Audi cars are the British driver's favourite...

Used Audi cars could be among the most popular vehicles in the UK, with a new poll indicating that the German brand is their favourite.

Nearly one in three (29 per cent) of people responding to the MSN Cars website poll selected Audi as their favourite, followed closely by BMW (23 per cent of votes) and Mercedes (21 per cent of votes).

Volkswagen cars were voted as fifth favourite in the poll of around 26,000 people, which received just 11 per cent of the vote, putting it slightly behind its German counterpart Porsche, which received 16 per cent.

Commenting on the findings, MSN Cars content manager Tom Evans explained: "Audi has a rapidly expanding range, aspirational marketing, its own dedicated dealerships, and 'halo' models like the R8 supercar.

"All this has in the past few years helped Audi to become the German brand many people seem to aspire to."

Last month, figures from the Association of British Insurers indicated that Audi drivers pay significantly less than owners of other branded cars when it comes to insurance premiums.

Find you ideal Audi now on Carmony
Available Audi models:
A2, A3, A4,A5, A6, A8, Allroad, Q5, Q7, R8, RS4, RS6, TT

Dad's motoring priorities change when baby arrives...

Two-thirds of new dads are likely to look for different qualities in a new car after their first child.

Nearly seven in ten men (68 per cent) change their opinion about what makes a good car when they become a father for the first time, according to our new research half of those polled would opt for a hatchback, with reliability high on their agenda.

However, more than a third are still resistant to scrapping their penchant for speed and style, claiming that they would still prefer a sports car.

We see that this change in priorities among a majority of dads is only natural, for instance what seemed important in a car before, such as speed and style, is replaced by practicality, reliability and safety when a baby arrives. Plus you need something with room enough to carry all of the baby's paraphernalia!

Search for 'sensible' cars now on Carmony

Independent review proposes drink driving law change...

Drivers will welcome proposals to reduce the legal blood-alcohol limit for motorists, according to Sir Peter North.

In the first major review of the drink and drug driving law since 1976, Sir Peter has recommended that the legal alcohol limit is reduced from 80 to 50mg per 100ml.

Sir Peter studied research conducted by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence and insisted that the public would not only accept the move, but welcome it.

"I not only believe that it is right to reduce the limit, but that the public is ready for a lower limit. It is time to give them what they want," he said.

Read full story here

Story featured on carmony.co.uk

World Cup 2010 footballing Smart cars take centre stage...

World Cup fever reigns at Mercedes-Benz World, where eight Smart cars will entertain the crowds by playing football.

Four Smart Fortwo models liveried in England white and red will take on a Rest of the World team in matches consisting of two five-minute halves and a penalty shoot-out.

The Smart football will kicked off at 12:30 today and same time tomorrow, with further matches on June 26 and 27 and July 10 – the eve of the World Cup final.

View available Smart cars on carmony.co.uk

Read full story here

Green driving courses are proving popular...

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has seen an increase in the number people looking to get the most out of their approved used cars with a green driving course.

IAM's ecolution course provides expert guidance on how to save fuel with driving techniques, with one delegate achieving a staggering 55.2 per cent increase in the number of miles per gallon that his vehicle can achieve.

Read full story on carmony.co.uk

Volkswagen adds to World Cup fever pitch in South Africa.

Volkswagen is making sure all its employees in South Africa can join in with the World Cup fun by installing big-screen TVs in all production areas and 7,000 traditional vuvuzelas, or traditional trumpets, have been distributed to help them make some noise.

Read full story here on Carmony.co.uk

Top 10 Lifestyle Searches by consumers looking for a car...

In June, research from the most popular Lifestyle Searches made by visitors who used Carmony to find a car, showed that buying a used car within budget and with good space for passengers were the top two most popular considerations. So, there are no surprises there.

However, what the research also shows is that consumers are choosing more unexpected search criteria such as "When driving car, I want to turn heads" and "My speed is fast". In fact, throughout May and June, these lifetyle search options have been far more popular than "To me, fuel efficiency is 50% to 75% important" - which came in at the end of the top 10 most popular lifestyle searches.