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00:00Hello and welcome to the shop smart save money electric car special.
00:10Last year, we bought more new electric cars than ever.
00:14In fact, one in five cars sold like this Hyundai are now electric.
00:19Prices of electric cars are coming down fast.
00:22They're kinder to the environment and can cost less to run than a petrol or diesel car.
00:29We've got money saving tips for buying and running one.
00:33And we test an affordable model from a company that recently sold more cars in Britain than
00:38Tesla.
00:39I love the fact it's so light and it's beautiful.
00:42They're just lovely design touches.
00:44And please don't worry if you're not ready to go electric yet.
00:48We've got loads of money saving tips for everyone else to those and our deals of the week.
00:54Come on, Gabby, let's do it.
01:01We are kicking off with some of the best deals we found to help you save money this week.
01:06And as we're talking all things cars, let's begin with a great way to give you peace of
01:09mind behind the wheel.
01:11A dashcam.
01:12Yes.
01:13At Euro car parts this week, there's an offer of up to £30 off next base dashcams.
01:18And you can find this next base Pico 2K dashcam down from £118.99 to £98.99.
01:25It records in ultra wide 2K with voice control and emergency SOS alerts in case of accidents.
01:32Plus, it's nice and small, so it won't obscure your vision, which is really important.
01:36Yeah, it's a small unit, but a massive saving.
01:39Now, if you're in the market for a child seat for your car, take a trip to Mama's and Papa's.
01:44They've got a sale on Cybex car seats where you can pick up products like this Cybex Solution
01:50B4 for three to 12 year olds down from £189.95 to £99.95.
01:56And the offer ends this Sunday, the 16th of March.
01:58So get a move on if you want to make the most of it.
02:01Now, with the weather getting more spring like, you might be heading into the garden
02:06to get all green fingered.
02:07And from tomorrow, 13th of March, Wix has a deal you might like the look of.
02:12This walk-in grow house is down from £50 to just £30 this week.
02:16It's perfect for planting those seedlings and protecting them from those pesky late frosts.
02:21The deal is only on from the 13th to the 16th of March.
02:24So don't delay if you want to get growing for less.
02:27We may be heading into spring, but actually, this is a very good time to snap up some brilliant
02:32deals on cold weather gear for next winter.
02:35It certainly is like the end of season sale at Absolute Snow, where you can save big on
02:40outdoor gear like this La Sportiva jacket down from £189.95 to just £75.95.
02:47But you have to get your skates on as they're only on offer while stocks last.
02:52Don't forget to check the retailer's websites for the full terms and conditions and happy
02:57deal hunting.
02:59Still to come, Georgie's got some tips on how to get a good deal when choosing and buying
03:04a new car.
03:05I think it's a really great way to view plenty of options without having to leave the house.
03:11And John's testing tyres to find out if it's worth shelling out on a premium set.
03:16Michelins actually are almost as good as they were when they were new.
03:22Time now for our blind test.
03:24This is where we get a panel of guests to test a popular product at three different
03:29prices to find a winner.
03:31But here's the thing.
03:32We don't tell them the price or the brand, so they can't be swayed.
03:37This week, a literal blind test, car sunshades.
03:41A good set should protect little eyes from the sun and help keep cars cool without creating
03:47more faff for parents.
03:49We're joined by mum Jade and Nana Michelle along with two-year-old Avery.
03:55As a mum of two small children, Jade already uses a blind in the car but isn't totally
04:00happy with it.
04:02My children don't like it when they've got the sun in their eyes.
04:04I have like a stick-on one that we use in the summer.
04:07I wouldn't say it's probably the best one because it pings down when you roll the window
04:11down.
04:12Sometimes they only cover a small space and then depending on the direction you're driving,
04:16it's no good, so.
04:19Jade and Michelle don't know it, but the first sunshade on test is the cheapest.
04:24The stretchy fabric pulls over the top of the doors for no-frills shade.
04:29How do you feel about that style of blind?
04:31Easy.
04:32Yeah?
04:33Yeah, nice and quick.
04:34From Dream Baby, they're £7.99 a pair.
04:37Okay, give it a go.
04:39See how it is.
04:40You grab that side.
04:42These shades are designed to fit medium-sized car windows.
04:46Then stick these on the inside of your car and then you Velcro them on.
04:52Double-sided sticky tape on one side and the other side it's Velcro.
04:56Okay, that was fast.
04:58Yeah, the fact it doesn't affect the window, you can open the window.
05:02I don't know, it's quite dark.
05:04I think it looks a bit ugly.
05:06The Dream Baby shades have proved easy to fit and allow the window to open, but how
05:10well do they block the light?
05:13Time for the toughest tester of all, two-year-old Avery.
05:16Hello, Avery.
05:17Hello.
05:18Now, we're going to test out the sunshine.
05:21Chance would be a fine thing.
05:23Look.
05:24On a rainy day in Birmingham, when we say sunshine, what we mean is a big light, operated
05:29by Nana Michelle.
05:30Where's the sun?
05:31What?
05:32There.
05:33There.
05:34It's not in your eyes at all.
05:37We've chosen a light which is safe for Avery.
05:40Is it too bright for you?
05:41No, that's perfect.
05:42You can't, there's no glare, there's no big bright lights.
05:46It's diffusing it perfectly.
05:47Do you like it?
05:48Yeah.
05:49Yeah.
05:50You're pleased with it?
05:51Yeah.
05:52We're ready to test our most expensive set from Car Shades at £49.99.
05:59These blinds are tailor-made, enter car make, model, and year on their site.
06:04Okay, sunshades number two.
06:07Come with ease.
06:08And with ease.
06:10Okay.
06:11Initial thoughts?
06:12Dread.
06:13Right.
06:14Despite the fear of the instruction manual, they're getting stuck in.
06:19Make it in the window.
06:22That way.
06:23Yeah, try that way.
06:24Yeah.
06:25This is hard.
06:26It's slightly more complicated than sunshades number one.
06:29And then clip it into the inside.
06:32Car Shades blinds can be made to measure for all rear windows, including the boot.
06:36That's it.
06:37There we go.
06:38Ah, look at that.
06:39Well done.
06:40Got there in the end.
06:41What do you think?
06:42See, now it's on.
06:43It looks very neat.
06:45These shades allow the window to open and close.
06:47Do you want to try the window now?
06:49What it's like?
06:51Hello.
06:52Hi.
06:53It's time for that sun.
06:56Nanny.
06:57Oh, yay, I can see.
06:58There's Nanny is the sunshine in your life.
07:01That's a little bit brighter, but it's still quite good because it doesn't have any gaps
07:04at all on the window.
07:05Nanny.
07:06Nanny.
07:07There she is.
07:08And you're not squinting or anything, are you?
07:09I don't even know if you are.
07:11It's very good.
07:12It's actually fine.
07:13Yeah.
07:14So the premium blinds were fiddly to fit, matched the performance of the budget shades,
07:18but looked good.
07:20So how will our mid-range set compare?
07:22They're £15.99 for two from Munchkin.
07:27Voila.
07:28Now, these ones, you're both smiling.
07:32We know those ones.
07:33Yeah.
07:34You know these ones.
07:35I've got ones very similar.
07:36The Munchkin shades have familiar suction cups for the windows, as well as an option
07:40to clip them over the top of the glass.
07:44But it also has this.
07:45It's a heat alert.
07:47This goes white if it gets too hot in the car.
07:50It's definitely a step up from the ones that you used to get that were kind of a bit cheap
07:53and flimsy, and they just roll down and up again.
07:55I don't think it will cover the complete window like the others.
07:59So you're obviously going to get a bit of sunlight coming in.
08:01I'll hand it over, and let's give it a go.
08:04I was going to go with suction just for ease.
08:08Jade gets stuck in in getting it stuck on.
08:11Here we are.
08:12Oh, yes.
08:13But they're both quickly underwhelmed.
08:15It's a bit sad looking, isn't it?
08:18Yeah.
08:20The Munchkin shades only come in one width, which means there can be a gap with some car
08:23models.
08:24And as the suckers are on the window pane, it's not possible to open for ventilation.
08:30It's great to have a little heat alert on.
08:32It'd be nice if they all had that.
08:33But I think realistically, on a car, especially with a window like this, it's pretty pointless,
08:39to be honest.
08:40Now let's see how well it blocks the glare.
08:42Where's the sun?
08:43Isn't it very bright?
08:44Wow.
08:45There.
08:46Yeah.
08:47Yeah.
08:48Eyes.
08:50Yeah.
08:51Oh.
08:52What do you think?
08:53That's definitely not as effective as the other two.
08:55In an average car that have got quite big back windows, it just doesn't really work.
09:02With no idea of price or branding, which pair of shades do our testers prefer?
09:09With Sunshade 1, it's really good because it's easy to fix.
09:13Yeah.
09:14It does the job.
09:15It'd be quite good for travel as well.
09:16Yeah.
09:17Sunshade 1 too, it's really good and it looks really sleek, but I think it's fiddly and
09:23that did me off.
09:24Fiddly.
09:25Yeah.
09:26And I do think that if you get a new car, you need to get a new one because it's a bit
09:28shabby.
09:29I think we can tell which they're going to go for.
09:32Yeah, number one.
09:34Number one wins.
09:35Number one wins.
09:36There you go.
09:37Okay.
09:38So Sunshade number one is our budget one.
09:40Oh.
09:41It's by Dream Baby and they call it a sock and it's $7.99 for two.
09:47Oh.
09:48I think that's really good.
09:49Yeah.
09:50Isn't it?
09:51As you pointed out, you can just fold that up and pack that up.
09:52Yeah.
09:53There we go.
09:54That's your winner.
09:55Thanks.
09:56So the top marks go to the budget buy.
09:58What a win for your wallet.
10:03We are going for a short break now, but when we come back, we will have some of the best
10:06deals available to you for this week's Big Shop.
10:17Welcome back to Shop Smart, save money right on time for the Big Shop.
10:22Yes.
10:23Our team, see them there, have been checking out the supermarkets to find some of the week's
10:28best bargains to stick in your trolley.
10:29First, we're heading over to Morrison's where they've got a great deal on mulli yogurts
10:34and muller rice.
10:35They are 10 for £4 at the moment, a great saving down from the usual 10 for £9.
10:42At Waitrose this week, look out for an offer of a third of various household products.
10:48This bumper bag of Fairy Platinum Plus dishwasher tablets is down from £18 to £12.
10:54Next, it's a big saving from Tesco on Richmond sausages.
10:58A pack of 12 was £3.60, but now it's better than half price with a Tesco club card down
11:04to just £1.75.
11:05And if you don't want your dog to run off with the sausages comedy style, you better
11:10keep him well fed too, which is cheaper this week at Asda.
11:14You can get six of their own brand cans of Hero for dogs down from £4 to £3.22.
11:20And for your feline friends, their Tiger cat food 12 packs are down from £3 to £2.42.
11:27And finally, as this is the electric car special, we found you something for those long journeys
11:34and road trips.
11:36At Sainsbury's, sharing bags of round trees fruit pastels are down from £1.50 to £1
11:41with Nectar membership.
11:42And I said, sharing.
11:44Remember sharing?
11:45It barely fits in my hand.
11:46A little bit there for sharing.
11:48Back to cars now, and getting a new one is a massive financial decision.
11:53Georgie has the lowdown on how to shop smart when the time comes.
11:58New or used, we bought a staggering 9 million cars last year.
12:03The average new model cost around £35,000 and the average used was around £18,000.
12:10So there's a lot of money at stake, but don't worry, there are plenty of ways to shop smart
12:16and save money when getting a new motor.
12:23Autotrader has been around since the 70s.
12:25And while it's really famous for secondhand cars, their site lists over 20,000 brand new
12:31ones as well.
12:32You select the model you want, so let's say an electric Kia family car, how far you're
12:37willing to travel, and you'll see what's for sale.
12:40I think it's a really great way to view plenty of options without having to leave the house.
12:45Now, if you're not entirely sure what car you want, you could try CarWow.
12:51This has really taken off in the last few years.
12:53It works a little bit differently to Autotrader.
12:57So what you do is you pop in how much you want to spend, either per month or as a lump
13:01sum, then what type of car, petrol or electric, and by clicking on what features you want,
13:08it will actually suggest a car that fits the bill.
13:11So what CarWow essentially does is it acts as your personal shopper, putting you in touch
13:15with dealers who can sell you the car you want.
13:18If you like the offer from a dealer, then great, but there is absolutely no obligation.
13:23If nothing else, it just helps you choose the car that's right for you and gives you
13:27that price comparison.
13:32Look, I get it, the new car smell is very tempting indeed, but if you go for a used
13:39car, you can save tens of thousands of pounds.
13:42Now, Autotrader and eBay are probably the best places to look for cheap, older cars,
13:47but for something a bit newer, you could try Cinch.
13:52Let's say we're after a Tesla, the electric car many of us dream of, even the cheapest
13:56one new is nearly 40 grand.
13:59It is pricey.
14:00Let's look for that same model on Cinch, enter in the details here, have a little search.
14:07Look, lots of different options available, some of which are less than 20,000 pounds.
14:13That's half the price of the same model new.
14:17Now, the downside of buying secondhand is that you don't get that same warranty as you
14:21do with a new car, but Cinch do offer a 90-day warranty that you can extend for a few hundred
14:27pounds plus a 14-day money-back guarantee.
14:31If you don't like the car, they'll collect it and refund you.
14:35Another option is a car supermarket like Motorpoint.
14:38They've got a massive selection of nearly new cars, which can be less than a year old.
14:45These are a really smart buy, as they'll still be covered by the warranty from their original
14:49manufacturer, which is typically at least three years.
14:53Most of us buy cars on finance.
14:58To shop smart, keep an eye on the interest rate of any finance package and compare it
15:03to a personal loan you could arrange yourself.
15:06I've actually seen cars with an interest rate of 15.9%, which would cost over 6,000 pounds
15:12in interest for an average-use car.
15:14A personal loan at a better rate could save you thousands of pounds.
15:19As with all debt, only borrow what you can afford.
15:21Make sure you read those Ts and Cs and understand the penalties for missing payments.
15:29Getting a new car often means you've got to ditch the old one.
15:32Now, part-exchange is definitely the easiest option, but you'll usually get a better price
15:38by selling it online through Autotrader or eBay.
15:42The downside of this is that you'll need to answer lots of questions from potential
15:46buyers and probably have to haggle face-to-face, so if that really doesn't sound like your
15:50thing, maybe rope in a friend or family member to help.
15:54Another alternative is to try car-buying sites like We Buy Any Car or Motorway.
16:00Just type in your car's details, they'll give you a quote online, and if you're happy with
16:05the price, all you need to do is drop your car off at the nearest centre and they'll
16:09transfer you your money.
16:11Out with the old, in with the new.
16:14Thanks Georgie.
16:15Now, we're going to take a look at an item that has been causing a buzz on the internet.
16:22We've been getting hands-on with the hottest buys so that you're not wasting money on products
16:26that promise more than they deliver.
16:29This week, something that could save your car interior from muddy dog paws.
16:34It's this.
16:35This item right here, which has been driving the internet insane.
16:40It's called a Mud Buster.
16:44The Dexus Mud Buster starts at £9.15 and comes in three sizes.
16:50It claims to provide a quick and thorough cleaning of a dog's muddy paws.
16:54So keep your car all nice and clean.
16:57No more do you have to fear about the mud.
17:01The glossy marketing video shows happy dogs with glistening, mud-free paws and makes the
17:06Mud Buster look quick and easy to use.
17:09Muddy paws go in and clean paws come out.
17:13We've got our paws on one and want to see if it's as good as it looks.
17:17Do you know what we need?
17:19We need a dog.
17:21I can't.
17:22Can you do the whistle?
17:23Meet Bukovina's shepherd, Loki, and his human, Lorraine.
17:29Hello, Loki.
17:31Lorraine has thoughtfully taken Loki for a walk around the muddiest field she could find
17:36to give it a go.
17:37Now, you've been for a nice muddy walk.
17:40Do you take him out in the car?
17:41Yeah, he loves the car.
17:42But yeah, when you get in the car with him all muddy, it is a bit of a nightmare.
17:47So how do you feel about Mud Buster?
17:50Inquisitive to give it a try to see if it actually works.
17:53You fill the Mud Buster with plain water and we're using a large size for Loki.
17:58Right, here we go.
18:00Loki.
18:01Hello, Loki.
18:02Look at you being so good.
18:07It's lined with silicon bristles, which are meant to gently remove the muck.
18:10We twist to get it all nice and clean.
18:14As the video says, muddy paws go in and clean paws come out.
18:18Oh.
18:19Did you twist?
18:22Let's twist again.
18:24I'm twisting.
18:26It's made the mud nice and wet.
18:30We're not going to give up.
18:31Can we do the twist, Loki?
18:34No.
18:35No.
18:36No.
18:37That wet mud hasn't budged.
18:39After six minutes of trying, it's time to call it a day.
18:42Loki, thank you.
18:43Is it something you would have considered buying?
18:46Yeah, I probably would have considered buying it online, yeah.
18:49I would have regretted it.
18:52So, Lorraine, you've got the choice of two things.
18:56You could have the Mud Buster or you could have a towel.
18:59I think I'll take a towel home today.
19:03For us, the Mud Buster was muddy paws in and muddy paws back out.
19:10This time, we'll stick with a good old towel.
19:12Look how clean that's come out now.
19:15Loki, thank you very much.
19:17I speak fluent dog.
19:18Do you?
19:19Yeah.
19:20Ruff!
19:21Still to come, Jon is testing car tyres.
19:27Will paying extra give you better grip when you need it most?
19:30There was a little more slippage going on,
19:32but obviously the braking test will be the definitive test of that.
19:44Welcome back.
19:45If you are just joining us, well, you've missed out
19:48on some of the biggest savings on this week's supermarket shop
19:51and some really good value car sunshades.
19:55And now here's Jordan Cox with his top tips on good deals
20:00on a new motor.
20:03If all this talk of cars has made you want a new set of wheels,
20:05now might be a really good time to do it.
20:07And that's because new number plates are registered in March
20:10and September every single year.
20:12So all of these dealerships are now flooded with brand new cars
20:16and new models, which they might be willing to give you
20:18for a discount to beat their rivals.
20:21They might also have excess stock that they want to get rid of.
20:24Another reason why now might be a good time is because
20:26the end of the tax year is April the 6th.
20:28Dealerships might want to tempt you in and get a sale
20:31just to hit their targets before the end of the financial year.
20:34March isn't just a good time for new cars, it's for used cars too.
20:37Where people buy these brand new models, they trade in their old ones,
20:41which means there are loads of secondhand stock on the market,
20:43usually from dealers.
20:44So you might be able to get a really good discount
20:46because there's loads available.
20:48But don't worry if now's not the time for you to buy a car.
20:51You can always shop smart by shopping at the end of each financial quarter.
20:54That's March, June, September and December.
20:57These are when sales targets need to be hit for most dealerships,
21:00so they might be willing to give you a bit of a discount.
21:04Thank you, Jordan. Now, never mind buying a car.
21:06Even keeping one on the road involves some serious spending.
21:09So to help keep costs down, we have found a few ways to shop smart and save money.
21:17A recent report has found that UK car owners spend over £3,350 on average
21:23to run their cars each year.
21:26One of the biggest expenses is fuel, but if you have an electric car,
21:29the charging costs can be lower than petrol or diesel.
21:32Recharging your car at home is almost always the cheapest option,
21:36and many electricity providers now have special tariffs
21:40to bring costs down for the electric car owner.
21:46So-called EV tariffs offer cut-price electricity
21:49for a few hours in the middle of the night.
21:51Two good examples are Octopus Energy's Go Tariff
21:55and E.ON's Next Drive Tariff.
21:58These could save you around £15 per charge
22:01compared to standard electricity.
22:03If you have to charge up when you're out and about,
22:05check out charging stations at the supermarkets.
22:08Some supermarkets let you earn points or get a cheaper rate
22:11if you use your supermarket loyalty card when you pay.
22:16Lidl knocks off £15 per kilowatt hour
22:18when you connect and pay for fast charging via the Lidl Plus app.
22:22And Sainsbury's give members one nectar point
22:24for every pound spent on EV charging.
22:27Along with Sainsbury's, Aldi and Asda offer free EV charging at some locations,
22:32and to find out if your local supermarket is among them,
22:36Zap Map can help.
22:38This app shows almost every public charging point in the UK
22:42and loads in Europe as well.
22:45There's a free version that lists nearby charging points
22:48along with cost and whether they're available.
22:51And if you subscribe to their premium version for £29.99 a year,
22:56you get discounts on your charge
22:58and filter by price to find the best deal near you.
23:03Another costly area for car owners can be breakdown recovery.
23:07Whatever you drive, breakdown cover can save you from big bills
23:12and you may not need to buy it as an extra.
23:15If you've recently bought or about to buy a new car,
23:18you might have breakdown cover included with the car itself.
23:23The RAC offer 12 months free cover
23:26if you buy a car through one of their approved dealers.
23:29And the AA offer the same if you buy a car
23:32through their online platform, AA Cars.
23:36If you do have to buy your own breakdown cover though,
23:38consider doing it through a cashback site
23:41because you could end up saving money.
23:43Cashback sites pay you back a percentage of what you spend on purchases
23:48through their site.
23:50Quidco and Top Cashback are two of the biggest
23:53and often give cashback on breakdown packages.
23:56If you're thinking of buying a policy,
23:58using a site like this instead of buying direct
24:01could save you over £100.
24:06For many, a new high-tech motor might be out of reach,
24:09but luckily there are affordable ways to make your current car smarter.
24:14This is Amazon Echo Auto.
24:18This adds a hands-free voice assistant to your car
24:21so you can control your music calls and texts
24:24just by saying that famous name.
24:27So I'm going to place this main hub
24:29somewhere where I can get at it nice and easily.
24:32I've connected it already to my phone.
24:35Now that it's connected, I can control music
24:38and I can make phone calls.
24:40Give me a call!
24:41Alexa, call Gabby.
24:44Calling Gabby's mobile.
24:46Oh, who's calling me?
24:48Who could it be?
24:49Hello?
24:50Hi!
24:51It's very echoey in the car,
24:52but you wouldn't actually call yourself from the car in the car.
24:56At £59.99, that's so much cheaper
24:59than ripping out your existing setup and buying a new one.
25:02We are now going to solve another car problem.
25:05This is a universal gap filler.
25:09Some people drop things down the side of their car seat.
25:13I do that far too regularly.
25:16This car seat gap filler could save you time
25:19and even money on stuff lost to the under seat void.
25:24Can you see here?
25:25It's already placed.
25:26It has universally filled the gap.
25:29You can still plug your seatbelt in.
25:31Yep, that's amazing.
25:32You're really actually more excited
25:34about my universal gap filler
25:36than you have by anything else
25:37in all the series we've ever done.
25:39I think so, yes.
25:42And if you've still managed to get crumbs in your crevices,
25:45this car cleaning putty is perfect for those corners
25:48that the vacuum can't reach.
25:51You just push this into your cracks and crevices
25:54and any dust and dirt will stick to it.
25:57Oh no, look what's happened.
25:58Oh no, look, there's biscuits everywhere.
26:01It smells of apple.
26:03Yeah, this is apple.
26:04There's also strawberry and lemon flavour.
26:07You just do that and it picks up all the biscuit bits,
26:11little bits of dirt.
26:12It's really good for cleaning out air vents.
26:15So now what happens when you've got it all stuck to it?
26:17What do you do?
26:17It's reusable.
26:18You can clean it and then use it again.
26:21These small car comforts can help make those big journeys
26:25that little bit better.
26:27Now, also going the extra mile is our man John.
26:30He's finding out if it's worth paying extra
26:32for a premium set of something every car needs.
26:38Electric, petrol or diesel,
26:40there are over 30 million cars in Britain
26:43and they all have one thing keeping them safely stuck to the road.
26:46A set of tyres.
26:49They can cost hundreds of pounds.
26:51So choosing the right set of tyres is important
26:54both for your safety and your wallet.
26:57Today, I'm comparing a premium set against a budget set
27:00by fitting them to two identical Ford Puma family cars
27:04and testing how they perform when you need them most.
27:08My premium tyres are from Michelin
27:11who recommend their Primacy 4 Plus for the Puma.
27:15A set of four tyres fully fitted today will cost £688.
27:22The budget brand I've chosen is Nankang
27:25who recommend the SP9 Cross Sport.
27:29This set is £419.88.
27:32That's over £250 cheaper.
27:35Both sets are widely available.
27:37Meet all safety regulations and look almost identical.
27:41So why pay extra?
27:43To help me find out, I've called on precision driver Sid North.
27:48His experience behind the wheel will help me test the tyres fairly.
27:53Now, tyres, are they all the same or are they actually all different?
27:56They're actually very different, John.
27:58In fact, they might look like pieces of rubber
28:00but they've got a combination of multiple materials including steel.
28:04So they're actually very high-tech pieces of kit.
28:06Yes, they are.
28:07My first test will be an emergency stop from 70 miles an hour
28:12as if you spot stationary traffic on the motorway at the last minute.
28:17Now, this is just the kind of conditions on the road
28:19where you need good grip from your tyres.
28:21Cold road surface, a bit damp, a bit slippy.
28:25I'm chasing John now and these road conditions
28:28simulate your typical winter conditions anywhere in the UK.
28:34I'm on the left with 690lb premium Michelin tyres
28:39and Sid's on the right with 420lb budget Nankang tyres.
28:43We'll slam on the brakes at the cone.
28:45Whoever stops in the shortest distance wins.
28:57That's a lot closer than I thought.
29:01It's a shocking tie.
29:03As it's so close...
29:06Best of three.
29:07...we're going to repeat the test twice more.
29:10Let's go!
29:11To take into account differences in our reaction times.
29:17We have one more that's too close to call.
29:20You said it was best of three. Let's do another.
29:23And another where the Nankang takes a few metres longer.
29:27That was a big difference this time around.
29:29It's a car length difference at least.
29:32In a real emergency, this could have been the difference
29:35between a collision and a near miss,
29:37but there's very little between them overall.
29:40It's interesting that it's just slightly variable,
29:42but there's not much in it.
29:43There's not a lot in it at all.
29:47Next, an important twist.
29:49How well would each set of tyres grip after a few years' use?
29:53I'm going to find out by switching to worn-down sets
29:56of the Michelins and Nankangs.
29:58The new tyres we've been testing, like most new tyres,
30:01have a tread depth of around eight millimetres.
30:05These have a tread depth of just two millimetres.
30:09They'd still pass an MOT,
30:11and as many of us keep tyres until they're worn like this
30:13to get our money's worth, it's a real-life scenario.
30:17So, will the result be different with worn tyres?
30:21I feel there's a little more slippage going on,
30:23but obviously the braking test will be the definitive test of that.
30:27The budget Nankangs take a little longer to stop
30:29in the first two emergency stops.
30:33Will the Nankang fall through?
30:36And then around five metres longer in the third.
30:39They're less grippy now they're worn.
30:42Whereas I feel the Michelins actually are almost as good
30:46as they were when they were new.
30:48No nasty surprises from either tyre,
30:50but from these results,
30:52No nasty surprises from either tyre,
30:55but from these results,
30:56it seems the premium Michelins will stay grippier for longer.
31:01Now to test cornering,
31:02where we'll swerve as if trying to avoid an object on a main road.
31:07Sid's going to try and drive round these cones.
31:10If the tyres don't grip, he'll crash through the cones.
31:14We're sticking with the part-worn tyres,
31:16because that's what most of us drive round on,
31:19and we'll increase the speeds until the tyres can't grip.
31:23First, the premium Michelins at 30 miles an hour.
31:28Then 35 miles an hour.
31:31Then 40.
31:33No dramas, no issues, so far so good.
31:37Well, let's try as if he does at 50.
31:4450?
31:46As the speeds increase to 50,
31:47the part-worn premium Michelins keep gripping.
31:5155?
31:59Only at 55 do the car's safety system sense the tyres are losing grip
32:04and slam on the brakes to reduce speed.
32:07Despite Sid's best efforts, we just clip the cone.
32:13That has been pretty impressive, though.
32:14You're still under control.
32:15Yes, we hit the cone, but we were still under control.
32:19We didn't spin out.
32:20No.
32:22Now for the part-worn Nankangs at £270 cheaper.
32:27Up to 40, and all is well.
32:30But Sid feels less in control with the Nankangs.
32:33Just as I turned it right, the front end was just starting to lose a bit of grip.
32:39Gosh!
32:40And at 50, a typical commuting speed at which the Michelins gripped easily,
32:44they're sliding and smoking.
32:48Car's very upset.
32:50I mean, the tyre was struggling with the change of direction, with my input,
32:54and it was asking a lot from the stability control.
32:58So basically, the car's intervening, putting the brakes on and everything,
33:00because it thinks we're going to have a nasty accident.
33:02Exactly.
33:04At 55, we crash.
33:08Oh!
33:11By comparing the tyres side-by-side at 50,
33:14it's clear that the budget Nankangs are sliding more than the premium Michelins.
33:19The cheaper tyres have less grip.
33:24Overall, the budget tyres were very close in the braking tests, particularly when new.
33:29The differences were only obvious when both sets were near the end of their lives.
33:34So, as the sum sets, do the £690 Michelins or £420 Nankangs offer best value for money?
33:43My feeling after the first test was there was very little to choose between them,
33:47and you could argue the budget tyres were better value,
33:49but that changed with the avoidance test.
33:52Yeah, there was a big difference with the Nankangs.
33:54I mean, overall, there was less grip.
33:57It struggled with change of direction compared to the Michelins.
34:01I agree. I think the difference in performance was sufficient
34:04to make it worthwhile paying the extra for the premium Michelins.
34:07Absolutely.
34:11Time now for a short break, but coming up,
34:13we give one family a new electric car owning experience.
34:18I think it's as good quality as things double the price.
34:30Welcome back. Now for a quick look at insulated cups.
34:34They seem to be in car cup holders everywhere, and none is more lauded than this.
34:41The 40-ounce Stanley Quencher costs £45 and is made from 90% recycled stainless steel.
34:48It claims to keep water cold for up to two days.
34:53People queue for hours to get limited edition ones of these.
34:56They've allowed people to take huge volumes of their favourite drink
35:00and be able to put them in their car cup holders. It's that narrow bottom.
35:05But is there anything similar which is kinder on the pocket?
35:08What about that?
35:10Tech Doc's 40-ounce stainless steel tumbler claims to keep drinks cold for up to 24 hours.
35:16At £10.49, it costs less than a quarter of the price of the Stanley and does a very similar job.
35:23You can take the straw out of this.
35:25You can take the straw out of this.
35:27I can twist the top and have sippy cup.
35:30Sippy cup.
35:31And I can close the cup.
35:34I mean, I can't close, close the cup, and I would have to take the lid off for sippy, sippy.
35:40I love the look of this one, and I love the sippy part.
35:44I would agree.
35:45The Stanley is more versatile, but we think Tech Doc's low price makes it worth a look.
35:51Cheers.
35:52Cheers.
35:53Now it's time for the part of the show where you ask for our help
35:56in finding the perfect product to solve a problem.
36:01Hi, we're the Ellison family.
36:02I'm Graham.
36:03I'm Kitty.
36:04I'm Sarah.
36:05So we're looking for a new car, preferably electric.
36:07At the moment, we've only got my work van.
36:11It's about 18 feet long.
36:14And it's quite loud as well.
36:16I'd really like something a bit more economical and environmentally friendly.
36:20We need enough room.
36:22For me and the tall people in the family.
36:25I wanted a reasonable range.
36:27It doesn't have to be crazy.
36:29150 miles would be perfect or anything above that.
36:33And lots of gadgets.
36:34I love gadgets.
36:35So something which is up to date, but is within our price range, which is a maximum 30,000.
36:42Graham's big work van is overkill for a family of three,
36:46but finding a whole new family car is a big challenge.
36:49And while £30,000 is a lot of money,
36:52it's only recently that family-sized electric cars have come down to this level of price.
37:00Familiar names like Skoda and Citroën now sell them,
37:03but we've decided to offer the Ellisons something different.
37:07This one's the Dolphin from Chinese company BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams.
37:14BYD cars are at the cheaper end of the market,
37:16and the Dolphin is their smallest model, costing between £26,000 and £32,000.
37:23It claims to offer the range they need, so we arranged for one to be delivered to them
37:28so they could try it out and show us how they got on.
37:34Oh my God.
37:35Yeah, I like it.
37:37I like the colours on here.
37:40Oh yeah, that is really nice inside.
37:43Oh my God, yeah.
37:45I'd never heard of BYD before, so I had no expectations at all,
37:49but it surprised me in how it looked a bit different.
37:53I think they've thought about the design, definitely.
38:00Wow, that's good.
38:02Even with my dad back, I can still push my knees in and that doesn't hurt at all.
38:07Yeah, with a seat back and I still have a little bit of space.
38:10It's still quite comfy.
38:11I don't know very much about BYD.
38:14This is my first experience with them and it looks really nice.
38:18I love the door handles.
38:21I like the space and the seats, they're really well done.
38:25The Dolphin is the smallest and cheapest of four BYD models sold in the UK,
38:31starting from £26,000.
38:33The Allisons didn't feel short-changed when it came to features though.
38:37I like this little screen in front of the steering wheel.
38:41I think that is a wireless charger.
38:45Having never been in it before, it looks quite easy to navigate.
38:49You can get Spotify, you can have the navigation out.
38:52I think it's as good quality as things double the price.
38:55They've really nailed it.
38:58The Dolphin comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay,
39:01so it syncs with most smartphones and its 12.8-inch touchscreen has a party trick.
39:07That's interesting.
39:09So we can have portrait or landscape.
39:11Do you want to see that again?
39:12Yeah.
39:12That's really good.
39:15Look at these things.
39:17Oh, that was easy.
39:21That is really cool.
39:25That is really cool, I love that.
39:27It's brilliant, isn't it?
39:29I love the fact it's so light and it's beautiful.
39:31They're just lovely design touches that, yeah, very aesthetically pleasing.
39:36So they've managed to combine lots of nice touches
39:39that you probably only get on a really expensive car normally.
39:43I love the fact I can fit in it, but it's a small car,
39:46which is quite rare to have both of those things.
39:48It's better than I thought it was going to be.
39:53I drove it first.
39:55It didn't take long to get used to.
39:57It's really quite smooth, actually.
39:59Very quiet.
40:01Nice little steering wheel as well.
40:04Got the feel.
40:05BYD Dolphins are available with a 44.9 or 60.4 kilowatt hour battery.
40:12The Allisons are testing the bigger capacity one with a range of around 265 miles.
40:18How many miles have you got, mate?
40:19244.
40:21It's really good handling and feels nice quality as well.
40:26It was really responsive, so when I put my foot down, it really went.
40:31It's quite quick.
40:33It was really smooth, and even on roads that have potholes,
40:36it still was a pretty smooth drive and really quiet.
40:41Like, a bit unnervingly quiet to start with.
40:43That's something you have to get used to, I guess.
40:45Good first impressions, so Graham was itching to have a go.
40:49Please take care of vehicles coming behind you and opening the door.
40:53Oh, that's nice.
40:55He just couldn't wait.
40:56He put his foot down straight away.
41:00Whoa, that is really good.
41:02I really like that.
41:03Acceleration is really good.
41:06I think it'd be nice for overtaking.
41:07It would have enough power to overtake things.
41:11And this is actually really nice for a relatively heavy car.
41:16It's responsive, isn't it?
41:18Yeah.
41:18Let's go round the roundabout.
41:19Let's do that.
41:22It's actually got better performance than I expected.
41:26It's a family car.
41:27You're not really having any expectation it's going to handle as well as it does.
41:31For me, it drives like a more expensive car than it is.
41:38Over the next few days, the Addisons took the Dolphins shopping,
41:42where they needed a bit more space.
41:44The boot's not big.
41:46So if you were wanting to use it as your primary car,
41:48you'd probably find that was a problem.
41:50So yeah, basically, you might get one other person,
41:55one person in the back seat, but that's it.
41:57My experience of previous electric cars was that they lied about the range quite a lot.
42:02This seems fairly accurate, which is good.
42:05Graham and Sarah would install a home charger for around £1,000 to get the cheapest electricity.
42:11A full charge could cost around a fiver on an EV tariff
42:15when charging overnight at a cheaper off-peak rate.
42:19But they wanted to see how easy it would be to top it up on the go.
42:22So headed to the local supermarket,
42:25The Dolphins' maximum charge rate of 88 kilowatts means it takes around 40 minutes
42:31to go from 10% to 80% charged.
42:34A top-up like this costs around £30, no cheaper than petrol.
42:39So we've just finished charging.
42:41Yeah, we're moving the cable.
42:45Okay.
42:47It's great for a little help.
42:49Yeah, it's great.
42:49It's a great help.
42:51Okay.
42:53It's great for a little top-up when needed, isn't it?
42:56But we'd still want to charge it at home, wouldn't we?
42:58Definitely.
43:02I really like it.
43:03I like how spacious it is and stylish.
43:05I like the design.
43:07I really like the details on the interior.
43:09I loved the fact that the console moves and I love the door handles.
43:14I think the car is a nine out of ten.
43:17You can spend double the amount on an electric car and not get much more.
43:21For £30,000, I think we'd definitely consider getting it.
43:24Yeah, definitely.
43:26Yes!
43:28They gave it a nine out of ten.
43:30That's a solid win.
43:31That is so cool.
43:32And they loved the rotating screen.
43:35Do it.
43:36So do we.
43:37Look at that.
43:39Oh, yes.
43:39Glad to be of service, Graham, Sarah and Kitty.
43:42Now, that is all we have time for.
43:44But do join us next week for more unmissable deals and bargain products
43:48to make life that little bit easier.
43:50I'm driving.
43:51Shall we?
43:51Yeah, yeah.
43:52All right, bye-bye.
43:53Bye!
43:54See ya!
43:56For details of our deals from today's show and a reminder of some of the products we've had on,
44:01head to our Instagram, shopsmartsavemoney__c5.
44:09And if you think your household could do with some help to shop smart and save money,
44:13then get in touch by emailing us on apply at shopsmartsavemoney.co.uk.
44:21Come back next week for tips on how to save money by growing your own fruit and veg with Georgie.
44:27And find out if it's worth paying a premium for transporting your baby.
44:31The last thing you need is your baby jiggling around, John.