Pete Bulley

And it's live! You can listen to my long awaited #ALittleBitRicher podcast with the brilliant Kia Commodore covering the basics of #pension investing. This episode breaks down what many believe to be a complicated subject into easily understandable snippets and analogies! Take a listen, your future you will thank you for it: https://lnkd.in/e5VpcP2r #PensionAwarenessWeek #PayYourPensionSomeAttention

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This week's Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) Transport News Brief lead comment, ZEV transition is a marathon, but we must pick up the pace SMMT’s latest registration figures for the new light commercial vehicle market shows almost 24,700 new vans, taxis, 4x4s and pickups joined UK roads in July – a dip in demand, but that’s unsurprising given it’s a comparison with July 2023, the month’s best performance in three years, and came in the middle of a record-equalling 17 consecutive months of market growth. Robust demand over the year so far has been supported by manufacturers launching new models, which include very attractive zero emission ones, with 28 now available to UK buyers – treble what was available this time last year. However, it’s concerning that electric uptake continues to decline, down -7.0% to represent 5.1% of the market. Some 10% of each marque’s sales must be zero emission across 2024. While the Vehicle Emissions Trading Scheme provides some flexibility, manufacturer investment in more cutting-edge, competitive EVs cannot single-handedly drive market transition at the pace required. The new government can accelerate the market shift through easy wins – for example, by bringing forward legislation planned by the previous government to amend driver derogations for electric vehicles weighing more than 4.25 tonnes, unleashing fleet investment and decarbonisation in LCVs and minibuses. Continuing the Plug-in Van Grant beyond its current end date in April 2025 is also a necessary feature of the LCV transition, alongside greater rollout of van-suitable public charging infrastructure – be it LCV-dedicated chargers or shared hubs. The technology is here – the challenge is to ensure accessible, affordable zero emission mobility for all.

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We’re excited to announce a new partnership between What Car? and Auto Trader UK that will allow UK motorists to research their next new car on What Car? and then buy it via Auto Trader in one seamless journey. From October, What Car?’s current ‘New Car Deals’ configurator will be replaced with an innovative new car display and search function powered by Auto Trader. This will enable What Car? readers to view the 20,000 brand-new, in-stock cars advertised on Auto Trader every day. What Car? and Auto Trader are among the UK’s most trusted automotive brands, with nearly three quarters of respondents to a recent study saying they were the first sites they’d visit when looking for their next car. The new partnership will allow these in-market car buyers to go straight from What Car?’s independent reviews and advice to the largest stock of new cars immediately available. Rachael Prasher, Managing Director of What Car?’s publisher, Haymarket Media Group Automotive, said: “Building on the success of our used car partnership, we are delighted to now be working with Auto Trader on new cars, too. The synergy between our brands and audiences is obvious, and by working together we can offer consumers, retailers, and car manufacturers an unrivalled end-to-end car-buying and selling experience.” #WhatCar #NewCar #NewCarBuying #AutoTrader

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Marketcheck UK provides invaluable insights into the used car market, allowing dealers to 👇 -Track market trends and pricing strategies -Understand inventory dynamics and adjust -Identify high-demand vehicles and adjust stock -Make informed decisions based on real-time data

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💪 Is your finance offering up to the challenge? 💪 Recent insights from the 2023/24 Cox Automotive Data Report show consumers want the freedom to buy what they want, where they want and, most importantly, how they want, and their expectations are continuously rising. Does your finance offering allow your consumers to: ✅ Search for vehicles based on their monthly budget? ✅ Access detailed, compliant information about the finance products you offer? ✅ Complete a pre-check for credit eligibility? ✅ Provide accurate quotes in real time? ✅ Take advantage of dynamic car finance offers? ✅ Personalise a finance quote, apply for finance, and have their application automatically submitted to a lender? Read about how flexibility in managing car finance plays a vital role in accommodating these diverse needs 👉 https://bit.ly/4c51AJQ Covering the possibility of every type of consumer journey might seem like an impossible task, but our solutions are here to help. Book a demo today 👉 https://bit.ly/3KQdc7E

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Great to have Motorway supporting the Car Dealer Live podcast last night. There was some great debate on EVs and, in particular the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate (sets out the % of new zero emission vehicles manufacturers are required to produce each year up to 2030). I agreed with the view that if the industry is going to hit the ZEV mandate goals, much more needs to be done to support consumer demand for EVs, including investment in charging infrastructure and reducing VAT on out of home charging (from 20% to the 5% charged for domestic electricity). https://lnkd.in/esZwwKjP

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What's so fascinating about producing this report, launched today for Allstar Business Solutions, is that as a business, it is agnostic about petrol, diesel and electric - it facilitates the purchase of all types. So the AllCosts report doesn't have an agenda, it just sets out the facts and insights. And in this issue, the big news is a huge increase in electric usage across the Allstar network. We also crunched the numbers to show real life costs for all types of cars and vans, which business sectors are adopting EVs quickest, and worked with epyx Ltd. to investigate SMR costs between electric and petrol. This extensive report is free too download too, here: https://lnkd.in/epUz9_5B #creativeagency #contentcreation #pragency #fleetmanagement #fleetnews #fleetsolutions #evcharging #fuelcard

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In April 2024, the UK's BEV market share surged to 16.9%🔋 New car registrations in the UK continued their upward trend for the 21st consecutive month in April, with a modest growth of 1.0% to reach 134,274 units, as reported by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Despite this positive performance, registrations were still 16.6% below pre-pandemic levels, typical for a month following the March plate change, which tends to have lower volumes. Fleet registrations were the primary drivers of growth, increasing by 18.5% to reach 81,207 units, constituting over six in ten of all new cars registered in April. However, private buyer uptake declined by 17.7% to 50,458 units, while business registrations also saw a decrease of 16.1% to 2,609. The expansion of the market was predominantly fueled by electrified vehicles, with plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) experiencing the strongest growth, rising by 22.1% to capture 7.8% of the market. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) followed suit, growing by 16.7% and accounting for 13.1% of demand. In April, battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations saw a notable uptick of 10.7%, driven mainly by compelling fiscal incentives for businesses, leading to an increase in market share to 16.9%, a significant rise from the previous April's 15.4%. Impressive numbers!

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On Thursday I had the pleasure of attending the Auto Trader New Car Awards 2024. This awards event is a twist on many of the car awards, because there isn't an expert panel and it's not judged by media. Instead, it's based on feedback from Auto Trader UK users, i.e., the people actually buying the cars. And "new car" in this context means that you can still buy it new, rather than it being limited to a particular launch window. Erin Baker and Rory Reid expertly guided us through the category winners. One thing that was abundantly clear from the results, is that owners of new electric cars are really happy with them. Picking up awards for New Car of the Year, Best Car for Long Distances, Best Car for Families, Best Car for City Drivers, Most Fun to Drive, Best Car for Dog Owners, Car Brand with the Best Tech, all going to electric models. The enduring impact of the Kia UK Limited EV6 is notable, snapping up a couple of additional awards, while it was also interesting to see the Toyota Ariya getting the award for Best Car for Long Distances. While some segments of the media are telling people that electric cars aren't good for long distance driving, actual owners are saying the opposite (Toyota cites a 329 mile range from an 87kWh battery, with support for 130kW charging). What was also interesting to make was the volume of data that comes out of the Auto Trader platform, giving an insight into what people are looking to buy, how that buying journey unfolds and where it takes them. I found my current car on Auto Trader, and Auto Trader probably knows just how often I pop in to check how much my next car might cost - and how easily distracted I am by the fun stuff. Well, according to the Auto Trader New Car Awards 2024, the Most Fun to Drive is the Cupra Born. Maybe that's what I'll be looking at buying next…

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A new report from ChargeUK suggests that the EV charging network in the UK is rapidly expanding and is on track to meet 2030 targets. ChargeUK’s ‘Powering Ahead to 2030′ White Paper found that a new public EV charge point is being installed in the UK every 25 minutes, with the EV charging network able to power half a billion miles of motoring every day. Vicky Read, CEO of ChargeUK, explained: “In little more than a decade, the UK’s charging sector has grown to become a major player in the green economy, providing the infrastructure that more than a million EV drivers rely on today and scaling fast to deliver the charging needed through to 2030 and beyond. #ElectricVehicles #EVCharging #SustainableTransport #GreenEnergy #CleanEnergy #ElectricMobility #EVInfrastructure #FutureOfTransport #ClimateAction #Sustainability #SmartCities #RenewableEnergy #ZeroEmissions #GreenTech #EnergyTransition# If you would like more information, please click the link below.⬇ https://lnkd.in/gRT6quAs

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The latest issue of Cox Automotive Europe's Insight Quarterly is now available: https://lnkd.in/esN69cRb 🧠 🚘 IQ connects the dots between key trends and topics shaping the #automotive sector today.  📰 In this issue, we reflect on the performance of the UK's new and used car markets in the first half of the year and examine what’s in store in the third and fourth quarters.  📑 IQ features insightful commentary from Philip Nothard along with some of our industry connections including David Gray (EV Battery Solutions), Owen Edwards (Grant Thornton), Lee Swinerd (Interpath), Steve Young (ICDP) & Chris Green (Regit).  ⬇ Read more here: https://lnkd.in/esN69cRb ⬆ #CoxAutomotive #Insights #CoxConnections

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ZEV Mandate & an interesting move by Stellantis. They own 51% of a Chinese EV company and plan to bring them the UK. #Leapmotor. This will certainly help the group achieve their ZEV target. Why? > Possible incremental sales helping them achieve the ever increasing ZEV target, currently 22% going up to 100% by 2035. > No need to distress sell their existing brands with large discounts to shift EV. So retaining better RV's. > No need to pay a £15,000 fine on every ICE car sold. > They are playing the Chinese car makers at their own game and not competing against them on price. > These are cheap, but have naff names....... They are pitching the 'C10' model against a Tesla Model 3, in China, these sell for £15,000 and the 'TO3' against the FIAT 500, selling for £5,000 in China. It will be interesting to see what these end up retailing for in the UK. Will this move give Stellantis access to more customers, or will their existing buyers make the leap of faith and shift to what is cheap?

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Stay ahead of the curve in the UK used car market with Marketcheck's real-time insights to transform how you operate in the used car sector - live to the second! 👏 https://marketcheck.uk/

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New insights from Venson reveals that just 30% of drivers want self-driving vehicles on UK roads. Just two years ahead of self-driving vehicles taking to UK roads in 2026 under the new Automated Vehicles Act, drivers are yet to be convinced. 48% of drivers in a recent Venson Automotive Solutions Limited survey said they do not support autonomous vehicles, and 22% remain unsure. Just 30% - 37% of males and 24% of females - support self-driving cars. The key aim of the Automated Vehicle Act is improving road safety. With more deaths[1] occurring from at-work road trips than in the workplace itself and 88% of collisions are caused by human error, its introduction alongside the arrival of autonomous vehicles should be welcomed by businesses. However, fleet managers, with the support of other departments in their businesses, will need to begin reviewing and updating their driving-for-work policies now to reflect the rapidly changing laws and onboard AI technology. The Venson survey asked respondents about their daily bad driving habits. 31% admitted to being impatient, 28% to being distracted and 25% to driving too fast. Other driver errors included misjudging the distance between vehicles (16%), not checking blind spots before merging or changing lanes (14%) and late braking (10%). These risks should be eliminated when automated vehicles become commonplace on UK roads, making them safer and more accessible for all. 57% of drivers aged 25-34 support autonomous vehicles, with 47% of 18-44-year-olds in favour, compared with 16% of those aged 45 and over. Simon Staton, Client Management Director for Venson Automotive Solutions comments, “Of course, many vehicles on the road today already include semi-autonomous driver assistance features, but 70% of those we surveyed clearly feel it is too big a leap to shift from lane assist, adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking to sitting back while the car takes full control. Over the next few years, many businesses will have a mixed fleet with different levels of autonomy which will need to be managed well to avoid misunderstandings relating to liability and responsibility.” As vehicle automation steadily increases, drivers need to ensure they understand the functions and benefits, as well as their own responsibility when driving a semi-autonomous vehicle or ‘piloting’ a fully autonomous vehicle in future. Simon Staton concludes: “When AI is in control of the vehicle, the potentially dangerous driving habits of today won't pose a risk, so we should ultimately see road safety improve. While company car drivers may shy away from switching to autonomous as soon as they become legal in 2026, keenness to explore the options will undoubtedly grow and in turn acceptance and fleet operators need to be ready.” [1] https://lnkd.in/eEtSC6hi Claim your FREE white paper here: https://lnkd.in/eE6n2gB4 Alison Bell Justine Hoadley #Fleet1000 #fleetmanagers

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🚦 Announcing the launch of TotallySure for car finance, giving drivers the green light to apply with confidence. Now, when you see the TotallySure badge next to a car finance loan, you’ll will know that the offer comes with: ✅ Pre-approval: Let’s you know if you’re likely to be accepted and puts you in the driver’s seat of your application. ✅ Guaranteed APR: Helping to put an end to representative APRs, and locks in the rate at which you’ll repay. ✅ Guaranteed loan amount: Guaranteeing the size of your car finance loan so you can reach top gear. ✅ Guaranteed term: When setting off on any journey, it’s important to know how long it’ll last. Which is why TotallySure guarantees the term of the agreement. 🚗 TotallySure is now live across cards, loans, and car finance, and is one way in which we’re helping to drive better customer outcomes. 

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Are UK electric vehicle sales on track to meet the rising ZEV Mandate targets? Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that BEV sales surpassed the 22% mandate for the first time in August, making up 22.6% of new car sales. However, while this is a positive step, overall BEV sales in 2024 remain below the target. What more could be done to ensure next year’s threshold, set to increase to 25%, is met? #ElectricVehicles #BEV #ZeroEmissions #ZEVMandate #Sustainability #GreenTransport #UKAutomotive https://lnkd.in/erEZ_hR6

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🚗💡 The journey to a greener fleet continues with insights from GEOTAB's 'Taking Charge' report. Reflecting on the UK's shift to electric vehicles, the findings remain a cornerstone for businesses driving towards sustainability. 🔍 Delving into data from over 1.3 million vehicles, including insights from 5,000+ EV pioneers, the report sheds light on the practicalities of EV adoption for fleets of all sizes. With potential savings of £7,300 and a reduction of 39 tonnes of CO2 per vehicle, the environmental and economic advantages are clear. 🔗 Explore the country dashboard to see how different factors affect EV suitability and savings. Download now: https://lnkd.in/gKB6YZy8 #FleetManagement #Sustainability #ElectricVehicles #FleetElectrification

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