Author: Abaranji Sivakumar

Crane hire firm reaches for the skies with Fuel Card Services

Crane hire firm reaches for the skies with Fuel Card Services

Posted on | by Abaranji Sivakumar

A crane hire firm has reached new heights, thanks to a long-running relationship with Fuel Card Services.

Kent-based G Force Transport wasted no time in teaming up with Fuel Card Services, starting its contract in June 2013, a year after setting up shop.

That same contract is still ongoing, standing testament to the exceptional service and value delivered by Fuel Card Services.

“We have never felt the need to change supplier,” explained company secretary Frances Gumplowicz. “We receive regular calls from our account manager Jack Naylor and fuel prices are regularly reviewed.

“Jack has been particularly helpful with the account management and provides excellent communication and assistance.”

Frances now sees Jack as “one of the G Force team”, such is his involvement and usefulness to everyday operations.

G Force Transport’s fleet may only consist of four HGVs, but they still manage to get through a fair amount of fuel, spending around £7,800 on diesel every month.

Weekly invoices and monthly statements help G Force Transport keep tabs on fuel usage and costs, and over five years, Frances reports there haven’t been any accounting errors.

“The system is very reliable and saves us administration time,” she added. “We would be happy to recommend Fuel Card Services.”

Ellie Baker, brand manager at Fuel Card Services, commented: “This customer is the first to have a 102ft loading crane on a flatbed Scania truck within the UK – it’s also called Grace. Exciting stuff.”

Top 20 most fuel-efficient cars in the UK right now

Top 20 most fuel-efficient cars in the UK right now

Posted on | by Abaranji Sivakumar

Fuel prices are rising at their fastest rate since the turn of the millennium.

Figures from the RAC show that petrol and diesel prices leapt more in May 2018 than in any other month in the last 18 years, leaving pump prices at their highest in almost four years.

Annoyingly, fuel is a requirement for every car. There’s no way around it and every motorist has little choice but to pay whatever number is displayed on the pump – or do they?

Fuel cards mean that drivers aren’t hit as hard at the pumps, offering savings of up to 10p per litre on motorways.

Meanwhile, advances in engine technology have also optimised engines to ensure the fuel economy returned by today’s petrol and diesel cars has never been stronger.

But which cars offer the highest combined mpg right now?

We’re ignoring hybrids and other electric tinkery and focusing on pure internal combustion. Spoiler alert: the first 17 cars in this list are diesels, but the dominance of oil burners in a list that ranks mpg shouldn’t be surprising.

Anyway, here we go…

Highest combined mpg cars in the UK

1. Peugeot 208 1.6 BlueHDi 100 Allure 5dr [Start Stop] – 94.2mpg
=2. Ford Fiesta 1.5 TDCi Style 3dr – 88.3mpg
=2. Nissan Micra 1.5 dCi Acenta 5dr [Bose] – 88.3mpg
=2. Renault Clio 1.5 dCi 90 ECO Play 5dr – 88.3mpg
5. Vauxhall Astra 1.6 CDTi 16V ecoTEC Design 5dr – 85.6mpg
=6. Fiat Tipo 1.6 Multijet Elite 5dr – 83.1mpg
=6. Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTI ecoTEC D 95 Design 3dr Easytronic – 83.1mpg
=6. DS 3 1.6 BlueHDi Connected Chic 3dr – 83.1mpg
=6. Alfa Romeo Mito 1.3 JTDM-2 3dr – 83.1mpg
=6. Ford Focus 1.5 TDCi 105 Style ECOnetic 5dr – 83.1mpg
=11. Kia Rio 1.4 CRDi 2 5dr – 80.7mpg
=11. Mercedes-Benz A-Class A180d SE 5dr – 80.7mpg
=11. Dacia Sandero 1.5 dCi Ambiance 5dr – 80.7mpg
=11. Dacia Logan MCV 1.5 dCi Ambiance 5dr – 80.7mpg
=11. Peugeot 308 1.5 BlueHDi 130 Active 5dr – 80.7mpg
=11. Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC S 5dr – 80.7mpg
17. Citroen C4 Cactus diesel hatchback 1.6 BlueHDi Feel 5dr – 78.5mpg
18. Suzuki Celerio 1.0 Dualjet SZ3 5dr – 78.4mpg
19. Fiat 500 0.9 TwinAir Lounge 3dr – 74.3mpg
20. Hyundai i10 1.0 Blue Drive SE [4 Seat] 5dr – 70.6mpg

These are the best cars for towing in 2018

​These are the best cars for towing in 2018

Posted on | by Abaranji Sivakumar

When it comes to naming the best car in its class, towing capacity is not the first thing everyone thinks of. But for anyone with a caravan or trailer it is extremely important.

The Camping and Caravanning Club is one organisation where this issue will be of paramount importance and it has published its list of the best cars in each category for towing capacity.

Experts at Practical Caravan and What Car? magazines joined the Camping and Caravanning Club, with the BMW 520d Touring xDrive M Sport taking the overall top prize and the weight-specific prize for vehicles weighing between 1700-1899kg.

There were several specific categories based on weight. The Skoda Octavia Hatch won in the 1400kg category, with the Skoda Superb 2.0 Executive taking the 1400-1549kg prize. The best car in the 1550-1699kg category was the Peugeot 5008 and the 1900kg+ prize was taken by the Land Rover Discovery 3.0.

For an ultralight tow car, Volkswagen’s one-litre petrol auto Polo came out top, while the Kia Stinger was the best petrol tow car. The best family SUV was the Volvo XC40 and the fuel economy prize was scooped by the Hyundai i30 Tourer Premium.

David Motton, the tow car editor for Practical Caravan magazine, said the BMW 520d was a worthy victor over rivals such as the Jaguar F-Pace and Volvo XC40.

He remarked: “Clearly, this is a towing competition first and foremost, and when it comes to pulling a caravan confidently and securely, the BMW 5 Series has few peers. There wasn’t a single one of our towing tests in which the BMW showed any weakness.”

While a BMW may be beyond the means of the average motorist, the awards clearly mark out a substantial list of cars that will serve any caravan or trailer owner well.

Ellie Baker, brand manager at Fuel Card Services, comments: “The BMW 5 series is clearly ideal for towing, but these awards show there is a good tow car for everybody.”

Regular tyre checks 'could save thousands of lives'

Regular tyre checks ‘could save thousands of lives’

Posted on | by Abaranji Sivakumar

UK motorists could be putting their own lives and those of their passengers and innocent members of the public at risk by failing to regularly check the state of their vehicles’ tyres.

This is the view of car safety organisation TyreSafe, which has highlighted data from the Department for Transport that shows approximately 1,000 people have been either killed or seriously injured on the nation’s roads in tyre-related accidents over the last five years.

Furthermore, where casualties have arisen from an accident being caused by a vehicle defect, tyres were shown to be the single largest contributory factor – accounting for 36 people of total incident volumes.

Chairman of TyreSafe Stuart Jackson commented: “What we’re urging motorists to do is carry out tyre safety checks on a monthly basis, which will substantially reduce their risk of becoming involved in a tyre-related incident on the roads.

“Vehicles have become progressively more reliable over the years so fewer of us need to carry out the weekly maintenance we once did on components like oil and water, but tyres are still in direct contact with the road and all the potential physical objects on them.”

He added that motorists need to be aware of the risks that are represented by a lack of regular vehicle maintenance, as drivers should be confident that their car is in the best possible condition every time they take to the roads.

The safety of items like tyres that will face considerable wear and tear on a daily basis should not be taken for granted and people need to be confident they know how to spot any potential defects when they first arise.

Majority of drivers ignore headrest safety

Majority of drivers ignore headrest safety

Posted on | by Abaranji Sivakumar

Correctly positioning the headrest in a vehicle can provide a considerable boost to safety for motorists, but many people remain unaware of this fact, new research has shown.

According to a survey of 1,000 UK motorists carried out by road safety charity Brake on behalf of breakdown services provider Green Flag, almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of drivers are unaware of the appropriate position for a vehicle headrest in order to limit the risk of serious injury in the event of a crash.

Furthermore, 64 per cent of respondents stated they do not check their headrest before embarking on a journey.

Failure to properly set up the headrest can mean the neck and head do not receive the proper support should the car come to an unexpected and swift stop or suffer a rear-end shunt.

This can lead to an increased likelihood of individuals suffering injuries like whiplash – an injury that combined costs European insurers £7.5 billion in claims annually.

Rob Miles, director of car insurance at Direct Line, said: “The headrest’s primary function may be confused as being one of comfort, when they are, in fact, an important safety feature – but only when used correctly.

“Whiplash can occur even in low-speed crashes, so adjusting your headrest correctly is a simple precaution worth taking.”

Alice Bailey, campaigns and communications officer for Brake, added that all drivers should take the time to understand the correct positioning for the headrests in their vehicles, as the simple act of doing so can help to prevent years of unnecessary pain in the event of an accident.