6 Ways to Cut Down on Your Car Budget
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Anyone that owns a car will be well aware of how costly they can be to run – with insurance and fuel costs continually rising it’s not surprising more and more people are looking for ways to keep the cost of running their motor down.
6 Ways to Cut Down on Your Car Budget
1. Keep Tyres Inflated To The Correct Level
One of the simplest ways to make sure your car is economic is to ensure the tyres are always inflated to the correct levels. This has many benefits – it can save on fuel, ensure your tyres perform well, thus helping prevent costly accidents, and prolong the life of your tyres lessening need to replace them.
Be careful not to overinflate though as this can cause just as many issues as them being under-inflated.
2. Don’t let a Chip Become a Crack
Ignoring a small chip, especially one on the windscreen could be very costly in the long run, as it will inevitably crack.
Avoiding the need for a new windscreen will save hundreds of pounds and there are plenty of companies that will come to you at home or work to fix a chip.
Depending on your policy getting a chipped windscreen fixed could even be included in your insurance – so may not cost you anything at all.
3. Buy Second Hand
My husband and I recently bought a second-hand car as our old one had given up the ghost. We didn’t have a huge budget and actually ended up buying a car the same age and make as our previous one.
While this may sound unwise to some, the ‘new to us’ car had almost 100k fewer miles on the clock than our old car. It had only had one owner from new and had a full-service history and new MOT as well as being immaculate inside.
It’s perfect for us. My husband does a lot of miles for work so buying new, even on Finance was out of the question.
Brand new cars devalue hugely the minute you drive them of the forecourt and if you do a lot of mileage they’ll continue to devalue hugely year on year. Plus, there are sites like Edmunds, FindTheBestCarPrice, Cars.com and others where you can find good deals on used cars.
4. Shop Around For Car Insurance
Car insurance companies can be pretty sneaky. They almost always put up your premium, even if you haven’t claimed and as most people auto-renew they often can’t even remember what they paid last year.
As with any type of insurance, it’s always worth shopping around for a better deal – some insurers will even match other providers quotes if you’re keen to stay with the same company. If you’ve never shopped around before this could easily save you hundreds of pounds.
5. Keep on Top of Maintenance
Keeping on top of your car maintenance is one of the best things you can do to keep it good condition and avoid the need for costly repairs.
This includes basic checks you can do yourself such as oil, water, and tyre pressure as well ongoing maintenance such as an annual servicing which should let you know if any major parts look like they need replacing. If you want to give your vehicle some extra care you could book a full car service at KAP Motors Brighton Branch.
Keeping your car well maintained could also help preserve its resale value – cars with a full-service history will often sell for more than those without.
If your car is really old it actually might be in your interest to sell it. As you will keep dumping money into extra repairs. If you decide to sell it, you can get some cash by having the car removed.
6. Be More Aware of Fuel Costs
Ever-rising fuel costs are the bane of most drivers lives and driving around trying to find the cheapest place to buy fuel isn’t very economical.
Here are my quick tips for saving on fuel:
- Avoid unnecessary additional weight such as a roof-box or heavy tools in the boot.
- Take advantage of supermarket offers such as spend £60 in-store save 10p per litre on fuel.
- Pay for fuel with a cashback credit card (to be paid off in full at the end of each month)
- Plan ahead – making one big round trip is much more cost effective than making several small ones.
- Download a fuel pricing app to easily see the best fuel prices in your area.
