Winter Breakdown Checklist: What to Check and What to Carry in the UK

Cold mornings, dark evenings, rain, ice and snow all make a breakdown more likely, and much less pleasant when it happens. Batteries struggle in the cold, tyres lose grip, screens freeze over, and a short wait at the roadside feels far longer when the temperature drops.

Most winter breakdowns are not sudden bad luck. They follow a flat battery, a worn tyre, low coolant or an empty screenwash bottle, things that can be checked at home in a few minutes.

This guide covers the checks worth doing before winter, what to carry in the car, and what to do if you break down in cold or wintry weather. If you are in danger, or broken down in a live lane, call 999 first. Do not work on the car in moving traffic.

1. The FORCES checks, before a winter journey

The RAC’s winter advice is remembered with the word FORCES. Working through it before a journey can prevent many of the more avoidable breakdowns:

• F: Fuel. Keep enough fuel for the journey. Cars use more fuel in heavy traffic and stop-start conditions, and winter delays can be long. Do not set off on a long journey with the tank nearly empty.
• O: Oil. Check the oil level and top it up when necessary, following your handbook. Low oil can damage the engine.
• R: Rubber. Check that tyres have plenty of tread and are inflated to the pressure in your handbook, including the spare. Check that windscreen wiper blades are clearing the screen effectively, and replace blades that are worn or split.
• C: Coolant. Make sure coolant is at the level your manufacturer recommends. Coolant stops the engine overheating in summer and helps guard against freezing in cold weather. If it is low, get it checked at a reputable garage rather than just topping it up and hoping.
• E: Electrics. Check that all lights work: headlights, indicators, brake lights and fog lights, and replace faulty bulbs or blown fuses. Lights matter far more in winter, when visibility is poor and it gets dark early.
• S: Screenwash. Top up the windscreen washer fluid with a good-quality screenwash that works down to very cold temperatures. Colder conditions need a more concentrated mixture, so follow the screenwash instructions.

Do these checks when the car is cold and parked somewhere safe, and check tyre pressures before a journey, when the tyres are cold. The legal minimum tread depth for cars, light vans and light trailers is 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters of the tread and around the entire circumference. The RAC has advised that at least 3 mm is advisable in winter conditions, because tread clears water and helps grip, so a tyre that is legal in summer may still be worth replacing before winter.

2. Clear the car properly before you drive

The RAC notes that it is a legal requirement to keep the front and rear windscreens clear of snow and ice before driving. Clear all windows, lights and mirrors fully, not just a small patch to see through, and clear snow from the roof so it does not slide onto the windscreen or fall onto the car behind. Use an ice scraper and de-icer, and keep both in the car for the return journey, not just at home. Do not use boiling water on a frozen windscreen. If no de-icer is available, the RAC’s older winter advice suggests warm, tepid water, cleared quickly so it does not refreeze, but a scraper and de-icer are the safer routine. Make sure the demister and heater are working, and give the car time to clear before setting off rather than driving with a misted or partly frozen screen.

3. What to carry: a winter breakdown kit

If you break down in winter, you may be waiting in the cold, in the dark, somewhere with no shelter. The RAC’s winter breakdown kit checklist recommends keeping these in the car through winter:

• ice scraper and de-icer
• warm clothing, and a blanket to retain body heat
• a torch, with spare batteries, or a wind-up torch that needs no batteries
• a first aid kit
• a phone charger, and a charged phone with your breakdown provider’s number stored in it
• food and drink, and water, a flask of a warm drink is worth having on a long journey
• a warning triangle, to increase visibility (never place one on a motorway)
• a shovel, to free a stuck vehicle in snow
• screenwash, to maintain visibility
• a high-visibility jacket, jump leads, a spare tyre and jack, and an ice scraper and de-icing kit are also on the wider winter lists the RAC and NFU Mutual have published.

Keep the kit in the car all winter, not in the garage. Check the torch batteries, the screenwash and the de-icer before the cold weather arrives, and check the spare tyre’s pressure and that you know where the locking wheel nut key is, the same checks covered in our flat-tyre guide.

4. Driving in snow and ice: slow, gentle, and further back

If the roads are icy or covered in snow, avoid heavy braking and use the gears to slow down. Drive in the highest gear possible to help keep control, accelerate gently, and start in second gear if that helps minimise wheel slip on your car. Use a low gear when going downhill, and try to avoid braking unless you have to. Stopping distances grow sharply on snow and ice. Advice reported from the RAC warns that the gap to the car in front may need to be up to 10 times the usual recommended distance. Brake before a bend, not while turning, and if the car loses grip, take your foot off the accelerator, keep the wheels pointing where you want to go, and steer gently into a skid, for example, if the rear slides to the right, steer to the right, without stamping on the brakes. Use fog lights only when visibility is less than 100 metres, and switch them off as soon as visibility improves, so you do not dazzle other drivers. If conditions are so bad that you cannot drive safely, the safest choice is not to travel, or to stop somewhere safe and wait, rather than pushing on.

5. If you break down in winter: stay warm, stay visible, stay safe

The first rules are the same as in any breakdown: get as far from moving traffic as you can, switch on your hazard lights, and put on a high-visibility jacket if you have one. On a motorway, do not attempt any repair at the roadside. Follow the motorway breakdown steps in our earlier guide: get left, get everyone out on the side away from traffic, wait behind the barrier, and call 999 if you are in a live lane, then call for recovery. The guide is here: What to Do If Your Car Breaks Down on the Motorway in the UK.

On any other road, stay with the car if it is safe to do so, keep warm with the blanket and warm clothing from your kit, and keep your phone charged so you can stay in contact. Tell someone where you are and what has happened. If you are on a busy road with no safe space, if it is dark, or if you are not confident working beside traffic, call for help rather than attempting a repair.

Do not keep trying to start a car that will not start, and do not attempt a jump start, a wheel change or any other repair on a motorway or in a live lane. If the battery is the problem, our flat-battery guide explains when not to jump start at all. If it is a flat tyre, our flat-tyre guide explains when not to change the wheel yourself. In both cases, the safe answer in winter is the same: call for recovery, and wait somewhere safe and warm.

Need recovery now?

UK Breakdown Recovery is a London-based, 24/7 vehicle recovery service. If you have broken down in winter and you are in a safe place, call or WhatsApp +44 7588 282876 for jump-start / battery help or recovery, and tell us where you are and what has happened.

If you are in a live lane, or anyone is hurt, call 999 first.

FAQ

What should I check on my car before winter?

Work through FORCES: fuel, oil, rubber (tyres and wipers), coolant, electrics (all lights) and screenwash. Check tyre pressures when cold, check tread depth, and get the battery and charging system tested if the car has been slow to start.

What is the minimum tyre tread depth in the UK?

The legal minimum for cars, light vans and light trailers is 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters of the tread and around the entire circumference. The RAC has advised at least 3 mm in winter conditions, for better grip.

What should I keep in the car for a winter breakdown?

An ice scraper and de-icer, warm clothing and a blanket, a torch, a first aid kit, a phone charger, food and drink, a warning triangle, a shovel, screenwash, a high-visibility jacket, jump leads, and a spare tyre and jack, plus your breakdown provider’s number stored in your phone.

Should I drive in snow?

Only if you have to, and only if you can do so safely. Drive gently, in a high gear, leave a much larger gap than usual, and use fog lights only when visibility is under 100 metres. If conditions are too bad, do not travel.