Flipboard 2025 Car Tips

One of the best perks of a hybrid engine: your brakes barely wear down thanks to regenerative braking. Then the surprise comes during an inspection.

Your dealer says your approved auto loan fell through and wants you to accept a higher rate. Learn how conditional financing works, what rights buyers may have, and what to check before signing a new car loan.

Modern emissions inspections often rely on the car’s own diagnostic system, so a malfunctioning sensor can trigger a failure even when nobody measures unusually dirty exhaust at the tailpipe. Whether you must repair it, qualify for a waiver, or have another testing option depends on your vehicle’s age and the rules where it is registered.

The condo’s EV charger is supposed to be shared. But morning, noon and night, the same car is there. Apparently, its owner thinks “first come, first served” means arriving first and never leaving. Everyone else would like a turn...so can the condo actually make him move?

Your car goes into a repair shop for diagnosis, weeks pass, and then the shop says you owe storage fees for a repair you say you never approved. That is the kind of dispute that can turn a bad repair experience into a full blown fight over who gets to keep the keys. The short answer is that a shop cannot simply invent rights it does not have, but whether it can hold the car often depends on state law, any signed paperwork, and whether the shop has a valid lien.

If you’re a car owner, keeping things in tip-top shape not only helps your vehicle last longer, but also contributes to your safety on the road.

Walking through an apartment garage full of electrical outlets can make management's no-EV rule seem strange. After all, Level 1 charging can use a standard 120-volt outlet, and the U.S. Department of Energy says many EV owners can cover their daily driving by charging this way overnight. The important catch is that DOE specifically points to an outlet on a dedicated branch circuit near the parking location.

A neighbor’s tree damaged your car, but who pays? Learn how negligence, comprehensive insurance, deductibles, homeowners coverage, and storm damage can determine who is ultimately responsible for the repair bill.

You activated the automatic parking system, watched the steering wheel move on its own, and then heard the unmistakable scrape of a wheel against the curb. The dealer’s answer is simple: you were still the driver, so the damage is yours. That may be part of the story, but it doesn’t necessarily settle what happened or who should pay.

Your mechanic may be right, even if the quote feels surprisingly high. Cars with automatic start-stop systems put their 12-volt batteries through more work than older vehicles, and many require enhanced flooded batteries or absorbent glass mat batteries instead of the cheapest conventional option. The price premium is real, but so are the technical differences.