We have reached a point in time where it’s difficult to ignore the need for a car. While many people achieve the milestone of getting their driver’s license, a lot of people can’t use it because they simply cannot afford to own and operate a vehicle. There’s good news, though, there are ways to drive your costs down so that you can afford the luxury and convenience of a car.
Our 6 Amazing Ways to Lower Your Driving Costs
1) Sensible Driving
Wait, how can driving sensibly lower your driving costs? Well, in more ways than one, thanks for asking. The first way it’s going to save you money is by allowing you to save money on fuel. Aggressive driving increases your fuel consumption and taking it easy can save you as much as £400 a year. Another way to save your fuel is by running your heating only when absolutely necessary, there are times you know you put it on out of habit and it’s not really that cold.
2) Insurance Shopping
Don’t just stick with your insurer because it’s easy – take the time to shop around for the best deal. You could be overpaying by hundreds of pounds without realising it. So, look at at least four or five different insurers before you settle on one, thankfully, you can use a handy website to make that much easier. Additionally, you may save money by bundling all of your insurances together with the one company – so check out whether getting car insurance and home insurance from the one provider is possible.
Know when to make a claim, too, as it will drive your costs up. So, be sure that it’s the right step. Also, adding another driver to your insurance can increase the cost considerably (particularly if it’s a new driver who also happens to be a teenager). So, you may want to wait until your policy is nearing expiry and make that part of your new search.
3) Maintenance Savings
You might think that you’re saving money by putting off repairs, but what you’re doing is increasing your costs long-term. The longer you let a problem go, the costlier it will become. Not only that, there’s a good chance it can impact on the rest of the vehicle’s health, further complicating the repairs and the final bill. So, know the manual inside out and make sure you keep your tires inflated, get your tires rotated, have the oil checked, keep your fluids where they should be and visit the mechanic whenever necessary. Visit Kwik Fit for great discount codes on your motor vehicle needs. Investing in a quality cover can also lower your driving cost in the long run.
4) Know Basic Repairs
You don’t want to run to the mechanic with every little repair, though. There are some that you should know how to deal with, which will save you money. You should at least know how to check your oil, change a tire (and if you can change a tire, you can rotate your tires, too), change fuses and bulbs, and wipers. It might not sound like much, but each of those trips will cost you at least £20 and that’s on top of the cost of the parts. So, learn some of the easy stuff so you can save money where possible.
5) Council MOT Centre
You’ll pay the full rate for having your MOT completed, however, this center doesn’t handle repairs. Which means they don’t benefit from failing your vehicle – you will get an accurate result and a fair idea of what really needs to be dealt with on your vehicle. We’ve all been there, where we’ve taken our car to a local garage, the car has failed and we’re faced with a repairs list that is accompanied by costs you’d need to win the lottery to pay for. Don’t put yourself in that position – always go to the council’s MOT Centre and rest assured that your result is accurate.
6) Ride Sharing
Oh, the beauty of technology. There are a wide-variety of apps now available that will hook you up with fellow commuters. This allows you to share the driving responsibilities and save some money on your petrol bill. One of the biggest ones is Liftshare, with the group claiming that drivers can save anywhere from £800, right up to £2000 a year. This will, of course, be dependent on how much you drive and what type of journeys that you make.
Of course, rather than ridesharing, you could instead choose to ride your bike to work. If it’s nearby, it will provide you with a bit of exercise and reduce your driving costs. There are also plenty of retailers who offer discounts to people purchasing a new bike with the intent of using it to commute to and from work. So, it’s definitely something to consider.
The truth is, it’s expensive to own and operate a car, but there are a bunch of factors which increase those costs. Many of those factors are within your control and with a few tweaks here and there, you can bring your costs right down and make driving seem fun again.
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