Having a car can make your life easier in lots of ways, from visiting friends and family to finding work and completing errands. But keeping your vehicle on the road can be costly once you’ve factored in insurance, fuel and dreaded repairs.
Car ownership in the UK has increased recently, but with an ongoing cost-of-living crisis and a weak economic outlook, it makes sense to try and keep your running costs down. Below, read practical tips for maintaining your car without breaking the bank.
Keep up with regular services
It might sound counterintuitive at first, but paying for regular services can actually save you money on maintenance in the long run. Services are vital for keeping your car in good condition and catching small issues before they develop into bigger, more expensive ones.
Manufacturer recommendations vary, but as a general rule you should get your car serviced once a year or every 12,000 miles – whichever comes first – to keep it in good working order.
Learn basic car maintenance skills
On a similar note, there are certain car maintenance tasks you can carry out yourself with some basic DIY knowledge, saving on garage fees in the process. Minor issues such as changing light bulbs and air filters, for example, are relatively simple to resolve at home – especially armed with free online tutorials.
You might want to leave bigger tasks to professionals – though you can still carry out initial checks yourself. For example, if you spot one of your tyres balding, you can buy new tyres online and find a cost-effective fitting service.
Drive efficiently
Driving sensibly and efficiently can also help keep your running costs down. Adopting habits such as steady acceleration, gentle breaking and driving at steady speeds in optimal gears can improve your fuel efficiency, and help preserve your car’s parts for longer.
It might seem overly simple, but tracking your fuel costs may also encourage you to drive less or combine smaller trips into big ones, putting less strain on your vehicle over time.
Build an emergency fund
Finally, building up a pot of savings to use in emergencies will also benefit you in the long run. Should major issues crop up despite all the precautions you’ve taken above, you’ll be in a better position to resolve them rather than forcing your car onwards – or taking out a high-interest loan to cover them.
Car maintenance can involve a host of expenses that soon add up. But by understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to manage them, you should be able to significantly reduce this financial burden. Are you on top of your car maintenance?
