5 ways to cut down your car’s running costs

It’s January, which means two things are inevitable. You’ve made a New Year’s resolution and you’ve probably already given up on it!

So how about making a more doable New Year’s resolution that’ll help you save money at the same time?

A great (and attainable) goal to have is to cut down your car’s running costs. So we’ve put together 5 simple tips to help you do it. You can thank us later!

Plan your trip around traffic
Traffic, in every way imaginable, is rubbish. Not only does it stop us getting anywhere, it costs us a lot of money. Stopping and starting drains petrol a lot faster than maintaining a regular, steady speed.

So, plan your trip to avoid traffic. Free apps such as Google Maps, and certain Sat Nav devices, provide live traffic updates. These alerts mean you can find the best route to take right now in the moment to avoid traffic. And if you’re about to get caught, or you’ve already hit it, they can guide you away.

Dodge traffic, save petrol and save money. Perfect!

Refer your friends
Our ‘refer a friend’ scheme offers existing customers an Amazon gift card worth £30 when they recommend a friend who takes out a policy. And your friend gets an Amazon gift card worth £15 as well – win-win!

Here’s how it works:

• Existing customers just need to fill in this quick form
• You’ll be asked to give the email addresses and names of the people you wish to refer. You can refer a maximum of 5 people
• Each friend will get an email that explains the offer and what they should do next
• If a friend takes out a policy, it’s Amazon gift cards all round!

Save on petrol
There are two ways you can save money when it comes to saving money on petrol – cut down on the amount you use and buy it for a cheaper price.

The first step is to drive in a way that makes your car guzzle less petrol. Some simple ways to do this include:

• Dodging traffic where possible to maintain a regular speed
• Keeping your car as light as possible – having 50kg less weight could cut the amount of fuel you use by 2%
• Driving at the right, slower speed. You’ll use 25% more petrol driving at 80mph than 70mph, so keep it slow and keep it safe

Secondly, find the cheapest petrol in your area. Nowadays, supermarkets regularly have the lowest petrol costs, but it can change depending on where you are. Visit PetrolPrices.com to find the cheapest petrol in your area.

Do regular checks
A little bit of work now and then can stop big, expensive surprises in the future and lower your running costs.

Here are 3 things that are always worth checking:

• Regularly check and change your oil
• Check your tyre pressure, especially before big trips
• Change your air filter once a year – a bad air filter could be lowering your mileage by as much as 20%

Keep these 3 things maintained and you’re guaranteed to use less petrol.

Try car sharing
The easiest way to save money on your car? Use it less! The easiest way to use your car less? Car sharing!

If you have the opportunity to car share once, twice or a few times a week, take it. It means both you and a friend can cut down your running costs massively.