ACC UK Ltd, Winners of The Independent Garage of the Year 2015 & Inspire Customer Service Excellence 2016 Award, are Servicing, Repair & MOT Specialists based in the heart of Farnborough, Hampshire. We like to give you hints and tips on maintaining your Volvo or Toyota to help reduce breakdowns and
expensive car repair bills.
The blog this week is about what are the costs of owning a Volvo or Toyota as a young driver.
It is known that after your normal housing/living costs, owning a car is likely to be one of the most expensive items that you’ll pay for as a young adult. In our blog we break down the key costs involved in running a Volvo or Toyota and hopefully we can give you some useful hints on how you can try to keep them to a minimum.
There are three things that you must have by law before you even drive your Volvo or Toyota. These are as follows:
MOT – your new purchase must also have a valid MOT before you can drive it on the public highway. A brand new Volvo or Toyota
will not have to have an MOT for three years. If however you are purchasing a second hand Volvo or Toyota make sure that you have the relevant paperwork
and check to see if there were any advisories to ensure you are well prepared in the eventuality of any work that may be required on the Volvo or Toyota.
It is worth saying at this point if purchasing a second hand Volvo or Toyota to check the service book to see if it has been serviced regularly and
had the book stamped. The standard cost of an MOT is set by the government at £54.85 for a car. This cost can vary between garages – however be wary
of one that is offering an MOT at a silly price – you may find yourself charged for simple things like labour to change a light bulb and find you end
up with a ridiculous bill for some very minor items.
Car insurance is a legal necessity. Before even considering what car to buy the first thing to do is to see what it will cost you
to insure it. This you can easily do by using the price comparison sites. Obviously the smaller the engine the cheaper it will be but the first year
or two will be hideously expensive. Often you will find that the cost of insurance will often outweigh the cost of the car. There are things that you
can do to try and bring the cost down like having a higher excess to pay in the unfortunate event of an accident. Having a box fitted to your car so
the insurance company can monitor how you drive. As you get older and get more driving experience then the cost will start to come down, always protect
your no claims bonus once you start to earn it.
Car tax - all cars must have their road tax. Some cars will have no road tax due to them having low emissions/small engines/being environmentally
friendly and higher performance cars can be £1000+. You must ensure that you have road tax before you drive your Volvo or Toyota on the public highway.
This can be done online and you can also now pay monthly. In the past you had to pay for 6 or 12 months at a time. Paying monthly can help you to budget
if you just don’t have the money to pay for it all upfront. You no longer have to display a tax disk either.
Here at ACC UK Ltd, Winners of The Motor Trader Independent Garage of The Year 2015 & Inspire Customer Service Excellence 2016 we pride ourselves on
offering an outstanding customer experience for a fraction of the cost of a dealership. Give us a call and let us quote you for your next service or
repair on your Volvo or Toyota. We service all areas around Farnborough, Fleet, Aldershot, Farnham, Guildford, Frimley, Camberley, Hook, Sandhurst,
Crowthorne, Yateley, Hampshire and Surrey. We offer free collection and drop off services. We also have a fleet of courtesy cars to allow you to get
on with your schedule whilst your Volvo or Toyota is with us. Happy Motoring from all at ACC UK Ltd – Independent Volvo & Toyota servicing, repair
and MOT specialists based in the heart of Farnborough, Hampshire.
