Supporting our customers with EV qualified technicians

EV technician next to a Green Flag van buzz-ing to see a customer, both waving at each other.

The electric vehicle market is growing. Quickly. And with government plans to phase out new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, the charge of the EV is showing no signs of slowing down.

EVs are exciting, but from a breakdown recovery perspective (one of our favourite perspectives), they are one of the biggest challenges in our industry right now.

Luckily, we like a challenge. That’s why we’re proud to announce that at the end of 2022, more of our technicians became Institute of the Motor Industry Level 3 and 4 qualified to work on EVs.

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Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment

Four driving habits you didn’t know were illegal

dog leaning out of car window

Right, we’ll get straight to the big one here – is driving in flip-flops illegal? Or is it illegal to drive barefoot?

No, these aren’t illegal, they’re just not recommended. It’s much safer to drive in normal, flat shoes.

Now that the illegal flip-flop myth is out of the way, here a few things that could catch you out.

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Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment

The 2023 motoring forecast: innovation inbound

woman driving car with dog in passenger seat, pov from behind them looking forwards to the road

If you’re wondering what’s on the cards for cars in 2023, all eyes are on innovation.

Will we see a new way of powering our vehicles? Could this be the breakthrough year for self-driving vehicles? Here are the big motoring trends to look out for in 2023.

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Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment

Expert advice: all about pothole damage to your car

pothole damage
Drive though this and you could inflict all sorts of damage on tyre, wheel or suspension (Picture iStock/Marc Bruxelles)

Now’s the time of year when the number of potholes on our roads starts to increase. Winter weather with its extreme temperature variations along with heavy rain and sometimes snow results in more damage to road surfaces. And more holes mean the greater chance that you’ll drive through one and suffer pothole damage to your car in one way or another.

So I thought it would be the perfect time of year to look at pothole damage and what we as drivers can do to spot and limit the effects of it.

Tyre damage is easy to see

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Mike Shaw Leave a comment

Christmas sales: only get what your car really needs

Christmas and January deals can be hard to resist. It’s on offer, so we need to get it… right?

Not quite.

This year, you could take advantage of the right deals and give your vehicle some TLC. Depending on what you buy, you could save money now and in the long run!

Here are some things that’ll help keep vehicles healthy and drivers happy.

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Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment

Is it worth getting an automatic-only driving licence?

automatic only driving licence
Learning to pass an automatic only test is becoming increasingly popular (Picture iStock/Sturti)

Increasing numbers of young drivers are deciding that learning to change gear in a car is a waste of time. The past 12 months has seen an 11 per cent year-on-year jump in the number of drivers qualifying with an automatic-only licence.

In 2012, there were just 550,000 drivers holding automatic-only licences. In 2021, that figure had doubled to 1.1 million.

According to a recent survey by safety charity IAM RoadSmart, around six in 10 youngsters between 17 and 24 plan to apply for an automatic-only licence.

Others think the popularity of automatic-only licences could go further, faster. Approved driving instructor Karen Bransgrove revealed: “The market for people learning to drive just an automatic has increased 10-fold over the past few years. I now have an automatic and wouldn’t teach driving a manual.”

Why an automatic-only licence makes sense

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James Foxall 1 Comment

Breakdown cover: the what’s, why’s, and how’s

Nobody expects (or wants) their vehicle to break down. It’s stressful, it takes up time, it can cost you money if your vehicle needs repairs. Not a great list…

Unfortunately, it happens quite often. Here at Green Flag, we helped with over 500,000 jobs in 2021 alone.

Even though no driver wants to be in that situation, there’s a good chance you’ll have to call on a breakdown cover provider at some point in your life. So, if you don’t have cover already, now may be the time.

That’s why we’ve put all the important info you need about breakdown cover in one place.

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Amie Woodyatt Leave a comment

Pre-drive checks to help avoid a car breakdown.

Nobody wants to deal with a breakdown. In fact, that may be the only thing every driver has in common.

It can be a significant inconvenience, cost you money, and it could even pose a danger to yourself, passengers, and others around you.

But, it’s not all doom and gloom. We have good news. There are some simple pre-drive checks you can do that will (hopefully) lower your chances of breaking down.

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Amie Woodyatt 1 Comment