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.

Continue reading →
Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment

Pre-drive checks to help avoid a car breakdown.

Nobody wants to deal with a breakdown. In fact, that may be the only thing every driver has in common.

It can be a significant inconvenience, cost you money, and it could even pose a danger to yourself, passengers, and others around you.

But, it’s not all doom and gloom. We have good news. There are some simple pre-drive checks you can do that will (hopefully) lower your chances of breaking down.

Continue reading →
Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment

Weight a minute! Are heavy cars really law breakers?

heavy cars
Hummer EV weighs more than 4 tonnes (Picture GMC)

British drivers can now buy a car that is so big it won’t fit into our parking spaces. And younger owners will even need an HGV licence to drive it. The all-electric GMC Hummer EV might be exceptional but it’s an example of how cars are continually growing.

Some reports are even suggesting that drivers could inadvertently break the law because they might have the wrong licence to drive such heavy cars. We investigate.

How heavy are today’s cars?

Continue reading →
James Foxall Leave a comment

Watch out for the weather with our winter kits.

Heating is (begrudgingly) being turned on across the UK as the temperature drops, but our cars are sitting outside, feeling the frost on the cold mornings.

Getting our vehicles going during difficult winter conditions can be time-consuming and frustrating. We often don’t know we need something until the moment we need it, and by then it’s too late. It’s enough to put a chill down anyone’s spine.

To make winter motoring easier, we’ve put together our essential winter kit, complete with helpful items you and your vehicle may need. But what’s included?

Continue reading →
Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment

What will the new taxes on electric cars mean for drivers?

taxes on electric cars
EVs might have cheaper fuel and maintenance costs but tax rates are changing (Picture iStock/Marcus Lindstrom)

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 reading →
James Foxall Leave a comment

Weirdest world records with cars

weirdest world records
Pogo champ Dalton Smith in action jumping three cars (Picture Nissan)

The fastest speed going backwards, pulling cars with your teeth and even kissing them. There seems to be no end to the lengths people will go to in order to get their name in lights with Guinness World Records.

After American Scott Burner recently grabbed the record for the fastest ever drive in reverse, we thought we’d hunt down some of the weirdest world records involving cars.

Pogo-ing into the record books

Continue reading →
James Foxall Leave a comment

What is synthetic fuel and is it really the future for our cars?

synthetic fuel
Using synthetic fuel could keep thousands of combustion engine cars on the road (Picture iStock/Sharfsinn86)

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 reading →
James Foxall 3 Comments

“How much are driving lessons?”: learner driver questions answered

Having your own driving licence really can offer a new sense of freedom. You no longer have to hear friends, siblings, or parents refer to themselves as “Your taxi driver”, you don’t have to wait for public transport to most likely not even arrive on time —  it’s all great.

However, first things first, you need to learn to drive. And driving lessons can bring up a lot of questions like:

Continue reading →
Amie Woodyatt 1 Comment

Noise cameras being tested to target boy racers

noise cameras
Cameras will target cars with noisy exhausts and drivers who rev loud motors like Lamborghinis (Picture iStock/Jaap2)

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 reading →
James Foxall 2 Comments

How much do you know about the Ford Fiesta?

quiz ford fiesta
The many faces of the Ford Fiesta. The last is back left (Picture Ford)

You may have heard the Ford Fiesta is coming to the end of its long and successful life. Interest in the Fiesta is at an all-time high with internet searches for the model booming.

So to celebrate this great little car’s demise, we thought we’d do a special quiz all about it. See how much information about Britain’s favourite car you’ve picked up.

Continue reading →
James Foxall Leave a comment

Test how much you know about the humble engine

quiz-about-engines
We know roughly what engines look like but how much do we know about them? (Picture iStock)

For as long as we’ve been driving, the internal combustion engine has been our principal source of power. Battery electric motors are slowly replacing them now but even so, the vast majority of us still drive cars with engines in them.

These lumps of metal live under our bonnet, drink petrol or diesel and have cylinders and valves that go about their business of speeding us along. But how much do you actually know about them? Take our fiendish quiz to find out.

Continue reading →
James Foxall Leave a comment

Why you should appeal traffic penalties

appeal traffic penalties
Surely not! If you think you’ve been given a ticket unfairly, there are several ways to appeal (Picture iStock/MachineHeadz)

Parking fines are one of the hazards of modern-day motoring life. And even if you’re perfect at parking, local authorities enforce all sorts of things, from driving in bus lanes, using a vehicle that’s too polluting in clean air zones, to littering from vehicles.

But what happens if you receive a traffic penalty that you don’t agree with? Is it worth protesting? And if so, how do you appeal traffic penalties? We explain all.

How do you appeal traffic penalties?

Continue reading →
James Foxall Leave a comment

Expert advice: why breakdown cover is a smart idea

why breakdown cover
Breaking down usually happens when you least expect it (Picture iStock/Andresr)

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 reading →
Mike Shaw Leave a comment

Thousands of possible death traps sold to unsuspecting buyers

possible death traps sold
If a written off car has been repaired, it should be declared (Picture iStock/Kadmy)

It’s no secret that there’s a shortage of used cars. And those that are available are being sold for inflated prices. Hardly surprising then that the trade in dodgy motors is picking up.

Research by TV show Dispatches found that up to 40,000 possible death traps sold every year could be insurance write-offs going to unsuspecting buyers.

How can a written off car be sold again?

Continue reading →
James Foxall Leave a comment

What’s it like to drive long distances in an electric car on holiday?

electric car on holiday
The French alps are lovely in the summer. Is driving there in an EV as stress free? (Picture©James Foxall)

The move to electric cars is well underway. By 2030 – less than eight years away – you won’t be able to buy a new petrol or diesel car. Electric vehicles (EVs) are often said to be great for short journeys, not so brilliant when you need to charge on the go. So what will it be like to take an electric car on holiday?

For a glimpse at the future of long journeys, we took an all-electric BMW iX3 on an 1,100-mile round trip to the French Alps this summer.

It pays to know your car

Continue reading →
James Foxall Leave a comment

Expert advice: why are repair costs going up and what to do about it

repair costs going up
Some drivers are cutting back on essential servicing to save money (Picture iStock/Gilaxia)

If you’ve taken your car in for mending or a service recently, you might have noticed that like most things in life, we’re seeing repair costs going up. That’s because four out of five garages (79 per cent) say they’re experiencing increases in the cost of doing business.

A survey conducted by dispute resolution body The Motor Ombudsman (TMO) asked independent garages and dealer workshops what their biggest challenges were. Their answers make illuminating (and slightly depressing) reading for us as drivers.

Why are costs for garages going up?

Continue reading →
Mike Shaw 1 Comment

Electric car MOT passes are higher than petrols or diesels

electric car mot passes
Electric cars are proving better at passing the MOT than petrols (Picture iStock/SimonSkafar)

Struggling to see the benefit of switching to an electric vehicle? Look no further. Electric car MOT passes are higher than regular combustion engine models according to a new study.

And hybrid cars – which combine petrol engines with electric motors – are even better at passing their MOT test than EVs. We try to explain this unexpected bonus to battery-powered motoring.

What does the MOT check?

Continue reading →
James Foxall Leave a comment

Buying a new car for the 72-reg plate change – what you need to know

72-reg plate change
Getting to this point is more difficult that it was a few years ago (Picuture iStock/Clerkenwell)

It’s time for the 72-reg plate change. Traditionally, September has been one of the two months (along with March) when car sales peak. And the more new cars sold, the more used models are freed up for buyers to get their hands on.

But since the dark days of the pandemic, the supply of new cars has slowed dramatically. The knock-on is a shortage of used cars with the models that are available costing more. We look at how to get a good buy for the 72-reg plate change.

Go for existing stock

Continue reading →
James Foxall 1 Comment

Increased car cloning causes innocent drivers trouble

car cloning
Cloning cars usually starts with stealing a number plate (Picture iStock/Jens Rother)

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 reading →
James Foxall Leave a comment