12 ways to reduce your motoring costs

As pop singer Yazz once sang, the only way is up, and the same seems to apply to the general costs of living in the UK. From groceries to electricity bills, all of us are being hit by the rising cost of living, and drivers especially are feeling the crunch. So, to help, we've compiled a list of 13 straightforward things you can do to reduce your motoring costs.

- By Ayisha Gharu

1 DRIVE GENTLY TO IMPROVE FUEL EFFICIENCY

By accelerating and braking gently and, in a manual car, changing to a higher gear as soon as possible, you can reduce your fuel consumption by as much as 15%.

As a general guide, try to change up before 2000rpm in a diesel and 2500rpm in a petrol car, without letting the engine struggle at low revs.

Planning your journey to avoid traffic blackspots and busy times when possible also helps efficiency. As does keeping your tyres at the recommended pressure and removing any unnecessary weight, such as that shovel you carry in winter but never need in summer.

2 SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST FUEL PRICES

The cheapest fuel prices are typically found on supermarket forecourts. Some newer cars allow you to see the price of petrol on your infotainment screen, but you can also find out which petrol stations offer the cheapest fuel by using websites such as petrolprices.com.

You'll need to create an account (this can be done easily) and once you've entered your location, you'll have access to the prices of all the petrol stations near you.

Companies such as Esso also work in partnership with the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury's. You can scan your ClubCard or Nectar card at the till when you visit an Esso-branded service station, to collect ClubCard or Nectar points while filling up.

After building up Tesco ClubCard points, you can convert them into vouchers that you can eventually use on fuel. Or you can spend Nectar points for a 5p per litre discount.

3 DON'T BOTHER WITH PREMIUM FUELS

Premium fuel has a higher octane rating than regular petrol and is claimed to give better engine performance, as well as having protection and cleaning qualities.