Free Vehicle Safety Check
Avoid breakdowns and keep your car running smoothly with our free vehicle health check.
Your car performs at its best when it’s well maintained, but it can be tricky juggling a busy lifestyle with looking after your car. Some of the most common causes of vehicle breakdowns involve damaged tyres and dead batteries, but these can be easily avoided with regular inspection of your vehicle’s key components.
If you don’t have the time — or you don’t know what to look for when checking over your vehicle — Kwik Fit is here to help with our free vehicle health check.
To give you one less thing to worry about, pop in to your local Kwik Fit centre and our trained technicians will carry out a free vehicle safety check on your car and get you ready for the road.
Book your free Vehicle Health Check
To book your free vehicle safety check at your local centre, enter your vehicle registration number below.
Please note: free vehicle safety checks can be completed on hybrid/electric vehicles at selected centres.
What is included in a car safety check?
To keep your vehicle safe and roadworthy, our auto mechanic technicians will check the following items free of charge when you book a vehicle health check with us.
Tyres
We will check the overall condition of your tyres, including the tread depth and pressure. Tyres are essential in keeping you safe on the roads and bringing your vehicle to a stop when you need to brake quickly.
Worn tyres will have a negative effect on your stopping distance, and damaged tyres could result in a blowout. Part of our free vehicle safety check will include an inspection of your tyres’ overall condition, tread depth and tyre pressure.
Battery
We will test your battery's charge to make sure your car can start and get you to where you need to be. Battery failure is possible at any time of year if its charging power is drained and it no longer has the power necessary to turn over the starter motor.
The increased number of electrical components inside the car, such as phone chargers, as well as using heating and lights, put additional strain on the battery. In addition, batteries naturally lose their charging capability over time, so it's best to get this checked out before you find your vehicle won't start in the morning.
Coolant/Anti-freeze
We’ll check your coolant’s levels and strength. Your engine’s coolant level should be checked regularly to avoid causing serious damage to your engine. Coolant and antifreeze are actually the same thing and provide the dual purpose of ensuring liquids do not freeze and crack the radiator in winter, while also making sure the radiator does not overheat in the summer.
Wiper blades, windscreen system and screen wash levels
We’ll check your blades for damage and top up your fluid if necessary. The UK weather can be changeable at best, so even in summer months, it pays to ensure your windscreen wipers are functioning properly. Our free health check includes inspecting your wiper blades to ensure they are free of splits and damage. We will also check the operation of your windscreen wash system and top up your screen wash if necessary.
Light Bulbs
We'll ensure you are made aware of any faulty or broken bulbs and can replace these for a small charge. Ensuring your vehicle’s lights are working correctly is critical for your own safety and other road users as it allows you to be able to see and help others to see you. Having a faulty or damaged bulb is illegal, so we'll check to ensure all of these are functioning correctly.
How long does a vehicle safety check take?
Depending on the type and model of your car, a vehicle health check can take anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. You can either wait in our reception area or we'll let you know once the health check is completed.
Once your vehicle safety check has been completed, our trained technicians will discuss the report with you and provide help and guidance if any elements do not meet the safety requirements.
Is it worth paying for a vehicle check?
Our vehicle safety checks are completely free of charge (with the exception of any necessary replacements, such as new bulbs — but we’ll inform you of these before carrying out any work). That being said, the peace of mind and improved vehicle safety that comes with getting your vehicle inspected regularly is definitely worth it.
You may wish to opt for a more detailed vehicle inspection in the form of an interim or full (annual) service, which we do charge for.
Are vehicle checks a legal requirement?
No, vehicle safety checks are not a legal requirement in the same way that MOTs are. However, vehicle safety checks come with many benefits, which lead numerous drivers to treat them as if they were a legal obligation, including (but not limited to):
- Spotting early signs of vehicle safety issues before they develop (such as tyre cracks, low coolant levels, and battery health issues).
- Peace of mind from knowing your vehicle has been checked by a team of auto mechanic experts.
- Long-term savings by avoiding large-scale vehicle repair jobs that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.
Is a vehicle health check the same as an MOT?
No, a vehicle health check is a comprehensive vehicle inspection of your car's condition, including the tyres, battery, lights, and fluid levels.
- We offer this service free of charge as a way to highlight and prevent some of the most common areas that can go wrong.
- An MOT, on the other hand, is a legal requirement for all cars over three years old in the UK. It is a test of the roadworthiness and emissions of your car, and it must be done by an authorised MOT centre such as Kwik Fit.
- A vehicle health check does not replace an MOT, but can be a great way to ensure your vehicle is ready and avoid any potential problems before you have an MOT.
What is a winter car check?
A Kwik Fit winter car check is exactly the same as a vehicle safety check, but is even more important during the winter months when weather conditions can be more adverse. We'll check the most common areas of your car that lead to winter breakdowns, giving you peace of mind when you venture out during the colder months.
What is included in a winter car check?
To keep you moving during the winter months, we’ll check the following items free of charge:
- Tyres - The condition of your tyres will be checked to ensure you stick to the road in wet and icy conditions.
- Battery – Batteries struggle on freezing mornings. We will test the battery's charge to make sure your car can start and get you to work.
- Antifreeze – Essential to ensuring the radiator does not freeze. We'll check the strength and fluid levels.
- Wiper blades - Wipers are more likely to be damaged in winter months when the blades freeze to the windscreen. We'll check for splits and other damage.
- Windscreen wash system - we'll check this is operating correctly and the level of screen wash, topping up as necessary.
- Light bulbs – With the long dark evenings, you're more likely to need your lights - we'll ensure you are made aware of any faulty or broken bulbs and can replace these for a small charge.
Once your check has been completed, our trained auto mechanic technicians will discuss the report with you and provide help and guidance if any elements do not meet the safety requirements. We'll not proceed with any remedial work without your prior agreement, so our free check is exactly that.
Why are winter car checks important?
Winter car checks are crucial for maintaining the health of your vehicle and its components in the winter months. While it’s unlikely that petrol and diesel will freeze in the UK (due to milder temperatures and their sub-zero freezing points), other components, such as radiators and washer jets that use water-based fluids, can freeze if not treated. Appropriate blends of coolant and washer fluid can help prevent such freezing. In a winter car check, all of these components are examined and seen to.