With the rising costs of fuel in the past year, it's no secret that driving has become more expensive. However, even before that, driving was always a significant household outgoing, and we now spend a higher proportion of our outgoings on transport than ever before. Despite this, there are ways to curb the cost of motoring. Much more than simply flogging the motor as soon as possible, take a read of this article to find out a few tips on how save.
Stop Driving Everywhere
Possibly the simplest answer for cutting your fuel bill, running up less of a mileage and reducing wear and tear is to stop driving wherever possible. If your friend's house is a ten-minute walk away but you always opt to drive the car to get there, then you'll more than likely end up with a large fuel bill. It's in the small journeys where you change gear most regularly where your car is at its highest level of fuel consumption, so cut these out and you'll find both your petrol tank and wallet heavier.
Fill Up at the Supermarket
Despite fuel costs rising so much over the last few years, the big supermarket chains have been the best places for offering value when it comes to fuel. Not only is supermarket fuel consistently cheaper than other sellers, but buying it is also an ideal way to rack up loyalty points. You'll also find time saved in combining your weekly shop with a regular fill up, should you need it.
Shop Around for Car Insurance
Car insurance is a legal requirement, so there's no way you can escape it without breaking the law. It's also often quite a large expense, especially on high value cars or for recently licensed drivers. However, there are massive savings to be made on car insurance simply by taking your time about shopping around for the best deal. Get on the Internet and search hard &endash; and that doesn't mean just taking the best quote from a comparison table. Go through as many comparison tables as possible and then match this up with providers of individual car insurance quotes such as Co-operative. You could save yourself hundreds of pounds a year.
Buy Second Hand
If you're thinking of changing your model, or the old banger has just clapped out, then buying second hand is a sure way to save a lot of money. Cars depreciate in value very rapidly. Even if they've only been on the road for a year, you'll find a car that's clocked 10,000 miles much cheaper than one that's clocked up zero. At the same time, there are plenty of people who want a quick sale and so will often take bargain prices. Just taking a look at Ebay can be a good place to start.
