Carmakers are expected to introduce more discounts on EVs in the coming weeks and beyond to shift stock and meet ZEV Mandate targets. In February, the volume of new cars being advertised on Auto Trader rose 3% MoM and 20% YoY. Bex Kennett, New Car Performance director at Auto Trader, said: “Although it’s been a somewhat lacklustre start to the ...

BEV prices have moved just 0.8% between July 2024 and January 2025 (£160 on a typical £20,000 used car), according to the latest Indicata Market Watch used car pricing insights report. Sales of used BEVs accounted for a 5.9% share of the total used market in January, a record since the Indicata report was launched five years ago. Dean Merrit, ...

Warranty Solutions Group (WSG) findings, based on a sample of 1,000 LCV repair claims, revealed the Renault Master has the lowest claim rate of just 4.55% Although breakdowns are less frequent with the Renault Master, it also comes with the highest average repair costs. The top three most common warranty claims for the Master were starter motors / solenoids averaging ...

The automotive industry is embracing the use of AI-powered tools to drive retailer growth and enhance customer experience. This includes chatbots from AutoConverse, Auto Trader’s Vehicle Highlights and heycar’s AI-powered search bar. AutoConverse noted a 43% increase in customer conversations with dealer chatbots compared with January 2024 – with a conversion rate of more than 48%. The chatbots provide a ...

Four Drive Motor Retail site locations are celebrating 2024 Vauxhall Customer Excellence Awards. Drive Hartlepool achieved the Gold award for the tenth year running while three other sites maintained their Silver status. Drive Redcar has held Silver status for seven consecutive years, while Drive Stockton-on-Tees and Drive Bury St Edmunds have maintained their Silver status for five and four years, ...

Subaru UK has appointed five new retailers across England and Wales in Q1, all dealerships will be open and fully operational by the end of March. Bovington Motors in Dorset, Station Garage in Kilgetty, and Crayford & Abbs in Norfolk are already open for business. Green 4 in Coventry will join the network on 1 March, while Invicta Subaru Crawley ...

The UK government has announced £120m in funding to help drivers and businesses switch to cleaner vans, wheelchair accessible vehicles and taxis. This is part of the £2.3 billion effort to help industry and consumers switch to EVs. Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood also confirmed that the department is extending the plug-in van grant for another year. Greenwood, said: “From ...

February’s Startline Used Car Tracker, which surveyed 302 consumers and 58 dealers, found that 62% of dealers said selling electric cars is an issue – an increase from 45% in December. Other concerns include a reduction in desire for car ownership (33%, up from 28% in December) and staffing costs (28%, up from 24%). Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor ...

The Motor Ombudsman has partnered with Alliance Automotive Group (AAG), a distributor of passenger and commercial vehicle parts. This partnership reinforces AAG’s demonstration of their commitment to industry best practice and customer service through their 1,200-strong, nationwide Approved Garages Network across the UK, including AutoCare, Top Truck, United Garage Services, and NexDrive. Tim Clement, head of workshop solutions at Alliance ...

Vertu held a ‘Food Drive’ to celebrate and support food banks that serve communities across the Central Belt of Scotland. Nearly 20 dealerships across Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Ayr delivered carloads of non-perishable food to local food banks, including Dunfermline Foodbank, North Ayrshire Foodbank, Edinburgh’s Food Project, and Glasgow’s Community Food Network. Robert Forrester, Chief Executive of Vertu, said: “We ...