Steph's Motoring Tips is a regular feature of this site and written by Steph Savill, Founder of FOXY Lady Drivers Club. Picking up on the meaning of the word foxy (shrewd, canny and smart) it is designed to give women a flavour of the UK's best-value and female friendly motoring deals and services. When you know the subject, there is much money to be saved, better service levels to be enjoyed and the reassurance of knowing you aren't on your own in this male-dominated industry.

This issue looks at how women drivers can save money in recession-like times, stay safe on the roads, do our bit for the environment and enjoy female-friendly treatment from businesses that are committed to FOXY's quality service promise.

• The £35 car tax lottery
• Female friendly garage services
• Look after yourself
• Read the small (motor insurance) print
• Lower car insurance premiums for newly qualified female drivers

The £35 car tax lottery

If you buy a car with the lowest emissions ie below 100g/km you pay NO car tax. If you buy one with over 226g/km you'll be facing £400 pa... and the more the emissions the higher the tax is headed in future.

It's a simple choice and best to do your homework first. For example, to save £85 a year be sure to choose a car with less than 120g/km than just over; that's the difference between tax bands B and C.

For more details you about new car CO2 ratings, visit the Vehicle Certification Agency's website www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk.

Here's an easy alphabetical listing by manufacturer of new cars costing £35 a year to tax, including automatic cars. The £35 VED tax ratings for new cars are listed here.

Female friendly garage services

Many women drivers dread their next garage encounter. A recent Sheilas’ Wheels survey found that almost half (47%) of female motorists described visiting a garage as a stressful experience they’d rather avoid with a fifth (19%) saying they would rather go to the doctors! This is because they expect to be treated as second class citizens and ripped off.

But it doesn't have to be so. FOXY plug coming.

Some time ago, we decided to invite those businesses that could demonstrate being better than the rest AND were prepared to sign a female friendly promise to work with us to deliver preferential services for our members. The first nationwide garage group to do this is Bosch Car Service, the only UK garage network to operate an OFT approved Code of Practice and whose participating garages (some 180) have signed the FOXY Promise stating...

"We strive to be a female friendly business and will never knowingly overcharge, patronise or sell our customers services they do not need or want".

So FOXY Lady members can enjoy quality and female friendly services and claim an annual package of free quarterly Car Fitness Checks including emissions and key safety components from participating Bosch Car Service garages across Britain to help then run safer and greener cars.

Other motor industry signs of quality to look out for are the BSI Kitemark and the Institute of Motor Industry's ATA ( Automotive Technician Accreditation) training standard - these and the OFT acronym tell you that the garage in question has invested in being better than the rest in an industry that isn't as good as it should be.

Look after yourself

These safety tips come from Northamptonshire Police not me, but are worth reading and remembering, just in case.

• Tip from Taekwondo - the elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough and need to use it, do!
• If a thief asks for your handbag, purse or wallet, don't hand it to him. THROW IT instead in the opposite direction to you. Chances are he'll be more interested in the money, giving you time to run off in the other direction.
• Some of us that have a tendency to get into our cars after shopping or work and sit there for a few moments, eating a sandwich, making a list, that sort of thing. Before you do, always lock your car doors first.

Read the small (insurance) print

Which? Legal Service lawyers tell us that many women drivers who claim against their comprehensive motor insurance often find that the cover doesn't always pay out what and when they expected it to. Small print exclusions to do with the likes of windscreens, windows and tyres can add up to hundreds of pounds that the motorist is then expected to pay for but hadn't spotted until the cover was exposed.

Cover that seems much cheaper than another policy might not be the bargain you think you are buying. Be foxy and look more closely than you might do otherwise. Look out for exclusions and high excesses; you might find you are paying for most of the claims AND the insurance premium too.

For example, in some UK locations, the insurer expects the car to be garaged overnight. If you don't do this and your car is stolen during the night, the insurance company could refuse to pay out.

Also, the person named as the main driver on the policy must also be the vehicle owner. This is sometimes not the case when parents insure a family car for their children to drive. Not only can an insurer refuse to pay a claim in such circumstances but they could, in theory, pursue you for fraud.

One thing that I was unaware of was the need to record the car you use to and from work as one ‘to and from a permanent place of work' rather than the traditional ‘social, domestic and pleasure’ policy description.

This may become increasingly significant, after the new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, as insurers may well look towards the employer in the event of motoring claims that fit within the scope of this Act.

Lower insurance premiums for newly qualified drivers

Some three hundred newly-qualified drivers and their passengers were killed in accidents in 2006 AND it is thought that one-fifth of all car deaths involve newly-qualified drivers and their passengers. A new consultation process is underway to look at improving the driving test itself, driving instructor training and other learning options.

A recent survey suggests that one in five drivers have an accident in the first six months of driving and some 70% admit to a near accident during that period. A newly qualified female driver, for example, will pay an average of £800 for her first insurance year's premium and a young man £1200; reflecting the different driving risk they represent.

With high costs and risks, it's good to be able to invest in the Pass Plus driver training programme to become a better driver and save significant money on car insurance premiums.

Here is what Pass Plus covers that the 'ordinary' test doesn't and which many new motorists admit feeling uneasy about.

Town driving
rush hour traffic, complicated junctions and traffic systems

All-weather driving
rain, fog, bright sunshine, snow and ice

Driving in the country
country roads hide hazards such as sharp bends, potholes, farm vehicles and animals

Night driving
dealing with dazzle, judging distance and speed, using lights correctly

Dual carriageways and motorways
requiring observation, concentration, anticipation and lane discipline skills to drive fast, safely.

These are the latest motor insurers to offer women drivers Pass Plus discounts:
AA Insurance, Adrian Flux Insurance Services, RAC Direct Insurance, Churchill Insurance, CIS, Direct Line, Endsleigh, Norwich Union, Privilege, Provident, Royal and SunAlliance, Tesco Motor Insurers, Swinton, Quinn Direct, Zurich.

To find out more, including names of councils sponsoring Pass Plus up to 50% of the cost, email passplus@dsa.gsi.gov.uk or tel: 0115 936 6504.

Kind regards

Steph

About FOXY Lady Drivers Club

Members enjoy preferential female-friendly motoring services, save money and run safer and greener cars. Online membership of FOXY Lady Drivers Club costs from £20 a year and includes an annual package of green and safety Car Fitness Checks worth £60, legal motoring services including claims advice and up to £50k legal fees, exclusive moneysaving offers, a helpdesk support service and preferential female-friendly motoring services. There's a family membership option that's even cheaper, for just £30 a year including members of a FOXY Lady's family.

IT'S EASY TO JOIN FOXY ONLINE

Regional Finalist, HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards, 2007
Runner Up, The Daily Telegraph's Trailblazers' Business Awards, 2006
Small Business Award Winner, SAGA Magazine, 2005.


FOXY Lady Drivers Club (www.foxyladydrivers.com) is the UK's only 'everyday motoring' membership organisation for females and registered with the Information Commissioner's Office. All personal details are stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act and will not be sold, transferred or made available to any third party. They are only used to send the information requested.