Owning a car provides more than just transportation – it’s freedom. Nevertheless, the annual cost of car ownership is shocking! Anything we can do to reduce the pain is beneficial to keeping our car on the road.
Car Ownership Tips
Here are four quick tips to make car ownership less pricey.
1. Save Money on Parking
Parking your car can drain money from your wallet or purse if you’re not careful.
Look for the most affordable parking spot. If you have a choice of multiple locations, pick the one that’s less expensive, even if you have to walk a bit to your destination. It’s great to stretch your legs after a drive anyway and it leaves some spare change in your pocket too. Try the Just Park app to locate the most affordable parking spot near you.
Also, consider how you store your vehicle at night. It can be less expensive on car insurance when it’s either parked in a driveway or a secure garage overnight, due to the reduced risk of off-street parking and in the case of a garage, vehicle break-ins or theft.
2. Make Car Insurance Less Expensive
Comparing car insurance quotes from a wide range of providers is a fast, easy method of reducing insurance costs because you will almost always find a policy that is significantly cheaper than your current provider’s renewal quote.
To compare car insurance NI drivers can use compareni.com, which is a dedicated comparison platform for Northern Ireland, while motorists in England, Scotland and Wales will have several price comparison websites to choose from.
3. Reduce Random Trips
Making many small, random trips each week increases the mileage and puts extra wear on your vehicle.
It’s much better to make a list of errands to run and batch them together. Using a mobile app like Wunderlist or Dynalist, it’s possible to quickly add tasks to be done during the weekday or weekend. Labels or tagging can often be added through To-Do list managers to group like tasks together, such as ones to do at the supermarket, others at the DIY store, etc.
4. Spend Less on Fuel
While petrol prices rise and fall, you can still seek out the cheapest local option as not all petrol stations charge the same per litre. It pays to shop around a bit.
Also, get a bit more for a full tank by ensuring your tyre pressure is correct. When it’s incorrect, more petrol is used to travel the same distance. The inside of the door jam usually has it noted what the right pressure is for the tyres. Improper tyre pressures are also a safety risk due to the increased chance of a blowout.
By being organised about the use of your car, batching small trips together, getting it regularly serviced and seeking the best insurance quotes all let you enjoy your car without the financial headache.