How to Save Money On Your Car and Driving

If you’re looking to save some money on your next car and your driving habits, read this guide for our expert advice.

Shop around for fuel

One of the best ways to save money on driving is to shop around for fuel. Using a supermarket petrol station, or a petrol station away from the motorway, will often be a lot cheaper than using a petrol station near a main road.

There are some apps and websites that will have the latest petrol prices for fuel in your area. Checking these and finding the cheapest one nearby will often save you money.

You can also skip using the premium unleaded fuel sold at many petrol stations. It offers little benefit over the standard unleaded fuel, but will come at a higher cost. However, you should consider the car you drive – some older cars and some high-performance vehicles may need the premium E5 fuel.

Drive economically

You should aim to drive smoothly, as this will help you to drive more economically and save you money on fuel. This means accelerating gently and slowing down in good time so you can avoid braking and coming to a stop, if possible.

You can read more about how to save fuel when driving in our guide.  

Check your tyre pressure

Keeping your tyres at the right pressure will not only save you money on fuel, but can also save money on maintenance. Driving with under-inflated tyres can affect the brakes and cause them to wear quickly, so you’ll have to change them more regularly. Avoid this by keeping your tyres topped up at the right level.

Choose the right car for your use

When you’re choosing your car, you should think about what you will be using it for. Will it be a family car where you need a lot of space, or will you just need to drive yourself and the odd passenger? Will you be driving long distances on the motorway, or mainly city driving?

You should aim to buy the smallest car for your needs. This will prevent you from spending excess money on fuel you don’t need, as smaller cars are usually more economical. They are also often cheaper to insure, with cheaper road tax and cheaper maintenance costs.

You should also consider whether you need a diesel or petrol engine. A diesel car might have a higher initial cost, but if you’re often driving on the motorway, it could be more economical. Otherwise, a petrol engine will be more suitable.

You could also switch to an electric or hybrid vehicle. This might cost more initially but will be much cheaper to fuel. They will also have super cheap or no road tax and will usually be cheaper to insure.  

Shop around for car insurance

You may have your car insurance set up to auto-renew every year. However, you should always check your renewal price and shop around to see if you could get a better deal elsewhere. You may be able to save a lot of money by switching to an alternative provider.

If you don’t want to switch, it can also be worth phoning your current insurer to negotiate on the price. Sometimes, if you can prove you can get your car insurance cheaper elsewhere, your current provider may be able to match the price to keep your business.

Check your car before the MOT

Another way you can save money on your car is to check for easy fixes ahead of your MOT. This can be things like checking bulbs and windscreen wipers are working, checking your tyres are properly inflated, and checking your fluid levels. If there’s anything that you can fix yourself, it can be cheaper and more convenient to sort them before the test.

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