Research commissioned by Intelligent Finance has shown that increasing numbers of borrowers are turning to the internet in their search for better value loans.A survey by ICM Research on the company’s behalf found that nearly one in four UK adults would go online to look for a loan - an increase of 70 per cent on last year.Young people are even more prepared to surf the net to find the best deal - almost half (47 per cent) of 18 to 24 year olds said they would use the internet to hunt down competitive loan rates.In the battle of the sexes, men are streets ahead in using the net for borrowing: three out of ten men said they would use the internet for this purpose, compared with two out of ten women.Intelligent Finance has just launched a new online loan with a rate of 6.1 per cent typical APR.

A greater number of drivers in the UK are opting for cars with lower carbon emissions, according to new figures, many bought using car finance or car loans.Between 2000 and 2006 the number of new cars bought in Britain that are classed in road tax band B has risen dramatically from 3,500 to 110,000 vehicles, a jump in market share from 0.1 per cent to 4.7 per cent, reports SMMT.Likewise, new cars bought in band C have jumped from 421,000 to 747,000, showing that the British public is keen to embrace cars with lower emissions and lower petrol consumption.”There has been a noticeable shift in the new car market,” said SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan.”This is partly due to concerns about motoring costs and partly because reducing their climate change impact is important to more buyers. However, we should not underplay significant fuel economy and CO2 savings from technological advances in new models, including premium brands,” he added.Many of the cleanest cars are small, so families looking to cut their emissions will have to look for something larger, such as one of the new hybrid vehicles available.
These can cost slightly more upfront, but this extra cost is easily accommodated with carfinance or car loans, allowing you to comfortably do your bit for the environment.