Winter is upon us, and with it the toughest driving conditions of the year. It’s important that your car is performing as best as it possibly can during this period, especially as Money Expert estimate that there are as many as 50% more breakdowns during the winter.

Luckily, there are some simple things you can do to make sure your vehicle is prepared for the winter and were going to take a look at five.

Have your battery tested

One of the biggest casualties of the cold and the damp is usually the car’s battery, and there’s nothing worse than hearing it fail to splutter into life as you turn the keys.

If you notice your battery starting to die, it is possible to test it yourself, which you can learn more about at AutoBatteries.com.

However, it’s a lot easier to have it tested by a specialist, so we’d recommend taking the vehicle to your dealership.

If your battery needs to be replaced, we’d always recommend buying a genuine one from your manufacturer, rather than an aftermarket alternative.

We spoke to Cox Motor Parts, a genuine Honda parts dealer, and they said: “When you buy an OEM battery, you know you can count on the highest quality.

“Genuine batteries are manufactured to strict quality standards imposed by the manufacturer’s engineers for an exact fit and precise operation.”

Check antifreeze

Antifreeze is essential during the winter months, to ensure that the fluid in the engine’s cooling system doesn’t freeze up!

To test how effective your antifreeze is, we’d recommend, buying an antifreeze tester. You can pick them up for as little as £1.99 from Halfords and they’re simple to use.

Just unscrew the coolant reservoir cap under your bonnet, lower the tube of the tester in and squeeze the rubber bulb, when you can then see the freezing point of the antifreeze.

Create an emergency kit

It might seem a bit extreme, but it could be a good idea to create a little emergency kit, just in case you get stranded in the middle of nowhere in the wet and cold!

Possible things you might wish to include could be:

• Car phone charger
• Hazard warning triangle
• Hi-Vis clothing
• First aid kit
• De-icer
• Shovel
• Tow rope
• Wellies
• Torch
• Food/Drink

Check screen wash

You’ll likely be getting a lot of use out of your windscreen wipers during the winter months, so the last thing you want is for them smearing grime and dirt across your windscreen.

To prevent this from happening, make sure that your screen wash bottle doesn’t run empty. You can find the windscreen washer bottle underneath the bonnet.

Check your exterior lights

It’s simple, but it’s important to make sure that you always check our lights during winter.

As the days get shorter and visibility worsens, it becomes even more important to be vigilant about this.

Make sure to not only check that they’re working but also be sure to clean your lights as salt and dirt can quickly build up.

Perhaps also carry a set of spare bulbs with you.