Commuting by car involves several costs. The typical costs are fuel and parking. Moreover, if you purchase a car simply to commute, you will also need to pay road tax, MOT, insurance, and more. To find out the best ways to save money on car commuting here’s more.
1 - Car Sharing
Sharing your car is an easy and effective way for you and your friends to save money. Instead of using four cars for four people, you can all travel together and use one.
You will cut your car commuting costs in four. You could all use one car and split the additional costs such as insurance and taxes too. Or, you could take it in turns each week in different people’s cars.
2 - Find Cheaper Insurance
Your car insurance is another price that will be included in your car commuting costs. To save money here, the simple answer is to do your research. Reducing the price of your car insurance will cut your costs and make your money go further.
3 - Ask For Workplace Benefits
Many workplaces will offer benefits if you commute to work sustainably. For instance, if you let your workplace know that you are three other employees are traveling together to be more sustainable, they might cover some of the fuel cost to reward you.
Similarly, you could ask them to cover parking fees and other additional costs that come with commuting to work.
4 - Drive More Efficiently
Driving more efficiently will reduce the overall cost of your commute. Switching the aircon off will use less battery and therefore cost less money.
You could also practice driving the shorter route or before rush hour, which will reduce the time spent behind the wheel and reduce fuel consumption.
5 - Claim Back Mileage
When you finalize your taxes for the year, you could claim back some miles. This will reduce your tax bill and stretch your money.
Ensure to keep receipts for accountancy purposes and proof.
6 - Go Green
A simple way to reduce fuel costs is to go green. Driving an electric car will mean that you have no fuel costs. Instead, you will pay to use electricity to charge the vehicle. Typically, this costs a lot less than fuel and can be done from the comfort of your own home.
Some schemes and fuel stations offer free electric charging so that you can save on all fuel costs.
7 - Buy A Used Car
Buying a new or leased car will not do your earnings any good. Buying a new car is not worth it. As soon as it is driven away from the garage, it depreciates in value. Buying a used car is much better value for money.
If you can only afford a lease car due to not having enough down payment, you can find used cars. If you want a new car, ensure to shop around. You never know what deal you can find by shopping around.
8 - Check Fuel Prices
Every fuel station will vary in price. Finding the cheapest fuel will benefit your costs and ensure to keep fuel costs to the minimum.
9 - Lighten The Load
The heavier your car is inside, the more gas will be used. Keeping your load to a minimum will ensure that you get better gas mileage.
The only benefit of having a heavy load is if you share a car for commuting. The gas mileage will reduce but the value for money will be much better.
If you use your car to commute, consider these tips to save money. It could be as simple as car-sharing and going green to split your costs in half or more.