Best ever driving school names

This is a list of the top 5 driving school names in the UK:

1) In Worthing a driving school is called 'L Passo'

2) Accelr8 Driving School, London

3) AcciDon't, in Glasgow

4)In Manchester you can be taught by Crash Courses

and

5)L's Angels Driving School in Suffolk

Know any others?

What is the top of your proirty list, when buying a car?

What do you start with when you decide you are going to buy a car? I would imagine most people start with a budget, how much money do you have available or how much are you willing to borrow.

Following budget what helps you to narrow down your choices? In these credit crunch times you may want to look at which car offers you the highest MPG or which has the lowest road tax charge. It is worth including these, along with estimated service, repair and maintenance cost when setting out your budget.

Carmony provide details on these cost with each car to make your decision process a little easier. Choosing a greener car may be top of your list, and can often be a route to saving you cash.




We all have a list of needs which we want to satisfy when choosing our next car. You may simply want to make sure your next car can fit the pushchair in the boot, as the last one was like putting a ship in a bottle.

It is important for lots of people to have a car which looks right and therefore says the right things about you. Perhaps for you this is a colour choice, you may have certain colours which you would not want to go near, whilst others are the ideal choice for you.

Research carried out by Carmony highlighted that the number one consideration was:
1) Price
followed by
2) Fuel Economy
3) MPG
4) General maintenance costs
5) Size of car

Family and friends teaching new drivers

Who taught you to drive? New research by insurance company Swinton has found that more people are turning to family members for lessons.

Cash-strapped times are resulting in learner drivers turning their backs on professional instructors and instead relying in family and friends. This is not a decision anyone should take lightly, as anyone who has been taught by a family member will know. Also if you are asked to teach a new driver, ask yourself how patient you will be.

The survey found that those who passed their driving test in March 2009 received an average 63 hours of tuition from family or friends and just 41 from professional instructors, the poll showed.

Learning to drive started early for some:

This baby loves his car seat, but not tunnels

Carmony's ad's

Carmony has a poster campaign across the UK. Hope you like it.

For those who want to choose an approved car from a list of needs which includes colour:



If speed is more your thing, then tell Carmony how fast you want it to be



You may simply want to choose by size and therefore may find our browse by model search useful or alternatively tells us the number of people you need your car to carry using our lifestyle search



Your first concern may be how green your vehicle will be, perhaps for environmental concerns or maybe to find a more fuel efficient car and save you cash.

Drivers Budget

What will this weeks budget have is store for car drivers?

We have already seen the fuel tax rise, which appears to have come at a time when petrol seems to be on the rise. So surely we have no more rises in store for this area.

Road tax is already scheduled to go up in May, although only by £5 for most cars. The buzz now is around the possible scrappage scheme, which could be modelled on the successful German scheme which has just been extended. Offering around £2000 for people who scrap their 9 year old car and replace it with a brand new one or a year old model. This is being promoted to help support the automotive sector and to encourage drivers to switch to more environmentally friendly vehicles.

So what would you like to see in the budget for drivers?

The revenue generating speed cameras scrapped? Following the example of Swindon.
Cheaper road tax for responsible drivers?
Parking fines related to the price of a vehicle, hurting premiership footballers more than the man on the street?
A reduction in the number of traffic wardens?

So what about you, do you like our suggestions what are yours?

When did your driving life change?

Do you remember taking your first driving lesson, if this was a family member it was no doubt followed by an argument and you storming up to your bedroom. Whoever allowed you to sit behind the wheel for the first time, probably introduced you to the most stressful experience in your life up to that point. You sat in the seat trying to remember 'Mirror, signal, maneuver' and look down at the gear stick with confusion and then you stalled. Now you sit behind the wheel and automatically know what to do, making many journeys on auto pilot.

Your first car may have been one you shared with another family member, I was put on my Mums insurance and therefore drove round in a Fiesta with cushions in the back and a Barry Manilow tape in the stereo (little has changed!). You then graduate to buying your first car, which most choose for aesthetics or fashion. You certainly didn't want a car which would ruin your street cred.

So how do you choose a car today? Has aesthetics gone off your list completely, or are you now trying to marry that up with boot space for a push chair or the family pet. When did everything change, how did you progress to an MPV or a 4x4. Do you choose to add extras to your car, at one time this may have been certain wheel trims, and now its a fancy cup holder or a magic tree. More 'Family Car' than 'Pimp my ride'.

Scrappage Scheme - What are your views?

The discussions over the possibility of a scrappage scheme being introduced by the UK government intensified over the Easter weekend.

Carmony.co.uk want to know your views, please fill in our survey it will only take a minute.

Survey

Thanks for your time we will publish the results here

Is it time to go topless?

First, apologies for the dreadful pun in the headline. However it seems to have caught your eye.

Over the Easter weekend we have started to see the hint of a blue sky, a moment of sunshine and that means thoughts turn to taking the roof down on the car. For those who already own a convertible you will know the joy of driving along with the wind blowing around you. For those who do not have the pleasure of driving one of these cars, you may find yourself looking with envy as these cars go by in the summer, comforting yourself with the thought that it will no doubt rain soon.

For those in the market for a convertible, you will find a long list of cars available. Narrowing your list to convertable still leaves many choices for the car buyer. Looking for a car on Carmony we can help you narrow your search, making sure you are seeing the right cars for you.

Choosing the option 'browse by model type', will lead you to sports cars. This category includes convertibles, you can search by model type and narrow your search using the filter on the left hand side.

Another search option is 'lifestyle' if you want a blue or black convetible choose that, if you want it to be speedy tell us, how many people do you need room for? Answer three questions then see what Carmony have to match your needs. Again use the filter on the left to narrow you search.

So what are you waiting for, summer won't last forever you know. I might not last until June!

A selection of covertible cars currently available on Carmony:

Porsche Boxter £24,995, 29,000 miles

BMW Z4 £18,495, 4,436 miles

VW Beetle Cabriolet £8,990, 25,635 miles

Beware of the car with two steering wheels

Together in electric dreams

Gordon Brown has been teasing us with hints on the contents of this months budget. Admittedly this is not the most exciting tease, but it is a tease all the same. Brown is promising a 'green' route to economic recovery.

High on the list are electric cars, roadside power point to charge your car and incentives for 'green' car makers. Evoasis are one of the organisations bidding to become the power point provider, and have some really cool designs for power stations.

The report in today's Independent talks of potential trials in 3 cities for electric cars. These are likely to take place next year, and will no doubt see a scramble by local councils to premiere these initiative.

As drivers we are all feeling the pressure of rising fuel bills and feel we should be doing our bit for the environment - but are we ready to embrace electric cars? The fear by many is that what we will gain in our wallets we will lose in speed. Fear not an electric car has been developed that can out perform its petrol counterparts.



If you are looking for a car now and don't want to wait for the power station to arrive in your town, how do you make sure you are driving greener (for the world and your wallet).

Find green cars with a straightforward green rating score on www.carmony.co.uk, this helps to show you which cars can be more environmentally friendly in your chosen category.

Easter Traffic

Are you planning to get away from it all this Easter, with a little break in the UK? utilising the long weekend from work. If you are you will be joining around 10 million other drivers, so make sure you plan your time and route in advance.

It is estimated that 10% of this traffic will be made up of caravnners, helping to make this the busiest motoring weekend of the year.

The AA is already warning travelers to expect delays and to make sure they have enough petrol in the car. While many motorist may assume that the 'credit crunch' will keep other car users off the road, the AA believe this will result in more people choosing to holiday at home.

Traffic will be made up of those planning a weekend away (a third), day trippers (half) and the remainder taking longer breaks.

Obvious 'hotspots' include British seaside resorts (although the weather forecast is not looking great) and the major ferry ports. I would add to this traffic to your local B&Q outlet.

If you don't fancy sitting behind the wheel of your car, why not sit at home and eat enough Easter eggs so you can't fit behind the wheel of your car!

Ever had trouble parking your car?

Do you dread parking your car in a tight space? Would an extra wheel take away your anxiety?

Road Tax

This week has already seen a rise in fuel tax, which will reportedly cost the average driver £54 a year. Broken down per week, this does not seem like a huge amount, but once you start to add this to your service and maintenance costs and your road tax - then the figure is important.

The DVLA website currently lists seven categories for car road tax:

Band CO2 (g/km) 12 month rate 12 month rate
A Up to 100 £0 £0
B 101 -120 £35.00 £15.00
C 121 -150 £120.00 £100.00
D 151 -165 £145.00 £125.00
E 166 - 185 £170.00 £150.00
F Over 185 £210.00 £195.00
G Over 225 £400.00 £385.00

The same webiste has details on the new prices and categories coming into effect next month.

Changes to the system

From 1 May 2009, an increase in the number of bands, bringing the total number to 13

The following year will see the introduction of different vehicle tax rates for new cars in the first year of registration. The aim being to provide an environmental signal for motorist at the time of purchasing a new vehicle. This rule does not apply to people buying used cars.

The increase to Road Tax in May will be no more than a £5 addition. 2010 will see higher emitting cars charged between £20 and £30 more, whilst lower emitting cars will be charged up to £30 less.

With all this in mind Carmony.co.uk provides cars with both running costs and green scores. The running cost information includes road tax costs, estimated fuel costs (allowing you to alter your estimated mileage) and estimated service and maintenance costs. The aim is to provide you with a clearer picture on how much the car will cost to own, not just buy. Green scores are also included, for those looking to be a little greener and for those looking to save on other costs.

Any old iron?

A scrappage scheme for cars has been running in Germany for a number of months, and has reportedly delivered 577,000+ sales. A similar scheme has also been running in France, although the incentive was not as high. Westminster gossip says that Mr Darling is looking into a scrap scheme for the UK, and this will most likely be announced on April 22nd 2009 - Budget Day.

So what would such a scheme mean to you and I? The model in Germany offers €2,500 to customers who trade in their 10 year old cars for newer fuel efficient cars. (brand new or a year old). The UK scheme will probably offer £2000 to any car buyer trading in a 10 year old car. £2000 which can then be used against the purchase of a new or nearly new car.

A quick look around the carmony.co.uk site and I find a good list of cars which would qualify for the scheme and would look even more attractive with a discount of £2000.

Golf Special Edition Hatchbacks starting at £16,490

Peugeot 307's from £7,495

And you could trade against a Ford Focus for just under £12,000. Saving £2000 on this car would mean a saving of over 16%

So would this be a big enough incentive for you and if so which car would you get?