It's the time of year where drivers begin battling ice, frost and even snow making it difficult to set off every morning. There's little worse than rushing out of your house in the freezing cold when it's still dark in the morning and having to spend an age scraping ice off your windscreen while your engine is running and you're trying not to be late for work or the school run.

But experts say there's a way you can avoid all of that, by using a simple brown onion. It may sound odd, but rubbing an onion on your windscreen can actually stop your car from icing over in these cold and wintry November conditions, say experts.

LeaseCar recommends onions as a way to prevent icing overnight. Prevention is cheaper than the cure, as they say, which could mean you avoid spending the next morning having to de-ice at all.

It explains: "The bitter winter weather can cause a real headache for motorists as it can cause one of the biggest nuisances for drivers to deal with - ice-covered windscreens.

"However, there is no need for despair as the issue can be solved in a matter of seconds - and you don't even need to have a fancy de-icer spray. In fact, anyone can make ice disappear simply by using staple household items...

"Chop a brown onion in half and rub it across the windscreen at night to prevent a thick layer of ice from sticking."

It adds: "Onions have a similar effect on windscreens as vinegar does. If there is nothing but this root vegetable left in the house, then rub generously on the windows and windshield the night before and this should keep Jack Frost at bay."

Apparently, this works by creating a protective layer on the glass using natural oils and sugars, forming a barrier which prevents water from sticking to the surface, so it can't freeze.

If it's too late and you've already got a car frosted solid with ice, another option includes using lemons to de-ice your car windscreen, as well as coating your windscreen with isopropyl alcohol.