How to Get £5000 from the Government - Buy A Porsche

The government wants us to buy an environmentally friendly 'plug-in' car and are giving grants to car buyers who opt for a car that uses energy more efficiently. The windfall even awaits buyers of the 167mph Porsche Panamera S-E Hybrid. 

£5000 Saving - Buy A Porsche

Cars with a government grant

Qualifying cars for the 'plug-in' grant have more reasonable prices and include the following makes and models.  The maximum grant is £5000 or up to 20% of the list price.

• BMW i3
• Chevrolet Volt
• Citroen CZero
• Ford Focus Electric
  
• Mia Electric 
• Mitsubishi iMiEV
• Nissan Leaf
• Peugeot iON
• Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid
• Renault Fluence
• Renault ZOE
• Smart fortwo electric drive
• Tesla Model S
• Toyota Prius Plug-in
• Vauxhall Ampera
• Volkswagen e-up!
• Volvo V60

New plug-in cars are being released. Click on the above to find out about specific models or click here to find all plug-in and electric cars being sold in the UK.

Savings made simple - Ask your dealer

The Government has published a guide to claiming the grant and is at pains to stress how easy it is to make a claim of 20% off the price of qualifying cars. All you have to do is ask the dealer, who sorts out all the paperwork. 

We constantly update all new car listings with full technical specifications and prices, visit our new car search facility.

Fuel economy - fact or fiction?

How many miles per gallon does a car really achieve?  Often it is less than claimed.  

The best way to get an idea of how a car really performs is to ask other car owners.  Over 540,000 reviews and views are recorded on our car review site. All cars are rated for economy so click here and read up on any car you are thinking of buying.

‘Reviews 2.0’- 10 Golden Review Rules To Rebuild Trust

Reviews 2.0 - Rebuild The Trust

The BBC reported that one of the biggest review sites, US based ‘Yelp,’ had to disclose the identity of some reviewers in a case bought by a business which believed they were unfairly criticised. The Telegraph, published in the UK, highlighted a restaurant with the highest reviews on TripAdvisor that didn’t actually exist.

Digital Diligence

Review sites must be more robust in building their content. The following 10 rules should be adopted to prove that 'Digital Diligence' has taken place and users of the site can trust what they read. 

1. Identify – reviewers must be known and identifiable by the review site
2. Numbers – make sure there are enough reviews to remove bias
3. Trust – avoid commercial bias eg users won’t trust a ‘sponsored’ review
4. Experience – ensure reviewers actually owned the product or used the service
5. Recent – old reviews reduce credibility
6. Contact – record contact details to check identity later and provide an audit trail
7. Exact – the review must match the exact product or service
8. Democratic – 1 person/1 product/1 review to remove bias
9. Endorse – get your reviewers to ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ with other user reviews
10. Simple – make it simple to submit a review
    
    

Legal Action?

It is likely that all review sites, and the reviewers who submit an opinion, will have to take more care in compiling their reviews.  STV reported the case of a Scottish guest house business targeting TripAdvisor to find out who wrote potentially damaging reviews.

Reviews - Big Business

Review sites are big business. US based Yelp is thought to be the largest and is listed on the stock exchange. Despite quite low revenues, it carries a hefty share price valuing the company in the $hundreds of millions if not $billions. The price is driven by investors seeing the potential of the large number of reviews and high number of visitors.

TripAdvisor employs over 1900 people worldwide and carries more than 125 million travel reviews and opinions from travellers around the world. 3.1 million Businesses and properties in 134,000+ destinations are listed on the site. Whilst the top travel review site is rated highly by its users, some businesses feel unfairly treated.

The Need For Specialist Review Sites

Reviews 2.0 isn't just about trust and control. WeLoveAnyCar.com believes that general purpose review sites, whilst useful, need to be complimented by specialist review sites where the thoughts and opinions on a specific product or service can be more defined and readily searchable.

WeLoveAnyCar.com - Car Review Site

WeLoveAnyCar.com now has the largest car review site in the UK with 121,620 reviews submitted by car owners in the last 14 months. A further 541,028 drivers (of the exact same car) voted ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ with these reviews giving users an enhanced view of how useful that review is.

Controversy around online review sites continues. It is up to the review industry to adopt new practices if we want to see an evolution to ‘Review 2.0’ where both consumers and businesses can trust review sites more readily. The voice of the customer is important but we've followed the 10 Golden Review Rules to ensure that consumer view is genuine, they have used that product or service and their reviews are evaluated by their peers.

How Not To Transport Your Pony - But 'Shandy' Wanted To Go To The Show Too

'Shandy,' the pony, attends an agricultural show in unconventional style - the back of an old Ford Cortina. WeLoveAnyCar.com highlights Government Guidelines on the transport of animals.

 

WeLoveAnycar.com, the UK's premier car review site, asked people to send in pictures of pets in

Shandy, the pony.
The photo was taken by her owner, F.H, in a New Zealand farm.

cars for a little light relief at Christmas.

'Shandy's' picture, posted on the WeLoveAnyCar.com Facebook page, highlights the difference in attitude of yesteryear to today's rules and regulations laid down for animal transport safety.

Fiona Haward, now UK based, said, "We used to live in a New Zealand farming community where anything goes! People wore 'gumboots' to the supermarket, swapped veg for furniture and, yes, farm animals travelled in open trailers and even cars. 'Shandy' was a very small foal who a neighbour took to an agricultural show in his car....an old Ford Cortina"

DEFRA publishes a useful guide to transporting horses and ponies. The guide is in-depth but, in summary, the general guidelines would apply to most animals.

• Journey times kept to a minimum
• Animals are fit to travel
• Handlers must be trained and competent
• Vehicles must be designed for ease of access
• Water and feed made available
• Opportunity to rest given
• Sufficient space for the animal

A WeLoveAnyCar.com spokesman said, "Virtually every 'rule' has been broken by Shandy and her owner in the picture taken. However, the picture is reminiscent of days gone by, a 'Darling Buds of May' moment in our lifetime where many of us were delighted to own a Ford Cortina and a visit to an agricultural show was the highlight of the summer."

 

 

 

 

 

END

WeLoveAnyCar.com car review site now has over 99,000 car reviews with more than 360,000 drivers giving a second opinion on the cars reviewed.

'Worst' BMW Announced

BMW Baby Is Unloved and Not Recommended

15,240 BMW owners surveyed by WeLoveAnyCar.com reveals the best and the worst BMWs on British Roads.  With Snow coming to Britain, the BMW 1 Series is not recommended.



Most Recommended BMW: 3 Series Diesel Coupe

BMW, one of the most desired car brands the world over, produce some of the most recommended and desired cars. 


The latest WeLoveAnyCar.com survey results announced today reveal that 15,240 BMW owners highly recommend some models but not all.

BMW owners were asked; 'Would you recommend your BMW?'  The poll, covering almost every BMW model on British roads, revealed the five least recommended BMW.

Least Recommended BMWs:

• 1 Series Hatchback
• X3 Estate
• X3 Diesel Estate
• X5 Estate
• 6 Series Coupe

Overall the petrol driven BMWs tend to be less recommended than their diesel counterparts.  

The most recommended BMWs were: 

• 3 Series Diesel Coupe
• 5 Series Diesel Saloon
• 7 Series Diesel Saloon
• M3 Coupe

Overall the petrol driven BMWs tend to be less recommended than their diesel counterparts. 

BMW Baby Is Not A Snow Baby

With snow set to come to the UK this week, owners comments about the BMW 1 Series give a clue to why they are not as recommended as their bigger brothers:
 "Not at all good in the snow. I had to have 4 concrete blocks in the boot !!    The run flat tyres also eat tyres - very expensive!!"

 "Great to drive everybody else who travels in the car hates it. Very bumpy on English roads getting rid of the run flats improved things slightly…. Leave it at home in the snow even with snow chains"

 "The 118d has to be the worst car I have ever owned.  Do not rush into buying one.  You may regret it.  Go to Mercedes instead."

Good For 50 Weeks Of The Year

The Met Office states that, last year, there were 16.5 days where snow was on the ground.  So even rear wheel drivers of the highly rated BMW range get great driving - most of the year!

BMW offer their corporate customers (but not apparently their personal customers)  winter driving guides.  Search on for 'Winter Safety On The Road' in BMW's own site - click here.

Highly Rated BMWs

It is worth remembering that BMWs in general have some of the highest ratings overall.  The BMW 1 Series may be bottom of the ratings for BMW owners but still beat many of its competitors. BMW have recently announced a model upgrade for the 1 series and it will be interesting to monitor owner ratings.

The WeLoveAnycar.com Car Review site – Britain’s Biggest Car Information Resource

WeLoveAnycar.com is the UK’s largest car review site by number of reviews and votes on reviews. 

Overall there are some 81,500 car reviews where drivers rate their car on a number of factors including; economy, driving experience, comfort and if they would recommend their car.  Drivers can also add comments. Overall there are 240,000 'votes' cast by owners of the same vehicle on these reviews - do they 'agree or disagree' with the review of that specific vehicle.

In compiling the results above, only models where we have sufficient review information have been featured and this is usually over 100 reviews.  All reviews have been collected in the last 12 months.

BMW sells more rear wheel drive cars than most manufacturers but also supplies four wheel drive vehicles.  The comments above only correspond to rear wheel drive cars.

The WeLoveAnyCar.com Car Review is a closed survey which is by invitation only to known car owners.  In addition to the reviews, owners of the same car are asked if they ‘agree or disagree’ with the review they own or owned. 

Over 50% of all drivers still own their car at the time of the review and the remainder owned that make and model in the last 12 months.  Ratings between the two groups have been found to be statistically the same.

Image source: Sue Bakerhttp://www.weloveanycar.com/

Top 10 Conversations Motorists Have With Their Dogs

WeLoveAnyCar.com found that 100% of drivers talk to their dogs in their cars in their canine survey conducted on 5th November. Next they asked, "What do you talk to your dog about in the car?"

 

 

In a survey of 2000 car owners, 100% of those that owned dogs revealed that they talked to their dogs! The next question WeLoveAnyCar.com asked was, what do you talk to your dog about?

Initial findings are:

• 

  

  Image source: Volkswagen UK

  1 Are they happy? Drivers will ask Benji, Lassie and Spot if they are ok in 'their' seat.
• 2 Destination. The motorist will tell their dog where they are going.

 

 

• 3 Traffic Conditions. Car owners will tell their dogs that there are; traffic jams, hold ups, good roads and other important travelling information.
• 4 Other Drivers. Should another driver swerve in front, make a wrong move, do something dangerous or just plain silly like suddenly breaking then the dog may well be asked his opinion.
• 5 Moaning. Dogs will be privy to moans about; the driver's partner, mother, kids, co-workers, relatives, friends and even lovers. (if dogs could talk!)
• 6 Weather. Being British, the weather is always a subject of conversation especially if it is; too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry or if there is too much snow or sun.
• 7 The car. At any slight malfunction of the car, the driver will discuss this with the dogs.
• 8 Reward. In order to encourage good dog behaviour, drivers will indicate a potential reward such as a treat or a walk.
• 9 Pedestrians. If drivers see; a jay walker, people crossing when they shouldn't, someone dressed strangely and especially if there is an attractive man/woman then the dog will be immediately informed.
• 10 Apologise. If a driver makes a wrong turn, causes a snarl up, stalls the engine, is delayed or causes any other inconvenience then the dog will be placated with a "sorry."

 

100% of dog owning drivers admitted to talking to their dogs. However 3.8% said they only talked to their dogs when they travelled alone with their mutt or mutts.

The WeLoveAnyCar.com survey found the following dog happy drivers facts.

• 50% have more than one dog
• 12% take their dog for a drive every day and 78% ‘frequently’ over the week
• 82% chose their car because it was suitable for the dog
• 84% said their dogs travelled well
• 4% took their dogs in the front seat
• 29% in the back seats and rest in the estate or hatch back.
• 60% claim to strap their dog in or hold put their dog in a carrier or cage.
• 84.5% said “my car has to be right for my family and my dogs”
• 72% said they “wouldn't buy a car if ‘it wasn't right for the dog”

WeLoveAnycar.com has over 81,441 car reviews. Another 240,000 people have added their opinions by voting on reviews they agreed or disagreed with. It seems that dogs also take the lead in the car buying decision:

“I use this car to carry my 2 large dogs, 2 large children, their friends, my husband etc. and it is very roomy." (in that order!) – Renault Espace review

“I loved the car but it just wasn't practical for my lifestyle anymore. Needed more room for 2 dogs!” – Volkswagen Golf review

 

Shaun & Emma, Filbert's owners, talked to him every day in their Audi. Filbert died recently - of natural causes - but the cabriolet couple miss his conversation.

“…recommend it as a good family car, and I can get my 5 dogs in the boot comfortably too." – Zafira review

“Only sold it to buy a 5 series as the 3 was too small for all my dogs. Otherwise great car.” – BMW 3 Series review

“Rear seat space is poor for humans but fine for my dogs.” – Honda CR-Z review

“...we chose the Meriva as it had a good low sill on the boot area and we have an elderly dog who can't jump high." – Meriva review

“...this is my second Alhambra and it is used to tow a caravan and transport six dogs (posh van with seats removed).” – Seat Alhambra review

“Love my Zafira and I can get 5 dogs in the back with the seats down :-)” – Zafira review

 

 

 

The "Worst" Car In Britain

The WeLoveAnyCar.com survey, now standing at nearly 240,000 driver opinions and votes,  produced a new surprise today; 

The petrol driven Freelander may just be the worst car in Britain

Analysts of the car review database processed the opinions expressed by over 240,000 drivers and the result was a massive surprise. 

The team at WeLoveAnyCar.com made informal bets on which car it would be - many thinking it may be a Koren built Chevrolet or one of the poorer manufacturer models produced by French based car companies.

The Misery of the Freelander

The sheer numbers of the survey revealed the misery of Freelander owners - specifically of their petrol driven version.  In many comments a theme appeared; stories of not one, but many engine rebuilds mostly caused by the head gasket 'blowing.'  That, coupled with poor electrics, poor economy and poor performance, brought the average ratings down to the lowest of any model.

Would You Recommend?

Freelander owners also expressed their thoughts by answering the most important question; "Would you recommend this car?"  The result was the lowest recommendation rating of any model on the comprehensive car review database.

The good news is that newer Freelander models are improving and the Freelander 2 does better overall.

Given that there are 33.433 petrol driven Freelander models still on the road (according to the DVLA) prospective owners are best to check the WeLoveAnyCar.com database before they buy. 

Young Lovers Forced into Cars by Housing Shortage

Adults in their 20s, forced to live at home with their parents, have to find places to meet and their favourite location is often their car.

 

This insight came as a by-product of research conducted by WeLoveAnyCar.com for the National Car Awards published 19th August 2013. A spokesman said, "Detailed analysis of comments made in our 58,000 car reviews considered by the Awards survey revealed that access to cars by '20 somethings' for somewhere to meet up privately is becoming even more important now that more adults live with their parents."

 

Car reviews submitted by drivers to WeLoveAnyCar.com give an in-depth insight into UK motorists' strong and positive thoughts about their car. In the 62,693 Car Reviews so far submitted to Britain's largest car review site, 'love' is mentioned 6,339 times, 'fun' in 1,591 occasions and even 'sex' or 'sexy' in 289 car reviews.

 

According to The Telegraph article by Ed Cumming on 19th August 2013, the number of Britons aged between 20 and 34 living at home has increased by 28 per cent, to 3.2  million. Agony columns feature many stories of adults in their 20s not being allowed to bring anyone home by their parents, who set the house rules.

 

Young adults crave privacy to develop their relationships. Their car is the one place where they can control the situation and set the pace. In a study published by Bochum University, Germany in March 2009; The Car Use of Young Adults, of 2612 adults in their 20s, the car was thought to be a major part of a young person's identity and symbol of their independence - and a means to socialise.

 

In the Aviva publication; Family Car Report 2012, it was noted there were "swelling ranks of cars on family driveways." There is evidence that, whilst the young cannot borrow money for a house, many make car purchase a priority.

 

This week, several lenders launched their 'help to buy' mortgage products in the UK. This may reverse the trend of '20 somethings' living with their parents and able to park their car outside their own house and come in from the cold.

"Help to Buy" Could Mean "Have to Sell" for Car Owners Buying Their First Home

Now that 5% deposits are available through 'Help To Buy' schemes, many stay at home adults, who lost hope of buying their first home, suddenly have to find a cash lump sum and many sell their car as quick a solution.

In a WeLoveAnyCar.com car review survey of 1019 people who sold their cars in the last 3 months,



13.6% did so to raise cash or because they no longer needed a car. According to analysts at the car review site, not all of these were people in their 20s but they made up a disproportionate percentage of those who recently sold their cars.

Individual results in the WeLoveAnyCar.com survey have highlighted what is set to become a trend; stay at home adults who need to raise the deposit quickly before the opportunity to step on the housing ladder disappears.

One Volkswagen car reviewer told WeLoveAnyCar.com, "This was my first car and I loved it! I even bought it after my lease contract ran out..... I was buying my first house so i had to sell it and share my partners Polo."

Beloved Fiat 500 or a deposit on a house?

Although some stay at home adults have stored up savings, many have spent their cash on cars. Insurance group Aviva found, in their 2012 Family Report, "the driveways of Britain were becoming clogged with the cars of stay at home kids." Now, with 'Help To Buy,' prospective homeowners may 'Have To Sell' their cars.

Another trend seen over the last 10 years is the movement of people to the centre of towns and cities where 'no car' is an option. The convergence of these different factors; the need to raise deposits, availability of housing in towns and better public transport may mean more and more people turn their back on the car because it is practical and a necessity.

A spokesman for WeLoveAnyCar.com said, "When we look into what people are saying, through this and other surveys, it is clear that some young adults see their car as a potential solution to a problem they thought was insoluble. Faced with living at home, the car has been seen as the only place they could call their own. However, with 'Help To Buy' these same people are realising they may 'Have To Sell' to get a home of their own."

Another car reviewer clearly loved his Audi A4 Cabriolet but, in his words, "Loved the car, only reason i sold it was due to buying a new house..." Another Peugeot car reviewer said, "Loved this car, was only sold to finance house purchase. Wish I still had it, loved the space and comfort."

WeLoveAnycar.com is the biggest car review site in the United Kingdom with over 70,000 car reviews submitted in the last year. The site has car reviews on most makes and models of car and is free of charge.

Which Country Produces The Best and Worst Cars

Despite the car market recovery, signalled today by the SMMT, French car manufacturers recorded lower than average car sales growth than the rest of the market.

 

UK car buyers seem to be losing their taste for French built cars - particularly Renault and Peugeot. The WeLoveAnyCar.com survey of 58,088 car owner ratings found French manufactured cars rated lowest in their country based results.

 

The ratings are made by combining scores on economy, reliability, comfort, driving experience and if the driver would recommend the car they own to others.



As the ratings were an ‘average,’ further analysis shows that the French manufacturers score poorly on two main factors; reliability and that Renault, Citroën and Peugeot cars lacked excitement overall. The highest on the list – purely driven by Skoda – is the Czech Republic.



Fiat and Alfa Romeo comprise the Italian entrant. The Fiat 500 is rated extremely highly and is only brought down by other, less appreciated, models. Owners loved their Alfa Romeos but reliability is the poorest of any manufacturer. Fiat have one of the highest sales growth figures, nearly 20%, whilst Alfa Romeo sales dropped 26% in the results published today.

 

Some manufacturers are hard to pin down to a country or origin. Global manufacturing, international partnerships and joint agreements make it difficult to measure. Ford and Vauxhall could be judged as ‘Euro’ cars as they are produced in many countries.

 

Cars manufacturered in the UK are also hard to categorise; the score reflects traditional brands like Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin. Also many cars are manufactured in the UK but may be listed as Japanese. In fact 1 in 7 of all new cars sold in the UK are also manufactured there.

 

A spokesman for WeLoveAnyCar.com said, “In truth, car buyers must choose the car that’s right for them and use car review sites like ours to gather information. The key factor is volume of reviews. For example, we have over six thousand Fords of every variant on our Car Review site and buyers can see how motorists rated their own particular model”.

 

58,088 Car Reviews were submitted by verified owners of cars in the last 12 months in the survey results. Excluded from the above are manufacturers with less than 50 entries to ensure the results were robust. The WeLoveAnyCar.com Car Review site, which is free to use, now holds over 62,206 reviews and this climbs daily as owners submit their reviews by invitation. The review database is representative of the UK car parc.

 

A final comment by the site spokesman was, "There are very few bad cars. The French manufacturers rated 3.92 out of 5 whereas Czech cars (all Skodas) were rated 4.23/5 so there's not much between them when looking at the averages. The devil is in the detail and that's why the site is such an aid to users who need to gather information for their next car choice".

Too Old For Car Fun? Ten Reasons Why the Over 65's Are Safer, Wiser and Driver Better Cars Than Younger Drivers

'Tarmac Togs' - motorists over 65's - are a better bet than 'Wheel Snappers' - drivers in their 20's so says government statistics and the biggest car review site in the UK - WeLoveAnyCar.com

There is a constant call for older drivers to be restricted and even removed from the road. The fact is they are better drivers than motorists in their twenties and younger.



Queen driving a Jaguar

Ten Reasons Why Tarmac Togs are Better Drivers than Wheel Snappers

1 Tarmac Togs drive newer cars.

The average age of a Wheel Snapper's car is 5 years & 5 months. Tarmac Togs is 3 years 11 months according to an OFT motor survey.

2 Wheel Snappers More Likely To Die Young.

Tarmac Togs have have 75% less accidents than their Wheel Snapper grand kids - as reported by Government Road Accident Data.

3 Wheel Snappers Drive Faster

Only the very old Tarmac Togs drive too slow for safety whilst the majority of Wheel Snappers drive too fast - speed causes accidents.

4 Tarmac Togs Spend More

The average cost of a Wheel Snapper's car is £4,800 but Tarmac Togs spend more than £6,800 on better cars - safer, newer with more up-to-date technology.

5 Car Ownership

90% of Tarmac Togs buy their car with cash and part exchange. 30% of Wheel Snappers borrow money on their cars with almost 90% borrowing if the car is bought from new. The Association for Psychological Science shows that people who borrow feel richer but care less about their cars.

6 Wheel Snappers Forget To Protect

Experienced Tarmac Togs are twice as likely to buy a warranty whilst Wheel Snappers forget to play it safe.

7 Wheel Snappers Have More Accidents

25% of all road accidents - as reported by Government - are by those in their 20s and younger. Motorists over 65 account for just 11% of accidents.

8 Tarmac Togs Do The Research

Whilst the Wheel Snappers look at the pictures, Tarmac Togs do the research and are twice as likely to refer to information on car review sites regarding reliability, economy and performance - and they're doing it on line too according to weloveanycar

9 Wheel Snappers - Quicker But Less Experienced

Wheel Snappers may have slightly better reflexes but the Tarmac Togs have experience of more road conditions and know what to do to avoid accidents.

10 Up For Car Fun

Tarmac Togs love to dream about their next car... even well into their eighties. The biggest car review site in the UK shows that age doesn't mean the Togs don't want a better car. One reviewer on the weloveanycar.com site quotes: "the Audi is now 8 years old never had a more enjoyable car long may it run for us at 87 years & 73 years. It will be a sad day if it has to go. Perhaps one day if affordable an Audi A1 4 door".

Sadly it isn't only campaigners and some politicians who jump on the band wagon when it comes to older drivers and their ability to function well behind the wheel. Often Tarmac Togs' adult children seek to take the wind out of their parents' sails. Another review on the WeLoveAnyCar.com site quotes one contributor who said, "My kids told me I was too old for another MX5". He was 70.

When it is time to hang up the keys, most, if not all, Tarmac Togs will know when the time is right. Until then they can dream, enjoy their car, the freedom it gives and drive more safely and with greater competence than Wheel Snappers - most of whom will be in the same position sooner than they think.

Image source: Fastlanekarting