Motoring

Private car park operators in England, Scotland and Wales will no longer be able to issue parking tickets above £50 in the majority of circumstances, under new rules set out by the Government. The move will cut the value of tickets in half and also push operators to better display pricing policies and their terms and conditions.

Anyone who drives will know that costs are speeding into top gear. For example, petrol prices have risen to an eight-year high - up 21p/L from a year ago, average used car prices have jumped by £1,000 versus a year ago, and UK car hire prices are up by 84% compared with last year. 

Petrol prices have hit their highest level since October 2013, according to motoring firm the AA. It says the hikes are due to oil prices rising again following a slump caused by the pandemic. But there are ways you can cut costs now as we explain below. 

Drivers could save up to £35 a year on their car insurance, the Ministry of Justice has said, as major reforms to the claims process for whiplash injury come into effect this week. The shake-up includes a new online portal for road traffic injury claims, while whiplash cases can no longer be settled without medical evidence. 

Almost 78,000 motorists may be able to reclaim cash from payment accounts for the Dartford Crossing which have been automatically closed because they've not been used for 15 months, MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal. Even if you're not owed money, it's worth checking if your account's been closed without you realising, as if it has, you could be fined if you then use the Dartford Crossing without paying another way. 

The financial regulator has confirmed further measures to support borrowers struggling to make payments on car finance deals, buy-now-pay-later agreements and other credit products due to the coronavirus pandemic, with many able to get another three-month payment holiday if needed.

Councils' targets for fixing the most severe potholes on their roads vary wildly, with repairs taking minutes in some areas and up to three days elsewhere, according to new data.

The number of successful pothole claims following incidents on motorways or major A roads more than doubled in the last financial year, according to new figures from Highways England.

Income tax cuts will be brought in a year earlier than planned and an extra £1 billion spent to help protect those moving onto universal credit, as part of the 2018 Budget unveiled by the Chancellor Philip Hammond.

Drivers paid over £500,000 in fines last year for not applying to tax vehicles which cost nothing to tax, data obtained by MoneySavingExpert.com shows.