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Car & Van Insurance Expert

Sarah Tooze

Sarah Tooze has been a motoring journalist for more than 15 years, specialising in company cars and vans, and has won a number of awards during her career, including the Newspress ‘Automotive Business Journalist’ award in 2017.

She is passionate about making the automotive industry more diverse and is a member of Deloitte’s Women at the Wheel networking group.

For three years she was a judge for the Cox Automotive Barbara Cox Award, which recognises an inspirational female leader and role model in the automotive industry.  

As a freelance journalist she now writes regularly for Fleet News, Fleet&Leasing.com, and Smart Transport.

Her work has also appeared on AM-online, the prime source of news, insight and best practice information for senior executives in the UK automotive retail sector. 

When she’s not writing about motoring, Sarah likes to write about travel and history, and her work has previously been featured in Mail on Sunday and BBC History magazine.  

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Sarah Tooze

Sarah's Experience

She was deputy editor of industry-leading B2B title Fleet News for more than six years before becoming managing editor of Smart Transport, which brings together senior leaders from private and public sector organisations to solve transport challenges.  

In 2021 she switched to consumer journalism, carrying out in-depth news investigations and campaigns on issues affecting motorists as consumer editor for online used car marketplace Heycar and motoring advice website HonestJohn.co.uk. 

Sarah's recent coverage

Expertise

  • Car insurance

  • Van insurance

  • Electric vehicles

More from Sarah Tooze

Woman on laptop with MoneySuperMarket logo displayed

When is my car insurance due?

Whether you pay monthly or annually for your car insurance, at the end of each year you have the choice to renew or take out a new policy. Here's a guide to how it all works.
car dashboard lights

10 car warning lights you shouldn't ignore

Do you know your DPF from your TPMS light? Here we explain which dashboard warning lights you need to do something about to keep you safe on the road and hopefully avoid an expensive bill.
woman taking driving test

How to beat the driving test backlog

Learner drivers are still facing average wait times in excess of four months to book their practical driving test, compared to an average of six weeks pre-pandemic. Here we look at why there is still a driving test backlog and how you can book your test quicker without being overcharged by unofficial brokers or apps.
flood damage

Car insurance and flood damage: what you need to know

Over the past few days, parts of the country have been inundated with a month’s worth of rainfall in just 24 hours. This deluge has led to flash floods, causing extensive damage. So what happens if your car is damaged in a flood - will your insurer pay out?

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News & Guides
  • Breakdown Hotspots Revealed - And They’re All Smart Motorways We’ve identified the top 10 motorway breakdown locations in England and each one is on an all-lane running (ALR) smart motorway. So why are you more likely to break down on a smart motorway and how can you protect yourself?
  • London's car cloning crisis: Car cloning incidents in London more than doubleCases of car cloning in London have more than doubled over the last three years, new research has found.
  • What impact does mileage have on car insurance premiums? Higher mileage generally means higher premiums. But how much more should you expect to pay?
  • The hidden dangers of smart motorwaysAt least 79 people have been killed on smart motorways and many people have spoken out about safety concerns. What makes them dangerous, and what should you do if you breakdown on a smart motorway?
  • Hotspots for uninsured driving revealed Leeds city centre is the area in the UK most affected by uninsured driving, according to the latest data from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB). But where are the other hotspots in the UK for uninsured driving and what happens when you’re involved in an incident with a driver who doesn’t have insurance?
  • Tool theft from vans in London soars 60%An epidemic of tool thefts has hit London. The number of tool thefts from vans has massively increased in recent years, with suspicions that the cost-of-living increase may be behind it. Read on to find out more.
  • Should I switch to an electric car?EVs are the future of motoring. But is now the right time to make the switch? And what do you need to consider? We take a look.
  • Will car insurance go down in 2024? Car insurance premiums have risen by more than a third in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, according to the latest MoneySuperMarket data. Here award-winning motoring journalist Sarah Tooze looks at why car insurance has become so expensive, which age groups have been most affected by price rises, and what you can do to help lower your car insurance.
  • Towing explainedThe rise of ‘staycations’ (holidaying in the UK) and remote working due to the Covid-19 pandemic triggered a boom in touring caravan sales, and numbers are expected to continue increasing. If you’re thinking of buying a caravan, award-winning motoring journalist Sarah Tooze explains the importance of understanding the rules about towing.
  • What is Euro NCAP and how does it affect car insurance? Do you want to find out how safe a car is? One way is to look at its Euro NCAP rating. Here we explain how the rating system works and what it means for your car insurance
  • Which tyres should I fit in winter in the UKStandard fit summer tyres aren’t designed for wintry conditions, but should you switch to winter tyres or opt for tyres you can use all year round (all-season tyres)? And what effect does changing tyres have on your car insurance?
  • Renewing your driving licenceThere is no upper age limit for driving in the UK but once you reach 70, you have to renew your driving licence every three years. Here we look at what older drivers need to do and when.
  • Does a speed awareness course affect car insurance? If you’ve been caught speeding and the police have offered you a speed awareness course, do you need to tell your insurer? What impact could attending a speed awareness course have on your car insurance premium?
  • Car cloning - what is it and how do I avoid being a victim?Copying a vehicle’s identity - either by physically stealing a registration plate or having a fake plate made illegally and put on another car - is a growing problem. Here we look at what to do if your car is cloned or you unknowingly buy a cloned vehicle, and how to avoid becoming a victim of car cloning in the first place.
  • Most stolen and recovered cars in the UKCar theft is on the rise in the UK as criminals adopt increasingly sophisticated techniques. But which makes and models are being targeted by thieves and how can you prevent your car from being stolen?
  • Does a dash cam reduce car insurance?Video footage from a dash cam can help prove you weren’t at fault in an accident. But how much will you have to spend on a dash cam and will your insurer give you a discount for fitting one?
  • How to cut the cost of public electric car chargingWith energy prices remaining stubbornly high, it’s no longer cheap to charge an EV. Here’s how you can cut your costs.