Got wheels? Make sure your car is always in good condition by having a current warrant of fitness (WoF) and carrying out regular safety checks.
WoF’s are an important way of making sure all vehicles on our roads are safe.
To get a WoF you’ll need to take your car to an approved WoF inspector. They’ll check your vehicle is roadworthy based on its condition at the time of inspection.
The WoF inspector will check many parts of your car including the tyres, brakes, steering, exhaust, seat belts, indicators and headlights.
Once they’ve completed their check, they’ll either issue a WoF or tell you what needs to be fixed.
How often you need to renew a WoF depends on how old your vehicle is (ie when it was first registered in any country).
If your vehicle is:
Even if your car has a current WoF, that doesn’t always mean it’s 100% safe or roadworthy. Remember the WoF is issued based on your car’s condition at the time it was last inspected.
It’s up to you to maintain your car in between WoF checks – otherwise you could get fined.
Use the safety checks below to help keep your car up to standard, and if you notice any changes get them looked at straight away.
There are some basic safety checks you can do to make sure your car is always OK to drive.
These focus on five key areas. You can remember them easily by thinking of the word ‘TWIRL’.
TWIRL stands for Tyres, Windscreen, Indicators, Rust, Lights.
You should perform the following checks once a month or before you go on a long journey:
Look for areas of rust. This can make the car’s body weaker and less able to protect you in a crash.
You should also look under your bonnet at least once a month to check the fluid levels and for any obvious problems.
Things to check:
If you’re not comfortable doing this, it’s a good idea to get someone to help the first few times so you can learn what to look for.