Despite the recession the cost of living in the UK continues to rise. Every single month something is going up, and sadly for us petrol heads fuel seems to be one of the main culprits. What this means is having to choose our cars more carefully – that V8 is out of the question! There are however savings to be made simply in your day to day driving, without having to break the bank. Here we look at a few of them in brief.

Firstly let’s look at servicing of the car. Many people will try and save money by not getting their car serviced. Not only is this a stupid move as you risk the health of the engine and a hefty repair bill, it is also a false economy. You see a well serviced car is likely to perform better and save you on fuel. Air filters should be replaced regularly. These only cost a few pounds and often become clogged up with dirt. Anyone can replace one of these; usually it’s just a case of popping a few clips and swapping the filters over. Then there is the issue of oil changes. Most garages will do an oil change for under £50. Failing this you can easily do it yourself if you don’t mind getting a bit dirty and aren’t worried about keeping up the service history. Usually takes no more than half an hour. Finally check your tires. Deflated tires reduce grip and hurt your fuel economy. Make sure your tires are pumped up.

Then we come to the question of weight. Look in your boot. Do you have lots of junk in there? I had a set of brake disks in mine for a month. Get it all out. The extra weight doesn’t move itself around; more weight requires more power to move it.

Finally there is driving styles. If you are the sort of person who races through your gears then there is one obvious way to reduce your fuel consumption. For the rest of us we can still cut down our running costs. Firstly air conditioning. Air conditioning is one of those luxuries we think we cannot live without, but often putting on the regular fan is just as effective, especially if the temperature is only mild outside. This can save a small fortune over a year. Open windows are another expensive habit many drivers have. Open windows increase drag and decrease fuel efficiency. You should only open your window if you really need to, and if possible wait for that cigarette (for safety reason too!).

With a few small changes it is very possible to drastically reduce our carbon footprint and the damage our wallets too. Nobody likes spending money for no reason; take these simple steps to save a lot of money.