How to get your car ready for winter

Winter is the season that finds every weak spot in a car. Batteries that were coping in summer suddenly struggle, tyres work harder on wet and icy roads, and a frozen washer bottle leaves you peering through a smeared screen. The good news is that a short run of checks in autumn will head off most cold weather breakdowns, and none of them need special tools.

This guide walks through the checks worth doing before the temperature drops. Take them at your own pace over a weekend. If anything looks past its best, sort it early rather than on a dark, freezing morning when you are already late.

Start with the battery

Battery trouble is one of the most common reasons drivers call out for help in winter. Cold weather thickens the oil in the engine and makes the battery work harder to turn everything over, so a battery that is already tired often gives up on the first hard frost.

You do not need to be an electrician to spot the warning signs. If the engine has been cranking slowly, the headlights dim at idle, or the car has needed the odd jump lately, treat that as a hint the battery is on its way out. Most garages and many parts shops will test a battery free of charge and tell you how much life is left. Getting that done in October is far better than discovering the answer in a car park in January. If you want to read the symptoms in more detail, see our guide to car battery warning signs.

A few habits also help a battery through winter. Short journeys where the car never fully recharges are hard on it, so try to fit in the occasional longer run. Turn off heated seats, demisters and headlights before you switch off, so the battery is not dragged down the moment you next start up.

Check your tyres, tread and pressures

Your tyres are the only thing connecting the car to the road, and that matters most when the road is wet, icy or covered in grit. The legal minimum tread depth in the UK is 1.6mm across the central three quarters of the tyre, but grip in the wet falls away well before you reach that figure. Many drivers choose to change tyres at around 3mm for that reason.

A quick way to check is the 20p test. Slot a 20p coin into the main tread grooves. If the outer band of the coin is hidden, you have plenty of tread. If you can see the band, the tyre is getting low and should be inspected properly. Do this at several points around each tyre. Our full walkthrough is here: how to check your tyre tread.

Pressures matter just as much. Cold air is denser, so tyre pressures naturally drop as the weather turns, and an underinflated tyre grips less well and wears faster. Check them when the tyres are cold using the figures in your handbook or on the sticker inside the driver door, and reset them if needed.

Antifreeze and coolant

Antifreeze does two jobs. It stops the coolant in your engine from freezing when it is parked overnight, and it helps protect the metal inside the cooling system from corrosion all year round. If the coolant freezes it can expand and crack parts of the engine, which turns a cheap top up into a very expensive repair.

With the engine cold, look at the coolant reservoir under the bonnet and check the level sits between the minimum and maximum marks. If it is low, top up with a coolant mixed to the right strength for your car. The strength of the mix is what sets how cold it can go before it freezes, so it is not just about the level. If you are not confident about the concentration, a garage can test it quickly and tell you whether it needs refreshing.

Screen wash that will not freeze

Plain water in the washer bottle is a mistake in winter. It freezes solid, and on a salty, sprayed up motorway you can be left with no way to clear the screen. Use a proper screen wash concentrate mixed for cold weather rather than a ready mixed summer bottle or water alone.

Concentrate lowers the temperature at which the fluid freezes and cuts through the film of salt and grime that gets thrown up off the road. Mix it stronger in deep winter than you would in summer, following the ratio on the bottle for the coldest protection.

Wipers and lights

Wiper blades take a hammering in winter. Lift each blade and run a finger along the rubber edge. If it is split, hard or leaving streaks and smears, replace it. Never try to pull a frozen wiper off the glass, as you can tear the rubber or strip the motor. Let it thaw first, and lift the blades off the screen overnight if hard frost is forecast.

With the shorter days you rely on your lights far more, so walk around the car and check every one. Headlights, tail lights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lights should all work and be clean. Wipe road grime off the lenses regularly, as a dirty headlight throws far less light than a clean one.

Pack an emergency kit

Even a well prepared car can get caught out by snow, floods or a queue that is going nowhere. A small kit in the boot means a delay stays a delay rather than becoming a real problem. A sensible winter kit includes an ice scraper and de icer, a warm blanket, a torch with spare batteries, a hi vis jacket, a phone charger or power bank, some water and snacks, and a small shovel if you live somewhere that sees real snow.

It is also worth keeping a jump pack or a set of jump leads, and knowing how to use them, so a flat battery does not leave you stranded.

When to book it in

Most of these checks are easy to do yourself. Book a professional if the battery tests weak, a tyre is damaged or worn, the coolant strength is wrong, or a warning light stays on. A winter check or a routine service is a good chance to have all of this looked over at once. If anything feels beyond a simple top up, it is safer and often cheaper to let a garage sort it before the cold really sets in.