Article sponsored by KnowYourCar

There are three main things that all UK vehicle drivers must have to be lawful. Vehicle tax, MOT certificate, and insurance.

Yet for tax, the Department for Transport estimates that 1.9% of vehicles on the road in the UK are unlicensed and avoiding vehicle excise duty (VED): that amounts to 719,000 vehicles.

When it comes to valid MOTs, the situation is worse. According to a study by KwikFit, 9% of drivers missed their MOT renewal dates. This can result in a £1000 fine.

When it comes to insurance. According to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB), there are around one million uninsured drivers on UK roads.

Whilst a lot of the above drivers will be breaking the law deliberately, it is likely a sizeable proportion are unaware they are driving without MOT, tax or insurance. They have just simply forgotten.

So, what can users do to mitigate this? UK web designers have created a new app called KnowYourCar, which has an ‘owner mode’

Type in your vehicle registration and KnowYourCar checks the MOT and tax, reminding you automatically when dates are due. For insurance there is one extra step – you must check the registration again on the MIB system, but again KnowYourCar makes it simple and then provides reminders for your insurance date.

But it does not just stop there. The app also provides helpful advice and guidance on how to keep the vehicle running well, with exact parts, help with DIY manuals and showing the best garages nearby.

Its stated aim is to make owning a car easier.

But car ownership is not just about keeping on top of your existing vehicle. What if you are looking to buy your next car? This is where KnowYourCar ‘buy mode’ comes in. It provides all the usual stuff, such as specifications for a vehicle, but it provides something very new.

It analyses the true ownership costs. It does not just look at car value, it also looks at live depreciation, repair costs, likely insurance costs, fuel costs and amongst other things how rare or popular the car is.

This allows buyers to make an informed choice. And there are some surprising results. Especially when you realise that depreciation is the largest single cost of owning a car. It is entirely possible to justify buying your dream car that no longer depreciates meaning that it actually costs you less than the ‘sensible’ option. This is a game changer for petrol heads!

And once you have found the car of your dreams, it then provides the final most crucial step. A full vehicle check. You must pay for this, but it’s a small price, as it looks at the car’s history and checks if it has been stolen, written off or still has finance outstanding. (This is commonly referred to as an HPI check, although that industry term is a bit misleading as HPI are just the company that were the first to offer vehicle checks in 1938. Things have moved on a lot since then and KnowYourCar is not affiliated to HPI at all). Whenever you buy a vehicle it’s one of the most important steps you can do to protect yourself against buying a dodgy vehicle.

If you are a car owner in the UK, try the app now. It’s free to download and check your vehicle. Check out the app here: https://know-yourcar.co.uk/