As temperatures start to head towards freezing at this time of year, we often dig out warm jumpers and coats, but we seem to overlook that our vehicles need care and attention during the winter months.

Fleet UK recommends getting a free winter car check because the weather is getting colder, and the road conditions will become more hazardous and because the number of breakdowns at this time of year can increase.  

Halfords offer a free 10 point winter car health check that takes approximately 30 minutes and can be booked online for a time that suits you.  Halfords has over a thousand fully trained technicians, and their vital winter checks include: 

• Headlight & brake light check
• Wiper blade condition check
• Battery health check
• Windscreen chip check
• MOT due date reminder (UK only)
• Tyre depth check
• Tyre inflation check & top-up
• Oil level check
• Screenwash top-up
• AdBlue & coolant check

KwikFit also offers free car health checks to help you keep on the move and avoid unnecessary breakdowns.   

Once their trained technicians have completed their checks, they will discuss the report with you and advise if any of the elements failed to meet safety requirements.

Their health check looks out for:

• Tyres - We will check the overall condition of your tyres, including the tread depth and pressure
• Battery – We will test the batteries charge to make sure your car starts in the mornings
• Coolant / Anti-freeze – We will check the strength and levels
• Wiper blades for splits or damage
• Operation of the windscreen wash system and the level of screen wash and top this up if necessary
• Light bulbs – faulty or broken bulbs should be replaced to avoid being pulled over by the police

Why is a winter car check important? 

 • The last thing you want is to break down at this time of year, and a battery failure is one of the most common reasons people call out a breakdown service.

 • Last year, a study by Halfords found that 4.6 million cars in the UK had broken or defective headlights. Shockingly, around 7% of drivers admitted in the survey to never checking that their lights are in working order. 

Not only is it dangerous to drive with broken or faulty lights, but it’s also illegal. Take a brake faulty brake light, for example. 

If you get pulled over by the police, you might receive a verbal warning, or they might issue you with a ‘vehicle defect rectification notice’ which means you have 14 days from the date of notice to prove you got the issue resolved. Alternatively, you might also receive a fixed penalty notice with a £60 fine and three points on your licence. 

Do you want to know what to inspect your vehicle for keeping safe this winter?  Check out our 'Winter Checklist' video.

For more useful tips for wintering motoring, visit our '10 essential items to prepare a winter kit for your car'.

Need help with leasing a new vehicle?  Call Fleet UK on 02392 245570 or email sales@fleetuk.com and one of our friendly and experienced leasing account managers will be pleased to help you.