Daily Motor News – Wednesday 8 January 2025

Wednesday’s words

Bill Fennell, Managing Director of The Motor Ombudsman: ““Households across the UK are facing some tough financial choices. While it may be tempting to cut back on car maintenance, this can lead to greater costs and safety risks down the line. We therefore encourage households to prioritise essential repairs that ensure their vehicles remain safe and legal when on the road.” Full story

Council’s pothole compensation nearly £200k

Lancashire County Council has paid out £194,000 in compensation to motorists whose vehicles have been damaged by potholes and other highway defects over the past three years. The figures show a recent peak in payouts of £77,918 in 2021/22. The total fell to £45,973 during 2022/23, before rising again to £70,265 last year, 2023/24. Full story

Motor Networking Lunch star’s new movie out 10 January

Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger – the sequel to number one rated Netflix film Bank of Dave based on the story of ILC Motor Networking Lunch special guest Dave Fishwick – is available from 10 January on Netflix.  ILC’s Motor Claims Networking Lunch 2025 takes place on Friday 31 January at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, London. Full story

Lithium-ion battery incidents affect more than half of businesses

Aviva research suggests that more than half of businesses have experienced an issue linked to lithium-ion batteries, such as sparking, fires and explosions. Full story

Flooding: What are my rights if my home, car or work is affected?

Storms and wintry weather have caused extensive flooding to homes and businesses during December and January. Insurance cover and compensation can vary significantly depending on the amount of damage caused and individual policy details. Full story

Hard-working households face tough decisions on running a car in 2025

As the cost-of-living crisis deepens in 2025 with a second consecutive energy price cap rise and further utility bill increases on the horizon, hard-working households are also confronting difficult choices when it comes to car ownership, according to a new report from The Motor Ombudsman, the Ombudsman for the automotive sector. Full story

Cars are getting too big, and there’s nothing you can do about it

It’s no secret that cars are getting bigger, but why are they and how does it affect drivers? CarWow took to the streets to find out. The increase in size has made driving in the urban jungle quite stressful, with width restrictors and tight parking spaces becoming harder to navigate. Full story

New research reveals motorists’ biggest concerns about driverless cars

New research has revealed that just over half of motorists (57%) are concerned about the feeling of not being in control of self-driving cars. The study, commissioned by HPI polled the views of over 2,000 UK adults and also found that the next biggest area of concern for under half of drivers (49%) was the behaviour of other road users. Full story

New survey shows high interest in remote-driving

Self-driving cars once seemed beyond the realm of possibility, but they are now being piloted on city streets. Now another mobility innovation has emerged that could accelerate and complement autonomy: remote driving. Full story

NHTSA Probing About 2.6M Tesla Vehicles Over Remote Driving Feature

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Tuesday it has opened a probe into 2.6 million Tesla vehicles in the United States over reports of crashes involving a feature that allows users to move their cars remotely. Full story

Almost 800k Volkswagen EV owners data exposed

German car manufacturing giant Volkswagen has unintentionally exposed the data of 800,000 owners of its electric vehicles. As discovered by a German ethical hacking group, the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), vehicle owner data stored on the Amazon Cloud was left exposed to the public for months. Full story

2025 Bull Market List: 10 Cars Worth Considering in the Coming Year

Hagerty Automotive Intelligence (AutoIntel) analysts crunch the numbers to highlight the cars its data suggests could or should be worth more. The models span nearly every era of motoring and range. Full story

Used EV and hybrid prices to race ahead amid stock shortage, says Autorola

The continued supply shortage is poised to intensify competition for used vehicles, particularly as demand for low-emission and fuel-efficient cars increases, according to Autorola. The online remarketing business estimates the market will see a shortfall of 500,000 to 700,000 used cars compared to pre-Covid levels. Full story

Ford Puma tops UK best-selling car list for 2024

The Ford Puma was the UK’s most-registered new car in 2024, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The small SUV recorded 48,340 registrations during the year. Full story

New van buyers face £1,732 tax increase in April

New van buyers will spend an average of £1,732 extra on Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) from April, a recent study has found.  In total, van drivers will pay an additional £15.5 million over the first six months of the new tax year, if 2024 sales patterns continue. Full story

Every young person in England will have access to an apprenticeship

The Get Britain Working White Paper is just the start of sweeping reforms that could reshape apprenticeships and workforce development across the UK throughout 2025 and beyond. Apprenticeship Central will publish a full report next week looking into how these reforms could create real, lasting impact and new opportunities for growth. Full story

Transport strategy for South East being developed

Boosting connectivity and providing seamless door-to-door transport are two key missions outlined by the Transport Strategy for South East England. The draft plan is now open to feedback ahead of the final strategy being published later in 2025. Full story

Cox Automotive wins five-year contract with Lookers UK

Cox Automotive has won a five-year supply contract with Lookers UK to deliver its remarketing programme. The fully integrated remarketing programme brings valuation, auction and logistics solutions together. Full story

Zapmap releases 2024 EV charging statistics revealing record rate of charge point installation

Zapmap, the UK’s leading charge point mapping service, has published new year-end figures for EV charge point installations in 2024. More than 20,000 new charge points were installed throughout 2024, bringing the total number across the country to 73,699 — a year-on-year increase of 38%. Full story