Daily Motor News – Tuesday 24 September

Relief in sight for insurance costs as disinflation progresses

Today, broad price disinflation is underway, and we expect insurance rate increases to slow in the coming years. This will help close the gap between personal premium growth and personal income growth. The drivers of higher premium growth were high price rises in the construction and auto sectors, and large underwriting losses partly due to natural catastrophes. Ever-present climate risks mean it is critical to invest in adaptation and mitigation measures to aid future insurance affordability. Full story

European EV registrations fall in July with Tesla on top

July marked the third consecutive month of decline for electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe. But despite these struggles, which models came out on top? José Pontes, data director at EV Volumes, reviews the results with Autovista24 journalist Tom Hooker.

A total of 219,523 EVs, consisting of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), took to European roads in July. This equated to a drop of 6% year on year. BEVs slumped 6% with 144,561 registrations, while PHEVs suffered a larger decline of 8% with 74,962 deliveries. Full story

True crime: Car theft

Detecting stolen cars is a race against time. Criminal gangs involved in car theft across Europe constantly change their methods to avoid detection. They often strip vehicles into parts to make it easier to move them across borders, and more difficult for law enforcement officers to track them. Criminals often try get stolen cars out of the EU before they can even appear in an international database.

Last year, national authorities reported to Frontex the seizure of 670 stolen cars. 416 of them were detected in Frontex joint operations – twice as many as the previous year. Additionally, 33 cases of stolen car parts and 122 cases of vehicle-related document fraud were registered. Full story

Driving during Met Office warnings could invalidate your insurance

Whether a thrill or a nervous attempt, driving through dangerous floodwaters won’t just leave you with a hefty repair bill, it could also invalidate your insurance, motoring experts have warned. If your bad driving ends up on TikTok or YouTube, your claim is even more likely to be scrutinised.

The Met Office has issued yellow and amber weather warning for persistent heavy rain, with some parts of the UK seeing as much as a month’s worth of rainfall in just one day. The heavy rainfall leaving roads, potholes and fords flooded, could put motorists in danger during their daily commute. Full story

RAC and Continental Automotive launch exclusive telematics partnership for fleet and business vehicle operators

The RAC’s dedicated telematics division, RAC Connected, is offering business vehicle operators a safer and more efficient method of fleet management through a new partnership with Continental Automotive.

In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, Continental Automotive customers can choose from the RAC’s suite of telematics products, all of which help fleet managers reduce vehicle running costs. Full story

New figures reveal that more than a fifth of MOTs were failed last year

According to analysis of Government figures by motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, more than one in five vehicle MOT tests in Britain ended in failure last year.

The data revealed that more than 9.9 million out of the 43.7 million MOT tests carried out by mechanics in 2023 were unsuccessful. Full story

Almost one in five UK fleets plan full EV switch by 2030

The global specialist in commerce solutions commissioned Frost & Sullivan to explore the Commercial EV Transition across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific among mixed-energy fleet operators, and found that UK fleets are the forefront.

In the UK, almost one in five (18.0%) of respondents said they’re planning to switch all vehicles to EVs by 2030. But many more fleets have midway targets. A further 11.5% said they’ll switch between 76% and 99% of the fleet to EV by the end of the decade while 39.3% reckon they’ll switch 51 to 75%. Full story

Extension to motor finance complaint handling pause confirmed

The FCA has extended the pause to the deadline for motor finance firms to provide a final response to customer complaints regarding discretionary commission arrangements (DCAs) until 4 December 2025. Full story

The 10 biggest problems with advanced driver assistance features

Advanced driver assistance features are a near-ubiquitous part of the modern car ownership experience. While early forms of driver assistance, such as cruise control, were fairly simple in nature, today many vehicles are equipped with more complex functions, even going as far as taking over part of the driving process with features such as lane keeping assistance. Full story

GM’s CEO on electric vehicles: “This is one of the most exciting times in our industry”

During her ten years as CEO of General Motors, Mary Barra has made big investments in software and driverless cars. At a 2021 trade show, Barra said, “At General Motors our vision for the future is a world with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion. The key to unlock that vision is electrification.”

But it was her promise three years ago to stop selling gas-powered vehicles by 2035 – and GM’s ability to live up to it – that will likely define her legacy.

Asked if she anticipates GM will be all-electric by 2035, Barra replied, “For our light-duty vehicles, yes. We’ll be guided by the consumer, but the plans that we have in place will get us there.” Nonetheless, in the face of slowing EV sales, Barra said, “I don’t think we ever thought it was gonna be linear.” Full story

Pump prices falling faster than they have all year

The prices of both unleaded petrol and diesel at UK forecourts are now falling more quickly than at any other point in 2024 so far, with both fuels now nearly 7p cheaper than a month ago, RAC Fuel Watch analysis shows. Full story

TRL partners with Australia’s National Transport Research Organisation to launch iROADS in the South Pacific region

TRL, a global leader in transport and mobility research, has announced an exciting partnership with Australia’s National Transport Research Organisation (NTRO) to bring the innovative iROADS platform to the South Pacific region. This strategic collaboration aims to revolutionise road network management and infrastructure monitoring across the region, improving safety, efficiency, and sustainability. Full story

Philippines motor insurance industry to grow 9% annually by 2029

The Philippines’ motor insurance industry is projected to reach at least a 9.0% compound annual growth rate from 2024 to 2029, according to Mordor Intelligence.

Globally, the motor insurance market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.03% from 2018 to 2024. In 2017, motor insurance accounted for 42% of all non-life gross premiums in the property and casualty insurance market. Full story