Jane O'Shea articles

You lend your car to a friend for a quick errand, and hours later your insurance app suddenly shows hard braking, rapid acceleration, or another risky-driving event. That can happen because telematics systems collect data through smartphones, plug-in devices, Bluetooth equipment, or technology built directly into the vehicle. The important question is not simply whose car was driven. It is how your particular insurance program identifies the person behind the wheel.

A low monthly payment can make an expensive vehicle seem surprisingly affordable. The problem is that a dealer can reduce the payment without reducing the price simply by stretching repayment across more years. With auto loans increasingly extending beyond six years, checking the loan term has become just as important as checking the payment.

Buying a certified pre-owned car can feel like paying extra to remove the uncertainty that comes with buying used. Manufacturer-backed CPO vehicles generally go through an inspection and reconditioning process and receive additional warranty coverage. That still does not mean every component is guaranteed to be flawless or that nothing can go wrong after you leave the dealership.

Watching an EV's predicted range fall after switching on the heater can be alarming, especially when the estimate looked comfortable moments earlier. The change usually reflects the car recalculating how much energy it expects to consume, not a sudden loss of battery capacity. Cold weather increases energy demand for cabin heating while also making the battery itself less efficient.

You entered your vehicle information online, received an attractive trade-in number, and drove two hours expecting the dealership to stand behind it. Then an employee inspected your car and suddenly offered thousands less. Whether that is legitimate depends heavily on what the original number actually promised and what conditions were disclosed before you made the trip.

Learn what certified pre-owned really means, why used car warranties contain so many exclusions, and how to verify coverage, challenge denied claims, and protect yourself before buying at the dealership.

Free electric vehicle charging sounds like a small workplace perk until employees who drive gasoline cars start comparing what everyone receives. EV owners get electricity for their commute, while their coworkers still pay the full cost of gasoline. That can turn a sustainability program into a surprisingly complicated conversation about fairness, compensation, and who should pay for workplace benefits.

If your condo has only a few EV chargers, seeing the same cars plugged in every evening can get frustrating fast. Shared charging works only when drivers actually share the equipment rather than treating charging stalls like assigned parking spaces. Federal guidance for multifamily properties specifically recommends policies that address how long cars remain at communal chargers.

A new SUV with huge wheels can look fantastic in the showroom and feel considerably less impressive after its first serious pothole encounter. Large-diameter wheels are commonly paired with low-profile tires, which leave less sidewall between the pavement and the rim. Tire Rack says these combinations are more vulnerable to pothole and curb impacts than taller-profile tires. The problem is therefore real, even when the wheels and tires came installed from the factory.