A company car is an excellent bonus within your job. It means that you don’t need to worry about paying for car repairs and maintenance yourself, and you will always be provided with a car that you can use in your business and personal life. Just make sure you fully understand your obligations. Check what is included with the car first. It should include insurance for you, but is anyone else insured to drive it? Does the car come with breakdown cover? This may be something that you need to provide yourself. Make sure you know if it is your responsibility to get the car serviced and MOT’d. The company should cover the costs of this, but you may need to schedule it in. Check whether it needs to go...

You want your new car to perform well – that goes without saying. However, performance means different things to different people. Perhaps most typically, people think of performance as being to do with a fast racing car that will go from 0-60 in a couple of seconds. But it could also mean a car that is reliable, or a car that will continue to work well in all weather conditions. It may be tempting to get a car that has a large engine and that will roar into action. This will give you good performance in terms of speed and power. Do just remember that a 2+ litre engine is going to cost a lot more to run, and it will be much worse for the environment. Choosing a car...

Cars are not cheap to run, as you will almost certainly have found out if you are a car owner. There are so many things you will need to pay for and it is even more expensive if something goes wrong with a vehicle. You need to weigh up whether you are paying too much. You should first of all establish how much your car is worth. This could be done using the internet or you could get an approximate valuation from a mechanic. If you need to get some repairs done and they are going to cost more than the car is worth, it is definitely not worth the cost to you. You should look into selling it or sending it to scrap. If you want to make sure...

Brake pads generally need changing every 50,000-70,000 miles. This is a very general rule though, as some may need changing after 25,000 miles and some may last far longer. It is something you should look out for when your car has done a certain number of miles and when you take it in for its annual MOT. You might notice that your brake pads need changing when you spot signs like these: A creaking or squeaking noise when braking Less responsive brakes that don’t react straight away Pulling. Brake pads may be wearing down on one side if you feel your car pulling when braking. Vibration. This can indicate a problem with the rotors. You can also see if the brake pads need replacing visually. You can look through the...

Car modifications can look great and improve performance. Many car owners choose to modify their vehicle as a hobby, making improvements and aesthetic changes regularly to make the car unique. There are some things you need to bear in mind with modified cars: It is best to get a car and modify it yourself. Don’t buy a car that has already been modified and if you do, get it thoroughly checked over first. Modifications can sometimes compromise safety. Consider how much the work is going to cost. If you have some mechanical skills and can do the work yourself, you are going to save a lot of money. Getting modifications done at a garage also isn’t as fun. Most people enjoy being actively involved in the modification process. Understand the...