More and more recent cars are being sold with all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive as an option. Is this something that your really need? Will it actually make you safer or is it just a way for automakers to make extra money?

As of now, there haven’t been any formal studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the effectiveness or ability to prevent crashes, in regards to four-wheel drive.

To decide if two or four-wheel drive is for you, you should make a list of the ways you will be using the vehicle and the conditions you will be driving in.

And ask yourself a series of questions. For instance, do I live in an area with a lot of rain or snow? Or, do I go on skiing trips often? Do I travel on dirt roads, or off-road? Also, will I be doing a lot of hauling?

These are worthwhile situations to have two or four-wheel drive. However, if you’re just traveling on roads where there are mild conditions, you probably don’t need it.

Having two or four-wheel drive can benefit you greatly if you’re going to use it often. However, if you really don’t need it, it might just be a waste of money. This is a terrific feature, but you will want to purchase an auto warranty to ensure that you aren’t going to pay repair costs that are unnecessary down the road.