 With hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year at stake, it would be a real shame not to try and cut down your motoring bill. Many are reluctant to do anything about it, primarily because they think that driving less is the only solution. The fact is, there is a lot that you can do right now to start saving a lot of money.
According to the AA, car insurance represents no less than 20% of your standing charges (as opposed to running cost). That's hundreds of dollars to be saved just there. So whenever you receive the renewal papers for your car insurance is the time to shop around for a better deal. If you're not keen on switching insurance provider, no problem: just let yours know that you have received a better quote and wait for the discount.
You may be able to reduce your petrol bill without having to ease off the pedal. It's all about how you drive rather than your top speed. Sudden acceleration and breaking dramatically increase fuel consumption (try it for a week and see how sooner you find yourself at the pump, apparently some people use as much as 60% more than they could with their erratic driving style). As a bonus, you will also save on car tyres, as they will wear slower as you drive smoother.
Using higher gears, for those who drive manual cars, will save quite a bit on petrol (up to 20% between 5th and 3rd). But don't accelerate too quickly to get in that fifth gear, as it will ruin the benefits.
Using the air conditioning has a direct impact on fuel consumption. However driving with your windows opened may be much worse. What to do? Try and use the air-con only when absolutely necessary. By reducing the use of cooling and heating systems, you may be able to save as much as 10% on your fuel bill.
Some people treat their trunk as a storage place, carrying with them a mountain of useless items at all times. Have a good look inside your car and get rid of all the excess baggage.
Because they are heavy and add a lot of drag, roof racks can also be removed when not in use (some more easily than others).
Just every so often, spend an additional 5 minutes at the petrol station to check your tyre pressure. Not only will it cut down your fuel consumption by about 10%, but keeping them at the recommended pressure will also slow down the wear, hence even more savings.
As for skipping a scheduled service, it's likely to cost you more money than it saves. Like the human heart, a fit car will run more efficiently and burn less fuel. It will also last longer. Car depreciation, which accounts for more than 60% of your standing charges, is influenced by mileage as well as maintenance.
As you're driving, make it a habit to check the price at the pump in different stations. They vary so much as allowing you considerable savings every time you refill. Don't go to the same pump just for the sake of a membership card or a habit. Quite often you will find that even with your discount voucher you will pay more at your usual retailer than at another pump. Gull, in particular, is very good at offering excellent rates on a regular basis.
Having said that, don't go too much out of your way for the sake of a few cents per litre, as the cost of the extra trip may outweigh the savings.
For those who have a subscription to the Highway Patrol pink tickets, keeping to the speed limit will save much more than a lot of fuel (up to 1.7 km per litre, apparently, which can add up to quite a bit at the end of the year).
A cold car engine uses far more fuel travelling short distances than it does on a long journey. Moving your car from one parking lot to the next when you could easily have walked is one of the main culprit for high fuel consumption.
Not to mention that by parking just outside the CBD will also mean free parking.
We learn to share as toddlers, and then promptly forget about it as soon as we get our first car. A great shame: car pooling generates instant savings for those who use it. Easier of course for the metropolitan type, yet if you think about it there are many opportunities for us to apply the technique: doing the weekly grocery shopping with a friend is more fun and it will save both fuel money (just take it in turns). Talking about children, how about sharing the burden of school trips with neighbours?
Just like you can halve your accounting costs by avoiding the big impersonal firms, you can reduce your servicing costs significantly by using a good independent garage rather than a main dealer who loads up your bill with everything that moves, charges for oil like it's the last drop on the planet and has to import every part you need individually on an empty Airbus! As a client of ours, contact A1 Auto Works in Maraekakaho Rd, they've heard more than a few tales of poor service in the bigger outfits!
So, before petrol becomes so impossibly expensive that we all have to get on our bikes, there are quite a few things we can do now to save on our yearly mortoring bill. Whether you choose one or all of the suggested measures, not only will you be able to afford a better Christmas, a longer holiday or that 50” screen you dream about, but you'll also be doing something good for the environment and maybe even for your own health. A win-win-win situation!
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7 – Keep to the Speed Limit