5 Great Car Money Saving Tips

Long-time readers of my blog will know that I used to be a driving instructor. With that in mind, I have always tried to stay slightly ahead of the game when it comes to saving money on looking after your car.

There is a lot that can be done yourself. These days, the driving test includes standard checks that you should carry out on your car regularly to help keep it in shape and prevent any nasty surprises.

Here are 5 car money saving tips that might help you.

Buy Second-Hand

All cars depreciate once they become secondhand. Buying new is partly about status in my opinion. These days the pressure to spend money on things we don’t need is very real and I find it is more about trying to impress others than getting something you actually need.

With all that in mind, of course, you do have the benefit of the most up-to-date technology plus, you get a warranty package and can choose the exact specification whilst negotiating on any deals available at the time of purchase.

However, around 20% of a new car’s value can be written off as soon as it leaves the showroom. Few new cars are worth more than half their purchase price after three years, while many will have lost up to two-thirds of their value (source: What Car) so a secondhand car really does mean you save.

Service Your Car Regularly

It is really important to service your car. You can find plenty of garages all over the UK. KAP Motor’s Brighton Branch is just one of their 5 branches in the South East who offer different levels of servicing to help you decide what you need done and how much it is going to cost you.

Replacing the oil and air filters will not only help your engine run smoother but it will also help with the fuel efficiency. It will also help you to see what has a shorter life expectancy on your car to help you budget for any future replacements which may be necessary.  It will also help prevent the risk of it breaking down and stop any unexpected repairs.

Scheduling your service will depend on the manufacturer, mileage and age of your vehicle.

Use the correct gear

To help preserve your car and save fuel, you should select the best gear for each situation. For example, to help your car drive efficiently when you’re going up or down hills, especially if your car is loaded. When you’re driving uphill, change down to a lower gear to avoid the engine struggling to give enough power. In most cars, reaching a speed of 40mph should allow you to change into 5th gear.

Check your levels

I can’t stress enough how important this is. If you don’t have enough oil, your engine will cease up and cause a costly repair. If you don’t have enough water in your radiator, the car could overheat and again cause a costly repair. If you don’t have enough windscreen wash then you cannot wash the screen and see where you are going which could then cause an accident, resulting in a costly repair (or worse!).

Also, during the winter months, don’t forget the anti-freeze in the windscreen wash and radiator. Otherwise, the water could freeze which will then expand and split the chambers.

Economise on fuel

One of the best ways to save money on your car is to drive efficiently enough to save on fuel costs. Driving at the correct speed, using the correct gear is the most obvious one but there are other small ways too.

For example, get the car serviced regularly, keep your tyres at the correct pressure. Take out any unnecessary loads, block change your gears to help with braking rather than going to each gear individually, accelerate and brake smoothly and remove things like the roof rack if it isn’t in use.

This is a collaborative post.