Test Drive
A test drive is a drive in a car you are thinking of buying, to check how it starts, drives, brakes and feels before you commit.
What is Test Drive?
Start the engine from cold if you can, because many faults hide once it is warm. Include town streets, a fast road, bumps and a reverse manoeuvre. Test the air conditioning, windows, lights and all the electrics as well. Bring someone along who can listen for noises while you concentrate on driving.
How it works
Driving the car in varied conditions brings out noises, vibrations, warning lights and handling faults that a static look misses.
Why it matters for your car
Check you are insured to drive the car before you set off. A test drive does not replace a professional pre-purchase inspection on a used car.
Other terms
- Axial Flux Motor
- Battery Charger (Smart Charger)
- Cold Start
- Control Unit Coding
- Convertible Roof (Soft Top Or Folding Hard Top)
- Diesel Fuel Heater
- EV Route Planner
- Exhaust Manifold
- Fuel Injector Cleaning
- Headlight Aiming
- Lowering Springs
- Parking Heater (Auxiliary Heater)
- Power-to-weight Ratio
- Saloon (Sedan)
- Scrub Radius
- Sensor Ground (Signal Ground)
- Tread Wear Pattern
- Vinyl Wrap (Car Wrapping)
- Wheel Arch Rust
- Wheel Runout