How do I prepare a car for its MOT?
The half hour of owner checks that removes most avoidable failures, what you cannot check yourself, and how the retest rules work.
beginner1 hr4 min read
Motoring
Faults, tyres, servicing, insurance, tax and the paperwork — for people who own a car rather than work on them. These guides explain what is happening and what it means for you, and say plainly when a job belongs to a garage. They are not repair manuals, and they recommend no insurer, lender or product.
206 guides
How long should a car battery last, and how do I know mine is failing?
The signs that a battery is on its way out rather than just flat, how to tell a battery fault from a charging fault, and why the first cold morning is when most of them fail.
beginner15 min5 min readIs it safe to drive through flood water?
Why 30 centimetres of moving water is enough to float a car, what a bow wave is actually for, and why the damage from getting it wrong is usually not covered as you would hope.
beginner12 min5 min readIs it worth repairing my car to get it through the MOT?
The comparison that decides it is repair cost against what the repaired car is worth to you over the next year, not against what the car would sell for.
beginner30 min3 min readWhat are my rights if a used car develops a fault?
The short-term right to reject in the first 30 days, the six-month presumption that follows it, why buying from a dealer is very different from buying privately, and the credit card and finance routes.
beginner25 min6 min readWhat should I ask before signing a car finance agreement?
A checklist of questions that make an agreement legible, what your right to withdraw actually is, what commission disclosure means, and the things people find out too late.
beginner20 min5 min readWhat do I do if my car starts to overheat?
What the temperature gauge climbing actually means, the one thing to do immediately, and how to tell a top-up-and-carry-on from a stop-and-call-recovery.
beginner20 min4 min readWhat do I have to tell my car insurer during the policy year?
The mid-term changes that matter, why moving house and changing job count, the paperwork to check afterwards, and the fees that come with an amendment.
beginner20 min5 min readWhat insurance does a learner driver need?
The three ways a learner gets insured, why a separate learner policy protects the car owner's no-claims discount, and what has to change the day the test is passed.
beginner20 min5 min readWhat should I do after a minor bump?
What the law requires you to exchange, the photographs that decide liability months later, and why admitting fault at the scene is both unnecessary and unhelpful.
beginner20 min5 min readWhy is my battery warning light on, and what does the alternator do?
What the red battery symbol is actually reporting, why it is a charging fault rather than a battery fault, and how to tell an alternator from a belt from a battery.
beginner20 min7 min readHow do I challenge a parking ticket?
A council penalty and a private parking charge look almost identical and work completely differently. How to tell which you have, and the appeal route for each.
beginner30 min5 min readHow do I drive safely in fog, and when should fog lights be on?
The Highway Code sets a clear threshold for fog lights, and using them outside it is an offence. What that threshold is, how to judge it, and the driving technique that actually reduces risk.
beginner12 min4 min readHow do I get round a multi-lane roundabout in the right lane?
The general rule from the Highway Code, why the painted arrows override it, how to read a roundabout before you reach it, and what to do when you end up in the wrong lane.
beginner18 min6 min readHow do I set my tyre pressures correctly?
Where the correct figures are printed, why cold matters, the separate loaded figure most people never use, and how to read a gauge properly.
beginner15 min4 min readHow does car tax work, and why is mine so much more than my neighbour's?
Why the first year is priced differently from every year after it, what the additional rate on higher-priced cars is, and why tax does not transfer when a car changes hands.
beginner20 min7 min readHow often does engine oil actually need changing?
Why the old 3,000-mile rule is long gone, what a variable service indicator is really measuring, and how much oil a healthy engine is allowed to use between changes.
beginner10 min4 min readWhat do I do if I am hit by an uninsured or untraced driver?
How to check whether the other vehicle was insured, what the Motor Insurers' Bureau does, the two agreements it operates, and the time limits that apply.
beginner25 min6 min readWhat do I do if my car key fob stops working?
How to tell a flat fob battery from a car battery problem, the emergency methods almost every car has for getting in and starting, and when this becomes a dealer job.
beginner20 min5 min readWhat do I need to drive abroad from the UK?
The documents to carry, the kit each country requires by law, the insurance and breakdown cover to check, and the zone rules that catch people out in cities.
intermediate1 hr 30 min5 min readWhat does APR mean on car finance, and what is the total amount payable?
What APR includes that a flat rate does not, why representative APR is not the rate you will get, and the two figures that let you compare any two agreements honestly.
beginner15 min5 min readWhat is hire purchase, and how is it different from PCP?
How hire purchase spreads the whole price rather than the depreciation, why the monthly payment is higher and the structure simpler, and what that means at the end.
beginner15 min5 min readWhat should I check when buying a used electric car?
The one question that matters most and how to get an honest answer to it, whether the battery is owned or leased, what the warranty actually covers, and the checks that are specific to an electric car.
beginner25 min6 min readWhat should I check when viewing a used car?
A walk-round that finds accident repairs, neglect and a hidden cold start, and the drive that reveals what the walk-round cannot.
intermediate1 hr4 min read