As soon as you walk onto a car lot, the salespeople are already thinking of 1000 different ways to empty your wallet. They’ll try to make you buy a more expensive car than you need which is why it’s important to go in with a clear budget and a bit of an idea about what you want from a car. But even if you resist their first attempts and pick a car that’s well within your budget, they’ve still got some tricks up their sleeve. Now that you’ve chosen a car, they’ll start trying to sell you all sorts of add-ons which bump up the price by quite a bit. Some of them are just plain useless, there’s no point paying extra for a spoiler or a big muffler that won’t have any effect on performance, it’ll just annoy your neighbors. But there are a couple of add-ons which will actually improve your driving experience and they’re worth paying for.

Automatic Braking

Anything that makes your car safer to drive is always a bonus which is why automatic braking systems are worth paying a bit extra for, especially if you’re a novice driver. These automatic braking systems have sensors which can detect objects close to the car. The computer can react faster than you’ll be able to so if somebody in front brakes suddenly or pulls out in front of you, the car will automatically stop itself and avoid any accidents. You might think that it’s an expensive added extra but you won’t be complaining when it stops you from crashing right into the back of somebody.  

Cameras

Most new cars come with the option of rear cameras for parking these days. Whether you should pay the extra for them depends on how confident you are with your parking. If you don’t find it an issue then it’s not worth it. But if you have a lot of trouble parking, a rear camera will make your life so much easier. As well as a rear camera, you should consider a dashcam. They don’t always come as an added extra from the dealership but you can get some great ones online from sites like BlackboxMyCar. Everybody should invest in a dashcam because it can be a massive help if you’re in an accident. If there is a dispute about which driver is to blame, having a recording of the entire incident makes it far easier to argue your case.

Sat Nav

A lot of new cars come standard with sat nav built in already but if you’re buying a model that doesn’t, it’s probably worth paying extra for. Sometimes, it’s a little cheaper to buy a separate one and just stick it to the dashboard, however, that does come with its own problems. It’s easy for somebody to smash the window and steal it so paying a little bit more for a built in one is usually a safer option.

Don’t get caught out with all of the useless added extras next time you go to buy a new car, just stick to the ones that actually improve your driving experience.