10 ways to get savvy with your driving and save some £££s as the winter bills set in!
- Lighten the load
- Take the roof rack off
- Use your engine's stop and start
- Don't fill up your tank fully
- Use Cruise Control
- Check fuel prices
- Don’t bother with “Better” fuel
- Use cashback credit cards - carefully!
- Get savvy with your car insurance
Have you ever wondered how you could save money while driving? If so, we’ve got 10 ways to get savvy with your driving and save some £££s!
If you own and run your own car, you’ll know it’s not cheap! Convenience and comfort come at a cost. And there are the things nobody likes to pay for but they’re unavoidable. Things like road tax and tyres. Servicing. An MOT if you need one.
You can also save money on car insurance. On that one, there are things you can do to make sure you’re getting the right cover at the best cost.
So that’s essentially tip No.1! But there are a few other things
you can do to help save money while you’re on the road. Here’s our top ten…
1. Lighten the load
Literally clear out your car! More weight means increased fuel consumption. So, declutter the boot and don’t carry around anything you don’t need to: a lighter load means less work for your car which equals less fuel use – that’s good for you and the planet!
2. Take the roof rack off
It might be a bit of hassle but it’s worth it: a roof rack adds wind resistance to your car, increasing drag. Take it off to improve your efficiency.
Read More: Service Please! Your Car will Thank You for It!
3. Use your engine's stop and start
If you’re wondering about how to save fuel while driving or which driving technique saves fuel, use your car’s stop and start feature if there is one.
It’s there to stop your car using fuel while you’re idling in traffic or stopped at traffic lights.
If you’ve turned it off because you’re not used to it or find it disconcerting, trust us on this one: turn it back on. It’s built into your car for good reason and after a week you won’t even notice it anymore.
4. Don’t fill up the tank fully
Fuel is heavy. So, a full tank adds quite a bit of weight to your car: imagine how heavy 50 litres of water would be in your boot? It's pretty much the same thing!
It’s also not a good idea to run your fuel too low either, so find a happy medium based on your average journeys and how often you fuel up.
Nobody wants to be driving to the garage every day but you can drive with a low tank of fuel for short trips.
Read More: Put the Wrong Fuel In? Do Nothing!
5. Use Cruise Control
We’ve already talked about using the stop and
start feature in your car but there’s another driving technique which helps
save fuel and improves fuel efficiency. The cruise control feature.
Perfect for the motorway and long, flat roads, cruise control saves fuel by keeping your car at a constant speed and avoiding acceleration. It also makes driving a little easier too.
6. Check fuel prices
Whether it’s a petrol or diesel car, we love a bit of practical, money-saving technology, so we’ve all signed up at PetrolPrices.com.
For this fuel comparison website, just enter your postcode to find the cheapest petrol stations nearest you.
With the increase in fuel costs, it’s useful to sign up for alerts or check the website before you fill up to save some money.
It’s also worth checking out Fuel Watch – it’s run by the RAC and they keep an eye on the latest average petrol and diesel prices across the UK.
7. Don’t bother with “Better” fuel
Lots of fuel stations sell what they call premium fuels. If you’ve got a run around, it’s not essential to buy premium, but filling up now and again will help to keep your engine in good nick. On the other hand, if you’ve got a sporty or high-performance car, use the super fuel.
8. Use cashback credit cards - carefully!
Cashback credit cards are great if you use them in the right way. Most of them work in the same way: every time you use the card, you earn a % of your spend in cashback.
Use it to buy your fuel, for example, pay it off in full each month, and you get the benefit of the cashback without paying any of the interest!
It's recommended to set up a monthly direct debit to repay your balance in full. AND, to get the best deal, check out money comparison websites – they’ve always got up-to-date info and advice on the best cashback credit cards.
9. Car Insurance
Looking around for the best price almost always delivers a money-saving result if not better cover.
And nobody wants to pay more for their car insurance policies than they have to. So, it pays to look around. Or get someone to do it for you. Like an insurance broker who can compare lots of insurers at once. And who makes it easy – saving you time and money.
We know just the people...
Read More: The WHY Behind Car Insurance Qs?
There you have it, our top tips to save money while driving. Start saving today so you can enjoy that bit of extra money in your bank account.
