• Prepare your car. Clear all the ice from your windows thoroughly before you start off.
• Plan ahead. Allow extra time for your journey (don’t be in a rush) and stick to main roads.
• Keep your distance. Give other drivers more time and space.
• Drive gently. Brake and change speeds and lanes slowly.
• Be careful on hills. Going uphill, look for the clearest path; drive downhill in third or fourth gear.
• Skid advice. If you do skid, turn into the skid. Take your foot off the accelerator and the brakes.
• Put an emergency cold weather kit in the boot – blankets, food, extra clothes, torch, etc.
• Make sure you have a GWA Vehicle Protection pack!

Two cars that we’ve got on the GWA Cars & Finance forecourt that are ready to take on the colder weather (and not just because of the heated seats and heated door mirrors) are a 2007 Range Rover Sport 2.7 TDV6 HSE Auto (£24,495) and a 2006 Audi A3 SE TDI 5-door hatchback (£5,995).

To have a chat about buying or leasing a new or used car or van, contact Gary at GWA Cars& Finance on 01243 510 650 or sales@gwacars.com.

So, how can you do it? By buying an electric van. The government has extended its Plug-In Car Grant to vans meaning that van buyers will receive 20% off the price of a new electric plug-in van, up to the value of £8,000. If you’re shelling out £40,000 on a new van, bringing that down to £32,000 certainly looks good.

In addition, in the last day or so, the government has also confirmed that a VAT-registered company will be entitled to recover VAT on the full price, including the value of the grant. So, on that £40,000 new van purchased from GWA, a company can recover VAT on the full price before the grant is applied. Although there’ll be a wait to see what vans make the list of eligible vehicles, this good news for company van buyers, whether they’re focused on a small numbers of vans or interested in larger fleet management.

If buying a company van can’t wait, GWA Cars & Finance has special offers on two great models. We have the new VW Transporter Van 2.0TDi SWB available from £247 per month and the Peugeot Expert Professional Van SWB from £220 per month.

To have a chat about buying or leasing a new or used car or van, contact Gary at GWA Cars& Finance on 01243 510 650 or sales@gwacars.com.

If you thought the MG (in a modern incarnation at least) was lost to the British roads, well, you’d be wrong. First glimpses have appeared of the new MG5 hatchback, which is due for a UK launch sometime in 2013, and it looks OK. There is certainly nothing spectacular about it but that isn’t the remit. It has some nice curves, looks well equipped and appears a match for competitors such as the Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra.

Talking of its rivals, the MG5 does have a familiar look. In fact, I don’t think it’s a million miles away in terms of design from the new Kia C’eed, which will be properly unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. From the early shots, the Kia C’eed looks a bit curvier and more dynamic, which are factors that might give it an edge over the MG5. However, we’ll have to see what price tags are attached to them.

If you can’t wait for either of these new models for some hatchback action, we have special offers on the new Ford Focus Sport SE 1.6 TDCi (from £210 per month) and the new Seat Leon 1.6 TDi Eco Tech S Emocion (from £219 per month) at GWA Cars & Finance.

To have a chat about buying or leasing a new or used car or van, contact Gary at GWA Cars & Finance on 01243 510 650 or sales@gwacars.com.