Crackdown on bogus claims helps insurance costs fall by 12%

CAR INSURANCE premiums have plunged at a record rate of 12% year-on-year amid a tougher clampdown to combat bogus motor accident claims which add to the costs of everyone's policies. The typical quote for annual comprehensive car insurance cover was £568 in October, marking a 4.5% drop on July and a 12.4% fall on a year ago, according to the latest AA Insurance premium index, which takes the average of the five cheapest quotes on the market. This is the biggest annual slide that the AA has on its records, which go back to 1994, and marks a sharp turnaround for motorists following a period of strong increases, with premiums rising by more than 40% just two years ago.

Jaguar XKR-S (2011) at 2011 Geneva motor show

Jaguar has turned up the power and sharpened the handling on the flagship XKR coupe for the 2011 Geneva motor show. The result: the XKR-S, claimed to be the fastest production Jaguar sports car ever. For 2011, Jaguar is returning the XKR-S to the top of the XK range. CAR readers may recall the well regarded 2008 limited edition that last carried the badge.  The XKR-S has an uprated version of the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 found in the standard XKR. Power moves up to 542bhp (from 510bhp), and torque swells to 501lb ft (up from 461lb ft) thanks to lots of ECU tweakage.

Subaru WRX STI: More power & free SatNav

2011 Subaru WRX STI - gets free extra oomph The new registration has come and gone and unless you’re offering a must-have convertible or something shiny and new it’s getting close to the time when car makers need to offer more for no more to shift metal. Cue the Subaru WRX STI. Subaru has decided that it’s going to offer a chunk more performance – and a SatNav – without charging a penny more on the WRX STI.