They say motoring knowledge comes with time. Well, we’re here to provide it straight away.
So, ever wondered what the essential things to have in your vehicle are? Wonder no more.
Continue readingEssential things to carry in your vehicle
Car ownership
Wacky weather: vehicle care in sunshine and thunderstorms
We know it’s a British stereotype to chat about the weather, but come on. Summer 2023 is already a weird one. After one of the wettest winters on record, the UK is now seeing scorching temperatures, warm thunderstorms, and weather warnings.
When it’s 30 degrees one minute and thunder’s echoing around your house the next, vehicle care can get confusing. Here’s the latest on what to prepare for, and how to prepare.
Continue readingTravelling with pets: expert advice
Over half the UK population has a pet. We’re a nation of animal lovers, so when we’re travelling with our pets, we want to keep those furry friends safe.
From the Highway Code to general good practice on keeping everyone in your vehicle safe, we’ve put together some key tips for driving with pets.
Continue readingVehicle insurance or breakdown cover: what covers what
We talk about breakdown cover a lot, it’s our bread and butter. But sometimes it can be confused with vehicle insurance – something you legally need to drive in the UK.
Breakdown cover is a form of insurance for your vehicle. But, it isn’t vehicle insurance. Nice and confusing, we know.
So, to simplify things a bit, let’s break down what vehicle insurance actually is (and how it’s different from breakdown cover).
Continue readingExpert advice: how to check for a flat battery
With cold weather, or cold snaps, we see an increase in the number of call outs for cars with a flat battery.
The reason for this is simple: the older a battery gets, the less able it is to hold its charge in lower temperatures. And the colder the weather, the thicker oil gets, so the starter motor needs to draw more current from the battery to turn the engine over.
Put these together and tired car batteries are far more likely to fail. Here’s everything you need to know about your battery.
Continue readingEV home charging: get the right charger for your vehicle
As electric vehicles become more popular, EV charging points are popping up in more public places.
But there’s nothing quite like the luxury of having a personal EV charging unit at home.
After the effort of finding the right car, finding the right charging unit shouldn’t be a hassle. That’s why we’ve connected with Rightcharge to help you find the right charger for your vehicle, from the right installer, and all for the right price.
Here’s everything you need to know about EV home charging units.
Continue readingEverything you need to know about your MOT
It’s important to get an MOT before your current one runs out to stay on top of your vehicle’s health. But, what is it? And what happens if you don’t get one?
We’ve put all things MOT in one place to help answer your questions.
Continue readingVehicle tax: everything you need to know
In the UK you need to pay vehicle tax if you drive or park on the road. But with changes announced in the 2023 Spring Budget, you may be unsure of how to tax your vehicle properly.
So, we’ve broken down the key information.
Continue readingHow to check if a car is insured
It’s illegal to drive without car insurance in the UK, so if you’re ever wondering “is my car insured?” it’s crucial to check. If your car isn’t insured, the penalties can be pretty expensive.
Police have seized over 2 million uninsured vehicles since 2005 and uninsured drivers cost over £2 billion to the UK economy. If you don’t check your car insurance, the police will.
Here’s all the important info you need to know.
Continue readingWhat will the new taxes on electric cars mean for drivers?
The government’s recent autumn statement revealed new taxes on electric cars. We investigate whether electric vehicle (EV) owners will be out of pocket and what the changes really mean for drivers.
Car tax changes for EVs
Continue readingWhat is synthetic fuel and is it really the future for our cars?
You might have heard of synthetic fuel. It’s a way to power regular combustion engine cars in a less polluting way.
If we’re learning one thing, the planet does need to clean up its act. Burning fossil fuels to get around isn’t great for anyone’s future. But neither is it possible to immediately change all our cars to zero emissions electric vehicles (EV). And that’s where synthetic fuel comes in.
What is synthetic fuel?
Continue readingNoise cameras being tested to target boy racers
The government is trialling noise cameras in a bid to cut down on anti-social drivers with overly loud exhausts.
The cameras have been tested throughout the UK and the scheme’s £300,000 second phase is now being rolled out in areas that have a problem with noise.
Cameras will be installed in Bradford, Birmingham, Bristol and Great Yarmouth over the next two months. Boy racers driving cars with aftermarket and often illegally loud exhausts blight all the areas.
How do noise cameras work?
Continue readingExpert advice: why breakdown cover is a smart idea
You might think you have a relatively new, reliable car and don’t need breakdown cover. You probably won’t be surprised when I reveal we attend thousands of calls every year from drivers who have broken down in relatively new, apparently reliable cars.
Here’s a classic example. It’s been a cold night, you go to start your car in the morning and when you turn the key you just get a click and nothing else. Flat battery.
Continue readingIncreased car cloning causes innocent drivers trouble
If you’ve been hit with an unexpected fine for speeding, driving in a bus lane, parking or not paying a congestion or emissions zone charge you may have unwittingly become a victim of car cloning.
New research shows an alarming increase in fines issued by Transport for London (TfL) to cars with altered identities. The number overturned because they were given to cloned cars was up nearly nine times between April 2021 and April 2022.
We look at what cloning is and what to do if you suspect your car has been a victim of it.
What is car cloning?
Continue readingWe rate the fuel tracking apps that help you to save money
We all know the price of fuel is going up. But do you know how much you really spend filling your car up? And if you don’t, how do you know if any steps you’re taking to make savings are working?
What you need is an app on your phone that records what you’re spending on petrol or diesel. But which one? We’ve tried five of best-rated fuel tracking apps so we can tell you the ones that are worth looking at.
How fuel tracking apps work
Continue readingWays to stop your car’s catalytic converter being stolen
Catalytic converter theft continues to be a problem around the UK. The Centre for Infrastructure and Asset Protection (CIAP) claims thieves stole 2,254 catalytic converters – also known as cats ‑ in March 2022, up by 11 per cent from February.
The CIAP, with backing from the police, now wants to roll out its SmartWater marking for cats nationwide so that more drivers can benefit from it. We look at how drivers can stop crooks making off with this valuable part of their car’s exhaust system.
How can you stop your catalytic converter being stolen?
Continue readingIs pay-as-you-go insurance the right cover for you?
You might well use pay-as-you-go for your mobile phone. It does after all seem fair enough to only pay for what you use. So what about pay-as-you-go car insurance? It’s becoming increasingly popular with drivers and according to comparison site Compare the Market, a fifth of car owners could save money by insuring in this way.
How does pay-as-you-go insurance work?
Continue readingAir conditioning quiz: will you keep your cool?
We take air conditioning for granted now that it’s fitted in even the cheapest cars. But how much do you actually know about it? And will some of our questions about what keeps you cool make you all hot and bothered? Take our air conditioning quiz to find out.
Continue readingBest motoring apps for your smartphone in 2022
Most drivers have a smartphone. And that means they’ll have access to motoring apps. There are hundreds if not thousands of them out there, but which are worth having and which are worthless?
We’ve taken a look at different areas of motoring and investigated the most appropriate apps for them. Read on for the best mapping, safety and learner driver apps plus the motoring app we think you might not want.
Best mapping? Google Maps or Waze?
Continue readingExpert advice: Used car tyres? Probably not such a great idea
We’re hearing from our friends in the tyre industry that they’re expecting cash-strapped drivers to buy increasing numbers of used car tyres. Of course, it’s related to increases in the cost of living: motoring costs are as badly affected as food when it comes to inflation.
And buying used (sometimes called part-worn) tyres is one way people might think they can save money.
Like a visit to the dentist, no one relishes forking out to replace the rubber on their car. But I think there are several reasons why buying used tyres isn’t a brilliant idea.