This is Money Podcast

What’s the best new or used electric car on the market, would buying your insurance on the day you need it drive up the price, and does London’s diesel-crunching ULEZ make sense? Those are the questions and more on this motoring special edition of the This is Money Podcast. On it, Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert are joined by deputy motoring editor Rob Hull to talk cars and money. First up, is our exclusive on how insurers are sneakily pushing up prices for those who buy cover close to when they need it - bad news if you want to choose and buy a car and then drive it away. The team also look at attempts to crack down on older petrol and diesel cars, such as London’s ULEZ – soon to be extended all the way out to the North and South Circular – and ask whether the crop of electric car alternatives available now are enough to tempt people en-masse. Simon argues that one of the key problems is not how good new electric cars are (albeit they are now pretty good) but the issue of buying second hand and the limited choice and consumer concerns. Meanwhile, Rob says that although a brand new electric car may be tempting to those committed to greener motoring, many buyers are likely to sit on their hands expecting a better choice of longer range vehicles to arrive soon. One of those won’t carry a Golf badge, as VW is ditching its trusty model name for its new ID range of electric cars. But before they arrive a new Golf will. The Golf is a car that has long set the benchmark for family hatchbacks, so with the wraps coming off the next eighth generation one what can we expect inside, outside, and - all importantly nowadays - in terms of tech?

Insurance claims for burglary rise by a third in the winter months and sometimes it can be down to households not doing basic checks.  This week, editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost take a look what you can do to protect your home. Elsewhere, can you use Section 75 when booking a holiday on a credit through a third party? We take a look at what common myths many have when it comes to consumer rights, including: if a shop prices an item up wrong, is it obliged to sell it for the lower amount? We tackle a question that could be on the minds of parents – should you pay off your child's student loan, or help them buy a home? And just how bonkers is the current student finance system? Savers aged over 50 are being sent newly-revamped and shortened 'wake-up packs' about their pensions – a good idea? And finally, could you have an old comic book gathering dust worth a pretty penny?

What's the difference between loyalty and inertia? Do we get too little reward for the former and show too much of the latter when it comes to shopping and banking? That's the question Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost tackle in the podcast this week. It comes as Tesco – one of the original loyalty scheme pioneers – revealed its new paid-for Clubcard Plus, costing £7.99 per month. Meanwhile, Nationwide Building Society has also announced it is scrapping its hugely popular loyalty savings accounts held by 1.6million people. Which are the firms and organisations the team feel some loyalty too - and what are the ones they stick with out of sheer laziness?  And with another small energy firm going bust, should we in fact be staying 'loyal' to some of the established giants for peace of mind? Elsewhere, we look at a study comparing the costs of buying and renting a home claiming the former could leave you £350,000 better off: do we finally have conclusive evidence? Also, when you buy shares in a company, do you need to check what bosses of the business are up to? Are they themselves buying into their own company – and if not… why not? We also run the rule over statistics showing how many cars there are with more than 250,000 miles on clock with a full MOT. The team reveal the best workhorse cars, the high-milers they've owned and ask listeners to tell us below: what is the biggest mileage you've racked up on a car?

Neil Woodford's Equity Income Fund, which has locked in investors' money since June, will never reopen – the star fund manager has seen his empire toppled. Editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost, ask: what is next for investors and what lessons will be learnt? We also talk about where it went wrong and what it could mean for the investment industry. Elsewhere, we reveal what makes a 'comfortable' retirement – and what changes you can make to ensure that you are doing enough to secure one. We reveal whether you can find rare quarters from the US in your change while visiting. Meanwhile, a reader asks whether they need to come clean to their car insurer as they're about to tick over the mileage they quoted when they started their annual policy.

If you want a good deal, an undervalued gem, or a fixer-upper to make money on - buy a home at auction. That's the common theory, but does it actually work in practice? There's a chance you might find an underrated home, but there's also the risk that you may get caught up in competition with another buyer and overpay - as many who end up in a bidding war do. On this week's podcast, we switch off Homes Under the Hammer and go watch some real life homes go under the hammer at a property auction. Reporter Grace Gausden tells us about the auction room atmosphere, and Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and George Nixon discuss tips to make sure you stay on the right side of a bargain hunt. Also on this week's podcast, the team discuss whether those owed money from before Thomas Cook went bust can get flight compensation and why Barclays is stopping customers taking out cash at the post office. Plus, Simon explains the circular economy and why it's important to get capitalism on side to stop trashing the planet. And finally, buying a brand new car isn't very green, but you could save a lot of money on them at the moment as dealers are pre-registering them to meet sales targets and then selling them at up to 40 per cent off. The team explain why.

It’s crunch time for Brexit and things could go one of three ways. Theoretically, a no-deal Brexit shouldn’t be able to happen and the Prime Minister has to ask for an extension instead, but we are faced with the bizarre prospect of the Government saying it might be able to dodge the law… and so maybe no-deal could still happen. And then, of course, there is the possibility that instead of no-deal or an extension, we actually get a deal. Amid all this, we’ve had news that the UK economy slowed earlier this year and fresh fears over recession, global trade war worries have stepped up a bit, an election’s on the cards, the stock market’s been tumbling and interest rates are going to head down not up. So, is it time to batten down the hatches, or should you be optimistic and aim to be greedy while others are fearful? On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Tanya Jefferies and Georgie Frost look at what the latest episode in the Brexit soap opera means for our money, from savings and investments, to mortgages and holiday money. They also discuss the question of whether it is too late to protect your finances against no-deal? Also on this week’s show, the women’s state pension age case defeat and what it means, the almost certain 4 per cent rise for the state pension next year, and what Drastic Dave’s departure from Tesco means for the UK’s biggest supermarket. And finally, you might fancy a classic car but think you can’t afford one – but the team have got ten bargain cars tipped for future classic status that put one in reach (and Simon explains how man maths means they’re almost free).

We are regularly told that we aren’t saving enough into a pension, but how much is enough?    A recent report suggested that while auto enrolment has dragged more people into saving for retirement, it has also lulled them into a false sense of security.   Currently, the system means 8 per cent of a worker’s salary must be going into a pension – unless they opt out – but that includes their contribution, basic rate tax relief and what their employer puts in.   Experts suggest that depending on when you start that number needs to be more like a minimum of 12 per cent or even 15 per cent. So how can you make sure you are salting away enough to live in the style you’d like in retirement?   On this week’s podcast Simon Lambert and Georgie Frost dive into the world of pension saving and the tricks you can use to get more going into your retirement pot.   Also this week, they talk Brexit-proofing your pension, wills – and how to get one if you don’t have one, and what you need to think about if you are moving house to try to get your kids into school.    

The best time to get a good deal on buying something is when other people don’t want to. That should theoretically make now a decent time to try to buy a property, but will that work in practice? The property market has run out of steam and house prices are rising at a far more moderate rate than in recent years  While the headline figures mask regional differences – London and the South East have seen prices fall, while cheaper areas are still seeing gains – even drilling down into the numbers shows most places are slowing. Rightmove reported this week that the traditional back to school bounce was cancelled, as asking prices failed to rise for the first time in September since 2010 this month. Meanwhile, the ONS, Nationwide and Halifax reports have all pointed to a period of much slower house price inflation. The problem is that often to buy a house you need to sell one and-  even if you can do that - estate agents and analysts point to a distinct lack of properties being put up for sale. On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Georgie Frost and Grace Gausden dive into the reports on what is going on in the property market, to try to answer the question of whether now is a good time to buy. Also on this week’s show, the team discuss energy vampires and what’s true and what’s false in energy saving claims. The delay to the smart meter rollout is on the agenda too. As the Climate Strike arrives, they debate whether buying carbon credits to make up for flying is wise - or whether we should just be flying less instead. And finally, if you fancy doing the complete opposite, the podcast finishes with a look at why now is the best time to book Christmas flights… or do your bit and get the train instead.

Entrepreneurs and investors pay less tax on their profits to reflect the risk they take.    That’s the principle that lies behind capital gains tax being lower than the rates charged on employment income.   But the influential think-tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research, wants to rip up that system and charge the same rate on gains from selling shares or property as income tax – and hack back the annual capital gains tax allowance to just £1,000.   It even wants to remove the special low entrepreneur rate given to those who have sold a business that they built up.   Is this the kind of For the many not the few move that Britain needs to level the playing field between those with plenty of capital and the ability to make investments and those who don’t?   Or is it just another planned tax raid on those putting their money to productive use and growing our collective wealth?   On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert and Georgie Frost dig into the IPPR’s proposals and look at whether this is the kind of thing that could become Labour party policy?   They also look at long-term investments that have paid off, risky investments to be wary of and the one thing plenty of people are happy to sink thousands of pounds into  knowing that they will lose a big chunk of their money – a brand new car.   The good news is that due to a perfect storm of a deadline on new regulation and crashing sales, there are some astonishing deals on pre-registered ‘new’ cars with as much as 40% off. The bad news is that you’ll still almost certainly lose money.

Savers have been dealt a series of blows over the summer and the latest came this week with an NS&I cut, so was that as good as it gets this time round?   On this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Sarah Davidson and Georgie Frost look at why savings rates have started to slip again, and how the mortgage price war, stuttering UK property market and even Donald Trump’s trade spat with China fit in with that.   Meanwhile, after one of the most tumultuous weeks in British politics in a decade – at the end of which we are still unsure whether a no-deal Brexit or General Election are on the cards or out of the question – the team look at how to protect yourself against the fallout.   Should you act to bolster your savings, mortgage, pension and investments against potential risks?    Is that just good financial planning anyway?    Does stock piling food ever make sense?   The trio look at the expert advice and share their opinions on those topics.   Away from the Brexit row, a domestic political hot potato was being thrown around at the beginning of this week too, Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s idea for right to buy for tenants to purchase their landlord’s buy-to-let property a discount.   The team look at what the concept is, whether this could ever work and who would foot the bill?   And finally, are electric cars greener once you factor in the build and the battery? A new survey says it has the answer.