Podcast - The 2018 Sensible Car Shootout

Following on from the fantasy world of Goodwood Revival, Graham brings us back down to earth exploring the £10-20,000 new car market.

At the SMMT's test day, he drives the "all new" Dacia Duster, MG3, Citroen C4 Cactus Hatch, and Kia Ceed.

To help with the decision making, Helena considers the car that she would buy in the real world.

UKMotorTalk - The 2018 Sensible Car Shootout

To follow the UKMotorTalk podcast, and not miss a thing, go to:
http://shoutengine.com/UKMotorTalk/

Dacia Duster

Citroen C4 Cactus Hatch

MG3

Kia Ceed

How to Increase Your Car's Resale Value

Naturally, you’ll want to recoup as much money as possible on a car when the time comes to move it on. While substantial depreciation means that you’ll make a hefty loss on it, there’s still a good chance of getting decent value on it – and possibly taking a whack off the amount of your next purchase – once the vehicle is kept in proper condition and all the paperwork is in order.

The best place to start is to make sure that the basics of the vehicle are working properly and that there is no visible damage. Windscreen wipers, steering wheel controls and lights all need to be bested to ensure that they’re in full working order, while all fluids should be topped up and the car should be given a thorough cleaning inside and out. It won’t do any harm, either, to take the vehicle to your mechanic so that they can check for any major defects which could seriously affect the car’s value. Even if all seems to be well, it’s a good idea to have it serviced while you’re at the garage.

After you’re satisfied that the car is in near-perfect nick, ensure that you have any documentation which the dealer or private buyer will need, such as the registration certificate, service records and history report, along with your most recent insurance policy.

If all that is in order, you stand a good chance of getting an above-average deal on selling the car. If you want to get even greater value from the sale, a little market research goes a long way. Does the car have features that prove popular with motorists? Emphasise these. Is the odometer approaching a significant milestone? Sell it before then, as a car’s value drops notably when it passes a certain landmark (i.e. selling at 99,900 miles will get you a far better deal than 100,050). 

Here is an infographic from Woodstock Motors with further tips on how to get the best possible deal on a car resale...

Thanks to: Woodstock Motors

New MoT Test - What has changed?

The MoT Test has long been a challenge for the millions of owners of older cars, vehicles over 10 years old being particularly problematic to get through. However, the MoT Test is, and, since 1960, has been, intended to remove unsafe cars from the public roads.

The new rules which came into effect yesterday (Sunday 20th May 2018) are apparently much more stringent, yet have, I think, been very poorly advertised. Most of the general public seem completely unaware of the storm about to engulf them.

Although changes have, over the last couple of days, featured on news broadcasts, and on news websites, obtaining accurate information regarding how these changes will directly effect us, and what we need to do to avoid issues, has been difficult.

The new stricter smoke and emissions tests, which are not something you can check at home, are likely to cause many older diesel cars to be taken off the roads. It will simply be impossible, despite tuning and tweaking, to ever be clean enough to pass the new test. If your Diesel Particulate Filter has been tampered with, you can also run into trouble.

What else has changed?

Out go the old pass, fail and advisory categories, and along with these the old forms, although the maximum fee (for a car) is unchanged at £54.85.

In come 3 new categories:

Dangerous - a definite fail as the car is considered unsafe even to be driven away from the test centre.

Major - a fail and must be repaired as soon as possible. 

Minor - a pass but should be monitored and action taken asap.

...and there are still advisories as before, and they will be displayed on the printed certificate more prominently.

Most of the other checks remain the same or similar... tyres, brakes, suspension, steering, lights, wipers, seat belts etc etc it's a long list... though new items for checks include:

• under-inflated tyres
• contaminated brake fluid
• fluid leaks
• brake pad warning lights and (amazingly) if brake pads or discs are missing
• reversing lights (vehicles first used from 1st Sept 2009)
• headlight washers (vehicles first used from 1st Sept 2009 if fitted)
• daytime running lights (on vehicles first used from 1st March 2018 when they are first MoT tested in 2021!)

What to do...

If you don't have the last mot certificate for any reason, you can check the status of your vehicle quite easily on the government's DVSA website... https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-status

While there you can register for future text and email reminders... https://www.gov.uk/mot-reminder

Thousands of failures each year are down to neglect, poor servicing, and not doing some simple checks before driving to the MoT Test Centre. 

You can download a full list from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/car-parts-checked-at-an-mot/car-parts-checked-at-an-mot

... and check your own car for (obvious) minor faults which may cause a fail. Some things you may not be able to test, but many of the simpler items are easily checked.... worn wipers, blown bulbs and no water in the washer bottle, are all common fails.

Sometimes your car might be trying to tell you something!

There is also more information at http://ukmotortalk.co.uk/mot_preparation.html and http://ukmotortalk.co.uk/mot_test.html

It's too early to assess how these new regulations will affect the 34 million cars already on our roads, but it is very clear that a message is being sent to owners of older diesel cars that it's the end of the road and the scrappy beckons.

Yet, perhaps contradictorily, for cars over 40 years old no MoT is needed. It is assumed they will be classic cars maintained by careful doting owners! However, it is worth noting that the fines are similar if the car is considered not roadworthy.

Don't get caught out... Check you are legal...

One thing that hasn't changed is that you can still be fined up to £1000 for driving a vehicle without a valid MoT Certificate!!

Graham Benge

The UK’s ongoing headache with potholes

The RAC have released new data that suggests that drivers in Britain are still having recurring issues with potholes and this is causing a lot of problems. Used Volkswagen provider Inchcape Volkswagen, who offer thorough aftersales services, MOTs and repairs to solve issues such as wheel misalignment and suspension damage, explores…

Between January and March of 2017, the RAC had dealt with almost 7,000 breakdowns that were likely caused by poor road conditions. The last time that so many pothole-related breakdowns were recorded in a three-month period was in the first quarter of 2015 (almost 6,900 breakdowns were recorded then). However, in the early months of 2015, the country was subjected to more days of frost and rainfall when compared to the first three months of 2017, when the nation experienced mild and moderately dry conditions.

“Our figures sadly show a surprising and unwelcome first quarter rise in the number of breakdowns where the poor quality of the road surface was a major factor. We had expected a figure no worse than that recorded in the first quarter of 2016 (4,026) and it is very concerning that the roads, strangely, appear to have deteriorated in a mild, comparatively dry winter.” Commented David Bizley, a chief engineer at the RAC.

But do we actually know how bad these pot holes are in Britain? 

Where are the potholes?

The table below is based on the number of road hazards which were reported to them with research carried out by FillThatHole.org.uk:

Position	Authority	Region	Total reports	Open reports	Fixed reports	% fixed
1	Surrey	SE Eng	7,657	6,473	1,149	15%
2	Hampshire	SE Eng	4,133	3,241	849	21%
3	Essex	SE Eng	3,804	2,912	878	23%
4	Hertfordshire	SE Eng	3,557	3,004	530	15%
5	Kent	SE Eng	3,478	3,105	364	10%
6	Lancashire	NW Eng	3,301	2,484	792	24%
7	Oxfordshire	SE Eng	3,245	2,225	985	31%
8	Glasgow	Scotland	3,059	2,444	601	20%
9	Cheshire East	NW Eng	2,980	2,110	787	27%
10	West Sussex	SE Eng	2,845	2,034	783	28%

... Surrey having almost twice as many reports as the next county, Hampshire.

How many potholes are being filled?

We can see that across England 13,468 potholes were filled throughout 2016/17 by local authorities – in the Asphalt Local Authority Maintenance Survey 2017 - A small percentage of the total number being reported and causing damage (and compensation costs!).

Some local authorities are able to claim that more than 90% of the reported potholes are subsequently fixed... Well done to them!

However, from the table above, it is clear that there are still many places where only 10-15% are being dealt with.

In the past year, in London and South East England, more than 1.6M drivers reported damage to their vehicles. A costly problem.

With the cost of road repairs averaging £163 per pothole in Eastern England, and £124 in London and the South East, you can see why struggling authorities appear to be burying their heads in the sand.

UKMT comments:

My recent drive across several neighbouring nations has convinced me that Britain is now the  pothole capital of Europe.

Travelling mostly on secondary category roads, the equivalent of our A and B roads, I have found French and Spanish roads to be in considerably better condition than ours. 

Ah you say, they have toll roads. Indeed they do, but the toll network of motorways is entirely self financing and in both countries the A and B roads are financed from local taxes and fuel duties.

In our case most of the finances raised by the treasury from road tax, fuel duties, motor insurance levy, vat etc etc does not get spent on the roads. The ring roads are not ring fenced, nor indeed are any of the others!

The government returns a steadily diminishing amount of the taxation to local authorities to keep local roads in good order. Desperately cash strapped councils then divert some of this money to other equally underfunded areas of their responsibility. 

The result is a pathetically small amount of money left for road repairs and, just as bad, no inspectors to check the few works that are done. The inspectors have mostly been made redundant.

I live in Sussex but drive all over, so am certain this sad state of affairs operates throughout most of the UK. 

Every minor road I travel is littered with holes and those few repairs that are carried out are usually of poor quality and often only last a few months. 

We have become a third world country in terms of our roads despite inventing the tarmacadam process ... or at least the Scots did... Thank you Scotland.

According to a recent survey most local authorities now spend more on settling motoring insurance claims for pothole related damage than on repairing the potholes. 

How on earth did we allow successive governments to get us into such a mess? 

Graham Benge

Sources:

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/pothole-related-breakdowns-up-despite-mild-weather/

*RAC data reported on at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/15/pothole-damage-cars-soars-two-thirds-despite-dry-mild-winter/

http://www.asphaltuk.org/wp-content/uploads/ALARM-2017.pdf 

https://www.fillthathole.org.uk/league-table?sort=desc&order=Total+Reports 

Using Emergency Puncture Repair and Tyre Inflators

You've just noticed that one of your tyres is looking flat, and you can't see any big holes in it.... Now is the time to try an Emergency Tyre Inflator canister.... and we'll show you how!

Whilst these cans are not appropriate for every tyre deflation problem, we'll guide you through the times that you'll be thankful that you keep one in your boot!

Keep up to date with the series by saving the Forecourt Fixes playlist and follow the UKMotorTalk channel.

Looking After Your Tyres - Pressure, Tread and Condition

As the only points of contact that your vehicle has with the road surface, keeping your tyres at the optimum pressure, tread depth and general condition is of the utmost importance.

In this episode we guide you through the checks that you should regularly perform on your car.... Tyre pressures, where to find the manufacturer's recommended pressures, and how to pump up your tyres when needed.... Tyre tread depth to help you stop in an emergency... and looking for cracks and damage...

Keep up to date with the series by saving the Forecourt Fixes playlist and follow the UKMotorTalk channel.

Under the Bonnet - How complicated is it really?

UKMotorTalk's Forecourt Fixes guides you through the major components that are under the bonnet of your car.

Keep up to date with the series by saving the Forecourt Fixes playlist and follow the UKMotorTalk channel.

Forecourt Fixes - New Video Series

In response to the various maintenance related questions that we are often asked, the UKMotorTalk team are producing a series of "back to basics" videos to help you keep your car and passengers safe, and perhaps save a few quid... Forecourt Fixes guides you through the various tasks that can easily be performed by ANY driver...

Keep up to date with the series by saving the Forecourt Fixes playlist and follow the UKMotorTalk channel.

Dashboard Icon Quiz

And you thought YOU had a cold start today...

Yes, we might all think that with UK temperatures dipping (just a little bit) below zero our cars are rightly justified in hesitating a little in the mornings. But should this really be a worry for us?

Car manufacturers usually want to be able to sell their cars across the world, and not everywhere is as temperate as it is here.... Testing of new models from -40C to +50C isn't unusual.

Starting a Smart CDI at -29C in Novosibirsk in Russia... This driver does mention the problems with frozen ABS, ESP and stiff steering, but it does get going.

I think the best advice is, (a) take things easy, and (b) keep your batteries charged!

Will YOUR car still start in 2017?

With bad weather looming, and Christmas coming, it is probably a good time to politely remind all drivers about the need to keep an eye on the health of their cars... in particular, the battery.

You use the car every day to get to work... and it hasn't given you ANY problems... All MUST be fine... Well, hopefully, yes!

AA Busiest Day of the Year

However, it is worth remembering that not using the car as much, and perhaps making several much shorter journeys, the car's battery will not get recharged as much as on longer trips. This means that, come that first day back at work when you're running late and it is cold and raining outside, the battery might not be up to getting the car started. In fact, on the first day back in 2016 over 7000 people called the AA with that very problem.

There are, of course, things that you can do to try to avoid these issues:

• If you use your car a few times for journeys that are at least 30 minutes long, all should be well since the car will charge the battery for you.
• If you are NOT going to use the car, you might wish to consider using a battery charger to keep the battery topped up, or to fully recharge the day before you are back to work.

If you have two cars, but have only used one over the holidays, it might be worth having that set of jump leads handy... and remember to look up how to use them safely! UKMotorTalk's Winter Driving Tips

Winter Driving Tips from UKMT's technical chaps....

Looking back to 2010, we gathered some good advice from our technical chaps regarding the more modern quirks that winter turns up…..

We catch up with our technical chaps to see if they have any thoughts about driving in the current snow and ice..... and here's what they said!

Auto Transmissions:- Some have a Snow button function, in short the Autobox ECU forces the box to shift-up to a higher gear and will not allow a low gear like 1st or second to be selected when the "Snow Button" is pressed. The philosophy being that if you gradually move off by tickling the throttle in a high gear there will be less chance of wheel spinning and losing traction, more importantly you will begin to move forward slowly and safely.

ESP:- If your transmission does not have this function or you may have a manual transmission the "Traction Control" function of your ABS/ESP should kick in. What is this then..................modern vehicles have a number of ways of providing you with traction control "Wheel spin prevention in low traction conditions" How do you know it's working, when traction control kicks in the ESP light will flash on the dash board, you can press the throttle as hard as you want the system reduces engine power. There are many ways by which the transmission, ABS and engine ECU's prevent wheel spin, the most common are:- Cutting the fuel delivery to the injectors, ABS braking the wheels or a combination of these in very quick succession.

Diesel engines:- Modern HDI (High Pressure Direct injection) still have heater plugs but rarely use them due to their high combustion efficiency and ability to start in cold conditions. In recent years manufacturers have removed the heater plug light from the dash board therefore in very cold conditions like we are currently experiencing you will need the heater plugs but will not necessarily have an indication on the dashboard of their run or heat duration. Advice is with HDi engines in very cold weather switch on ignition for a few seconds before cranking the engine to allow heater plugs to run a cycle.

Old Diesel engines Direct or Indirect injection:- Will all have heater plugs and a dash light to indicate their run cycle, when the weather is very cold let them run for three cycles, i.e switch on ignition, let the plugs run a cycle, watch light on dash go out then repeat another two times. Do not use ether type sprays into the induction system, they wash critical oil off the piston rings for first time start and rapidly increase cylinder bore wear. This is like pouring salt in wound, the engine is already a poor starter due to piston ring & bore wear, diesel engines rely on the heat generated on the compression stroke to start. Spraying these ether aid starters into the induction system accelerates the wear process, which is why motorists say that an old diesel engine becomes addicted to these ether spray starting aids.

Check YOUR car before driving this Winter

Graham Benge takes us through a quick list of checks we should ALL be doing before driving this winter.

• Rear lights
• Numberplates
• Tyres
• Windscreen wipers
• Washer fluid
• Headlights
• Wing mirrors

What’s in YOUR emergency kit for Winter driving?

Craziest Van Conversions

Craziest Van Conversions by SELECT CAR LEASING.

China’s Carbon Copies

China’s Carbon Copies by SELECT CAR LEASING.

The Rise of The Machines?

It was as I heaved open the vault-like door of a friend’s latest acquisition at the weekend I paused to appreciate the lengths to which car manufacturers will now go in order to ease the burden of the automotive traveller.

My mate had  - with some caution it must be said – manoeuvred the not-unsubstantial 2014 Range Rover Autobiography down our narrow driveway and it was as I reached out to the passenger door handle in order to open it and greet him that my attention was diverted from the grinning fizzog of the car’s evidently proud pilot by the sight of a mechanised running board/step arrangement gliding smoothly from the lower sill in the general direction of my shins.

Emblazoned with a ‘Range Rover’ logo I gawped at it as I realised that this latest 4-wheeled automotive marvel to which my chum had treated himself was in another league again from the already well-appointed old-shape item he’d recently chopped in.

Much as one might once have marvelled at the now increasingly de-rigeur hands-free flush in public lavs, I found myself opening and closing the (soft-close, natch) door in order to watch this mechanical ballet play out over and over whilst in my mind the question of how I had existed for so long without access to such a remarkable feature on my own personal transport nagged away at my addled braincell..

Labour-saving features on cars have of course traditionally appeared at the higher end of the market before filtering down to those of us mere mortals and functions once considered to be the province of the luxury boys such as electric windows and climate control are now pretty much standard fitment on the majority of vehicles in the UK's showrooms.

So, in order to go at least some way towards justifying the inflated prices demanded of those who would travel in the cosseted world of the opulent, manufacturers are continually striving to alleviate the apparently onerous tasks presented by the action of piloting - or indeed being piloted in - their vehicles.

On the face of it, the Range Rover's robotic aid to ingress/egress might seem an exercise in overkill and complexity - a practical demonstration of the perceived laziness commensurate with the sort of coddled target market to which the brand is pitched - but it does illustrate the point that in order to attract & retain the custom of those for whom the outlay of a six figure sum on transport is a familiar decision - the high-end manufacturer is compelled to keep pulling ever more ingenious labour saving functions out of their corporate hat.

In the case of the Range Rover, just opening the door and being offered an easy way of embarking or disembarking is the rather elegant first step - literally - towards being conveyed in comfort which only a few years ago would have been the preserve of those used to travelling behind a fluted grille and a shiny bonnet mascot.

Such is the gamut of luxurious gewgaws and luxury touches that one can waft along in a wonderful bubble of isolation - cushioned against the hectic pace of life outside by double glazed windows and constantly adapting air suspension as one's buttocks and lumbar regions are warmed/cooled/kneaded by expansive leather seats adjustable in every conceivable axis so that the lucky occupant experiences nothing so troubling as a stiff sacrum or a chilly bum cheek..

And these features certainly have a place - anyone shelling out the previously mentioned £100k plus for the privilege of travelling Business Class on the nation's increasingly crowded and stress-inducing road network can rightly expect a lot of luxury for the outlay - but at what point do the labour-saving accoutrements start to become distractions or conversely so indispensable that we neglect our duty to scan the road ahead because the radar nestling in the front bumper is doing it for us?

For the driver, aren't these ever-present comfort features in danger of diverting him or her  from the actual purpose of being in the vehicle in the first place?

And are we, as those charged with safely piloting machines with the capacity to kill, not at risk of allowing ourselves to rely too much on the driver aid technology at our disposal - whether it be the blind spot detector the or the radar-controlled cruise control - at the expense of actually driving the car using our inbuilt sense of hazard perception and spatial awareness?

Indeed, it seems that the lines between what constitutes a comfort feature and a driver aid are becoming increasingly blurred & not just in the rarified, climate-controlled confines of the latest Range Rover either. As more and more functions previously only available to those with a penchant for the posh start to trickle down to mid-range, mass-market fleet metal, we're starting to be presented with a bewildering array of technology each time we climb behind the (increasingly optionally-heated) wheel.

This might well be a bit of a double-edged sword, not least for the reasons alluded to above: more distraction + more reliance on the technology could very well add up to a loss of focus on the actual act of driving with the inherent disastrous consequences.

We certainly live in interesting times - technology is advancing at such a rate that we can only be but a couple of years & some diligently-applied legislation away from encountering fully autonomous vehicles on our roads, despite the recent well-publicised and tragic death of a US Tesla driver at the wheel of a car in "Autopilot" mode.

But the fact remains that for the foreseeable future the vast majority of cars on our roads will be being conducted not just by a battery of computers fed by a multitude of sensors but by flesh and blood utilising the Mk1 eyeball and the grey matter number-crunching engine between our ears, and for that reason I believe that whilst the onward march of technology definitely has a part to play in helping us get from A to B with minimum fuss and in the safest way possible it shouldn't become so overbearing that it reduces the onus on the driver to use his or her own judgement & most certainly shouldn't affect their ability to maintain control of his vehicle at all times.

Now, don't get me wrong - not one of us here at UKMotortalk could be classed as a Luddite - we're not going to berate the march of technology and with open arms we welcome anything which advances the cause of safety for the road user and in particular that which eases the burden on today's hard-pressed car driver.

But equally we would strongly advocate that those who find this technology increasingly at their disposal recognise when it is a hindrance rather than a help.

Whether it comes in the form of a vast TFT infotainment screen in the middle of the dashboard (*cough* Tesla *cough*) or a trick self-parking mode, applied science in the cockpit should surely be as unobtrusive as possible - particularly in the case of gadgetry and switchgear.

We as drivers in our turn should perhaps be encouraged to accept the increasing assistance with which the motor manufacturers are so keen to provide us but not at the cost of distracting ourselves from the art of driving or the risk of dulling our own skills.

Mind how you go..


Dave Wakefield

Road trip this summer?

Alarmingly, only 50% of drivers planning a trip abroad say that they will check driving rules and regulations before they leave. 1 in 10 believe the driving laws are the same in every country*.

Kate Rock, PR & Corporate Communications Manager at Goodyear Tyres, comments: “Several changes have been made to driving laws across Europe over the past few years, so it’s essential for motorists who are planning on driving abroad to ensure they have all the compulsory or recommended equipment.

“In France, for example, drivers are required to carry a self-test breathalyser and it’s illegal to drive with a satnav that shows the whereabouts of speed cameras.

“Before drivers head off, we advise they familiarise themselves with the rules of the road and ensure they have all the correct documents, including insurance and European breakdown cover.

“To help avoid a breakdown abroad, we would advise drivers to check their car before they leave – tyre pressure and tread depth, oil levels, windscreen wash, breaks etc.”

For additional advice on driving in Europe this year, motorists can visit Goodyear’s blog at Hug the Roads: www.hugtheroads.com/road-ready-europe

*Data gleaned from a 2015 GoCompare survey of 1,820 randomly selected British adults.

The Six Safest Cars

Thanks to the resurgence of Top Gear in the last decade, and the zany antics of Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May, the way in which many television motoring shows review cars has changed greatly.

In the past we may have had considered segments on technical aspects, on fuel consumption or whether you can get daily insurance. Now instead we tend to see the focus switch to power and speed instead and are more likely to find out how well a vehicle performs against a bobsled, or a bullet train, or Linford Christie on a turbo-charged mobility scooter than how suitable it is for the school-run. 

But whilst the TV shows may focus on performance, for many of us the key selling point lies elsewhere. Safety. We have families, we have loved ones and we want to ensure that there are protected should the worst happen on the road. Thankfully for us vehicles are being made safer, and there are an increasing number of organisations which test to see just how safe our cars are, with Euro NCAP being one such group. Each year Euro NCAP organise crash-tests and gives realistic advice to consumers on the safest cars on the market.

Euro NCAP’s testing looks at four key areas; adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist systems. And in accordance with this testing, below you’ll find the six safest cars on European roads today, as per their 2012 testing.

 

Renault Clio

The Renault Clio scored a remarkable 99% in Euro NCAP’s safety assist system area boasting as it does effective seatbelt reminders for all occupants as well as speed limitation assistance and electronic stability control. All this contributed to the Clio being crowned the safest car in the ‘Supermini’ category.

 

Volvo V40

The five-door Volvo V40 vehicle scored very efficiently for ‘adult occupant safety’ for both front and side impact with the seat and head restraints providing good protection against whiplash injury in the event of a rear-end collision. Its overall effectiveness makes it the top car in Euro NCAP’s ‘Small Family’ category.

BMW 3 Series

Like the Volvo V40, the BMW 3 Series scored particularly well when it came to adult occupant safety. Leading the field when it comes to safety in ‘Large Family’ vehicles, it offers good protection to all areas of the body for adult passengers of varying sizes according to Euro NCAP’s data.

 

FIAT 500L

The Fiat 500L continues to pave the way when it comes to safety in the ‘Small MPV’ category. The car’s City Brake Control, an autonomous emergency braking system which helps the driver to avoid a low-speed crash  by using sensors to detect potential accident points was key to the Fiat 500L’s effective scoring.

 

Ford Kuga

A 100% score in Euro NCAP’s ‘safety assist’ category helped the Ford Kuga to leave the other vehicles trailing in the ‘Small Off-Road 4x4’ vehicle section. The Kuga’s SYNC Emergency Assistance feature, which makes an automatic call to the emergency services if the Kuga is involved in a serious accident, giving the vehicle’s GPS position as it does so, was central to that high rating.

 

Hyundai Santa Fe

Hyundai’s Santa Fe sits as top dog when it comes to safety amongst ‘Large Off-Road 4x4’ vehicles. Performing particularly well for the safety of child occupants the Hyundai Santa Fe allows for the passenger airbag to be disabled if a rear facing safety seat is placed on the passenger seat.

When it comes to safety and security it is important to make sure you have all bases covered. Even when making a one-off journey it is important to ensure you have appropriate short-term car insurance in place as you never know what can happen on the road.

So next time you’re looking to buy a new vehicle, forget how impressive the car looks when racing a submarine, being turned into a hovercraft, or going the long way to Tipperary on a single tank of petrol, and instead take account of the vehicle’s safety performance a little more closely which is sure to help reduce your temporary car insurance quote.

Hiten Solanki

 

Hiten Solanki is a digital marketer and freelance writer currently based in London and writing on behalf of a number of clients including TempCover.