You have probably come across a car service plan before and maybe brushed it off as you don’t quite understand what it is exactly and its benefits. I admit that if you don’t really understand what it is that it comes across as a luxury. However, it is far from a luxury and if you wish to spend a bit of money monthly to ensure your cars servicing needs are covered then please carry on reading.

So what is a Car Service Plan?

Let’s initially explain what a car service plan actually is. It is basically a plan which is setup to cover regular servicing for your car. The extent of the car service will be stipulated by the car manufacturer as these plans usually keep to what the manufacturer recommends. A general service plan covers labour, parts and fluids. The timeframe of a plan can sometimes be different, usually within a certain time period or miles driven. When you hit the time period or mileage then your car service will be covered with no hassle.

There are of course limits to your service and if you pull your car into the service station after just wrapping it around a tree you won’t get covered. It is standard with most service plans that any major repair work or electrical faults won’t be covered. A car service plan is more about maintaining your car to keep it at optimum performance.

The benefits of a Car Service Plan

There are numerous benefits of taking out a car service plan for your vehicle.

Probably the biggest benefit is that it is cost effective. If you didn’t have a car servicing plan you would get a higher price each time you took your car in due to inflation. With a plan its fixed monthly costs so you know you never have to pay more than what you already do so will save money in the long run. You also get the benefit of returning the vehicle to the original car manufacturer, this can sometimes be more expensive than your regular MOT Centre Cambridge so you’re getting the best possible service at the best price.

With a car service plan you’re going to get a much better return on investment. By paying a monthly amount you know you have the option there for your car to be serviced which it’s definitely going to need on a regular basis. By getting your car serviced more regular you’re less likely to get issues arise which can cause you to fail MOT’s and cost a lot of money in the long run.

Your car is obviously going to benefit from this as well as you, leaving your car for long periods of time can turn the smallest wear and tear into bigger problems which then when you come to finally get your car serviced or taken for an MOT you’re going to get a massive list of problems with an even bigger price to repair them. By regularly servicing your car when it needs to be you can keep on top of the problems and sort them out before they become bigger issues. You keep your car in great condition and get records of full service history, both factors that benefit you if you come to sell your car.

Car shopping for a new car can be tricky because you get forced the dazzling sports cars or big 4x4 monsters that you may not necessarily want. When people discuss the new car they want to buy they always seem to be talking about either the appearance, the engine power or sound system. You do not often hear people talk about the safety of a vehicle and how it performs in crash and road safety test, and why would they? Telling your friends your new car has the highest safety rating is not going to impress them.

Insurance companies however love safe cars, insurance companies ultimately look at the safety of a vehicle and the chances of them having to pay out so high safety rating vehicles are the pick of the lot for them. In fact, they are so popular with insurance companies that they often offer discounts to people who have safe cars. Just because a car is safe does not mean it is not attractive and missing all the essentials so impress so why not get the best of both worlds.

Every year a rating is taken and list released of the top 25 safest cars, if you are looking to buy a car and safety is important to you then I would recommend taking a look at the list, you may be surprised. Below are some of the different types of cars that made the safety list.

Upscale Cars 
If you have the dosh and are looking for something more upscale then take a look at the Audi A4, BMW 330i and Lexus ES300. These 3 in particular were rated highly in the crash and overall safety tests for the sedan category, they’re also very nice looking cars.

Small Cars
Volkswagen are the dons of car safety and year after year the Golf ranks highly in the small car section. The Honda Civic also received top honours. A new entry was the Volkswagen Jetta but pretty much everything Volkswagen produce ends up high on the ranking.

Midsize Cars
Volkswagen again took the top spot with the Volkswagen Passat grabbing the honours, other midsized cars with a high safety ranking includes the Nissan Altima and Subaru Legacy.

Pickups
People assume that pickups are safe but generally they are not as safe as cars. Top pickups include the Toyata Tundra SR5 4.7, Ford F150 XLT 5.4 and Dodge Ram SLT 4.7.

Minivans and SUVs
There is a large safety range for minivans and SUVs, some that are incredible safe and others that can be a hazard to drivers and passengers. Top safety SUVs include the Lexus RX300, Toyota Highlander and the Saturn VUE. Minivans that done well are the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey EX and the Mazda MPV.

Obviously none of these cars are 100% safe and just because you buy a safe car it does not mean you can’t still get injured in an accident. There has yet to be a car with a perfect safety rating but many cars are a lot safer than others and that should be a considering factor.

Carhoken have years of experience dealing with cars and share lots of automotive information, advice and tips on their blog.