Lowering Car Running Costs
A car is for many people their second largest household expense, often this cannot be avoided but savings can be made if you are smart about the usage of the vehicle and the way you drive. The first option is easily the best way to save money on car ownership, do not have a car!
It may sound radical but have you stopped to think how much we spend on insurance, petrol, maintenance, taxes, fines, parking and so on?
Even if you do not want to let go of your beloved car, at least for some of the time find alternatives and walk, cycle, use public transportation, car share, etc. Shop, shop, shop for insurance deals, spending two hours searching the net could save several hundred pounds on car insurance and take some of the pressure of your monthly budget.
Use Internet sites to locate the cheapest petrol in your area because a couple of pence a litre adds up over time. If you are going to buy a new car, why not also consider the option of a second-hand vehicle because at the moment the motor industry is on its knees and there are a lot of bargains available. However, if you do opt for a new vehicle you should consider diesel, electric and hybrid vehicles over conventional petrol engines.
While SatNav systems are seen as a luxury by many, they can in fact save you substantial money in the long run, offering you the shortest route to your destination and alternatives in the event of traffic problems or road works. It is also worth considering taking your foot off the gas because lower petrol consumption is found at low engine revolutions between 2.000/2.500rpm in a petrol car and 1.500/2.000rpm in a diesel. Does the added cost of getting to your destination 10 minutes or 30 minutes earlier really justify travelling at high speeds (not to mention road safety issues!)?
You should also try to avoid rapid acceleration and heavy braking; changing your driving habits and smooth driving techniques will vastly reduce consumption.
On sharp hills, by releasing the accelerator slightly you will be able to maintain the speed of the car with vastly reduced fuel consumption. Contrary to popularly belief, a car uses less fuel when moving in gear than in neutral, so you should never switch off the engine when going down hill and never put fuel economy before vehicle safety.
Other tips include, avoid carrying unnecessary items in the boot because for every 100Kg of extra weight carried, fuel consumption is increased by 5%. You should also remove the roof rack on your car if you're not using it because a roof rack increases fuel consumption from anything between 2% and 35%.
Many people may not be aware that air conditioning systems increase fuel consumption by up to 20% although alternatively keeping the windows completely lowered increases consumption by 5%. It is also vital that you remember to monitor tyre pressure, in addition to increased safety you should know that a pressure inaccuracy of just 0.3 bars below the recommended levels means consumption increases by 3%
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