Top 10 car hacks to improve your driving experience

Whether it’s nipping to the shops or a holiday road trip, many of us spend more time in our car than we realise. To help you make the most of all those hours behind the wheel, we’ve put together our top 10 hacks to improve your driving experience. 

From ways to make your car cooler, cleaner and more fuel-efficient to tricks that make driving easier, safer and more comfortable, these are the cheat codes you need to know. 

The tips featured in this guide:

1. How to cool down a hot car (quickly)

2. Use your fuel cap pointer

3. The 20p test for tyres

4. Park in the shade

5. Keep your fuel cap clean

6. Swivel your sun visor

7. Smoothly does it, for better mpg

8. Check your tyre pressures regularly

9. Perfect parking, every time

10. Use rubber gloves to remove dog hair

1. How to cool down a hot car (quickly)

On a sunny day, the interior of your car can reach sauna-like temperatures in a matter of minutes. Even the most advanced air conditioning system can take a while to make a difference, but there’s a quicker way to switch stifling air for something fresher.

First of all, lower one of the passenger-side windows. Then open and close the driver’s door quickly a few times. You don’t have to open or close it fully if you want to avoid the extra wear and tear or noise, but you need enough movement to get the air inside churning. That reduces air pressure inside the car, forcing external air in and pushing all that hot, stale air out.

2. Use your fuel cap pointer 

Most of us have pulled into a fuel station and struggled to remember which side the fuel filler cap is on at some point. It can be extremely frustrating, and it’s more likely if you drive more than one car regularly, or have recently changed cars.

 

But there’s a simple solution: most cars have a fuel cap indicator on the driver display. Yep, that little triangle at one side of the fuel gauge on the dashboard is there for a reason. It’s actually an arrow that points out which side of the car the fuel filler cap is on! 

3. The 20p test for tyres

How do you know that your car’s tyres have enough tread left on them? Use a 20p piece! The minimum legal tread depth for car tyres in the UK is 1.6mm. That happens to be the same width as the band that runs around the outside of a 20p piece, so all you need to do to make sure that your tyres are legal is press a 20p (side-on, of course) into the tread. If the outer band of the coin is hidden, you’re good to go. 

Bear in mind that this is the bare minimum of tread, however. It may be best to replace your tyres before the tread gets that low. 

4. Park in the shade

It sounds obvious, but parking in the shade can make a massive difference to how hot your car gets in summer. You don’t always get a choice of where to park in a public or work car park, of course, but choosing a spot that’ll be in shade during the sunniest part of the day will keep it much cooler. 

When you’re parking, think ahead: as the sun moves from east to west, any shaded areas will shift. If you’re going to be parked for a while, it may be better (and easier) to find a spot that’s not yet in shade but will be for most of your stay. 

5. Keep your fuel cap clean 

Where do you put your fuel filler cap when topping up your car with petrol or diesel? Do you hold on to it, or do you let it dangle, potentially scratching the bodywork or picking up grime that could then get into your car’s engine and damage it? 

The good news is there’s a better option. Almost all cars have a hook or slot that the cap attaches to while you’re filling up, keeping it away from the bodywork. Filling up with petrol or diesel may become a thing of the past due to the switch to electric cars, but for now, this hack can help keep your car in good shape while you do it.

6. Swivel your sun visor

When it’s sunny, folding down your car’s sun visor is your first line of defence against distracting glare. It’s a wonderfully simple solution, but did you know that your sun visor may have another trick up its sleeve? 

Most can be unclipped at the left side, so they can be swivelled across to cover the top part of the driver’s side window, if that’s the direction the sun is coming from. It takes a moment and can make all the difference on a bright summer morning. 

7. Smoothly does it, for better mpg

Driving more smoothly is better for your car, your passengers' comfort, and your bank balance. The key to getting maximum miles per gallon (or miles per charge if you have an electric car) is thinking ahead. Leave a decent gap between you and the car in front, brake and accelerate gently and try to anticipate what’s happening ahead, rather than reacting to it. Reducing your speed makes a big difference, too.

Oh, and ditch the clutter. Anything that adds weight reduces fuel economy, so take out all that junk you’re storing in the boot!

8. Check your tyre pressures regularly 

Maintaining the correct tyre pressures can make a big difference to how your car drives and how much fuel it uses. You should check them at least once a month (more often if you do a lot of miles), or before a long journey. You’ll find the recommended pressures on a label inside the front door frame, the fuel filler cap or in the car’s handbook. 

It pays to get them right. Under-inflated tyres wear out faster, increase fuel consumption and affect your car’s handling and braking, while over-inflated tyres can reduce grip.  

9. Perfect parking, every time

If you’re lucky enough to have a garage to park your car in, you might find that getting your car in is a squeeze. Here’s a simple tip to help you stop in just the right place every time, without bumping the front of your car. 

With the car parked at just the right distance from the wall (or whatever else you don't want it to hit), hang a tennis ball from the ceiling so that it just touches the windscreen of your car. Then, every time you park the car, you know exactly when to stop.  

10. Use rubber gloves to remove dog hair 

As much as dog owners might love their pet, they might not love the mess they leave in their car. Those hairs seem to get everywhere, and resorting to the vacuum cleaner can be both a hassle and disappointingly ineffective. There’s a simple hack, though: rubber gloves. Yep, grab those washing-up gloves from under the sink (or wherever else you hide them) if you want to make getting rid of dog hair easier. 

Simply drag your hand across the area, and a combination of static electricity and the glove’s sticky surface lifts the hair as if by magic and clumps it together in an easily binnable ball. You can, of course, use the same technique to keep your carpets/furniture/clothes hair-free too!