Green Flag

How to handle a motorway breakdown safely

A motorway is jammed with cars, stretching out into the distance.
Safety is your number one concern when breaking down on a motorway.

Breaking down on a motorway can feel far more intimidating than stopping on a local road. Not only does traffic move faster on a motorway, but it does so over multiple lanes. Knowing exactly what to do in this situation will help keep you safe.

Motorways are designed for high-speed travel, which means safety decisions must be quick, calm and deliberate. The Highway Code provides clear guidance for dealing with breakdowns on these roads, and following it carefully is essential.

Let’s look at some of the key recommendations.

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James Orry Leave a comment

How to check your car’s engine oil: a step-by-step guide

A Green Flag technician checks the engine oil using a dipstick.
Checking your car’s oil is a simple task which helps maintain peak protection and performance of its engine.

Checking your car’s oil level is a simple yet key task which will help to keep your car running at its best. We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about checking your car oil.

We explain what oil does, why it’s important, how to see if your car’s running low on it, how to top it up, and much more. All this, plus our step-by step guide and expert video. Very slick!

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Chris Webb Leave a comment

How to check car engine coolant: the complete UK guide

A Green Flag technician points to the coolant reservoir under the hood of a car.
Car coolant is a mixture of antifreeze and water which helps to stop your car’s engine from overheating.

Checking your car’s coolant level is an important task to help keep your car healthy and on the road.

Our frequently asked questions, step-by step guide and expert video have everything you need to know about car coolant, how to check the level, and how to safely top it up.

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Chris Webb Leave a comment

What towing & recovery actually covers

A black car is moved onto the back of a tow truck.
There’s more to a breakdown service than you might think.

Breaking down is stressful enough without also having to wonder: Will I have to pay for recovery? What happens if I’ve had an accident? Does my breakdown cover include towing?

Many drivers assume towing is automatically included in every breakdown policy. But the truth is, the level of support you get depends on what’s covered in your specific roadside assistance plan.

This guide explains what towing and vehicle recovery services usually include, what they don’t, and who pays for towing after an accident.

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James Orry Leave a comment

How to change your windscreen wipers

Windscreen wiper blades play a vital role in giving drivers a better, clearer view of the road.

Being able to change your car’s windscreen wiper blades is a vital car maintenance skill. The process varies from car to car but there are similarities between all of them which we’ve covered below with a step-by step guide and a handy video showing how our experts do it.

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Chris Webb Leave a comment

Enjoy a summer break, not a summer breakdown.

Avoid a summer breakdown

As motorists across the country are packing their suitcases, we’re predicting a seven per cent increase in breakdowns during summer. That means around 150,000 callouts for our mechanics to provide support over the summer.

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Chris Webb 38 Comments

Expert advice on how to avoid a car key catastrophe

Taking better care of your car keys can save time, money and plans being cancelled this summer.
Taking better care of your car keys can save you time, money and stress.

Our research reveals that a car key-related callout took place every seven minutes in 2024. According to our data, two-thirds (62 per cent) of car key callouts were a result of drivers locking their keys in the car. A further fifth of callouts were for keys being jammed in the lock or ignition, whilst 12 per cent were a result of lost keys.

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Chris Webb 37 Comments

How to fit a bike rack to your vehicle

Yellow-ish green 4x4 with roof rack and bike rack attached. Luggage container and red box on roof rack and three bikes on bike rack. Greenery and mountains in the background.

Bikes can be a great way to explore while you’re camping, on a road trip, or visiting a specific trail. But if you’re taking your own bike(s), fitting a bike rack can be a bit of a hassle.

So, to help cut down that hassle for you, here’s our handy guide on how to fit a bike rack to your vehicle.

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Amie Woodyatt 2 Comments

Learning to drive: be confident before your test

reflection of traffic and tall buildings in side mirror of a car

Learning to drive is a big achievement. You can bask in your independence. You can do late-night big Tesco trips. You can drive yourself to training, work, wherever, whenever (with or without Shakira playing).

No pressure, right?

It takes a lot of confidence to take your driving test. So, we’ve put together some tips to help you get in the zone.

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Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment

Supporting our customers with EV qualified technicians

EV technician next to a Green Flag van buzz-ing to see a customer, both waving at each other.

The electric vehicle market is growing. Quickly. And with government plans to phase out new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, the charge of the EV is showing no signs of slowing down.

EVs are exciting, but from a breakdown recovery perspective (one of our favourite perspectives), they are one of the biggest challenges in our industry right now.

Luckily, we like a challenge. That’s why we’re proud to announce that at the end of 2022, more of our technicians became Institute of the Motor Industry Level 3 and 4 qualified to work on EVs.

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Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment

The 2023 motoring forecast: innovation inbound

woman driving car with dog in passenger seat, pov from behind them looking forwards to the road

If you’re wondering what’s on the cards for cars in 2023, all eyes are on innovation.

Will we see a new way of powering our vehicles? Could this be the breakthrough year for self-driving vehicles? Here are the big motoring trends to look out for in 2023.

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Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment

Expert advice: all about pothole damage to your car

pothole damage
Drive though this and you could inflict all sorts of damage on tyre, wheel or suspension (Picture iStock/Marc Bruxelles)

Now’s the time of year when the number of potholes on our roads starts to increase. Winter weather with its extreme temperature variations along with heavy rain and sometimes snow results in more damage to road surfaces. And more holes mean the greater chance that you’ll drive through one and suffer pothole damage to your car in one way or another.

So I thought it would be the perfect time of year to look at pothole damage and what we as drivers can do to spot and limit the effects of it.

Tyre damage is easy to see

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Mike Shaw 2 Comments

Breakdown cover: the what’s, why’s, and how’s

Nobody expects (or wants) their vehicle to break down. It’s stressful, it takes up time, it can cost you money if your vehicle needs repairs. Not a great list…

Unfortunately, it happens quite often. Here at Green Flag, we helped with over 500,000 jobs in 2021 alone.

Even though no driver wants to be in that situation, there’s a good chance you’ll have to call on a breakdown cover provider at some point in your life. So, if you don’t have cover already, now may be the time.

That’s why we’ve put all the important info you need about breakdown cover in one place.

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Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment