A long journey asks considerably more of your car than the average daily commute, and a few simple checks beforehand genuinely reduce the risk of an unwanted surprise part way through. This checklist covers exactly what’s worth confirming before you set off.
Why long journeys demand extra preparation
Sustained motorway driving, extended periods at higher speed, and simply covering more distance in one go all place different demands on your car compared to typical short, local trips. A fault that might never surface during everyday driving can become genuinely apparent, and inconvenient, over a longer distance, which is exactly why a proactive check beforehand is worthwhile.
When to carry out your pre-journey checks
Checking your car a few days before departure, rather than the morning you’re due to leave, gives you time to actually address anything you find, whether that’s booking a repair or simply topping up a fluid, without the pressure and rush of last-minute discoveries.
Checking tyre condition and tread depth
Tyres take on considerably more sustained load during a long journey, making tread depth, even wear, and general condition genuinely important to check beforehand. Look for any cuts, bulges or uneven wear patterns across all four tyres, plus the spare if you carry one.
- Tyre tread depth, condition and correct pressure on all tyres
- Engine oil and coolant levels, topped up as needed
- Brake feel, responsiveness and any unusual noise
- All lights working correctly, front, rear and indicators
- Washer fluid topped up and wiper blades in good condition
Checking tyre pressure specifically for a loaded car
If you’re travelling with extra passengers or luggage, remember your car’s recommended tyre pressure often increases to account for this additional load, typically listed as a separate figure in your handbook or on the door sticker. Checking and adjusting for this before departure ensures your tyres are properly supporting the actual weight they’ll be carrying.
Checking your spare tyre or repair kit
It’s easy to forget a spare tyre exists until you actually need it, and one that’s been sitting unused and under-inflated for an extended period can be in genuinely poor condition exactly when an emergency arises. If your car uses a repair kit instead, confirm the sealant hasn’t expired and the compressor still works.
Checking engine oil and coolant levels
With the car parked on level ground, check both oil and coolant levels against their respective markings, topping up as needed with the correct specified fluids. A long journey gives an undetected low level considerably more time and distance to cause a genuine problem than a typical short trip would.
Checking brake feel and responsiveness
Paying attention to how your brakes feel, firm pedal pressure, no unusual noise, and no pulling to one side, gives useful reassurance before relying on them for sustained motorway driving and, potentially, unfamiliar roads along the way.
Confirming all lights are working properly
Headlights, brake lights, indicators and any fog lights should all be checked and confirmed working correctly before a long journey, particularly if any part of your trip might extend into darker hours or poor weather, where reliable lighting becomes genuinely safety-critical.
Checking washer fluid and wiper condition
Topping up washer fluid and checking wiper blades for streaking or damage ensures you can maintain clear visibility throughout the journey, particularly important on unfamiliar motorways where following traffic can throw up considerably more spray than local roads.
Checking your battery, particularly before a long trip in extreme weather
A battery that’s been coping adequately with short, local journeys can sometimes struggle with the different demand pattern of a long journey, particularly in cold weather. If your battery is getting on in years, having it tested before a significant trip is a sensible precaution.
Planning your route with fuel and rest stops in mind
Beyond the mechanical checks, planning roughly where you’ll stop for fuel, food and rest breaks genuinely reduces fatigue-related risk on a longer drive, and having a rough plan means you’re less likely to push on longer than is genuinely comfortable simply because you haven’t identified a sensible stopping point.
Packing a basic breakdown and emergency kit
A warning triangle, high-visibility vest, torch, phone charger, and a basic first aid kit are all sensible items to keep in the car, particularly for a longer journey where help might take somewhat longer to reach you than it would on a familiar local route.
Checking your sat nav or route planning app is up to date
If you’re relying on a sat nav or phone app for navigation, confirming maps are updated and you have a reasonable understanding of the route beforehand reduces the risk of a stressful, distracted moment trying to navigate unfamiliar roads while also managing traffic.
Considering breakdown cover before you set off
If you don’t already have breakdown cover, or you’re unsure whether your existing cover is current, it’s worth confirming before a significant journey, since a breakdown considerably further from home than usual can be a genuinely more stressful and costly situation without adequate cover in place.
Why towing adds extra checks to your list
If you’re towing a trailer or caravan, additional checks become relevant, including the trailer’s own tyres, lights, and hitch connection, along with confirming your car’s tow bar and electrics are functioning correctly, since towing places genuinely additional demand on your car’s braking and cooling systems too.
Checking air-con or heating, depending on the season
A long summer journey with struggling air-con, or a winter trip with an ineffective heater or demister, both genuinely affect comfort and, in the case of poor demisting, safety too. Confirming these systems are working properly beforehand avoids an uncomfortable or unsafe surprise partway through.
Why a proper professional check adds genuine value
While the checks covered here are straightforward for most drivers to carry out themselves, a proper professional health check goes considerably further, measuring pad and tyre thickness precisely, checking suspension and steering components, and catching issues that simply aren’t visible from a casual self-check.
When a professional check is particularly worthwhile
For a genuinely significant journey, particularly one involving family, towing, or an unusually long distance, booking a proper professional health check beforehand gives considerably more thorough peace of mind than relying purely on your own checks, especially if it’s been a while since the car was last professionally assessed.
Why mobile servicing suits pre-journey checks well
A mobile mechanic visiting your home to carry out a pre-journey check removes the inconvenience of finding time to visit a garage in the busy run-up to a trip, fitting around your existing preparations rather than adding another errand to an already full schedule.
Building pre-journey checks into your travel routine
Treating this checklist as a standard part of preparing for any significant journey, alongside packing and route planning, ensures your car receives the same proactive attention as everything else you’re organising for the trip, rather than being the one thing left to chance.
Why checking your documents matters alongside your car
Beyond the mechanical checks, confirming your insurance, breakdown cover and any relevant travel documents are current and easily accessible before a long journey avoids an awkward, stressful gap if you need them unexpectedly partway through the trip.
How weather forecasts factor into your preparation
Checking the forecast for your entire route, not just your starting point, helps you anticipate conditions you might encounter along the way, particularly relevant for longer journeys crossing different regions or altitudes where conditions can vary considerably from where you set off.
Why involving passengers in preparation helps too
If you’re travelling with others, briefly talking through the plan, including planned stops and what to do in an emergency, means everyone’s on the same page and genuinely reduces stress if something unexpected does happen during the journey.
Checking your boot space and load distribution
For a longer journey with more luggage than usual, distributing weight sensibly within the boot and avoiding overloading beyond your car’s specified limits helps maintain proper handling and doesn’t place unnecessary additional strain on suspension and tyres.
Why a calm, unhurried departure genuinely helps
Rushing through last-minute checks and departure preparations increases the likelihood of missing something important, whereas building in proper time for a calm, methodical departure, informed by the checks covered here, sets a genuinely more relaxed tone for the whole journey ahead.
Why fatigue management deserves its own consideration
Beyond the mechanical checks, planning realistic driving stints with proper breaks genuinely reduces fatigue-related risk, which becomes considerably more significant over a longer journey than it would on a typical short local trip where tiredness rarely has time to build.
How to handle an unexpected warning light during the journey
If a warning light appears partway through a long journey, pulling over safely to assess the situation, rather than continuing and hoping it resolves itself, is genuinely the safer approach, particularly for warnings related to temperature, oil pressure or brakes.
Why checking your phone’s charge and signal coverage matters
Ensuring your phone is properly charged, and being aware that signal coverage can be patchy on some rural or motorway stretches, helps you plan for how you’d actually contact help if needed, rather than assuming connectivity will always be available exactly when you need it.
Final thoughts on setting off prepared
A few minutes spent working through this checklist genuinely pays for itself many times over in reduced risk and stress, letting you focus on the journey itself rather than wondering whether you’ve overlooked something important before setting off.
Why building this into a repeatable routine helps every time
Rather than treating pre-journey checks as a one-off task for a single special trip, building this checklist into a repeatable routine you follow before every significant journey means it becomes second nature, genuinely reducing the chance of overlooking something important as time goes on.
Checking for vibration or pulling that suggests an alignment issue
A steering wheel that vibrates at speed, or a car that pulls gently to one side on a flat, straight road, can indicate a wheel alignment or balancing issue that a short local journey might never reveal but that becomes genuinely tiring and, in some cases, unsafe over hours of sustained motorway driving. If you have noticed either symptom recently, it is worth having alignment checked before a long trip rather than putting up with it for the sake of convenience.
Planning charging stops if you are driving an EV
For electric vehicle owners, a long journey needs a different kind of preparation alongside the usual mechanical checks, specifically planning realistic charging stops along the route based on your car’s actual range rather than its optimistic manufacturer figure. Motorway driving at sustained higher speed typically uses more energy than the mixed-driving figure quoted for a car, so building in a reasonable margin, and checking that planned chargers are working and compatible before you rely on them, avoids an unwelcome surprise partway through a long trip.
Checking your handbrake, not just the footbrake
It’s easy to overlook the handbrake when everyday driving rarely relies on it beyond parking, but a long journey, particularly one involving hills or an overnight stop on a slope, genuinely depends on it holding properly. A quick check that it engages firmly and holds the car on even a gentle incline is worth doing alongside the rest of your pre-journey routine.
Travelling with genuine confidence
Working through a proper pre-journey checklist, and booking a Full Health Check if it’s been a while or the trip is particularly significant, means you can set off focused on enjoying the journey itself rather than worrying about whether your car is genuinely ready for it. The RAC’s long journey checklist offers further useful general context on preparing thoroughly before setting off. None of these checks take more than a couple of minutes each, and together they cover the areas most likely to cause a genuine problem over the extra distance and duration a long journey involves compared with your usual daily driving. Working through them calmly a few days ahead, rather than rushing on the morning of departure, is really the whole point of preparing properly in the first place.
Source: the RAC's long journey checklist
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should I check my car before a long journey?
A few days beforehand gives you time to address anything that needs attention without the last-minute pressure of the day itself.
What are the most important checks before a long drive?
Tyre condition and pressure, oil and coolant levels, brakes, and lights are the checks that matter most for a safe, reliable journey.
Should I check my spare tyre before a long journey?
Yes, a spare that has been sitting unused and under-inflated for a long time can let you down exactly when you need it most.
Is it worth having a professional check before a particularly long trip?
For a significant journey, particularly with family or towing, a proper professional health check gives more thorough peace of mind than a self-check alone.
What should I pack in case of a breakdown on a long journey?
A warning triangle, high-visibility vest, torch, phone charger and basic first aid kit are all sensible items to keep in the car.