Do you know the dangers of driving whilst tired?

With the holiday season in full flow many of us will be making longer journeys than perhaps we normally take, how many of us consider just how tired we might be? Recently published research by Brake and Direct Line shows the vast majority admit driving while tired, and drivers don’t know the difference between fact and fiction on tackling sleepiness at the wheel.
It is not only you and your family you are placing at risk but fellow road users and pedestrians are also potential victims. This issue effects us all not just at holiday times but whilst on business in company cars or vans.
Are you responsible for your company cars or van fleet?

If you are have you put together a policy or document bringing this issue to the attention of your drivers? In the event one of your company car/van drivers fell asleep and caused a significant accident and it was proven that the driver was feeling forced to drive you could find yourself in very hot water indeed. Best to take a few moments to familiarise yourself with your responsibilities under the Duty of Care act

Brake and Direct Line’s survey found that nearly three-quarters of drivers (74%) admit driving whilst tired in the past 12 months – with almost one in ten (9%) saying they did so at least once a week. This represents a significant....read more

Car Fleets finance reliance increased by 21%

Is the recovery really underway in the business car market, is confidence soaring or is the increase in vehicle sales on finance due to companies having to replace older cars and vans?
The latest figures produced by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show just under 30,000 fleet sales using finance were completed during the month. It brings the total for the rolling quarter to more than 109,000 – also a 21% rise on the same period last year.

“These figures look good, and they’re up 1% in the 12 months to May. But the problem is it’s an increase from a very low base. There’s confidence in the market, but it’s fragile,” said an FLA spokeswoman.

With the all businesses looking to make cost savings and ensure they are getting best value for money, many have deferred replacing their car and van fleets and are now finding that they have to begin replacing them due to the age and mileage. As we all know the cost of running and maintaining both cars and vans increase with the age and mileage of the vehicle and there comes a point when deciding not to replace them becomes uneconomic. This is not just due to the cost of servicing and repairs but also the down time, not much use having a van for.....read more

Cars further reduce Co2 emissions

The humble car has often been sited as a major source of Co2 emissions and a significant contributor towards climate change. Whilst generations of politicians have urged us to use public transport for many of us this is still not a viable alternative to the car. As you would expect the manufacturers have had to respond to ensure they continue to capture market share especially in the super  competitive fleet and business user sector where company car drivers are now taxed based on the C02 emissions of their car.


Well the really good news is that this new 'greener' technology is now beginning to show positive results, recent figures produced by the SMMT show that average new car CO2 figure was down 4.7% in first half of 2010 to 145.2g/km, compared with the same period in 2009. It is also interesting to note the sales of alternatively fueled vehicles doubled in the same period which proves there is clearly a demand for....read more

Jaguar What Car Green Luxury Car award - Contract Hire yours today!

What Car? has awarded Jaguar 'Luxury Green Car' with its XJ 3.0 Diesel V6 Luxury model, this is indeed a turn around as who would have thought ten years ago Jaguar winning a Green award.


The judges said : "In a class dominated by understated design, the Jaguar XJ’s styling takes your breath away. It’s powerful yet athletic, imposing yet sleek. No other luxury car gets as much attention for the way it looks. You’ll enjoy driving the XJ an awful lot more than most of its competition, too. The Jaguar XJ is stunning, in every sense of the word."

The really good news is, this fabulous car is both British designed and built in the UK, once again this prestige marque showing the world the way forward. Jaguar have made a big weight reduction by using aerospace aluminium technology which has helped to shave off ....read more

Mazda - Fleet Contract Hire and Leasing up

With the Business and Fleet sector still an important area for car manufacturers Mazda's recent strategy is paying off with fleet growth up by 18% compared to the same period in 2009.


Mazda fleet and remarketing director Peter Allibon said: “We have experienced a significant growth in our ‘net fleet’ channels - registrations by contract hire and leasing companies, Mazda Contract Hire, end-user fleets and Mazda Local Business Centres – a deliberate strategy that compliments Mazda’s strong appeal within the retail sector.

Mazda have not always faired so well in the main stream fleet and company car market, in many instances not even featuring on drivers lists. However Mazda are now being seen as a real alternative with good build quality favourable running costs and in many instances great Contract Hire and Leasing rentals

The rise in fleet volumes in 2010 comes with total Mazda new car half-year sales standing at 24,873 registrations - up 21.4 percent on last year’s six-month total of 20,491 units, according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ data.

Last month Mazda sales totalled 4,031 units - up more than 41 percent on June 2009 - with fleet registrations accounting for 929 vehicles of which 598 cars were categorised as ‘net fleet’.

With cash for cars still being requested by many company car drivers Mazda are...read more

Chevrolet -5 Years Maintenance,Warranty,Road Side Recovery

Chevrolet have launched their latest offering the 5 year promise ! Chevrolet have made a commitment to offer 'the best ever warranty and after sales package in the UK'. The deal includes five-year warranty, free servicing, roadside assistance, MoT test cover and vehicle health checks.
This appears to be a retail offer but I am sure a version of this will be rolled out in some shape or form to the Contract Hire and fleet market in the fullness of time.

Anyone who buys a new car right now can count on Chevrolet to keep a cap on their motoring....read more

Audi Cars - New feature could save you hundreds!!!!

If you have ever put petrol into your diesel car you will be fully aware of the costs that are associated with this mistake. I have to confess I have been guilty of this stupid mistake, a few years ago, having popped out to pick up a takeaway (I know junk food is bad for you) I called into fill up at my local station and proceeded to put in £40 worth of petrol into my diesel car. Five hours later and a £500 bill I returned home to throw out my ruined meal.

In all fairness it is easily done and Audi have come up with an ingenious fix on their A4,A5 and Q5 Tdi models, which will prevent this accident happening. The fuel filler neck has been redesigned to incorporate contact points that open an internal fuel flap only when the larger diesel pump nozzle applies pressure on them. The smaller diameter petrol nozzles do not make contact, ensuring that the filler flap remains closed to prevent access to the reservoir.
If you are car is on contract hire even with full maintenance you won't be covered in the event you mistakenly....read more