You can book a test drive by clicking the ‘book a test drive' button at the bottom of any New Cars listing which will send an email to the right person to organise a test drive in your area.

By initiating contact via email, you create a paper trail for any subsequent discussions. You can also avoid being overwhelmed or confused by sales patter or distractions in a showroom.

Book a test drive during a low traffic period so you can concentrate on the vehicle. Weekday mornings and Sundays are particularly good. If you can, book a few test drives head-to-head to directly compare one to another.

When doing the test drive you should try to replicate the type of driving you most commonly do. Whether it's inner city stop-go driving, commuting on the motorway or picking up kids from school, you'll learn more from actually buckling in three little ones and parking in a small space than you will from any brochure. This means a realistic test drive is likely to take more than five minutes.

Test drives are best performed without the salesperson and without the stereo on; sales speeches and music are both distracting when you are trying to work out what you think of a car. Check that the dealership has automatic insurance so that in the unlikely event something goes wrong during the test drive, you are protected.