Need a new car battery? Here's how to get one fitted for the cheapest possible price

Most motorists will have had that horrible, sinking feeling when they start their car and only hear a sluggish crank, followed by a few clicks. It's a sign that your battery has gone flat since you last used your vehicle, and it's going to ruin your day.

You might get away with a quick charge-up, or you might be able to jump-start it. You might have to call in breakdown assistance, or at the very least swap your battery over.

Either way, it's a sure sign that your battery is not in fine fettle. You might get away with having it reconditioned, but it's probably a good idea to look for a new one.

It's no secret that batteries can be expensive, especially if you have stop/start or it's a posh lithium battery, but there are ways to save money on a replacement if you know where to look.

Halfords is a great place to start. Not least because we have a store in pretty much every town and city, but because it has a price-matching service.

This means that, if you see a price online or in another motor factors, you can pop in and see the people in your local Halfords and they'll match it for you.

There's even a fitting service, which can be important if your battery needs coding to your car.

There is, however, a way to save even more money. Halfords has a Motoring Club. And you can join it for free.

A free membership gives you a £5 voucher to spend in-store or online, so if you were eyeing up an £85 battery, its price would effectively be £80.

The free membership also gives you £5 off an MOT, bundle savings on an MOT and service and a 10-point car check worth £15.

Members also get a selection of exclusive offers and services, such as discounts on insurance and travel bookings, extended car warranties, and discounts on a variety of other services.

You can save even more by joining the Premium Membership of the Motoring Club. It costs either £4.99 per month or £49 per year, and that would give you £10 off a battery purchase.

Premium members get extended perks such as a free MOT, cheaper MOT and service bundles, and two 10-point car checks.

You would also get an unlimited 5% discount on products, services, and repairs, next-day delivery on online orders, and a free store fitting.

And it's that free store fitting that would make Halfords the obvious choice for car battery purchases.

Especially with cars that have the stop/start function, it's likely modern vehicles will need their car to be linked up to a computer to "tell" the car it's got a new battery.

This can be a pricey service at a garage, and very expensive at a dealership, so the £49 premium membership could actually pay for itself just with a new battery purchase.

Prices for car batteries at Halfords start at around £50, and you can book in for a free battery check to help you choose the right one and diagnose any issues with your old one.

Fitting adds around £25 to £30 to the price for non-members, and it's an important consideration on modern cars.

But don't forget the price match guarantee. Put it to the test. Find the battery you want on the Halfords website, shop around online for a better price, check the terms and conditions to see if it could be matched, and let Halfords know they need to knock some money off.

And click here to find out more about the club membership options to see if you can save even more on your motoring costs.