Holiday road trip: is your car as ready as you are?

Archive article originally published in 2025. It describes the context and announcements at that time. Service availability and applicable rules may have changed; consult current information before acting.

The bags are packed, the children are almost buckled in and the playlist is ready. You even remembered the phone charger's charger. Everything is under control — except perhaps the car.

You may feel ready for the August traffic, but your car would appreciate a few checks before an 800-kilometre motorway journey in intense heat.

Forgotten maintenance: the unwanted passenger

Our relationship with maintenance often combines polite forgetfulness with questionable optimism.

“I changed the oil... wait, was that before or after Christmas?”

Not knowing whether the air filter can still breathe is rather like hiking in flip-flops: possible, but strongly discouraged.

The engine needs care

A neglected engine may overheat, run poorly, use more fuel or refuse to continue. That refusal is less a polite request than a flashing red warning at the toll booth.

Add an ageing battery, forgotten brake fluid and tyres as exhausted as you after a beach day, and the holiday can unravel before you see the sea.

The illusion that everything is fine

The common mistake is assuming everything is fine because no warning light is on.

Your car does not always complain when something is wrong. It may keep going until a breakdown far from help, with no phone signal, a hungry child and a very busy mechanic.

A little organisation brings peace of mind

The good news: you do not have to be a mechanic to manage a car well. A little forward planning helps.

Maintenance means knowing when the last service happened, recognising that thick black oil is not an artistic statement and understanding that the engine warning light will not disappear by turning up the air conditioning.

Simple tools can help keep track of it all.

No, not just a sticky note on the dashboard.

Take the road, but stay informed

A holiday is often a chance to disconnect.

Just do not disconnect from basic mechanical common sense.

Take ten minutes to walk around the vehicle and check its condition.

If the car warns you — or coughs — pay attention.

It deserves a holiday too, preferably without a tow truck.

Happy holidays!

And for anyone reading at a motorway service area with the bonnet open...

See you after the summer. We promise not to judge — much.

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Related source (FR): 5 conseils pour préparer son départ en vacances en voiture

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Further reading and useful sources

Continue with our related article: Why your car's service record matters before a breakdown.

Before a long journey, consult the French road safety authority’s pre-departure guidance (in French)Opens external site.