Expert advice: how to check for a flat battery

two red and two black jump leads placed on top of a car engine

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. 

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Amie Woodyatt 2 Comments

EV home charging: get the right charger for your vehicle

EV home charging cable plugged in to back left red light of a matte silver car on a driveway.

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.

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Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment

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

Cost of living: can you save money with an EV?

small glass pot with money in it and two plant sprouts appearing to grow from money

When buying a car, an increasingly popular question is “are EVs more cost effective?”

As electric vehicles (EVs) become more popular (and fuel prices stay pretty high), long-term vehicle costs are more important than ever.

So, we’ve done some digging and put together a guide on EV costs to help you decide if going electric is the right option.

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Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment

Expert advice: buying an EV

person with long brown hair plugging EV charger into wall unit

Buying an EV isn’t quite the same as buying a car used to be. There are a few different considerations and tests to check before you sign any dotted line.

As the number of EVs on the roads increases, and running costs rise for non-EVs, you may be tempted to make the switch. We talked to our Technical Support Engineers John Price and Scott Wilson about what you need to know.

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Amie Woodyatt 2 Comments

Driving in France: road trip rules

birds eye view of Arc de Triomphe and surrounding roads

A road trip in France gives you total freedom in one of the UK’s most popular holiday destinations. Whether you’re going on a long holiday or just for a couple of days, driving in France isn’t anything to get stressed about.

But, there are some things to be aware of to help prevent an accident (and prevent you getting on the wrong side of the law). Here are our top tips for driving in France.

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Amie Woodyatt 1 Comment

Seven things to consider before buying a car

line of cars shown close up from the side where you can mostly just see bonnets

Buying a car is an important decision. If you need more seats, better fuel efficiency, or just a little run around – the cost alone makes it a big life event.

There’s a lot to consider before buying a car. So, we’ve done some of the thinking for you and come up with some key things to keep in mind.

Let’s get started.

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Amie Woodyatt 2 Comments

How to jump start a dead battery

Jump start

Flat batteries are the most common cause of breakdowns. Jump starting is the easiest technique to start a car with a dead battery. This is where you use the power of another car to charge a second vehicle’s dead battery.

Always check your car’s handbook before doing this: some manufacturers recommend their cars aren’t jump started because it can damage the engine management system.

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James Foxall 3 Comments

10 tips for taking your driving test in 2023

two people pointing towards a car with a clipboard showing a manoeuvre

New year, new you. 2023 is an open road ahead of us and this may / will be the year you pass your driving test.

But, as only around 50% of drivers passed their test in 2021/22, how can you best prepare?

Well, you’ve done the first thing already – you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve put together 10 simple driving test tips to help cut out any worries you might have about the big day.

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Amie Woodyatt 1 Comment

How to check if a car is insured

white car in foreground with blurred house in background

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.

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Amie Woodyatt 1 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

Four driving habits you didn’t know were illegal

dog leaning out of car window

Right, we’ll get straight to the big one here – is driving in flip-flops illegal? Or is it illegal to drive barefoot?

No, these aren’t illegal, they’re just not recommended. It’s much safer to drive in normal, flat shoes.

Now that the illegal flip-flop myth is out of the way, here a few things that could catch you out.

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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