Vehicle Smart - Car Check

25/08/2026

Should we add a water depth check feature?

25/08/2026

🛞 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝘆𝗿𝗲𝘀?

Most drivers know to check their tyre pressure and tread depth — but tyre age is easy to overlook.

Every tyre has a four-digit date code on the sidewall showing the week and year it was manufactured. For example, 2422 means the tyre was made in the 24th week of 2022.

Our new 𝗧𝘆𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸, available in the Vehicle Smart Driver Toolkit, helps you decode it in seconds.

You can also use it to:

✅ Decode your tyre size
✅ Understand sidewall markings
✅ Check tread depth with the 20p test
✅ Convert tyre pressures between PSI, Bar and kPa
✅ Find replacement tyres when it’s time for a change

Tyres don’t have a simple expiry date, but the rubber can deteriorate as it ages — even when there’s plenty of tread left.

Open 𝗩𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 → 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁 → 𝗧𝘆𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 and see how old yours really are. 👀

20/08/2026

Someone’s spotted 𝗩𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗱 & 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 👀📺

Apparently, our app made a surprise appearance in one of the episodes. Fame at last.

The only problem… we have no idea which episode it was.

If you’ve seen Vehicle Smart pop up on 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗱 & 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱, let us know in the comments so we can track it down.

We’ve also been spotted on 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝘀 in the past, and we regularly get some brilliant support from members of the emergency services who use Vehicle Smart out in the real world.

At this rate, we’re going to need our own IMDb page.

Great to see Vehicle Smart helping officers on the front line as fe...

03/08/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁

#𝟭𝟮 𝗕𝗠𝗪 𝗘𝟯𝟲 𝟯𝟮𝟴𝗶 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁

After selling the E30 325i saloon, I spent six months without a car, walking to and from work while I saved for my first property, a 1-bed flat in sunny St Leonards on Sea. As soon as I had a step on the property ladder and I knew where I stood financially, the itch for some new wheels returned. I went back to BMW for the fourth time and landed on a 328i Sport Coupé, which had all the looks of the pinnacle of the 3 series, the M3, without the hefty / / / M tax.

It was a cracking car. Clean for its age, drove beautifully, and never gave me any serious grief. From memory, I bought it somewhere around Berkshire from a well to do gent, and the file of paperwork was reassuringly thick with full service history.

I did a bit of spannering myself. The most memorable moment was changing the cabin pollen filter. I pulled it out and half a tree dropped into the driver’s footwell. The date stamp on the filter was 1998, the year the car was built. Despite all those main dealer stamps, that filter looked untouched. It was my first real lesson in how service history can hide a few shortcuts, and why a good independent can sometimes be the better bet. I also started to understand how the quality of servicing can affect a car’s value, not just how many stamps are in the book.

The only faults I had were minor and very BMW. The interior blower stopped working, which was the usual hedgehog resistor. Then the climate control panel died, which turned out to be a small resistor fix. Both were sorted for very little money thanks to the BMW owner forums.

2008 was also the year when I tumbled into photography: I bought a Canon EOS 40D and somehow ended up freelancing for the local paper - the Hastings Observer. Turns out if you hold a big camera with confidence, people assume you know what you’re doing.

I kept it a little over two years and enjoyed every mile. I eventually swapped the German straight six for something French, but the E36 328i Sport still ranks among my favourites. Looking to the tax and MOT data, it is still on the road with more than 207,000 miles however the latest MOT shows an odometer reading of zero, which likely points to a failed instrument cluster or a replacement unit rather than anything more dramatic.

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲?

27/07/2026

𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮. 𝗧𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗩𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁. 🎂

Back in 2016, James wanted a better way to manage a few vehicles, but he couldn’t find an app that did what he needed. So he asked his friend Rob to help him build one, and together they built the first version of what would become Vehicle Smart.

There wasn’t a grand business plan. Just a simple idea: make vehicle information easier to access and help drivers make better decisions.

Looking back at these photos is a reminder of just how far the journey has come—from countless late nights, a gazebo and a couple of chairs at local events, to meeting thousands of drivers at some of the UK’s biggest motoring shows and helping millions more through the app.

Over the last decade, more than 5 million drivers have used Vehicle Smart to:

🚗 Manage their vehicles in one place
🔔 Stay on top of MOT, tax and other important reminders
🛡️ Check vehicle history before buying a used car
🔍 Spot potential problems and avoid costly mistakes
⛽ Access tools designed to make vehicle ownership simpler

Ten years later, that same mission still drives everything Vehicle Smart does.

A decade is a long time in the world of mobile apps, so reaching this milestone feels particularly special. Vehicle Smart is still growing, still improving and still adding new features designed to help drivers save money, avoid costly mistakes and make smarter decisions.

A huge thank you to everyone who has downloaded the app, recommended it to friends and family, left a review or supported Vehicle Smart along the way.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝟭𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗞 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.🚗

21/07/2026

⛽ 𝗙𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗩𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁

Find nearby petrol stations, compare fuel prices and see useful details such as opening hours and available facilities — all from the Vehicle Smart app.

Simply choose your fuel type, explore stations on the map or in a list, and find the best option near you.

Update Vehicle Smart and try Fuel Finder today.

📲 Open the app and tap 𝗙𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿

17/07/2026

Congratulations to 𝗞𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗚𝗵𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘆𝗮 from Watford, winner of last month’s MOT giveaway.

Answer one quick DVSA theory test question for your chance to win this month’s free MOT.

Here’s this month’s question:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁-𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝘆?

Submit your answer via the link below and comment 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗘.

👉 https://tally.so/r/RGgpJ9

14/07/2026

🏁 A few weeks ago, we attended the STEM On Track national go-kart finals.

Backed by BWT Alpine F1 Team , the programme gives school students the opportunity to build, test, repair and race their own karts.

We were incredibly proud to sponsor Mulberry Academy Hastings.

Over the course of the year, 30 students from Years 7 to 10 built three racing karts from more than 200 different types of component, designed their own liveries and applied science, technology, engineering and maths to real engineering challenges.

At the finals there was plenty of noise, teamwork, last-minute problem-solving and pride on display. It was brilliant to see students developing practical skills and a genuine enthusiasm for cars and motorsport.

We also took the opportunity to get some feedback on our little known Vehicle Smart - Theory Test app from the people who may be taking their tests in the next few years. Although, judging by a few of the racing lines, some serious Highway Code revision will be required.

Congratulations to everyone involved and because the karts are dismantled and rebuilt each year, even more students will get the chance to take part and learn from the experience.

We hope to continue supporting the programme and creating more opportunities for local students in the years ahead.

05/06/2026

Congratulations to 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗚𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀 for winning last month’s MOT giveaway.

As always, we’re giving one lucky winner a 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗠𝗢𝗧 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵.

To enter, answer a real DVSA theory test question:

Submit your answer via the link below and comment 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗘.

https://tally.so/r/lbvqBp

02/06/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 - #𝟭𝟭 𝗕𝗠𝗪 𝗘𝟯𝗢 𝟯𝟮𝟱𝗶 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗻

After moving on from the E36 325i Coupé, my next car was an E30 325i auto saloon, handed down by my nan.

My grandad had passed away and she had upgraded to an E46 325i saloon in Siena red metallic. She asked if I wanted the E30 and I did not need asking twice.

The 325i never felt the same after the crash; it was tainted and was getting leggy, so the timing for a change could not have been better.

The petrolhead streak runs in the family. It started with my grandad, passed to my dad, then on to me. Even my nan enjoyed a spirited drive when the road opened up.

I keep a spreadsheet of the cars and bikes I have owned, north of forty at last count. I once asked my dad to list his and I am sure he had at least 80, so I am some way off his title yet!

His best almost story was the time he nearly bought an Aston Martin DB5 in 1978 for £500, advertised in the local Torquay paper.

When he went to see it, it turned out to be her late husband’s car, which he had completely stripped down for restoration. She wanted to clear the garage of the bare shell and crates of parts everywhere, and didn’t really know what it was worth.

My dad was keen, but my grandad, never a fan of Astons, told him not to — said he’d never get it back together — and talked him out of it.

Gutted. We still wonder what became of that car.

Back to my E30. It was a good car that took me right back to my earlier 325i saloon. Even though the auto box never had the magic of the manual, the classic straight 6 soundtrack is hard to beat!

The most memorable moment came in stop/start traffic in town. There was a police car ahead. I was chatting away to a mate in the passenger seat and did not notice the queue had stopped again.

I nudged in to the back of the panda car.

The copper flicked on the blues, waved me over, got out, glanced at his bumper and mine, and said:

“I think we’re alright, aren’t we?”

He gave me a nod and drove off.

What a legend 🙌🏻