Curbing Your Car’s Running Costs

Owning a car is expensive, but there are all kinds of ways to keep these ownership costs down. Here are just a few ways that you can fix up your road vehicle expenses.

Fix bad driving habits

This is the main area where many of us rack up costs. Being heavy footed on the brakes and accelerator can have all kinds of costly altercations. This type of racer-like driving uses up much more fuel, meaning more frequent visits to the gas station. It can also develop wear and tear on brake discs and pedals – meaning a possible trip to the mechanics later down the line that could be avoided.

Most modern cars will have in-built settings to help you drive more economically such as telling you when to change gear and when to ease up on the revs. There are other things to look out for such as tyres deflation and carrying extra unnecessary weight such as roofbox or work equipment when not working. All this will cause you to use up more fuel than is necessary.

Use apps

There are many driving apps out there that can help you save money. Apps such as GasBuddy can help you find the cheapest nearby petrol station. This is particularly useful when driving somewhere unfamiliar, helping you to avoid expensive motorway station charges.

There are also apps out there that can help you find the cheapest route, avoiding tolls. Other apps meanwhile can help you keep on top of car maintenance, telling you which fuel is best for your vehicles and when you should expect to get parts and inspected and repaired.

Install eco-driving and anti-theft features

Various features can be installed on your car that can save costs in the long run. Eco-driving gadgets are becoming more popular. For older cars that may not have modern in-built eco-driving pointers, you can buy devices to help notify you when best to change gear and when to ease off the gas. Eco-pedals meanwhile can be fitted offering resistance when you accelerate, preventing you from hitting the gas too hard. Another eco-friendly gadgets is a solar car battery charger. For those cold winters in which the battery can become damage through lack of use and freezing temperature, this solar-powered charger keep your battery constantly powered up.

Anti-theft features meanwhile such as steering wheel locks and wheel clamps can lower your car insurance. Storing your car in garage can also reduce your rates.

Catch faults early

Ignoring a chip in the windscreen or a clunking noise below the bonnet could have costly repercussions later down the line. This can be especially the case with moving parts – one worn part may have knock on effect on the wear and tear of other parts and before long half your engine needs to be replaced. Annual services from a reputable mechanic can prevent most of these faults, however if a problem arises in the meantime, don’t simply wait it out until your next service – get it checked there and then to avoid it snowballing into something bigger and more expensive.

Don’t always make an insurance claim

Making a claim can up your insurance rates for the next year as you immediately become a financial threat to the insurers. You should certainly use you insurance companies to pay for more costly repairs, but for those that you can reasonably afford, you may be better off for pay for them out of your own pocket.

There are also other forms of making claims that can earn you money for repairs. If you were in a car accident and got injured there’s always the chance that you may be able to make an injury claim. There are specialist firms across the country such as Personal Injury Lawyers from The Brown Firm that can deal with this kind of claim. In some cases, you may also be able to sue an insurance company that it is unjustly refusing to pay out.

Raise your deductibles

There are many extreme measures for lowering car insurance rates such as taking an advanced driving course or using a black box, but if you’re looking for a more simple way to reduce your premiums, why not simply raise your deductible costs? These costs are payment that you would personally be willing to pay out of your own pocket before insurers get involved. Raising these deductible costs can greatly reduce your rates – just make sure you truly do have the money to contribute to such repairs if you have an accident.