With the country (and a lot of the world) still struggling to come out of a recession and with more people than ever before concerned about money, saving money wherever possible is a pertinent exercise. With that in mind, here are some top tips for cutting down on the cost of your car; a major expense for the majority of people. For me, there are two main areas where people spend a lot of money (short of buying the car in the first place), and that’s petrol and insurance.
Fuel prices are continually increasing and with no sign of an immediate reduction, it’s up to the consumers to try and save money on their fuel. It might sound obvious, but simply driving slower is one of the most effective methods for saving petrol. Generally speaking, the quicker your drive your car, the more fuel you will use. So the more you can cut your speed, the more you cut down the resistance of the wind, and the longer your fuel will last. You should also make an effort to switch off your engine whenever possible, so if you find yourself in a stationary traffic jam, turn off the engine.
Another excellent method for making your fuel last longer is to remove any extra weight from the vehicle. Remove anything particularly heavy that you don’t use or need, and leave it at home. Don’t carry around heavy items in the boot just because you can’t be bothered to move them. The heavier your car is, the less economic its’ fuel consumption will be. Your air conditioning can also negatively affect fuel consumption – try turning off your AC completely and open the windows instead and it will improve your cars’ fuel consumption.
Once you’ve effectively cut down your insurance, you should aim to reduce the cost of your insurance policy. The easiest way to lower your premium is to look for a cheaper policy; you don’t need to be at the end of your current cover to do this either (a common misconception). Spend a good amount of time researching online and look at several different providers. Look for sites that feature an instant car insurance quote, then you’ll be able to collate several different quotes, making it easy to pick the best one. Alternatively, you can lower the price of your policy by keep your car locked in a secure location and off the road. Or you can change the way your job description is worded or even agree to limit the amount you drive. If limiting your mileage sounds appealing to you, you might be better off going for temporary car insurance; if you use your car extremely infrequently, you could even go for day car insurance just for the days you’ll be driving it, as opposed to forking out for a full years’ cover.
