapid pace, with electric and hybrid models accounting for nine of the UK’s top 10 fastest-selling used cars in May so far. Read more

Is the UK’s once favourite car coming back as an EV? 

For nearly half a century, the Ford Fiesta was one of the best-selling cars in the UK – and now, three years after it was discontinued, it might be on its way back. The president of Ford in Europe has strongly hinted at the return of the popular Fiesta brand, this time as an affordable electric model. Read more

Industry leaders and Shadow Secretary of State for Transport unite to call for mandatory TechSafe standards across UK automotive sector 

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) brought together senior industry figures on Thursday 14th May 2026 for a high-level policy panel session and discussion focused on the future of automotive workforce safety.  Read more

Copart highlights Learning at Work Week  

It’s Learning at Work Week, and this year’s theme of ‘Many ways to learn’ really resonates with Copart. It reflects the variety of training and development routes the business offers to ensure its business (and its teammates) are fully equipped for the future. Read more

Carpenters backs Action for Brain Injury Week 2026 tackling isolation and loneliness 

Carpenters Group is proud to support Action for Brain Injury (ABI) Week 2026, taking place from 18–24 May. Led by Headway – the brain injury association – the national campaign raises awareness of the challenges faced by people living with brain injury and promotes greater understanding and support. Read more 

Car trader banned after lying to customers 

A man has been banned from working in the car trade after he admitted making a fake service history booklet for a vehicle and lying to customers. Max Grunfeld, 34, of Coopers Edge near Gloucester, also pleaded guilty to offences relating to fraudulent trading after he falsely advertised four vehicles as having full service histories. Read more

Software engineering and IT delivery expert, Simon Shering, has joined telematics insurtech, ThingCo, as it continues to scale its connected insurance solutions. In his new position as Head of IT Development, Simon further strengthens the company’s technology leadership team, taking responsibility for ensuring ThingCo’s platform continues to be scalable and future-proof.  

ACG, a leading funding partner for the automotive repair sector, has announced the appointment of Steve Armstrong as Chief Executive Officer. Read more

TRL has been appointed by the Department for Transport (DfT) as the PAS 2161 approvals auditor, supporting the consistent and independent assessment of road condition monitoring (RCM) technologies across England through to 31st December 2030. Read more

Paula Bogoviciute has started a new position as Regional Client and OEM Performance Manager at Steer Automotive Group. 

The UK unemployment rate has unexpectedly gone up while the number of job vacancies has fallen to its lowest level in five years as the initial impact of the Iran war on firms starts to be felt. Read more