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'Transport poverty' rising - RAC

THE LEAST WELL-OFF families are slipping further into "transport poverty", according to an RAC Foundation survey. The poorest car-owning households spent at least 31% of their disposable incomes on buying and running a vehicle in 2012, the foundation said, up from 27% the year before. The figures, based on data obtained from the Office for National Statistics, showed that in 2012 the poorest families had a maximum weekly expenditure of £167, of which £51.40 went on a car.

New cars can save drivers up to 25%

BUYING a new car instead of a secondhand one could save drivers as much as 25% on their motoring costs in the first year of ownership. These savings come from cheaper insurance, lower road tax costs, improved fuel economy and no MoT test. Comparing a brand new Volkswagen Golf with a five-year old model, the new car reduces the annual spend on motoring from £1689 to £1267, saving £422 in the first year of ownership.

Motorcycle makers revved for rebound

Bikes are back. After being hit a lot harder by the recession than carmakers, the motorcycle industry, more susceptible to the whims of discretionary spending, is on its way back. “Unit sales are growing for the first time in several years,” said Danny Phillips, executive vice president of Advanstar, the parent company of Progressive International, which put on last weekend's motorcycle show at the Long Beach Convention Center.