Ask Honest John

Can you recommend a car that can fit two child seats and an adult in the back?

I'm looking for a car that has three full size seats in the back. I need to be able to fit an adult in the middle rear seat, between two children's car seats. My budget is only small (not helpful I know)...

We only do trips of 10 miles at a time - should we avoid buying a diesel car?

Our 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee is tired and we fancy a Mercedes-Benz ML-Class 3.0. We're wary of diesels because we only do trips of about 10 miles. Should we be wary? If so, what's a good petrol alternative?

A garage did £2400 of unnecessary work to my car - can I claim this money back?

My 2004 Toyota Previa suffered loss of power in the snow. The AA got it to work enough to drive it to my dealer. Even though the AA driver told them about the fuel filter, the dealer ignored that and diagnosed...

I need a large 4x4 but only do short journeys - would a pick-up be suitable?

I need a large 4x4 vehicle (we live on a farm), that will be used mostly for short journeys, that I can throw my gardening kit in - I'm a self employed gardener - and we can use to go to the tip, as well...

Do repeated short journeys have a detrimental affect on hybrid battery range?

I'm thinking about getting a used Toyota Auris or Yaris hybrid, but I'm concerned about how long the hybrid batteries last and their replacement cost. I wouldn't drive the car often - once or twice a week...

Can you recommend a reliable Euro6 van for working in London?

I have a friend who operates a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter LWB for a living in South East London and he will shortly need a Euro6 model to keep costs down for his central London trips. My friend's 2011 Sprinter...

What car cover do you recommend?

My Toyota GT86 is parked outside in all weathers and it's getting bombarded with bird droppings. Would you recommend a car cover? If so, what brand or features would you look for?

What hybrid car should I buy for commuting long trips?

I'm looking for a new company car and l'm interested in hybrid vehicles due to the lower BiK rates in comparison with diesels. I will be doing regular 100-mile journeys, so need to factor in real world...

I recently had the back tyres on my car replaced - why does my car feel less sure-footed now?

I've always used 205/60 H16 Michelin ESaver tyres on my 2010 Toyota Verso. The front tyres needed replacing and I was persuaded to fit Michelin 205/60R16 Cross Climate + 96H XL. Since then, the car doesn't...

How accurate are speedometers?

How accurate are speedometers? My Toyota Auris 2016 reads about 10% lower than reality, i.e. 63mph shows as 70mph and 27mph shows as 30mph. This is unacceptable. All data on this car is inaccurate and...