When can a child stop using a car seat in the UK?
The UK rules on height and age, how the stages actually work, and the five-point check that tells you whether an adult belt genuinely fits.
beginner10 min4 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
Which car modifications do I have to tell my insurer about?
Why a modification is anything that changes the car from standard, the categories insurers care about, and why some declarations make no difference at all.
beginner15 min5 min readWhy is my electric car charging so much slower than the charger says?
The charging curve that governs everything, why arriving with a full battery is the commonest mistake, and the five other reasons a 150 kW post delivers 40 kW.
beginner15 min6 min readHow do I check whether a car is taxed, has an MOT, or is on a SORN?
Three free government services tell you a vehicle's tax status, its full MOT history and whether it is declared off-road. What each one shows, what it does not, and what to do with the answers.
beginner10 min5 min readHow do I run an electric car with nowhere to install a charger?
The four realistic charging patterns when a home wallbox is impossible, what a cross-pavement permission scheme is, and how the running cost changes.
intermediate25 min7 min readHow do I work out what a noise from my car means?
Noises are identified by what makes them change, not by how they sound. A structured way to work out whether a knock, whine, click or rumble is speed-related, engine-related, brake-related or suspension-related.
beginner20 min5 min readWill I get a courtesy car after an accident, and what is credit hire?
What a courtesy car actually entitles you to, how credit hire is different, why the difference matters financially, and the questions to ask before signing.
beginner20 min6 min readHow do I cancel a car insurance policy?
The 14-day cancellation right, what a refund actually looks like, the fees, and the difference between cancelling a policy and having one cancelled or voided.
beginner20 min5 min readHow do I drive safely in heavy rain, and what is aquaplaning?
What tread depth is really doing in the wet, the warning signs that the tyres are about to lose contact with the road, and the one response that works when they do.
beginner12 min4 min readHow do I get a car ready for winter?
The autumn hour that prevents the December problems — battery, tyres, antifreeze strength, screenwash concentration, seals and visibility.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow do I parallel park properly?
A reference-point method that works in any car, why the front swings out more than people expect, and how to adjust when the first attempt is not right.
beginner20 min5 min readHow far does it really take to stop, and what is the two-second rule?
Why braking distance grows far faster than speed, what the Highway Code figures actually assume, and how the two-second rule converts all of it into something you can use while driving.
beginner15 min5 min readHow much room do I have to give a cyclist or a horse?
The distances and speeds the Highway Code sets out, the hierarchy of road users introduced in 2022, and why a cyclist in the middle of the lane is doing the right thing.
beginner15 min6 min readMy car has been written off — what happens, and can I challenge the valuation?
What the write-off categories mean for you as the owner, how insurers arrive at a valuation, the evidence that actually moves it, and the Ombudsman route if it does not.
beginner25 min5 min readSomeone has hit my parked car and left no note — what can I do?
The evidence to gather in the first hour, where footage actually comes from, and the awkward arithmetic of claiming on your own policy for something that was not your fault.
beginner20 min6 min readWhat counts as fair wear and tear on a leased or PCP car?
The standard the industry actually uses, the categories it assesses, why a pre-hand-back appraisal is worth doing, and how to challenge a charge you disagree with.
beginner18 min5 min readWhat do I need to do when I move house?
A complete list of who to tell and what to do, sequenced across the weeks before and after moving day.
beginner3 hr2 min readWhat do minor, major and dangerous mean on an MOT certificate?
The five outcomes an MOT can record, which of them fail the test, which of them stop you driving, and how an advisory differs from a minor defect.
beginner12 min5 min readWhat does a burning or unusual smell from my car mean?
A smell-by-smell guide to what a car is telling you, which smells are normal on a new or recently serviced car, and the four that mean stop the vehicle immediately.
beginner15 min6 min readWhat happens at the end of a PCP agreement?
The three routes out and the fourth that people forget, how to work out whether there is equity, and the timeline to work to so you are not deciding under pressure.
beginner15 min5 min readWhat is negative equity on a car, and can I sell a car that is on finance?
Why a car is usually worth less than the balance early on, how to measure it in one calculation, the four ways out, and what rolling it into a new agreement really does.
beginner15 min5 min readWhen does a cambelt need changing, and what happens if it goes?
Why a cambelt is replaced on a schedule rather than when it looks worn, why the time limit matters as much as the mileage, and how to find out whether yours has ever been changed.
beginner12 min4 min readWho owns a car on finance, and what does that mean in practice?
Why the finance company is the legal owner, what the registered keeper is instead, and the four practical consequences: selling, insurance, write-offs and repossession.
beginner15 min5 min readWhy does my car battery keep going flat?
Telling short journeys and a parasitic drain apart from a battery at the end of its life, and what actually recharges a battery properly.
beginner25 min4 min read