With the UK General Election 2024 around the corner, each of the political parties battle for your vote.
Manifestos can be as long as 136 pages, and weekly live television debates add to the complexity, making it challenging to keep track of each party’s initiatives and promises.
In fact, many people are even debating over who they vote for with search terms like ‘who should I vote for’ increasing by 287% in the past month. To assist, experts at Heritage Classic Car Insurance have done the hard work and summarised each party’s plans, specifically highlighting what they could mean for drivers and specialist and classic car owners across the UK.
The Conservatives’ plans for drivers
The Conservative Party set out to spend a lot of money improving transportation and driving on public roads. They plan to:
- Invest £36 billion into local roads, rail and buses. This includes investing £8.3 billion to fill potholes and resurfacing roads, funded by cancelling the second phase of HS2.
- Scrap the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) expansion in London – as implemented by Labour’s Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
- Roll out a National Parking Platform this year to simplify how people pay for parking.
- Prevent any new smart motorways from being built and invest in existing motorways to improve safety.
- Introduce a Backing Drivers Bill that aims to rule out top-down blanket Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), scrap the London Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) expansion and stop road pricing (not introduce pay-per-mile road pricing and ban local councils from doing so).
What does this mean for drivers?
Fixing potholes and resurfacing roads is excellent news, especially for specialist and classic car owners. Smoother roads make for a more enjoyable drive and reduce the risk of vehicle damage. With the average pothole repair costing £71.40 in England and about one million potholes in the UK, the Conservatives’ budget to fix them appears sufficient.
The Conservatives’ focus on improving public roads over major public transport projects like HS2 suggests they want to make everyday driving better, which is good news for those who drive their car(s) regularly.
The introduction of a National Parking Platform could make parking less of a hassle, making payments easier when you’re out and about in a specialist car.
If you live or drive in London, the scrapping of the ULEZ might appeal to you if your car is currently not compliant. This abolishment could significantly impact how and where you drive your vehicle.
Preventing LTNs can mean fewer restrictions for driving around towns and cities.
Heritage’s Managing Director, Mark Wilkinson, who lives within an LTN, said, “It’s divisive to say the least! It’s great that our neighbourhood is no longer used as a ‘cut through’ for cars and feels safer for the community.
“However, it has pushed traffic onto outlying throughways; significantly increasing journey times, traffic volumes and pollution along these routes. This has negatively impacted residents and a three-mile journey now could take 20 minutes.
“From my experience, it’s short-sighted to think that putting these hard restrictions in place will make people cycle or catch public transport where there has been no investment in this infrastructure.”
Labour’s plans for drivers
The Labour Party have big plans to help drivers and the environment. They plan to:
- Fix an additional one million potholes across England in each year of the next parliament.
- Support the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) by accelerating the roll out of more charging points.
- Restore the phase-out date of 2030 for new cars with combustion engines (currently 2035).
- Maintain and renew the UK’s road network ensuring that drivers remain safe and by tackling congestion.
- Support drivers by tackling the ‘soaring’ cost of car insurance.
What does this mean for drivers?
Likewise with the Conservatives’ initiative, Labour seems committed to improving British roads too. With over one million potholes in the UK, Labour’s plan to fix one million annually is promising for car owners. If implemented as promised, fewer people could be affected by pothole damage and associated claims.
Restoring the 2030 phase-out date for new petrol and diesel vehicles signals a stronger push towards electric vehicles. With this stronger stance, it could mean that petrol and diesel cars will eventually face higher costs or more restrictions. The potential switch from a specialist petrol/diesel vehicle to an electric vehicle is made easier with an increased number of charging points.
Maintaining and renewing the road network helps all drivers. Better roads mean a safer and a more enjoyable driving experience, which is particularly important for those with specialist vehicles.
Lastly, Labour’s manifesto states they will be “supporting drivers to tackle the soaring cost of car insurance.” This statement comes with no other detail and was loosely mentioned amidst other initiatives. The experts at Heritage believe their intention will be to refer the industry to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Competition and Markets Authority to “crack down on any unfair practices” rather than reducing premium prices instantaneously.
If the proposed solution is to put pressure on the FCA to investigate insurance companies, it won’t resolve the true challenges that insurance companies are facing which result in increased costs.
If insurance companies are supported to find ways to lower repair costs, like agreeing on cheaper parts prices, or road safety is continued to be invested in to limit the number of accidents and claims, this is a better approach to tackling insurance costs than simply relying on regulation.
Liberal Democrats’ plans for drivers
The Liberal Democrats set their focus on making transport greener and easier to use. They plan to:
- Restore the phase-out date of 2030 for all new cars and small vans sold to be zero-emission.
- Roll out more electric car charging points and cut VAT on public charging to 5%.
- Give more of the roads budget to local councils to maintain existing roads, pavements and cycleways, including repairing potholes.
- Investigate ‘unfair’ price of car insurance and petrol prices.
- Focus their attention on improving public transport by freezing rail fares, maintaining a £2 bus fare cap and simplifying ticketing.
What does this mean for drivers?
Similar to Labour, the Liberal Democrats want to speed up the transition to zero-emission vehicles.
If you’re one for buying new specialist vehicles, this might push you towards considering an electric alternative sooner – especially if there are more EV charging points.
While improving public transport may not directly impact your driving, it could reduce traffic. Less congestion means quicker journeys and a lower risk of incidents with other drivers.
Liberal Democrats’ manifesto does state that our “roads are in a terrible state, with potholes everywhere” and they vouch to give more of the roads budget to councils to repair them.
Car insurance inflation has influenced premiums over the past year due to increased claims and repair costs. The party mentioned that it would “protect motorists from rip-offs, including unfair car insurance and petrol prices”, but gave no additional details.
Their manifesto indicates that they’re focusing on other transportation which may not be as encouraging to hear to drivers, with less of a focus on improving UK roads or giving drivers more autonomy of what vehicles they choose to drive.
Mark Wilkinson, Managing Director at Heritage Classic Car Insurance, concluded, “While Labour and the Liberal Democrats have outlined their intentions to address rising car insurance costs, it’s crucial to consider the complexities of the insurance industry.
“As an insurance broker passionate about specialist cars, we understand the importance of providing insurance premiums that reflect the actual risks and values, not inflated figures that disadvantage car enthusiasts.
“We hope that whichever party forms the next government will work collaboratively with insurance companies to address the root causes of rising premiums. This could include supporting initiatives to reduce repair costs and investing in road safety measures to reduce accidents and claims.”