Keeping your car and bike on the road this winter

Have you done enough to ensure your car will start in a cold spell? Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA

Prepare your car for the cold months ahead

If you haven’t checked your car for a while, the clocks going back is the perfect time to give it the once-over. A spell of cold weather will soon expose a car battery that is on its last legs. Car batteries start fading at five to seven years old and, if yours is struggling to start the car, you will need to get it checked and likely replaced. The AA says battery faults are the most common cause of breakdowns – especially in the winter.