2009 Harley-davidson Sportster 1200 Nightster Xl1200n Handebar Riser on 2040-parts.com

Careful young drivers penalised by hire companies

YOUNG DRIVERS with good driving records are being unfairly penalised by car hire firms. Rental companies are accused of imposing tough age limitations on those able to hire a car. In a study by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), it found car hire companies often have stringent minimum age limits that take no account of a driver’s clean record.

2014 BMW X3 Facelift and more efficient engines

The 2014 BMW X3 (pictured) gets a facelift and new engines The current version of the BMW X3 SUV has been with us for more than three years, so BMW are giving it a bit of a mid-cycle facelift and more frugal engines to keep the X3 on top of its – very successful – game. Engines on offer for the 2014 X3 include the 2.0 litre diesel in the sDrive18d which offers 148bhp and 56.8mpg and the 187bhp in the X3 xDrive20d which returns 52.3mpg, the xDrive30d – which gets the 3.0 litre diesel unit – with 254bhp and 47.9mpg and the X3 xDrive35 which has an impressive 309bhp but still manages official economy of 47.1mpg. When it comes to the cosmetic facelift bits, BMW hasn’t really pushed the boat out, but the new X3 does get a new headlight design which is sleeker, new front and rear bumpers and a new surround for the kidney grill, which all contrive to make the new X3 look even more like a baby X5.

Car insurance price fall is 'last hurrah'

THE PRICE of car insurance premiums is plunging, according to the AA. Average premiums fell 19.3% in the year ending June 30 2014 - the largest 12-month decrease since the AA index started 20 years ago. But the AA warned this could be the "last hurrah" for cheaper premiums and said the number of claims remained "stubbornly high" despite Government reforms to curb fraudulent injury claims.