The importance of regular maintenance

When it comes to vehicles, repair and tyre expenses can add up gradually, especially if you overlook minor issues. By doing a few small things to keep your vehicle in good shape, you can stay safer on the road and avoid bigger issues down the line. Here are our key recommendations for minimising repair costs and ensuring your vehicle remains safely on the road for longer.

Ensuring your vehicle undergoes routine maintenance is crucial for keeping it in optimal condition - following the recommend maintenance schedule is important to ensure your vehicle is getting the right service at the right time .

In addition to scheduled maintenance, there are several tasks you can perform regularly yourself, such as checking and topping up oil and fluid levels, keeping tyre pressures at the correct level, and keeping your vehicle clean. Regular cleaning can protect the paintwork and reduce the risk of rust or corrosion from bird droppings. Ensuring you clean under the vehicle to remove salt grit from the roads that can lead to corrosion is also especially important.

If your tyre tread is worn down to below 2mm, it's important to replace the tyre as soon as possible.

The legal tread depth for tyres in the UK is 1.6mm throughout a continuous band in the centre ¾ of the tread and around the entire circumference of the tyre.

Driving with bald or inadequately treaded tyres is not only illegal – but makes them more susceptible to punctures and compromises road grip – jeopardising yours and your passengers safety – as well as other road users. This is especially dangerous if you need to brake rapidly in wet conditions.

The penalty for driving with illegal tyres can be severe. If you are stopped by the police and your tyres are found to be below the legal tyre tread depth limit, you can receive 3 penalty points on your driving license and be fined up to £2,500 per illegal tyre – so if all four tyres were found to be illegal, you could receive a fine of £10,000 and receive 12 penalty points on your driving license.

Which is why regularly monitoring your tyre tread and pressure is vital. You can easily check your vehicle’s tyre pressure - many new cars are equipped with a tyre pressure monitoring system so (you can view your tyre pressure on your vehicle’s dashboard – just remember to reset on the vehicle’s central computer every time you top up at a service station).

Wear and tear are normal aspects of daily vehicle use – however it’s important to understand what is deemed as ‘fair wear and tear’. The BVRLA have a clear set of guidelines that leasing companies use – and excessive damage beyond what is typical for regular use are likely to incur charges.

To avoid unexpected charges at the end of the contract it’s important to take good care of your vehicle throughout its lifecycle - and promptly address any dings, dents or scratches when they occur. You can read our Fair Wear and Tear guidelines below.

Fair Wear & Tear Guidelines

View the Fair Wear and Tear guide for cars here View the Fair Wear and Tear guide for vans here Find out more about what you need to do before you return your vehicle here

When it comes to keeping you safe on the road and reducing the risk of accidents –

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Safe driving practices keep you and your passengers safe – as well as other road users and have been proven to reduce fuel consumption, and minimise wear on your vehicle’s components.

Always adjust your driving to weather conditions, as snow, ice, or heavy rain require more careful driving and slower speeds.

As one of the world’s leading leasing providers, we are here to manage all your vehicle-related needs, including service, maintenance and repairs. We work with a network of professional garages and repairers, ensuring you receive the service you expect and at your convenience.

If you have a LeasePlan vehicle and require repair, maintenance, service or tyres, simply contact the LeasePlan DriverLine or book online [Driver services | LeasePlan United Kingdom] and we will take care of the rest.

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