Cut Your Car and Travel Costs With These Handy Tips

The cost of travel is not something that most of us can avoid. It is not something you can exactly save for and buy later either – we all need to be able to get around to work, school, shopping, and to see family and friends. However, if you are smart about it, there are a few things that we can all do to cut down our costs and save a bit of money.

Here, we are going to look at a few of them.

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Shop around for cheaper auto insurance

Auto insurance is a necessary evil. It costs us money, sure, and can be more than a little annoying when you seemingly do not get anything out of it at the end. However, as well as being a legal requirement, it is there to protect you and your vehicle. If you are involved in an accident, or your car is stolen, your insurance company will pay out and help to cover any costs. There are ways to make it cheaper, though.

First of all, check out price comparison sites. This will help you to find the best deal possible, while still making sure that you get the cover that you need from your insurance provider. Just be aware that some insurers do not allow their services to appear on price comparison sites, so you may need to check them separately.

You can also find some insurers that run different schemes which can help you to save money. Read a pay-per-mile insurance review and see if that may benefit you.

Fuel economy

You can save a significant amount of money – up to 10% more mileage on a tank of fuel according to The AA, by changing a few of your driving habits.

It can be hard, as these are often well ingrained from when we first learn to drive, but when you could get a lot more mile for your money, it is worth a try, right? These habits include:

• Not driving too fast

• Driving in the correct gear

• Taking your roof rack off

• Not over-revving the engine.

• Not using air conditioning.

• Getting your car serviced at least once a year (or more often, depends on the sort of annual distance that you drive)

• Keeping your tires inflated to the recommended pressure

• Not driving around with unnecessary or bulky items in the trunk

• Block shift gears to brake – do not go down the gearbox individually.

• Do not stop and start aggressively – think about smooth acceleration and braking. 

Car sharing

If you commute to work by car, think about sharing your journey and the costs with other people that do the same route. 

It is effortless if you can find colleagues who love close to you or if you share the school run with other parents nearby.

Some apps and websites can help you to match your journey with others going in the same direction.

Car clubs

There are car clubs available that allow you to hire a car by the day, or even by the hour. They have cars in special parking spaces, so if you live in a big city, the chances are there is one near to you.

You open the car with a special key card, so it is a lot more flexible and easier than having to visit a car rental office during working hours to pick up a car, especially if you only need it for a short time.

You pay a joining fee and then pay for the usage of the car and the fuel that you use, so if you only need to use a car occasionally, it may be a viable and cost-effective alternative to owning your own. It saves you money on:

• Repairs

• Insurance

• Parking

• Breakdown cover

• Servicing

Use public transport

Of course, the main alternative to driving is you use public transport. In the most, this is cheaper than driving, but you can still save significant amounts of money if you plan ahead.

For example, train tickets – if you travel regularly it may be worth looking into buying a season ticket or pass. It is also sometimes cheaper to purchase tickets in advance rather than turn up on the day – and you are guaranteed a seat!

Travel by bike

Apart from the initial cost of buying the bike, traveling by bike is pretty much free, and has the benefit of keeping you fit as well! Of course, this is not an option for everyone, but if you only travel short distances, it might be worth a look!