What Should You Look out for When Test Driving a Car?
The excitement of buying a new car can cause people to overlook important elements of the testing process. It’s important to understand that before you reach a decision, you should test drive the car to make sure it feels right to you and the needs of your lifestyle.
This blog details a few tips that you should know when test driving your new car!
Test Driving Tips for New Car Buyers
Whether it’s a new or used car you’re buying, it’s important regardless the age of the car that you give it a good test drive. After all, this is your chance to ensure everything feels ok and that you actually enjoy driving it – before possibly making a decision you might regret later down the line.
These Are Our Top Tips on How to Make the Most of Your Test Drive
Have a passenger to ride along with you - a family member or friend if possible. This way you can get a second opinion and you can find out how the car feels to them. Make sure you’re allowed a good amount of time on the road with your car, an hour is usually a good enough run. Take the car to different types of areas – in town, out of the open road and also on a motorway if possible. When you’re on a motorway or a dual carriageway, practice overtaking to check for good acceleration and potential blind spots. Don’t forget hills – how a car deals with the increased gravity up hills is extremely revealing. Attempt a more challenging route with winding corners so you can see how the car handles and hugs the roads. Always remember to test the car’s brakes out before it’s too late! Try braking hard to test the stability of the car in an emergency. If there’s a Sat Nav, get your sales executive to take you through a tutorial. Get in any questions about it sooner rather than later. If you think you’ve made your mind up already, it’s always a good idea to test drive another car for comparison – it may surprise you!
Final Points to Be Aware Of
Is the car easy to get in and out of? Do the rear seats fold down easily? Is it a comfortable place to sit? Make sure you adjust the seating and steering to your preferred position. Is the general vision within the car ok? Be sure to check for blind spots when driving both forwards and backwards. Is the boot big enough? Will it be ok for loading and if you’ve got a dog, will they fit in it comfortably!
Our Top Tip
Our most valuable piece of advice is to take your time – buying a new car is an important choice that you don’t want to rush so you must be sure that the test drive is going at a pace that is beneficial to you.
To find out more about a test drive with Sinclair Skoda then please click here to enquire using our online contact form!
