How To Reduce The Cost Of Car Ownership

The blog this week is about how you can reduce the cost of car ownership. Everyone wants to save money on a monthly basis, maybe for that annual holiday or your children’s university fund or for home improvements. Maybe it is to counteract the constant increases in your weekly food shops or increased utility bills. Read on to find out more:

Running a car has become a major expense, especially with the ever-increasing fuel prices. Drivers can use certain methods to not only decrease fuel consumption but to also reduce other costs when running a car throughout the year. The expense of running a car is no joke and can take a huge chunk out of the monthly household budget. UK drivers are becoming increasingly frustrated at the rapidly rising car fuel costs. As petrol prices look set to increase the only option open to drivers will be to find more economical ways to run their cars. Please read our blog to find ways that you too can save on these ever increasing costs throughout the year!

Trade In the Petrol Guzzling Car

Fuel prices are pretty high at the moment and do not look likely to decrease in the near future. Filling that tank is now a huge expense for most motorists, and cars that drink fuel are quickly going out of fashion. Smaller cars do not weigh as much as the bigger models and fuel consumption can be as much as 50% less than larger cars. Choose a car by actual requirements rather than desires. Dropping down to a less powerful car can also save ££££’s on your annual insurance costs as well as fuel consumption. Shopping around every year on price comparison sites for your annual car insurance instead of automatically renewing your policy will also save you money. One customer recently changed her insurer after remaining loyal for 6 years but only kept seeing her insurance rise year after year even after having no claims. She ended up saving over £300 on her annual insurance bill. These are two major ways that you can save money all year and still have the luxury of owning a car. You can also consider car sharing with a colleague from work so you split the driving only doing half the journeys each. If you are at work all day and have a drive you may also consider renting out your drive online!

There are more and more electric and hybrid cars coming onto the market – it is definitely worth doing your research to see what savings can be made, if you switch from petrol/diesel to an electric or hybrid car. With the announcements recently in the Autumn 2025 budget. There will be a new pay per mile tax for electric and plug in hybrid vehicle owners, set to take effect in April 2028. In the budget it was announced that drivers of battery electric cars will be charged 0.03p per mile, whilst those driving a plug in hybrid will pay 0.015p per mile. This has been announced as a way to replace revenue from fuel duty that has been lost! So a quick calculation of an average EV driver covering 8,500 miles per annum will have to pay £225 per year. It is definitely worth spending the time on research to see if the switch will benefit you. The cost of an at home charger also has to be factored in – with typical costs ranging from £800-£1200. So, there is definitely a lot to think about before making the switch.

Seek Out the Lowest Fuel Prices

With diesel and petrol prices increasing it is important to shop around for the best prices available. The internet will be of use when it comes to sourcing out the best fuel prices in the local area. There are petrol comparison sites on the internet that will give updated prices on a range of petrol stations including supermarkets. Prices are changing regularly so it is important to check on these sites daily. Obviously if it is a 15-mile round trip to the cheapest petrol station it may not be worth the journey to save a 1p on a litre of fuel! Filling up your tank at non motorway service stations is cheaper normally so plan in advance of your journeys. Remember, do not fill a car tank completely; more fuel in the tank means a heavier car and this will increase fuel consumption. Also do not drive around too often with very little fuel as the sediments in the bottom of the tank can cause damage in the long term. Look out for supermarket petrol offers such as 5p off a litre of fuel when you spend £50 on groceries - these offers can save you £'s over the year! Plus, if you earn points for swiping your supermarket loyalty card you can save your points for money off your groceries so a double win for you there. Happy Safe Motoring Folks!

ACC UK Limited
Farnborough, Hampshire
Serving surrounding areas across North Hampshire and Surrey

Call us today to book in your MOT, service or repair

Here at ACC UK Ltd, Winners of The Motor Trader Independent Garage of The Year 2015, 2019 & 2020, GRA – Outstanding Automotive Service Excellence 2025, Motor Trader Indies Garage of the Year Award 2025, The IGA Big Awards 2022, The Inspire Customer Service Excellence 2016 Award, The Eagle Radio Customer Focus 2017 Business Award, The Workshop Magazine Workshop Manager of the Year 2017 Award, The LiveWire Excellence In Vehicle Servicing 2019 Award and The Aftermarket Excellence Award for Best Website 2019, The Eagle Radio Biz Award – Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 & the SME News Magazine Most Trusted Car Servicing Provider 2020, 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