Money

When is the best time of year to sell your car to guarantee you get the best price? A new study based on the volume of sales and average prices for each of the major vehicle types - including hatchbacks, saloons and convertibles - contradicts the age-old belief that the hotter months are generally the best time to sell a car. But what if you need to part ways with your motor right now? We reveal which models are selling fastest this month...

I have gas and electric meters that need changing as they are now pretty old. Eon has been trying to persuade me to have smart versions fitted but I have resisted. Over the phone an Eon agent told me I could have conventional, non-smart meters fitted but it would cost £147 per meter, whereas the smart meters would be free. I said I would rather pay than have smart meters. I have just received a message stating that the charge will now be £158 per meter. Why has the amount changed?

High insurance costs have led many Britons to choose to pay for at least one of their insurance deals monthly to avoid a massive annual bill. But paying monthly means paying more overall, and these customers pay an average of 20% extra for the exact same cover.

A pension finding and consolidation service is included in an all-in-one annual fee on the pension account, which is 0.45 per cent. The new deal builds on the firm's pension finding tool launched last year, and will compete with many similar services promoted as an easy way to combine your retirement savings. Savers often stack up a lot of retirement pots during their working lives. It is sometimes, but not always, beneficial to merge them with your current workplace pension scheme, or move them to a private pension provider

A Sainsbury's customer who lost £230 Nectar points to fraudsters has been directed to the police to investigate, but it is not a recordable crime. Nectar, which Sainsbury's bought in 2018, has been beset by problems with fraud, but little seems to have been done.

The 365-day notice account is being offered by saving and investing platform Prosper, in a deal that This is Money has secured exclusively for readers. The account has a variable rate tracking the Bank of England base rate and comfortably beats the top one-year fixed rate accounts.

There is a new property porn series in town - Buying London - which makes its debut on Netflix on May 22. Its focus is the glittering real estate of the capital's 'super-prime' neighbourhoods. But the other stars of the show are the ultra-glamorous staff of the luxury estate agency DDRE Global - and, in particular, its founder and boss Daniel Daggers, centre.

NEW There's a new Chinese electric car brand that's coming to the UK next year - and one of its first models is a dinky city runaround. EV start-up Leapmotor will begin selling cars in nine European countries from September, having completed a joint venture with Vauxhall's parent company. It will then enter the UK market in March 2025. Leapmotor will offer two battery models from launch - the C10 SUV and the diminutive T03 (pictured), which could become Britain's cheapest EV. It will also become the latest example of a Chinese EV brand plotting to manufacture cars in Europe.

In this six-part series, we look at, how households are coping and if a mortgage crisis is afoot. Since mortgage rates began rising, many of the nine million mortgaged households in the UK and close to two million landlords have been faced with the prospect of much higher payments. Before that, many had become accustomed to ultra-low interest rates for more than a decade.

Tesco chief exec Ken Murphy (pictured) pocketed £9.9m as his £1.4m salary was topped up by bonuses and other awards and benefits. His total was more than double the £4.4m he collected the previous year and takes his total haul since taking the reins of the country's largest grocer in October 2020 to over £20m.

IQGeo Group - which helps telecoms and utility firms provide maps, satellite imagery and GPS data - has agreed to be bought for £333m by KKR, one of the world's largest buyout companies and a Wall Street titan. Shares surged 16.1% but KKR said it believed private ownership 'is required to support IQGeo's next stage of growth'.

Buyers of student accommodation are typically either established buy-to-let landlords looking for rental income and capital growth, or parents who buy a house for their child to live in while at university - to allow them to live more comfortably and potentially make money. Pamela Aitken of the Glasgow sales development team at Savills, says the city's popularity shows no sign of waning. Students often stay on after graduating, thanks to good employment opportunities in the area. Barclays and JP Morgan are among large banks in the city. Also offering the likelihood of healthy returns are Newcastle upon Tyne and Durham.

If you drive a particularly big car, you could be fined for parking in some public car parks. That's because five local councils have introduced length restrictions on vehicles using their parking facilities, with most setting a limit at 5 metres, which is shorter than a Range Rover and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. And more than nine in ten councils have said they have no intention of making their parking bays bigger to accommodate today's much larger vehicles, which are said to be growing 1cm wider every two years.

We take a look at two bungalows that sit either side of the country and ask which do you prefer? Each property is currently for sale with an asking price of £1million, but one is a luxury four-bedroom home on the east coast while the other is a two-bedroom bungalow in need of some attention that sits in the west of the country.

Should the MPC have been bold and made a cut? What does it mean for our mortgages and savings? And when will a move come - and in what direction? This week, Georgie Frost, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce talk about the base rate decision and what happens next.

My mortgage deal is ending in January 2025. Currently it's in joint names with my husband who has recently become self-employed in April this year. Will my current provider, Lloyd's, or other providers consider re-mortgaging on my single income? Affordability should not be a problem. Also should we consider adding him on the mortgage in name only or leave him off completely?

I have £24,000 in my stocks and shares Isa invested in a mix of shares, investment trusts and a global ETF. What is the cheapest platform to invest? We look at big names like Hargreaves Lansdown and Interactive Investor, and app-based platforms like Freetrade and Trading 212.

I have been reading an article on This is Money and thought you may be able to help out my uncle, Mr R, who has a £14,000 fine pending with Dartford Crossing. Last year, he moved house from London to Kent, and crossed the Dartford Crossing multiple times. During this time, his account did not automatically add more funds to pay for these crossings , and as a result, he ended up with almost 80 PCNs. He doesn't know what else to do other than declare himself bankrupt or try to get a loan for £14,000. We are at a stage where bailiffs are on his case day to day.

Buying top-ups can be very valuable, but people are often unsure if this will be worthwhile. The Government has launched a new online service to check this and make purchases. There is usually a six-year deadline for filling historical gaps in NI records, but a temporary extension is in place that allows people to do this back to 2006/07 - a special deal that will last until 5 April 2025. Read our guide here...

The mortgage valuation has just come back and valued the property at £40,000 (10%) less than what we are buying it for. We first tried to negotiate the seller down based on the valuation but they are not playing ball. The estate agent suggested we try our luck with a different mortgage lender who might use a different valuer. How likely is it that a different valuer will come to a different conclusion?

Gerald Seymour shot to fame with Harry's Game, his gripping 1970s book set against a backdrop of the Northern Ireland Troubles, which became a hit TV drama, writes York Membery. Several of the 82-year-old's other thrillers - including The Glory Boys and Red Fox - have also been adapted for the small screen. The father-of-two, who lives in Oxfordshire with wife Gillian, has sold three million books. He's just published his 40th novel.

My partner and I are expecting are first child on the 31st of July. I would like to put some money away for them at birth and then yearly until they are 18. What is the most practical and tax efficient way of investing for my son's future? What would be seen as a fairly good long-term strategy.

Choosing the right DIY platform is crucial but a wealth of choice and a variety of charges can leave investors scratching their heads. We pick some of the best. We pick some of the best. We also highlight why investing in an Isa makes sense, as it should protect your hopefully growing investments from tax forever.