There is nothing worse than a breakdown on the A303 with the family in the back and the holiday cottage getting further away by the minute. Most roadside breakdowns on long journeys are caused by issues that a quick check beforehand would have caught.
This 12-point checklist covers everything you should look at before setting off on a summer road trip. None of it takes long, and all of it could save you from a costly and stressful situation.
Before you start: run a quick vehicle check
The fastest way to get an overview of your car's status is to run a free vehicle check using your registration number. In seconds, you will see your MOT expiry date, tax status, mileage history, and any outstanding advisories from previous MOT tests. If anything looks off, you have time to deal with it.
The 12-point checklist
1. Check your MOT status
This catches people out every summer. Your MOT expires on a fixed date, and if that date falls during your trip, you will be driving illegally from that point onwards. Worse, your car insurance is typically invalid without a current MOT.
Use our MOT checker to see your exact expiry date. If it is coming up soon, book an MOT before you leave — you can test up to a month early without losing any days on the new certificate.
2. Verify your car tax
An untaxed car can be clamped, seized, or issued a fine, even when parked. Check your tax status to confirm it is current and will not expire while you are away.
3. Inspect all tyres including the spare
Tyres are your only contact with the road, and long motorway driving at speed puts them under sustained stress.
Check tread depth on all four tyres. The legal minimum is 1.6mm, but for a long summer journey, 3mm or more is recommended. Below 3mm, wet-weather braking distances increase significantly.
Check tyre pressures when the tyres are cold. Look for the recommended pressures on the sticker inside the driver's door frame or in the handbook. Use the "full load" figure if you are packing the car with passengers and luggage.
Do not forget the spare. If you have a spare wheel or space-saver, check its pressure too — a flat spare is useless when you need it. If your car has a tyre repair kit instead of a spare, make sure the sealant has not expired.
4. Top up engine oil
Check the oil level with the dipstick on cold, level ground. The level should sit between the minimum and maximum marks. Running low on oil during sustained motorway driving can cause serious engine damage. Top up with the correct grade — your handbook will specify.
5. Check coolant level
Summer heat combined with long driving puts extra demand on the cooling system. With the engine cold, check the coolant expansion tank and ensure the level is between the min and max marks. Never open the radiator cap when the engine is hot — the pressurised coolant can cause severe burns.
6. Fill up screenwash
Summer driving means insects, pollen, and road grime coating your windscreen. Fill the washer reservoir with a proper screenwash solution diluted to summer concentration. Plain water does not clean effectively and can harbour bacteria that cause an unpleasant smell.
7. Test all lights
Walk around the car and check every light: headlights on dipped and main beam, front and rear indicators, brake lights, rear fog lights, reversing lights, and number plate lights. A blown bulb is a quick and cheap fix at home but an inconvenient problem to discover 200 miles from home — and an MOT failure if your test falls during the trip.
8. Inspect wiper blades
Worn wipers are easy to ignore in dry weather but become dangerous in a sudden summer downpour. If your blades are streaking, smearing, or lifting off the screen at speed, replace them. Most wiper blades cost under GBP 15 and take a few minutes to fit.
9. Check your brakes
Listen for any unusual sounds when braking — grinding, squealing, or scraping. If the brake pedal feels soft or spongy, or the car pulls to one side under braking, get them inspected by a garage before your trip. On long descents (especially if you are heading to hilly areas or driving in Europe), tired brakes can fade and lose effectiveness.
10. Review your breakdown cover
Confirm your breakdown policy is current and covers the full extent of your journey. Standard policies may not include certain services like homestart (breakdown at your home address) or onward travel. If you are heading to mainland Europe, check whether your policy covers overseas breakdowns or whether you need a temporary upgrade.
11. Verify your insurance
Check your insurance documents to confirm the policy covers your planned journey and any named drivers who might share the driving. If heading abroad, contact your insurer to check whether you need a green card or additional overseas cover. Some policies automatically include EU driving but limit the duration.
12. Pack an emergency kit
A small emergency kit takes up minimal boot space and can make a huge difference if things go wrong. Consider packing:
- Warning triangle
- Hi-vis vest (legally required in many European countries)
- First aid kit
- Fully charged phone charger or power bank
- Torch with fresh batteries
- Bottled water
- Basic tools and a tow rope
If driving in Europe, research the specific legal requirements of each country you will pass through. France, for example, requires a breathalyser, and many countries mandate spare bulb kits.
Check your previous MOT advisories
Before you leave, review the advisories from your last MOT. An advisory for "tyre approaching minimum tread" or "brake disc worn but above limit" might have been borderline six months ago and could now be a real problem. Check your full MOT history to see what was flagged and address anything that has had time to worsen.
For a deeper understanding of what each advisory means and how seriously to take it, read our guide on what MOT advisories actually mean.
Not confident going it alone? Book a pre-trip check
If anything on the checklist felt out of your depth — brakes that don't feel right, a coolant level you can't read, an unfamiliar dashboard light — get it looked at before you set off. A pre-trip inspection is one of the cheapest insurance policies you can buy. Most independent garages offer a "summer holiday check" for £25–£50, and many bundle it with an oil change or interim service.
Compare local garages on BookMyGarage — enter your registration to see prices and availability for a pre-trip check, interim service, or full service near you. Booking a week or two before you leave gives you time to address anything they find.
A few minutes now saves hours later
Every item on this list takes minutes to check. The whole checklist can be completed in under an hour, and most of it requires no tools or specialist knowledge. Compare that to the hours you would lose sitting on the hard shoulder waiting for a recovery truck, and the investment is obvious.
Run a free vehicle check before you go, work through the list, and hit the road with confidence. If you are buying a car specifically for a trip, our guide on essential checks before buying a used car covers everything you need to know.