After rent or mortgage, your car is probably the biggest consumer of your cash. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a rackety run-around or a sleek saloon, keeping it on the road is a major expense with rising fuel prices, car insurance, tax, maintenance, servicing and MOT.
Here are five quick wins to help put the brakes on the cost of your motoring.
- Slow down
The faster you go, the more fuel you use. The figures speak for themselves. Driving at 80mph can use 25% more fuel than driving at 70mph and driving at 70mph can use 9% more than driving at 60mph.
- Shift up a gear
Basically, we’re all changing gear too late. Without getting too technical, drivers of manual vehicles typically change up a gear at 3,000 rpm on a petrol car and 2,500 rpm on a diesel when it should be 2,500 and 2,000 revs respectively. Straining the gears burns fuel.
- Be pump savvy
We’ve all filled up only to drive past a garage 10 yards down the road offering much cheaper fuel prices. Use comparison sites to find the best deals in your area. Watch out for supermarket offers such as discounts on fuel if you spend above a certain amount in-store. Although it’s only a saving of a few pence per litre, it soon adds up.
- Pressure point
Over time, tyre pressure drops. Poorly inflated tyres use more fuel, place strain on the stability of the car and are dangerous. If you brake suddenly with poorly inflated tyres, the car will not respond as well as it should, and dozens of people are killed each year as a result. Save fuel, money and lives by checking your pressure regularly.
- Car share
It’s got to be a good thing – it did wonders for Peter Kay! Thousands of drivers have now joined online sites to share their journey, with savings said to be between £1,000 – £2,000 depending on mileage etc. Just think of the banter and the money. Maybe stick a note on the workplace notice board and see if you get any takers.
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