REGULAR CLASSIC VEHICLE MEETS

Our next scheduled Classic Car Meet is on Thursday 6th July 2023 starting at 6pm.

Thereafter we continue our Thursday evening Meets on the first Thursday evening of each month.

However, if there is a spell of warmer, dry weather anytime, we may hold some unscheduled 'Last Minute Larry' Events in 2023.

To ensure you do not miss these, check our Events Page regularly to see details, or register your interest with us (see below.)

ELECTRIC CARS LOSING VALUE TWICE AS FAST AS PETROL VEHICLES

The value of some of the most popular electric cars is depreciating at twice the rate of petrol cars, a new study has found.

According to a new study, EVs on average will lose 51 percent of their purchase value from 2020 to 2023, compared to just 37 percent for petrol vehicles.

This equates to a massive £15,220 loss for electric car owners, with petrol drivers seeing a decrease of £9,901.

The data, from ChooseMyCar.com, used a comparison of new car prices three years ago compared to their value now.

The higher the original purchase price of the car, the bigger the loss, with the Tesla Model S losing £25,000 in value in just three years - a 46 percent drop.

However, entry-level EVs like the Nissan Leaf are also losing a massive amount of value in such a short space of time.

The Leaf’s value dropped by £13,000 - or 58 percent - despite it being one of the most popular small EVs on the market.

Other popular cars like the Hyundai Ioniq and BMW i3 saw large depreciation rates as well with 67 percent and 64 percent respectively.

Nick Zapolski, founder of ChooseMyCar.com, said: “Our research shows yet another blow for EV owners, on top of many other issues that have come to light recently.

ELECTRIC CARS MORE COSTLY THAN PETROL ON LONGER JOURNEYS

The cost of charging an electric car on the road has soared by nearly 60 per cent in eight months, making the vehicles now more costly to run on long journeys than petrol vehicles.

Rapid charging points used by drivers of electric cars who need to top up on long drives, are now nearly £10 more expensive than filling up a car with petrol, according to the RAC.

Public charging of electric cars is also more than double the price of domestic charging and finding somewhere to top up your electric car is nowhere as easy as just filling up with petrol.

So the rush to “go electric” just does not make sense.

ANTI-CAR COUNCILS AT IT AGAIN

Commuters who drive to work could be charged hundreds of pounds a year for a parking space under the latest initiatives being considered by some councils.

Workplace parking levies are being contemplated in more than 12 towns and cities in England, supposedly “to reduce congestion”. Under the proposals, city centre businesses would be charged up to £1,000 a year for each parking space they have.

Council officials say parking levies are a way to reduce traffic congestion while at the same time raising money to invest in their pet sustainable public transport projects.

But this waffle cannot hide the fact that they are in effect a “tax on going to work” and employees are likely to be the ones who end up paying for them.

This is already the case in Nottingham – the only English city to have adopted the model so far – where more than half of the costs have been passed on to staff, including care workers, teachers and community workers.

Workplace parking levies are under discussion in Bath, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Colchester, Leicester, Luton, Norwich, Oxford, Warrington and the London boroughs of Hounslow and Camden.

Councils in Cambridge and Hounslow are planning to charge the most, at up to £1,000 per space per year. Elsewhere, Leicester is considering a £550 annual charge, while Bristol is eyeing a £400 levy.

Motorists are already being hit hard by soaring petrol and energy prices and the cost of living squeeze, and the rollout of workplace parking levies will affect those on lower incomes the hardest.

Nottingham’s workplace levy was introduced in 2012. At present, the city council charges £428 per space, but this will rise to £458 from April.

As for the other councils considering schemes, a report by the Greater Cambridge Partnership estimates that a levy of £1,000 per space would bring in £13 million a year for the city.

In Leicester, the city council reckons it could raise £95 million over 10 years for long-term transport investment.

What these anti-car councils do not realise is that this is just another reason why more and more new businesses will continue to shun these unwelcoming cities, whilst more shoppers will either shop on-line or go to out-of-town shopping centres in greater numbers.