Reducing Car Ownership Costs As A Young Driver

The blog this week is about how as a young driver you can try to minimise the costs of car ownership. Everyone is trying to save money at the moment, interest rates are rising, fuel bills are rising, food costs are soaring etc so when it comes to owning a car as a young driver, we need all the help we can get to keep costs down. Read on to find out more:

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 car purchase must 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 your 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 has had the book service stamped. A well-maintained vehicle does not signify that there are not any issues but it does however help to give you peace of mind that it has been well maintained prior to purchase. 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. Make yourself familiar as to when the next service and MOT are due and ask around family, friends and work colleagues for recommendations on where to take your car for servicing and MOT requirements in advance of the due date. Garages are extremely busy places and you normally need to book in advance at reputable ones. So don’t leave it to the last minute or you may find yourself unable to use your car if the MOT has expired.

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 any of 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 black box fitted to your car so the insurance company can monitor how you drive is a popular option with young new drivers – in fact some insurance companies will make it a pre requisite of their insurance. 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 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 road tax at a time. Paying monthly can help you to budget if you just don’t have the money to pay for it all upfront. Happy Safe Motoring Folks!

Here at ACC UK Ltd, Winners of The Motor Trader Independent Garage of The Year 2015, 2019 & 2020, 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.