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Pick-ups face large tax hike as they lose business automobile standing

Double-cab pick-up vehicles are set to lose their standing as business autos in relation to paying firm automotive tax.

Massive modifications to the benefit-in-kind (BIK) guidelines will imply that company car drivers will face a near-fivefold enhance in private tax payments for any such pick-up bought from 1 July 2024.

Currently, any pick-up that meets the factors of getting a payload of greater than 1000kg (or 1045kg with a hardtop put in) is taken into account a business automobile.

This is consistent with the present VAT guidelines, permitting enterprise customers to reclaim tax on vans and pick-ups.

From 1 July, HRMC will abandon the payload-based definition and deem any pick-up with a second row of seats as appropriate for personal use and due to this fact a automotive.

Due to beneficial VAT and BIK taxation, the UK is likely one of the largest markets in Europe for pick-up vehicles.

The Ford Ranger is the nation’s best-selling instance, with 18,679 registrations for a 45.5% market share in 2023.

The hottest Wildtrak variant with a 2.0-litre diesel engine has a primary listing value of £47,220 together with VAT. Under the brand new guidelines, its 230g/km CO2 emissions place it within the high BIK taxation group of 37%.

A 20% taxpayer in England will due to this fact must pay £291 per 30 days and a 40% taxpayer £582 per 30 days in BIK tax for having it as a firm automotive. 

This compares to a flat charge of simply £60 per 30 days for 20% taxpayers or £120 per 30 days for 40% taxpayers at current.

There are exceptions that can imply any double-cab pick-up that is completely modified to make it appropriate for business use by eradicating the seats and fittings (in addition to changing the rear glass with fibreglass or steel panels) will nonetheless be thought-about as a business automobile.

The guidelines will not be backdated to cowl staff at the moment driving pick-ups as firm vehicles, and any purchases, leases or orders positioned earlier than 1 July will not be topic to the brand new guidelines.

Owners will then have till the lease expires, the automobile is offered or 5 April 2028 to proceed to pay the prevailing BIK tax charges.

Of the pick-ups at the moment on the UK market, the KGM Musso, Maxus T90EV and Volkswagen Amarok do not supply a single-cab variant.

What Is Brake Fade And What Causes It?

The most typical sort of brake fade is when your brakes lose effectiveness as a result of a layer of gasoline prevents the brake pads from correctly gripping the rotors. This gasoline comes from a breakdown of the brake pads’ supplies — primarily resin. As the resin deteriorates, it releases a gasoline that might movie the rotor and cut back contact. That’s why some brake pads have slots that enable the gasoline to flee. Consider replacing your brake pads yourself if you happen to discover that those mounted in your automobile do not have slots.

There’s additionally one other sort of brake fade known as fluid fade. Remember how we talked about earlier that automobiles use a hydraulic system to activate the brake calipers? Well, that fluid within the hydraulics can boil and cut back the effectiveness of that system. Because brake fluid is hygroscopic, it is designed to soak up water and moisture, decreasing its boiling level and growing the chance of brake fade.

Lastly, braking energy is misplaced if you drive in moist or humid circumstances. This can snowball into what some check with as “water fade,” which is basically one other sort of brake fade. Here, water might seep between the pads and the rotors, get trapped, and cut back the grip between the 2 surfaces.

Hands-Free Entertainment: Getting The Most Out Of Amazon Fire TV Voice Search

The only weakness of the Fire TV remote is that, if you lose the remote, it suddenly becomes much harder to control your TV. Even this, though, is not an unsalvageable situation. 

If you have a standalone Alexa device in your home, you can use its voice command function to continue controlling your TV. A Fire TV, much like any Amazon-made device, can be synced up with existing Alexa devices in your home, allowing you to control it with voice commands even without your remote.

If you’re within audible range of an Alexa speaker, you can get its attention by saying “Alexa,” then following up with a command like “pause,” “rewind five seconds,” or “watch from beginning.” As long as your Fire TV is synced up to your Alexa network, Alexa will automatically forward commands to the TV to control playback. 

While it’s a bit unwieldy, you can also command Alexa to navigate through apps with commands like “scroll up” and “select.” Incidentally, all of these commands also work with your remote’s voice command button.

Why Electric Car Batteries Are Expensive to Build and Replace

One of the main obstacles with electric vehicle (EV) batteries is the gradual loss of capacity that occurs with each charge and discharge cycle. This is especially true for lithium-ion batteries, which can suffer damage due to the heat generated during rapid charging or experience a reduction in capacity when drained too low.

To extend the lifespan of your EV battery, it is advisable to charge them slowly and maintain a charge level between 20% and 80% whenever possible. By keeping your EV battery in this optimal range, you can prevent overheating and ultimately preserve its ability to hold a charge over time. This can help avoid the costly replacement of battery packs.

The high cost of replacing EV batteries, which can reach $20,000 or more, often makes it financially unfeasible for many owners. However, there are ongoing efforts by EV and battery manufacturers like Tesla and BYD to address this issue. These companies are working on innovations aimed at minimizing wasted space within EV batteries and integrating fuel cells into the vehicle structure itself. This approach seeks to reduce heat generation and slow down battery degradation over time.