Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Petrol prices now average a whopping £1.30/litre - so here are 18 ways to drive down motoring costs 

Petrol prices have been on the rise for a miserable 16 weeks and while there was a slight respite last week, many still pay a staggering £70-£80 to fill up. The average price of unleaded is £1.30/L, 10p up from Feb and only a smidgeon below the four-year high we saw last Oct.

Of course, best for the environment (and sometimes you) is to reduce your car use or give it up altogether. Why not walk or cycle to your local shops rather than drive - less waste and maybe less waist?

But that's not possible for all, so today we're focusing on tips to put the brakes on accelerating driving and fuel costs. We've 53 motoring tips to help - here are 18 to get you into gear:

1. Stop using your brake... to save up to 30% on fuel. Don't worry, this isn't about reckless driving - it's the opposite. By thinking about road positioning, rather than slamming on the brakes and burning all the energy you've pumped into the car, you'll be able to slow down gradually, making your driving more efficient - thus using less fuel. 
   
   This is just one of our tips to drive more efficiently (which isn't necessarily the same as just going slower) and to make your car more efficient. See our 13 tips to use 30% less fuel.
    
2. Do your car insurance price comparison 21 days before renewal to cut the price in half. It sounds crackers, but if you leave it too late to get a quote you're seen as high risk so will pay more, while fewer insurers will return quotes if you're too early. We analysed more than 18 million quotes from 3 big comparison sites and found the optimum time to get a quote is 3 weeks ahead, and if you've less time, then hurry, as prices tend to rise the closer you get. Since we first told you about this we've been swamped with successes.
   
   Maxine emailed: "I normally always do my car insurance one month in advance but after watching Martin I did it exactly 21 days ahead and saved £237. Thanks for the tip." For full help, see our Cheap Car Insurance guide. You'll find more tips for car insurance below - keep reading...
   
   
3. Check your driving licence or risk a £1,000 fine. More than 2 million photocards have expired - see how to check (and how to renew if it's invalid). 
   
   
4. Find the cheapest petrol or diesel near you in seconds. A handy free tool finds your cheapest local forecourt, and the gap between best and worst can be BIG. Eg, in one Durham postcode, it's 126.9p/L to 141.9p/L, with the difference equiv to £8 for an average tank. Find cheap fuel
   
   
5. Combine comparison sites to cut the cost of car insurance. They don't cover the same insurers or give the same price for the same insurer, so always check more than one. Our current order's: 1) MoneySupermarket* 2) Confused.com* 3) Gocompare* 4) CTM*. (Why? See comparison order.)
   
   Then check for hot deals that comparison sites miss. Right now you can get a £60 M&S voucher with an Age Co policy, or a £55 Mastercard voucher via Admiral. See deals comparisons miss. 
   
   
6. Driving in Europe? Watch for emissions stickers... and Brexit. If you're taking your car to the Continent, check if you need to order an emissions sticker to avoid a fine, plus see more help incl equipment needed, insurance requirements and speed limits in our Driving in Europe guide. And if you're going after we're due to leave the EU, see the latest info on driving permits, 'green cards' and more in our Brexit need-to-knows.
   
   
7. Trick to get basic AA/RAC breakdown cover from £23/yr. If you don't need full cover then don't buy direct - do it the right way via cashback sites and you can slash the cost. Cheap AA/RAC cover
   
   
8. Use hidden council 'fewer fails' MOT centres (if your car's in decent nick). These generally only do tests, not repairs, so there's no incentive for them to 'discover' faults - and people tell us this works. (Though if your car's likely to need major repairs you'll need to find a garage that can do them too as you may not be able to drive away if it fails.) Find cheap MOTs.
   
   
9. Full breakdown cover incl home start and onward travel for you and a spouse for £60/yr. AutoAid* charges £59.99 for 1yr. In contrast, an equivalent AA policy is £100+. More help and tips in Cheap Breakdown Cover.
   
   
10. Is there a carpool club near you? Whether commuting or going on a big journey it makes sense to share with others, assuming you can stand their company. You only pay for one lot of fuel and rack up miles in one car - better for the environment as well as your pocket.
    
    If you can't share with friends, family or colleagues, special carpooling clubs help find people who'll take you in their car or vice versa. Craig on Facebook is a carpool commuter: "If I drove myself I'd spend £1,800 a year in fuel plus extra wear and tear - sharing with 2 co-workers, I'm saving £1,200 a year." 
    
    
11. Hit with an unfair COUNCIL parking ticket? 50%+ beat them even after being rejected by the council. If you lose an appeal, the odds are in your favour if you take it all the way to an independent adjudicator. See how to fight unfair COUNCIL parking tickets.
    
    
12. Don't believe private parking firm porkies - their 'fines' are just invoices. Many tickets from supermarkets, retail parks and private car park firms do better impressions than Alistair McGowan. Some even call them Parking Charge Notices to mimic official Penalty Charge Notices. If you get an unfair private ticket, you can fight it - see how to fight unfair PRIVATE parking tickets.
    
    
13. Should you ditch your car for a car club? You could pocket £1,000s selling your motor and instead join a specialist club - you typically pay an annual or monthly membership fee, then, when driving, per hour, per mile, or both. These urban-based schemes tend to be better for short hops rather than long journeys - see our car club analysis. Peter tweeted: "It's a revolution. Right outside my house to the airport in under an hour - £15."
    
    
14. Car (or bike) pranged by a pothole? You could be due £100s. Forumite JRosh used our guide: "My car hit a deep pothole. I submitted a claim and received a cheque for £482." See if you're owed with our Pothole Claims guide.
    
    
15. Cut down parking costs by renting a driveway. You can slash what you pay by renting a private space, eg, we found one for £20/week in London's King's Cross compared with £67 at a local NCP car park.
    
    
16. Never renew AA or RAC policies without haggling. In our poll, the AA came top with 88% of hagglers having success, RAC came second with 85%. Eg, "Followed all your haggling hints and managed to get AA to reduce our breakdown renewal (for 2 people) from £306 to £154. Well worth the few minutes taken to study your website and call the AA." See our Breakdown Haggling Tips. 
    
    
17. Check for counter-logical car insurance savings. Sometimes common sense goes out the window and things that don't make sense can save you cash. Our Car Insurance guide has 'em all, incl:
    - Comprehensive cover can beat 3rd party.
    - Insuring more people on your policy can slash costs.
    - Legitimately tweaking your job description can cut the price.
    
    
18. Get 5% cashback when you fill up. Not fuel-specific, but the Amex Platinum Everyday card gives a massive 5% introductory cashback for 3mths (max £100), then up to 1%.