How to Prepare Your Car for Winter, The Complete Checklist

Winter doesn't announce itself politely. One week it's mild, the next you're scraping ice off a windscreen at 7am wondering whether your battery will make it. A little preparation in autumn saves a lot of stress, and expense, between November and March.

Tyres

Tyre tread depth is legally required to be at least 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre. In winter, most motoring organisations recommend at least 3mm for adequate grip on wet and cold roads. If you're close to the legal minimum heading into October, replace them before conditions deteriorate.

Check your tyre pressures too, cold weather causes pressure to drop. Underinflated tyres reduce grip and increase fuel consumption. Your correct pressures are usually on a sticker inside the driver's door frame or in the owner's manual.

Battery

Car batteries fail more in winter than any other season. Cold temperatures reduce their capacity, and shorter journeys mean the alternator doesn't have time to fully recharge them. If your battery is more than four years old, have it tested before winter arrives. A replacement costs far less than a morning spent waiting for roadside assistance.

Lights and visibility

Walk around your car and check every light, headlights, tail lights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights, and number plate lights. In winter you'll be using them far more, and a blown bulb is both an MOT failure and a safety risk. Clean your headlight lenses too; road grime builds up and reduces output significantly.

Top up your screenwash with a winter-grade concentrate that won't freeze. Standard summer screenwash can freeze in the reservoir and the jets, leaving you driving blind into low sun and spray.

Coolant and antifreeze

Your engine's cooling system needs the correct mix of water and antifreeze to stop freezing and corrosion. Most cars need a 50/50 mix, but check your handbook. Antifreeze testers are inexpensive and give you a reading in seconds. If the concentration is too low, top up with the correct type, don't mix different colours.

Emergency kit

Keep a basic winter kit in the boot: a torch with fresh batteries, a blanket, an ice scraper and de-icer, a high-visibility vest, jump leads, and a phone charger. If you regularly drive in rural areas, add a small shovel and some cat litter or sand for traction on ice.

Your MOT and insurance

Winter is a bad time to discover your MOT has lapsed or your insurance has expired. Both are easy to lose track of, and both leave you exposed at the worst possible moment, especially since an expired MOT can invalidate your insurance. Revn pulls your MOT expiry and tracks your insurance renewal automatically, so you get a reminder before anything lapses, not after.

Winter preparation isn't complicated. It's a couple of hours in October that save you from problems in January. The cars that struggle in winter are almost always the ones that weren't checked in autumn.