As we sink deeper into a seemingly never-ending recession, we are all (hopefully, and teeth clenched) taking charge of our financial affairs: cancelling unnecessary direct debits, forgoing our daily take out cafe lattes and so on.
However, motoring costs are a constant, unavoidable battle many of us fight on a daily basis.
Paying for soaring petrol costs, higher insurance bills, inevitable MOTs and repair costs with less disposable income are pressing issues, yet there’s no need to despair.
We can all take charge of such financial burdens one small step at a time. Even small savings add up quickly, safeguarding our finances for the long haul.
Driving a more economical, fuel efficient car such as the latest limited edition Honda Jazz Si is one quick win for the money-conscious among us.
This impressive vehicle will help you get as many miles per expensive gallon as you can (50.4mpg, in this case) and is a ‘sporty’ take on the multi-award winning Jazz. Starting at £14,550, its reasonable price tag gets you bespoke 16” alloy wheels, spacious design and new suspension settings in addition to a sleek all-around look.
Luckily, many big car manufacturers are designing increasingly lighter, more aerodynamic vehicles, embracing the need for safe and stable performance and lower running costs. Fuel efficiency is the new watchword in car manufacturing, usually under the twin guises of saving consumers’ money as well as saving the environment.
You can take control of your own fuel efficiency by lightening up the load of your car.
Don’t fill up your tank too much (fuel is heavy); empty the boot of unneeded items; use less air con at lower speeds; remove the roof rack when not in use – these are just a handful of the things you can do to improve efficiency by up to 8% according to the AA.
Saving by driving more economically is certainly one major way forward, and if we can drive a sportier vehicle for the same lower costs, even better.
With such advances being made, anticipate a future when the cars we drive will embrace fuel technology to the max, with hybrid vehicles becoming the norm rather than the exception on the road.
Honda recently unveiled the next-generation supercar – the NSX Concept is the first car to utilise a new Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All Weight Drive) system with a two electric motor drive unit working alongside a more powerful V-6 engine. It has all the handling of a supercar but without the running costs of a conventional one.
The massively growing car market has never been so conscientiously trying to entice us into being environmentally friendly with higher MPG and lower CO2 emissions.
As a result, we can now afford better performance cars than we could have previously and save money on a long term basis. What more could a savvy, money-saving consumer ask for?