Flat Tyre and No Spare Wheel? What to Do
Get off the road, put the hazards on, then open the boot. A sealant kit can patch a small hole in the tread for now. Anything else is a call to your breakdown provider.
7 minRunning a car
What a used car really costs to keep on the road, which cars hold their value, and where you stand when a garage bills you for work that didn't fix it.
The cost of running a car arrives at different speeds, and the biggest one never sends a bill.
Fuel and insurance you feel monthly. Servicing arrives a few times a year. Depreciation takes the largest share of all and shows up only when you sell. Running costs of a used car puts numbers against all of it, and depreciation explained covers which cars hold their value and why.
Maintenance is where a used car is won or lost. Common faults by age sets out what tends to break and roughly when. What a full service history really means matters more than the phrase suggests. What happens if your car has a recall covers what to do next.
Then there's winter. Winter tyres in the UK covers the law and when they're worth fitting. Defrosting your car legally covers frosty mornings. Preparing your car for winter covers the rest.
Breaking down on the motorway sets out where to stop, when to get out and when to call 999. A flat tyre with no spare covers the repair kit, the space-saver and when to call for help.
Is my car compatible with E10 petrol? covers the official checker, the early-2000s cars that get caught out, and what to do if you've already filled up. Put the wrong fuel in? explains why you shouldn't turn the ignition on, and what to do instead.
The 2026 fuel duty rise explains why September's increase never happened, and what the rate is now.
Cover is the other half. Used car warranties explains the types, what they routinely exclude, and when one is worth buying at all.
Three more cover paperwork and disputes. Keeping your V5C updated covers the changes DVLA needs to hear about. When a mechanic didn't fix your car covers where you stand on a bill for work that didn't work. Can a garage keep your car if you don't pay? covers its right to hold the car, storage charges and when it can sell.
Signs a garage is overcharging you is the one to read before any money changes hands. Before you book, how to find a trustworthy garage explains what the main badges actually check.
Paying for the car is separate. HP vs PCP sets out how the two agreements differ, and what the balloon payment does to your right to walk away. Is 0% finance worth it? answers the other half. Car finance commission claims explains whether you could be owed money while the FCA scheme is paused.
Servicing raises two questions. How much should a car service cost? covers the price. Do you have to use a main dealer to keep the warranty? sets out what the competition rules protect.
Start here
How to prepare your car for winter
Book a battery test and check your MOT date. Buy winter screenwash. Then go round the car on the drive: wipers, lights, tyres and coolant.
8 minCar finance commission claims: are you owed money?
Had car finance between 2007 and 2024? You may be owed money, but lenders don't have to make payments yet. The payout part of the scheme is on hold during a legal challenge. You can still complain to your lender today, for free.
12 minRunning Costs of a Used Car: The Complete UK Guide
Running an ordinary used car costs anywhere from about £2,500 a year to £5,000 and up. Which end you land on comes down to insurance, fuel, tax, servicing and how fast it loses value.
14 minWhat to Do If You Break Down on the Motorway
Leave at the next exit if you can. If you can't, go left, get out and behind the barrier, then call for help. If you can't get out, stay belted in and call 999.
18 minCan a Garage Keep Your Car If You Don't Pay?
Garage won't give your car back? In general it can hold it until you pay for work it did on it. That right is narrower than most garages let on, and holding isn't the same as selling.
12 minHow to Find a Trustworthy Garage in the UK
Anyone can open a garage in the UK. No licence, no exam. So the badges on the wall are doing the work, and each one proves something different. Know what a badge proves before you trust it, and try a new garage on something small first.
11 minWrong Fuel in Your Car? What to Do Right Now
Don't start the engine. Don't even put the key in. Everything after that depends on which way round you got it, and on what your own policy says.
9 minFuel Duty Rise: What the Budget Changed, and When
Fuel duty was set to rise in January and March 2027. The Budget on 28 October 2026 cancelled both steps. The rate is set to stay at 52.95p a litre until 30 June 2027, then go to 60.59p from 1 July 2027.
7 minHP vs PCP: which used-car finance actually suits you?
PCP is hire purchase with one change. A big payment waits at the end, and paying it is your choice. That's why the monthly cost is lower. It's also why the car may not end up yours.
9 minIs 0% Car Finance Worth It? How to Tell
Interest-free sounds like the end of the argument. It isn't. The rate is applied to a price, and the price is the part worth checking.
7 minWhat Happens If Your Car Has a Recall?
Recalls are the maker putting right a fault it built in, usually for free. Whether you can keep driving until then depends on what the letter says, so read it first.
11 minCommon Car Faults by Age: What Breaks and When
What actually goes wrong once a car passes eight or ten years old? No official table answers that. Some competitors present their own workings as DVSA data. This guide is built from what is actually published: MOT failure records, a reliability survey, and the wear items that do go by age.
6 minCar Depreciation Explained: Which Used Cars Hold Value
Ignore the '40% in the first year' figures quoted all over the web, because nobody publishes a reliable number for that. What you can pin down is why some cars drop like a stone and others barely move.
9 minKeeping Your V5C Updated
The V5C records who the DVLA holds as the registered keeper of a car. Get that wrong and letters go to the wrong house: tax reminders, penalty notices, the lot. Updating it is free and takes a few minutes.
4 minMechanic Didn't Fix Your Car: Do You Have to Pay?
Your car came back from the garage with the same fault still there. You aren't stuck paying up and shrugging, and you can't simply refuse the bill either. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets out what you can demand, and in what order.
11 minFull Service History Explained: What It Actually Means
A full service history means every service the maker's schedule asked for actually happened. On time, with paperwork to prove it. It doesn't have to be a main dealer. No government database will confirm any of it. So a seller's word needs checking.
7 minSigns a Garage Is Overcharging You
Got a repair bill in front of you and no idea whether it's fair? The total isn't the test. What matters is whether the price was agreed in writing before the work started, and whether the invoice shows what you paid for.
7 minUsed Car Warranty Explained: Types, Costs and Cover
Buy from a dealer and the law already gives you free cover, before anyone sells you anything. A paid warranty sits on top of that, and only some of them are worth the money.
10 minIs there a winter tyres law in the UK?
Winter tyres aren't required by law anywhere in the UK. The 1.6mm tread rule still applies to whatever you fit. Take the car to France or Germany, though, and the rules change.
8 minHow to defrost your car quickly and legally
Heater on full, air con on, scraper in hand. That usually clears a frozen windscreen in a few minutes. Leaving the engine running and going back indoors is where the trouble starts, with the law and with your insurer.
11 minHow Much Should a Car Service Cost in the UK?
Expect £170 to £300 for a full service on a small or medium car, on the RAC's own bands. Which? found dealer customers spend about £100 a year more than people who use an independent garage.
9 minIs My Car Compatible With E10 Petrol? How to Check
Cars built since 2011 all take E10. If yours is older it comes down to the make, and the official checker won't even ask for your number plate.
7 minDo You Have to Use a Main Dealer to Keep Your Warranty?
No, you don't. An independent garage can service your car. The manufacturer's warranty stays intact. But the conditions are real, and there are four times the answer changes.
10 min