How to save money, whatever you use your car for

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There's no denying that no matter how economical your car is, driving is a very expensive thing to do - tax, insurance, maintenance fuel and more all spiral together into a cost that has now risen to an average of £2,539 per year - And if you're young that amount is likely to be far more.

Of course, there are ways to save money on your car whether you're a motorway commuter, a school running mum or a round-town potterer, and in the next few hundred words we're going to look at how to keep costs down.

First off, how many miles do you do a year, and how many can you realistically cut out? Recent research has shown that 20% of journeys made are unnecessary for one reason or another, so why not walk to the shop next time? Furthermore, if you and a colleague live nearby to each other, why not share the drive to work? The average commute is nearly 20 miles a day, so by sharing the responsibility you could be travelling 50 miles less a week.

Of course, nobody on the roads can avoid having to put fuel in their car, a cost that continues to get larger and larger as petrol prices continue to rise. There are ways to keep the amount you pay as low as possible - for example, keeping an eye on the prices your local filling stations are advertising means that you'll quickly get to know where is offering the cheapest fuel, a difference that can save you £70 a year if you do 10,000 miles a year in an average family saloon. There's also loyalty cards, offered by most petrol station and supermarket chains, that let you turn some of your spend into rewards like discount vouchers and other goodies, cutting a slice off your overall bills.

Insurance is another outlay that most people could probably spend less on. Rather than just accepting that renewal quote when it drops through the letterbox, why not take a bit of time to compare car insurance quotes and see if you can save yourself any money? It's quick and easy nowadays, and quite often people can save hundreds of pounds in just a few minutes.

Your driving style also plays a factor how expensive your car is. Obviously, if you only travel around a town or city, making short, stop-start journeys there's little you can do for economy, but by keeping a handle on your speed not only are you going to make that fuel last longer, you're also far less likely to get caught speeding, thus missing out on having to pay fines and increased insurance premiums.