Car share
Car sharing cuts the fuel bill, reduces your car's mileage and saves on parking fees. It can also cut journey times as more and more local councils - including those in Leeds, Birmingham and Bristol - experiment with vehicle lanes that are out of bounds to single-occupant cars. There's even a motorway with one of these so-called HOV lane - the M606 from Bradford to the eastbound M62 towards Leeds. Check out liftshare.org, or for local car-sharing schemes, carshare.com. Either that or knock on your neighbours' door.
Buy a sat nav
Getting lost is an enormous waste of money given the price of fuel at the moment. On top of that, the added irritation and the desire to quickly get back on track aren't exactly conducive to economical driving. The latest breed of sat nav units can go further in saving you time and money thanks to the TMC traffic avoidance function. Idling in congestion is a colossal waste of fuel, not to mention time, so any help is useful, however sketchy. The biggest threat to sat-nav cost-saving is misdirection (closely related to human error), so don't ditch the map straightaway.
Cap the mileage
Resale values are highly dependent on the odometer reading, so it's worth keeping an eye on it. The trade's marker point for an average mileage after three years (when fleet and finance deals usually end) is 60,000 miles. Anything more is high and becomes a psychological barrier to future buyers who worry about crossing the 100k threshold. Those who buy on lease deals keep a watchful eye on the odo so as not to bust their mileage agreements and pay penalties. Try to think like they do.
Rent your driveway
If every morning you leave a prime parking spot empty outside your house, you could be making money on it by renting the space to another commuter. A website called parkatmyhouse.com connects drivers with driveways or other private parking spots and reckons owners can rake in up to £300 a month if the space is really desirable (think central London). Alternatively, a local driveway could work out cheaper and closer for you than a car park.
Get a service
Freshly serviced cars are likely to use less fuel, on top of all the other benefits. Clean oil lubricates faster from cold and reduces energy sapping friction. Partially blocked fuel filters can go unnoticed as the engine's brain overcompensates by calling up more fuel than is needed. And clean air filters deliver fresh oxygen to create the most economical air/fuel mixture for the engine.
Search on-line for the cheapest fuel
Fuel prices can vary widely from forecourt to forecourt, so hunt down the cheapest prices in your area on a website such as petrolprices.com. The gap between cheapest and most expensive diesel was 15p per litre in one London search we carried out. In an era of shrinking forecourts, plot where the nearest and cheapest are in relation to you in order to combine fill-ups with trips in that direction.
Drive slower
Generally you'll use less fuel the slower you drive. According to the Driving Standards Agency 'at 70mph you could be using up to 30% more fuel than at 50mph'. At higher speeds more power is needed to overcome increased air resistance, so more fuel is burnt. Obviously more slippery cars will experience less of a slump in economy, while 4x4s and people carriers will see consumption sharply increase.
Shop unconventionally for car items
Tesco does seat covers for £5, two litres of synthetic oil for £9, universal wiper blades for £9, car covers for £15 and wheel trims for £14. Argos sells trailers for £200, induction kits for £20, a mesh dog grille for £20, steel jerry cans for £18 and a twin-cylinder foot pump for £10. Asda has sat navs for under £100 and comprehensive-looking breakdown cover for £73 a year. Lidl sells five litres of oil for £9.
Shop around for airport parking
There's a lot of money to saved on finding an alternative to crippling long-term parking fees. One option is to book an airport hotel and take advantage of free airport parking, an option that can also open the door to previously unsociable, but cheaper flights. Comparison sites like Travelsupermarket.com will give you more options, including the reduced cost of pre-booking long-term car parks closest to the airports. Motorbikes usually park for free, or try nearby railway station car parks (eg Luton).
Avoid speed bumps
Traffic calming is the enemy of cost-saving because it increases fuel use by so much. Just how much was proved by the AA, who carried out an experiment by driving three cars down a 1km stretch of Tarmac with six speed bumps, dropping to 20mph and accelerating back up to 30mph. They then took the same three cars over a smooth stretch of the same distance at 25mph and discovered the three cars had used on average 90% more fuel over the speed bump route. Stop-start congestion is also bad, but is more difficult to avoid.
Use your Clubcard vouchers
Tesco's Clubcard vouchers can be used to save money on a fair few motoring-related items. You can get money off BSM driving lessons, an MoT or service at one of the Nationwide Autocentres, the cost of a car bought from one of Motorpoint's supermarkets and also RAC membership. There are also reductions on tickets for Eurotunnel and four ferry companies.
