Ensure that the battery is well maintained and that there are appropriate anti-freeze agents in your radiator and windscreen bottle.

Tyre pressures
Check weekly. Do this before your journey, when tyres are cold. Warm or hot tyres may give a misleading reading. Check your tyre condition and pressure. Look out for cuts or bulges and get them inflated if they need it.

Tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are fitted to all cars built after 1 November 2014. If this system is fitted to your car, you may find the warning light has come on if the vehicle has been parked up for a time. This isn’t unusual and doesn’t necessarily indicate a fault or a puncture.

If the TPMS light is on and the tyres look ok, it may just need resetting. Instructions on how to do this will be in the handbook. There’s usually a button somewhere inside the car with the same image as the TPMS warning light on it. Pressing and holding this button for a few seconds should reset the system.

Most vehicles come up with low key battery warning – at this point get the batteries changed as soon as possible, failing to change the key battery can make it difficult to get into the car and also can cause a non start.

Brakes
While it’s running, move the car a short distance back and forth a few times to stop the brakes from seizing.
The best way to check your brakes is to see how they perform while out on the road. If you hear any unusual sounds when braking, notice the vehicle pulling to the left or right, or notice that it takes longer for your brakes to work and slow you down, get them checked by a mechanic immediately.
Most cars have dashboard warning lights that will alert you when there’s a problem with the brakes, so keep an eye out for these.

Check your Diesel Particulate Filter
If your vehicle is a diesel produced after 2007, it most likely has a Diesel Particulate Filter (or DPF). The DPF captures soot particles produced while the engine’s running and stores them until it gets to a stage where it needs to burn them off (regen). This regen process usually happens when the vehicle is on a motorway or fast carriageway for about 10-15 miles, and usually goes unnoticed by the driver.

Tyres, brakes, suspension and general electrical systems are all the same as a petrol or diesel vehicle. The only real difference is the high voltage system.

Many plug-in vehicles automatically maintain the 12- volt battery when they are plugged in – your vehicle handbook will tell you if this is the case. If you haven’t got your vehicle plugged in, it’s good practice to plug in periodically, at least once a month, to help maintain systems.