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Busy family life can leave you reliant on owning more than one car, and that’s an expensive thing to do, no matter your household income.
If you’re looking to drive down the cost of keeping two cars on the road right now, we’ve got some tips to follow that will really make a difference.
Rethink Your Driving Style
The way you drive has a major impact on fuel economy, so even if you’ve got a modern, efficient car you can still end up paying more at the pump over time if you’ve developed bad habits behind the wheel.
There are lots of changes you can make to drive more efficiently. Anticipating the road ahead and opting for gentler acceleration and braking will make the most difference.
Speed also matters a lot; the faster you drive, the quicker you’ll burn fuel. Staying slightly below the limit for a given road is a good way of making savings. Using cruise control to maintain a constant speed on highways will also help.
Plan Your Routes Using Modern Software
If you encounter traffic during car journeys, fuel economy will take a tumble. The solution is simple; always use route planning software on your smartphone or your vehicle’s built-in navigation system to avoid congestion, even if you know where you’re going and don’t actually need directions.
Just remember to not get distracted by any in-car tech that you’ve got running while you’re driving. Trust the route planning software to do its thing and don’t try to tinker with it in the interim.
Switch To The Best Value Car Insurance
You can get affordable insurance when you compare car insurance online, and the good news for families with two cars to cover is that discounts are available for multi-vehicle policies.
That way you can make a saving by insuring both of your cars with the same provider, and also make things simpler for yourself as you’ll only be dealing with one payment to one firm, not two.
Make Maintenance A Priority
When money is tight, it’s common for families to skip over automotive maintenance in order to put the money towards other costs. The problem with this approach is that it means your cars are much more likely to suffer from more serious mechanical issues out of the blue, lumping you with a bigger repair bill in the long run.
It’s better to prioritize paying for the regular maintenance jobs that need doing, as this will limit the chances of a major breakdown occurring.
This is also helpful because it means you can fit the maintenance work into your schedule at a time that suits you, rather than needing to get it done in an emergency, which might disrupt your week.
Even basic DIY maintenance is necessary to keep up with, such as topping up your windshield washer fluid and making sure that your tires are inflated to the correct pressures.
Choose Alternatives To Driving
When you’ve got two or more vehicles on your driveway, jumping in and heading out in them becomes a habit.
It’s better for your wallet, and for the environment, if you think carefully before driving when the journey you’re taking might be possible to complete in another way.
Walking to the local store to grab milk, taking the train when you’re traveling long-distance, and carpooling with neighbors for the school run or the commute will make your car’s fuel costs less of a burden.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is that you can’t reduce the costs of running two family cars without making changes, so there will be a transitional period where things might feel odd, which you’ll soon get over.
