Thinking of buying a car?
If you’re buying a car for the first time, or haven't bought one for a number of years, it can sometimes be difficult to know where to start.
Magazine - General
What is the law concerning car seats for children?
While using a child seat has been a law in the UK for many years, there is still some confusion around it. Essentially, children under the age of 12 or less than 135cm tall must be in a car seat, as this will provide them with greater protection in the event of an accident.
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS): What are they and what do I need to know?
Whether you’re aware of it or not, due to the relatively young average age of the UK’s vehicles, it’s very likely that your car has some sort of advanced driver assistance system, generally referred to as ADAS.
MoT test deferral - What do I do?
Although if your vehicle’s MoT certificate expired between 30th March and 1st August 2020, you are entitled to postpone it for up to six months, should you?
Unusual and unnecessary MoT failures
Air fresheners can be the difference between MoT pass or failure – what other unusual but simple things should you look out for when preparing your vehicle for the annual test?
Airbags – why are they fitted and what should you know about them?
If you have a car that is less than 20 years old, it is almost certain to have airbags. These are a crucial safety feature which, hopefully, most motorists will not have to encounter first hand, however it is worth knowing the basics, so you can be prepared.
Car lights – Your eyes, your driving, your life!
Car headlights were once famously described as ‘the eyes of the vehicle’ however, our eyes are something that we don’t tend to reckon with when we think about car lighting.
Don’t write it off just yet
We are all familiar with the term “write off” and you might have experienced the misfortune of getting the news that your beloved car, van or motorcycle has been written off – but is that the end of things?
Brake fluid
Although it is stating the obvious, brakes are your vehicle’s most important safety feature. As a driver, if you cannot stop, you are, in effect, behind the wheel of a potentially lethal weapon, so its brakes must work effectively and reliably.
Batteries
During the national lockdown of spring and early summer of 2020, many drivers were unable to use their vehicles, which meant that hundreds of thousands of cars either stood idle for three months, or were only used for short journeys, such as for essential food shopping once a week or so.