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Motorists could be unwittingly causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage to the vehicle on their driveway by using a common de-icing trick. As the UK experiences plummeting temperatures, many will find their windscreens and rear-view mirrors covered in frost.

Moreover, recent Met Office forecasts suggest that parts of the UK could face bouts of snow and ice in the coming days, necessitating the removal of debris from cars before they are safe to drive. Despite this, it remains both a practical and legal obligation to ensure your windscreen is completely clear when driving.

The task of de-icing your car can add precious minutes to your morning commute. Consequently, some drivers may resort to various hacks found online to speed up the process.

However, certain tricks that claim to make de-icing your car faster and easier could actually pose a risk of serious damage. For instance, some might choose to pour hot water on their windscreen to swiftly melt any ice and quickly clear condensation.

Hot water, or even lukewarm water, can cause cold glass to expand rapidly and then contract quickly due to the surrounding cold air forcing it to cool down again. This constant flexing can lead to the windscreen cracking, particularly if there are already small chips or cracks present.

In the worst-case scenario, this constant flexing can actually exacerbate cracks significantly and even lead to the windscreen shattering, which means you'll have to shell out on a windscreen replacement that can cost around £400 on average.

Moreover, you may discover that pouring the water is not even effective, especially on extremely cold days, which can lead to the water left on the windscreen refreezing and creating a fresh layer of ice, meaning you'll have to restart the entire process.

Most cars are equipped to de-ice themselves with the built-in heater, although how quickly your car will do this will vary greatly depending on the make, age, and condition of the components. When entering your car, you should start the engine and crank up the heating and fan while switching on the windscreen, rear window, and mirror heater where available.

You may also opt to use a scraper and de-icer on the car while you wait for it to warm up. Bear in mind though that if you are leaving the engine on, you should stay in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle or you could risk invalidating your insurance, especially if someone attempts to nick the vehicle while the engine is left running and you're not inside it.