Cars can be practical, fun or a bit of both. However, they are all expensive to run. The aim of this section is to allow you to keep your costs down to a minimum. Below are the some ideas :-
Insurance
Every renewal time it is worth spending a few minutes on a comparison website. many of them like confused.com will store your details making it very easy to get an updated quote. Once you have the best price, see if there is a cashback offer on http://www.topcashback.co.uk or http://www.Quidco.com. Compare these prices against your current insurer and I am sure there are good savings to be had, you never know, your existing insurer might even match the prices!
http://www.moneysupermarket.com
http://www.gocompare.com
http://www.confused.com
These 2 insurance companies are worth looking at as well, they are not on comparison sites :-
http://www.aviva
http://www.directline.com
MOT
After 3 years, the annual MOT currently costs £55. Why not get a half price offer at Halfords Autocentres saving you £27
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/CARS/mot/mot_centre.jsp
Otherwise, why not use your local council, reports are that there are no incentives to find faults, so more cars pass first time!
Tyres
They are expensive, especially if you have to replace 4 and have a large car. Make a note of the tyre specification (found on the side of your existing tyre) and get a quote online. Many companies will then deliver them to somewhere local, fit them at your house or even have links with a local fitter.
http://www.etyres.co.uk
OR
http://www.blackcircles.com/
Service
It is not worth neglecting on servicing, but paying high Main Dealer costs makes little sense either. There are many top quality garages around. One of my favourites is Prestige :-
http://www.prestigecarservicing.com
Petrol
Filling up can pow cost £60-£130 a time. Why not see what your local garages you are charging and make an easy saving
Driving License photo Card
Don’t forget you legally have to renew your driving license photo card (lasts 10 years), you can do this online :-
Parking permits (London)
Some councils include some free visitor permits with your annual parking permit (eg Wandswoth do 10/year). remember to ask!
Car Accessories
Ebay is a great place to buy car accessories – you can pick up almost everything there including mobile phone chargers! For anything else, google will save you money.
Mr Smartmoney 