Unless you have been stuck in a cave or abducted by aliens you will be fully aware the UK has left the EU. I’m not going to get bogged down with what I think as it’s simply not worth it, what’s done is done and we have to make sure we work together to make it work. But what does it mean for the UK motorist?
No more European road trips?
Although there are more convenient and less taxing ways to travel, it’s nice to take the car abroad as it gives you more flexibility and more freedom. But does that mean these wonderful – and sometimes spontaneous – road trips will be a thing of the past? No, not at all, it shouldn’t affect things too much but the AA has stated fuel could rise by up to 18.7p per litre but that’s an estimation. Border control could be tighter which could cause delays when crossing countries but it’s unlikely this will be a huge problem. Insurance may be an issue but I’ll get to that a bit later.
Will fuel go up in the UK?
Again it’s difficult to say but the RAC suggest that prices could rise by 5% but once again it’s difficult to say as the market is forever changing. What would be the factor in driving the prices up is how much it would cost to import fuel in to the country but that’s a bridge that will be crossed later on. The short term changes are likely to be very minimal indeed though.
But will I actually be able to buy a new car to put fuel into?
You may expect prices to go up for new cars – I certainly did – but in fact experts have said this should not be the case and hey, who am I to argue with experts? The used car market should also be unaffected so things should very much continue as normal which is good news as the UK market has been booming as of late.
So nothing’s really changed at all then?
Ah, ah, ah, not too quick there as your motor insurance may be affected. Making sure you are insured to drive abroad could cost more as there is an EU Motor Insurance Directive which guarantees motorists are cover to drive in Europe. As we are now separate from the EU – at least we will be in two years – this may no longer apply which could push the prices up for insurance cover for travelling in Europe.
It’s bad news for men too as they may be charged more if the government decide to scrap ruling that was put in place by the 2012 European Court of Justice that stated the price for insurance should be the same no matter what gender you are. This is good news for women though who would be set to making a saving.
If you are with the RAC and AA then your breakdown cover abroad should not be affected as both companies used locally-based providers so that is bound to give peace of mind.
What about the automotive industry?
The SMMT and many motoring manufacturers were pro-remain as leaving Europe could jeopardise trading which will then threaten job security. The industry is worth £15.5billion per year so it’s easy to see why firms wanted the industry to be protected. Before the vote CEO of SMMT, Mike Hawes stated: "The message from UK automotive is clear: being in Europe is vital for the future of this industry and to secure jobs, investment and growth."
Now that Brexit is very much a real situation that can’t be avoided it’s now time for plans to be put in place to make the industry going moving forward. After the news landed that the UK was to leave Europe Hawes issued another statement, commenting: "making the UK the most competitive place in Europe for automotive investment.”
Let’s remind ourselves that we not out of Europe immediately – this is not the Euro 2016 football tournament we are talking about here. It will be two years before we start to see any real changes so for the time being it is very much business as usual in the UK.