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Whether you couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel at 17, or you’ve waited until later in life to take your driving test, there are a number of things to consider if you’re a new driver. Purchasing your first vehicle – There are a number of things to consider when purchasing your first vehicle, from reliability to fuel and insurance costs. For example, vehicles are grouped into different insurance classifications, with vehicles in group 1 being the cheapest to insure and vehicles in group 50 being the most expensive. You can visit our blog ‘ Things young drivers should consider when purchasing their first car ’ for further information. Purchasing car insurance – Car insurance is typically more expensive for young and/ or new drivers, but there are a number of things that can be done to reduce car insurance costs, such as having a telematics box fitted. You should always make sure you’re buying a policy suited to your individual requirements. We advise using a local broker to purchase a policy where possible. Our blogs ‘ What car insurance should I buy? ’ and ‘ How can I reduce the cost of my car insurance as a young driver? ’ might also be helpful. Basic maintenance – It’s essential to keep your vehicle in a safe, roadworthy condition at all times. This involves keeping the vehicle clean and also making sure the individual components meet legal requirements. For example, all tyres should have a minimum tread of 1.6mm by law. Here at CARS, we recommend a minimum tread of 3mm. Our blog ‘ How to take care of your vehicle ’ details the vehicle maintenance you should undertake on a regular basis. Additional tuition – Passing your test is only the first step in your driving journey. Many individuals choose to bolster their experience by doing additional tuition, such as the Pass Plus scheme. This may expose you to several challenges that you’re yet to experience, such as driving at night. Proof of carrying out this additional tuition could also bring down your insurance premiums. You can contact CARS for advice on all things car maintenance, repairs and insurance.

Along with the overall increase in the cost of living, the costs of running a car are also on the rise. In this blog, we provide an overview of the things you should consider when working out how much it costs to run a car over time. Service & MOT costs – We advise booking your vehicle in for an annual service and MOT to ensure it remains safe and road-worthy. Whilst a service is not technically a legal requirement, it will help to maintain your car and flag up any minor issues before they turn into larger, more expensive problems. Fuel costs – While the cost of fuel may vary around the country and dependent on the brand, there are other variables to consider when estimating your fuel cost. You should consider the estimated fuel consumption of your vehicle and the fuel type (petrol or diesel). Tax – The amount of tax charged is dependent on the age of the vehicle and in some cases, the level of CO2 produced. There may also be an additional charge payable for cars with an initial list price of more than £40,000. There are several resources online to check the exact rate of tax payable for your vehicle. Insurance – Ultimately, the cost for your insurance will be calculated based on the insurance classification for your vehicle, and the level of cover chosen. We always recommend using a local broker to ensure you choose an insurer and policy suited to your individual circumstances. You can also read our blogs ‘ How do I choose the right insurance company for me? ’, ‘ What car insurance should I buy? ’ and ‘ What should I look out for when purchasing car insurance? ’ for further information. Depreciation – Whilst not technically a running cost, you should also consider the loss in value over time when estimating how much your car will cost you. Whilst most cars will depreciate over time, you can minimise this loss by keeping a record of all servicing, dealing with minor issues prior to them becoming extensive problems, cleaning your car on a regular basis and keeping the mileage low where possible. Finance – If you need to borrow money to buy a vehicle, for example via a finance arrangement, you should consider the interest and other fees associated with the repayment method. Miscellaneous Costs – We also recommend budgeting for any miscellaneous costs where possible. For example, if parts on your car start to show signs of wear and require replacement, this will usually be an additional cost. Please remember that if you’re involved an accident and need to make a claim on your car insurance, we have various excess support options available to help our customers. If you’ve been involved in an accident, have damage on your vehicle or just have a general query, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Telematics insurance, more commonly known as black box insurance, lets your insurer monitor your driving skill and style. This is usually done via a box-like GPS device, a plug-in device or in conjunction with an app downloaded on a smartphone. Your insurer will analyse information such as acceleration, braking, cornering, driving smoothness, miles driven, the date and time you drive and how often you take breaks when on longer journeys. You should check with each insurer, as the information they collate may be slightly different. Based on this information, they will then score your driving, which will affect how much your insurance premiums are. A higher score indicates good and safe driving and could result in lower premiums. Some insurers also offer additional rewards such as vouchers or cashback. However, if an insurer sees evidence of poor and/or dangerous driving, the score will be lower and could result in a more expensive insurance policy. Whilst this type of insurance was originally designed for young drivers as a way of rewarding safe driving by reducing premiums, other individuals may be able to buy this type of policy, regardless of age. Like any insurance policy, the cost will depend on several factors, such as age, address and the make and model of car. Visit our blog ‘ How are car insurance premiums calculated? ’ for further information.

In the accident repair industry, it’s not uncommon for repairers to be approved by insurance companies. For example, if you’re involved in an accident and phone your insurance company, they are likely to tell you to take your vehicle to one of their preferred repairers. There might be a preferred repairer in your local area. If not, you may have to travel to an alternative town or city to have your vehicle repaired, which will be an issue if your vehicle is not roadworthy, for example. You do actually have the right to take your vehicle to any company of your choosing, such as a non-preferred repairer, regardless of what your insurer tells you. This could mean that you receive better customer service, work carried out to manufacturer standards and with new and genuine parts. Unfortunately, not many people know this. CARS of Grimsby is not affiliated with any insurance companies. We are an independent repair centre, serving Grimsby and the surrounding area. Whilst we are not automatically passed work by insurance companies, we carry out large volumes of insurance work for our customers, including taking over all communication with their insurance companies to ensure a stress-free claim process. So, why take your vehicle to an independent repair centre instead of your insurer’s preferred repairer? You will have access to a loan vehicle, should you require one, regardless of whether an accident was your fault or not. An independent repair centre that has no guaranteed stream of work usually attracts customers based on referrals and reviews. As a result, it is important for them to provide top-quality service at all times. Preferred repairers are often working on extremely tight profit margins and because of this, some are authorised to fit second-hand and/or non-genuine parts. In contrast, an independent repair centre has control over which parts they fit. For example, at CARS, we will only use new and genuine parts. This ensures each vehicle leaving us is safe, road-worthy and back in the state the manufacturer intended upon originally leaving the factory. Independent repair centres can still repair modern and technologically advanced vehicles. Here at CARS, we are consistently upgrading our equipment to keep up with any industry changes. Furthermore, we are also invested in the training of our technicians, to ensure they are always above industry standard. As a result, we can repair almost any vehicle that comes through our door.  We recommend always contacting CARS before your insurance company, to ensure you receive credible and non-biased advice, tailored to your individual circumstances.

To work out your premium cost, insurance companies consider your individual risk factors to determine how likely you are to make a claim during your policy term. As such, changing your address could have an impact on the cost of your car insurance. Insurers will look at several factors associated with the area to determine the risk to them. For example, they will look at the previous number of claims in that area, along with the number of accidents recorded. They will also look at other factors, such as traffic volumes and the number of ‘high-risk’ traffic systems, for example cycle lanes or busy roundabouts. Parking availability will also have an impact. In some cases, parking your car in a driveway or garage may result in lower premiums. If you do not have access to this, you may be subject to higher costs. It is no surprise that urban and dense city areas come with a higher premium cost. This is because the more vehicles on the road, the more likely an accident is to occur, and the more likely you are to make a claim. These areas are also more likely to have higher crime rates, which will be a contributing factor when working out insurance cost. Read our blog ‘ How are car insurance premiums calculated? ’ to find out more. We recommend shopping around for quotes to find the best deal for you. We also advise using a local broker to ensure the policy terms you accept are appropriate for your circumstances. Finally, you should always make sure that all information provided to your insurance company is truthful and accurate.

When deciding where to take your car for repair, a huge deciding factor is usually whether the repairer offers a courtesy vehicle as part of their service. If you’re making an insurance claim, the situation gets a little more complicated. As a brief overview: AT FAULT - If you’ve had an accident that was your fault and you’re making a claim on your own insurance policy, you might not be entitled to a courtesy vehicle, unless otherwise specified in your policy terms. NON-FAULT – If you’ve been involved in an accident that wasn’t your fault and you’re making a claim on a third-party’s insurance policy, you are entitled to a courtesy vehicle whilst your vehicle is out of use. However, some insurance providers might tell you that you have to take your vehicle to one of their approved repairers in order to have access to a courtesy vehicle. Read our blog ‘ Do I have to take my vehicle to one of my insurer’s approved repairers? ’ to find out more. To avoid any confusion… here at CARS, we offer our customers courtesy vehicles when required, regardless of the fault of the claim.* We have several options available, from manual to automatic vehicles, and 3-door vehicles to 5-door vehicles. In addition, we’ve recently added a larger family-style vehicle to our fleet, ensuring that customers with children or larger families can still get from A to B whilst their vehicle is in with us for repair. Furthermore, the majority of our vehicles are hybrid, which means we can reduce our environmental impact, whilst still helping our customers. Ultimately, you can take your vehicle to a local, independent repair centre without worrying about how to get around in the meantime. Read our blog ‘ What are the benefits of using a local repair centre? ’ to find out more. *Subject to availability.

As we move further into 2024, many of us will be setting off on road trips and other long-distance journeys. Here we share a few tips to ensure you and your vehicle remain safe whilst out on the road: Stock up on critical items – It’s best to be prepared should the worst happen. We recommend packing the following items as a minimum: sat-nav, first-aid kit, torch, water, blankets and snacks. We also recommend having your documentation with you, such as driving licence and breakdown information. Plan your route – It is vital that you plan your route ahead of time, including stops to ensure driving breaks and reduced tiredness. You should use up-to-date technology or go online to make sure that there are no roadworks impacting your desired route. You should also consider alternative routes in the event that roads become blocked due to accidents or other events. Check weather conditions – As we move further into the year, we’re expecting the weather to get better. However, this may not always be the case! We advise checking the weather forecast ahead of time, to ensure your trip is not impacted by severe wind and rain! Adjusting your travel date and time in the event of severe weather could help you avoid a potentially unsafe journey. Check vehicle components and fluids – Before embarking on any medium to long-distance journey, there are several checks you should carry out to ensure your vehicle remains safe and road-worthy. This includes, but is not limited to, tyre pressures, tyre tread depth, windscreen wipers, lights, air conditioning, as well as the level of screen wash, oil and engine coolant. Our blog ‘ How to take care of your car ’ provides useful tips on how to keep your vehicle in excellent condition. If you have any concerns or have picked up on any changes in the way your vehicle has been driving in recent weeks, we recommend having your vehicle checked over by an accident repair centre, prior to setting off. Fuel up or charge up – It is important that your vehicle is fully-fuelled or charged prior to heading off. Although you can plan to stop at fuel stations and charging points, you can never predict how a journey will unfold. For example, you may use more fuel/ power than anticipated if you end up in heavy traffic or held up behind an accident.

There are a number of reasons your vehicle could fail its MOT, some of which could be avoided by regular maintenance and servicing. Here are some of the most common reasons for MOT failure: Lighting & Signalling Issues – Unfortunately, these issues are responsible for a high amount of MOT failures. For example, blown bulbs or faulty indicators can result in an advisory or failure. In addition, if there is a more significant hidden problem, such as a faulty fuse or wire, this could also prevent your vehicle passing its MOT. Prior to the test, you should make sure that all indicators and exterior lights are working correctly. Windscreen & Wipers – Chips or cracks in the windscreen which are impacting the visibility of the driver could also result in MOT failure. Damage elsewhere could also result in an advisory or failure, if deemed large enough to cause visibility issues or potential danger. Furthermore, if you’re stopped by the police for driving with a damaged windscreen, you may receive a penalty or points on your licence. Brakes – During an MOT test, a technician will inspect aspects of the braking components and how effective they are at stopping the car. As well as checking for brake efficiency, tests will be carried out to make sure the brakes are balanced from left to right, and whether there are any issues causing vibration through the steering. Exhaust System – MOT technicians will mainly be checking for leaks in the exhaust system, most of which are caused by corrosion. Tyres – To pass its MOT, the tread depth on your tyres must be at least 1.6mm, which is the legal minimum. Here at CARS, we recommend having a tread depth of at least 3mm at all times, to ensure your vehicle remains safe and road worthy. If you are stopped by the police whilst driving on tyres of insufficient depth, you could be facing a penalty or points on your licence. Tyre safety can be compromised by cracking to the tyre walls and could also result in an MOT failure. It’s worth noting that MOT regulations can change from time to time. Be aware that something listed as an advisory on your MOT one year could be listed as a failure the following year. Ultimately, making sure your vehicle maintenance is carried out regularly will increase the chances of the vehicle passing its MOT. Furthermore, if you hear any sounds that are unfamiliar, or any new dashboard lights pop up, we recommend addressing these as soon as possible, to prevent a larger issue developing. The following blogs can help you: How to take care of your vehicle Car Dashboard Warning Lights: A Guide Why are timely vehicle repairs important?

Unfortunately, being involved in an accident is an unsettling and stress-provoking event. Whilst you can predict how you’ll react; you won’t really know for sure until it happens. Whilst most insurance companies advise that they must be informed of any incidents immediately, we recommend that you call CARS before phoning your insurance company. Dealing with insurance claims and insurance companies can be extremely difficult, as there are many myths around your legal entitlement. Call CARS first for the following reasons: We offer credible and non-biased advice, tailored to your circumstances. As we are not affiliated with any insurance companies, we will have your best interests at heart and make sure your needs are met. We have a fleet of courtesy vehicles, available to our customers if required.* If you go to your insurance company direct and end up making a claim, they might tell you that you’re not entitled to a courtesy vehicle. The customer service you receive will probably be better. An independent repair centre like CARS usually attracts customers based on referrals, recommendations and other reviews. Conversely, insurance approved repairers have an endless stream of vehicles to repair, automatically passed to them via insurers and other work providers. Therefore, they do not have to worry so much about reviews based on quality, which may impact the service you receive. We guarantee impeccable service every time. You might not have to pay your excess. Yes, you read that right! Here at CARS, we have various excess support options available to our customers. Remember that you don’t have to rush to contact your insurance company… you have time to think through your options and make the best decision for you. Call CARS on 01472 453622 , email enquiries@cars-grimsby.co.uk or read our blog ‘ Do I have to take my vehicle to one of my insurer’s approved repairers? ’ to find out more. * Subject to availability.