Cost Cutting Tips For Car Owners

This is a guest post from the Motor Accident Legal Service, a one stop shop for people involved in accidents involving motor vehicles.


Buying a car is exciting and many people talk about the deal they got and the price they paid for weeks after the new automobile arrives in the driveway, but the real cost of a car is not the one-off purchase price; it’s the ongoing expenses. Here’s some helpful information on how to keep those costs down.

Tune It Up

A well maintained vehicle runs more efficiently than a poorly maintained one and this pays dividends in the long run. If you ensure your vehicle is serviced well and regularly, not only will it use less fuel keeping your petrol bills under control, but you’ll also reduce wear and tear on the rest of the vehicle. This means less replacement parts like new tyres or brake pads, less often. Make sure you remember to check your tyre pressure too; driving on tyres with low tyre pressure can make you use more fuel than you need to. On the subject of tyres, ensuring your car’s wheel alignment is straight also helps keep your car’s running costs down, not to mention the improvement such an adjustment will have on your car’s wear and tear – both engine and rubber bits will thank you.

Drive Cheaply

It’s true – there is a cheap way to drive your car, and an expensive way. The cheaper way is to drive your car smoothly, avoiding stop-starts and sudden halts. Driving in a jerky manner has been found to add as much as 30% to a car’s fuel bill. It also costs you less to drive your car more slowly. In fact, it’s estimated that for every 8 km/h you accelerate, your fuel consumption rises a corresponding 7%. It’s also important to slow down to avoid a car accident or injury. Even though there are helpful services such as Motor Accident Legal Service to help you out if you get in an accident - you should always try your best to avoid one.

Gas Caps

Almost 20% of cars have faulty or missing gas caps and while this presents a safety hazard every time you stop your car for fuel, it also harms your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. A new gas cap costs less than $20 on average and not only will you reduce your fuel costs, but you’ll cut down on the fumes released by your car as well, so it’s the green thing to do.

Go Easy on Your Brakes – And Clear out Your Boot

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop your car when you need to, but avoid actively riding the brake. Riding the brake pedal can add as much as 35% to your car’s fuel consumption. It also wears out your brake pads which add to the maintenance costs of your car. Clearing out your car boot is another way to cut the cost of running a car. For every 45 kilos carried around in your car boot, your vehicle loses 1-2% of its fuel efficiency, so clearing out the trunk every week or so makes good sense.

There are many ways to keep your car running costs down and while each small saving may seem very minor, these tips for car owners can make a big difference to the overall cost of owning a car.

Do you have a motoring cost cutting tip you’re particularly proud of? Share it in the comments box below.