The cost of motoring has increased dramatically over the past couple of years due to the decline in raw oil supplies and the crash of the financial markets. Research by MoneySupermarket.com , suggests that this has resulted in 65% of motorists being forced to change their driving habits; with a further 5% being forced off the road altogether.
However, this shouldn’t have to mean the end of the road, as there are still a number of actions that can be taken in order to bring down the cost of driving for motorists.
Fuel Bills
The most obvious and effective way of reducing fuel consumption is to opt for a more environmentally friendly vehicle. This doesn’t mean that you should go out and buy a hybrid such as the Toyota Prius; as the additional cost of purchasing a Prius over a conventional vehicle such as a Ford Focus will often dramatically outweigh the potential fuel savings.
However, a number of manufacturers have spotted this gap in the market for a cheap but fuel efficient vehicle and have set about filling it. Volkswagen’s Bluemotion range is perhaps the most convincing of these; with the car having been designed to ultra-light weight, and has as little air resistance as possible. This has resulted in their latest Diesel Golf Bluemotion offering having an average fuel consumption figure of 74.3mpg compared to the 65.7mpg average of the petrol Prius.
Although petrol costs less than diesel, it would still save the average motorist over £70 per year in fuel costs to opt for the diesel Golf rather than the petrol Prius; which in itself would cost approximately £600 less to fuel each year than a conventional Ford Focus.
Although being less influential, driving styles can also have an impact on fuel consumption. The AA estimates that the average motorist could reduce their annual fuel bill by 10% (approximately £160) by taking heed of the following driving tips:
• Gentle movement- Avoid sharp movements by ensuring that you accelerate and brake gently. This includes opting to roll to a halt approaching traffic lights for instance rather than suddenly braking.
• Changing gears- The optimum revs for moving up a gear is 2,000rpm with petrol motors and 2,500rpm with diesel alternatives. Any higher than this and you will be needlessly wasting fuel.
• Avoid electrics- Air-condition systems and other electrical systems such as heated windscreens and electric windows do consume fuel. Avoid using these as much as possible.
• Servicing and tyres- Get your car serviced regularly and checking that your tyre pressures comply with those recommended by the manufacturer on a weekly basis are vital if you are to keep fuel consumption to a minimum.
Car insurance
The average motorist is now paying £921 per year for car insurance according to the AA. It has therefore never been more important to shop around in order to find the best deals, with the DVLA claiming that the average motorist stands to save 30% by comparing deals available through at least five different insurers.
