The one thing that people like to moan about is the fact that it’s expensive to keep a car on the road.
Tax plays a big part of the problem; for example, you have to pay a form of tax called vehicle excise duty to legally drive your car on the road, you get taxed whenever you fill up with petrol or diesel, and even your car insurance is subject to tax as well!
Image credit: Jim Reynolds.
However, did you know that the way you drive could also account for a large amount of your high motoring bills? Here are some top tips that not only help you to become a better driver, but end up leaving you with more money in your wallet (or purse)!
Use public transport for local journeys
One thing that really frustrates the hell out of most drivers on the roads of Britain today is the fact that we all encounter traffic jams on a virtually daily basis! Originally the confines of major cities like London and Birmingham, traffic jams can now be found in pretty much all major towns and urban locations within the United Kingdom.
If you have to make a local journey and you don’t need to carry any cargo or passengers on your journey, you should consider leaving the car at home and taking the bus, train or tram into town.
And should all of your journeys be like these, then maybe you ought to entertain the idea of selling your car! As radical as that sounds, it’ll save you loads of money (and stress), and if you ever needed to drive somewhere far away you could just hire a car.
Tip: consider approaching motor dealers with a “we buy any car” notice by their premises if you want a quick sale on your car.
Use high gears when possible
Driving around in lower gears out of laziness or because you want to hear your exhaust system isn’t going to help you save money on your fuel costs, nor will it do your engine much good, so you should always use the highest gear possible when driving. Better yet, buy an automatic car and let the car do the shifting for you!
Allow plenty of time for your journey
By leaving earlier to arrive at your destination and driving slower, you will help to conserve more of your fuel. As an aside, you will also not be stressed out by the time you get to your destination because you won’t have drive like a speed demon to get there on time!
Use cruise control on the motorway
A lot of modern cars these days have an awesome feature called cruise control built into them. In a nutshell, cruise control allows you to set a speed which you want to drive at, and the car will adjust its engine speed to maintain your desired speed.
So, if you have got a long motorway journey, you can set a speed of say 65 mph and cruise along without having to constantly adjust your speed when you go up hills, for example!
