How to test drive a car - 10 top tips from Pershore Motor Group

Test driving a car properly is the most important part of the car buying process according to local car dealership Pershore Motor Group

Research says that the average car buyer will spend in the region of 13 hours researching their perfect make, model and specification before they even set foot on the forecourt of their local dealership. Armed with all this info it can be easy to skip over the test drive and not give it the time and consideration it deserves and rush through it. As the New Year is a busy time of year for car dealerships across the country, the team at Pershore Motor Group have put together a list of their top 10 tips to help you with your next test drive.

1. Make sure you allocate enough time for your test drive appointment so you can test drive the car thoroughly. Our Pershore and Stoulton showrooms are conveniently located near to Junction 7 of the M5 so you can take our cars up the motorway to really see how they perform.
2. What do I need to bring? Make sure you bring your driving licence with you to show the dealer, they may need to take a copy of it for their records and to cover you on their insurance.
3. Is it going to be big enough? If you are buying a family car its worth bringing everyone along to see if they can comfortably fit in along with car seats, pushchairs, golf clubs and anything else you will need to fit in.
4. If you are buying from a dealer such as Pershore Motor Group, any car they sell will have already undergone a full HPI check to ensure the car has never been involved in an accident or stolen as well as a comprehensive inspection before reaching the forecourt. Just to be sure though make sure you listen out for any odd noises and check for scuffs and scratches as these can all be attended to before sale and delivery.
5. Never driven an Automatic? If you want to potentially switch from a manual car to an automatic but have never driven one, let your sales person know so they can find a quiet route for you to get used to the slightly different driving position.
6. Spend a few minutes getting comfortable and ensure your seat is in the right position and you are happy and confident with operating the wiper blades, lights etc.
7. Check the car accelerates evenly and smoothly and brakes effectively. Ideally try driving in different speed limit zones and on a variety of different routes to get a full idea of how the car performs.
8. Don’t forget to check the reverse gear, rear visibility and parking sensors if it is equipped with them.
9. Is it quick enough for you? If you are someone who does a lot of motorway driving, being able to accelerate and overtake effectively may be important to you so check the car has enough acceleration for you. Equally we have seen people return cars which are too fast for them so make sure you are happy with the power of the car.
10. Check the tech! Make sure you check if the satellite navigation system is working, air conditioning, touch screen responsiveness, heated seats, Bluetooth etc, the more expensive the in car technology the more expensive it can be to fix!

Now you have our top 10 tips for how to test drive a car effectively make sure you pop down to see our teams at our showrooms in Evesham and on the High Street in Pershore and test-drive as many cars as you would like to!