Getting out and on the road during these cold winter mornings is bad enough already. But can there be anything worse that turning the ignition key only to hear that slow whining of an unhappy battery?

According to the AA, they are called out to 10,000s of breakdowns each winter that are all down to a poor battery. And with modern cars, so much of what we expect to use in winter relies on a strong battery. In fact it’s during the winter that we demand the most from our batteries.

That includes windscreen wipers, diesel glow plugs, heater blowers, heated screen, and even now-a-days heated seats. The AA recommends that if your battery is more than five years old and there’s any sign of it struggling, then it’s time to get it replaced. And if the car is used mainly do short journeys or it’s left for days at a time without use, then an overnight trickle charge will help.

Garages though offer a battery check service, and often this is free of charge. A good check-up will look at the condition of both the battery and the battery charging system, which includes the alternator output and the condition of the alternator drive belt.