How cold weather affects your car

As temperatures drop, it’s important to know what impact this might have on your vehicle.

As colder temperatures set in, you’ll likely be aware of the impact this has on heating and the associated costs. But something you might not have considered is the effects it has on your car.

Lower temperatures can put greater strain on your vehicle, with breakdowns often more likely during the winter months, particularly if you’re driving an older car or van. Let’s take a look at how colder temperatures affect your vehicle.

Batteries

The battery is a rather important component of your vehicle, as without it your car won’t be able to start. During warmer months, the battery isn’t under much strain under normal circumstances.

However, when temperatures drop, that all changes, as the battery can struggle with the extra pressure of having the right energy to get your vehicle going. It’s worth having it checked by a trained professional beforehand and replaced if necessary, particularly if the car hasn’t been used a lot or only for shorter runs. The last thing you want to be left with is a flat battery and a car that won’t start.

Tyres

One thing you might not have thought about is how the cold affects your tyre pressures, but it really can see them drop. This could result in a loss of grip levels, which is something you certainly don’t want in winter when the roads tend to be wet and cold anyway.

You can find your car’s recommended tyre pressures in the vehicle handbook, in the petrol filler flap and sometimes in the driver’s door shuts, and then adjust the pressures accordingly. Most petrol stations have facilities for this, allowing you to easily top up your tyres to the correct levels.

Wipers

Having a clear windscreen and effective wipers is important at all times of the year but especially so in winter. During a particularly cold snap, the rubber of the windscreen wipers can become brittle, causing them to tear and crack – particularly on older wipers.

If this happens, you’ll notice they might not clear the screen effectively, or make an unpleasant scrubbing noise. Making sure you have relatively new, clean and undegraded wipers is a quick way to help avoid this.

Fluids

A range of fluids is key to your engine’s smooth running, but when temperatures drop, these can become thicker and not work as effectively. Engine oil is a key example of this, and if it gets too thick, it can become hard for it to circulate the engine – causing potential problems.

Although this is only likely in temperatures well below zero, it’s a good idea in general during the colder months to let your engine warm up before setting off, providing ample time for the fluids to warm up and thin out.

Electric cars

If you’re a driver of an electric vehicle, there are other things to be aware of, particularly when it comes to range and charging.

Most EVs use lithium-ion batteries, which rely on a series of chemical reactions to be effective. But when the temperature drops, these reactions slow down and they limit battery performance. It varies depending on the car, but you’ll notice the range and efficiency aren’t as high in the winter compared with the warmer summer months.

Similarly, you might notice that it’s slower to charge as the battery needs to get up to temperature before it’s able to charge at a maximum rate, which means topping it up can take longer. A flipside, however, is that many EVs come with remote pre-heating, allowing you to heat the car’s interior from your smartphone app, meaning you’ll open the door to a nice warm interior, even on a frosty morning.