Car insurance is a must – even if not driving

It’s a common misconception that cars don’t need insurance when not driven. In fact, legally cars must be insured unless they’ve been declared off-road with a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) or they’ve been untaxed since before 31 January 1998.

The Continuous Insurance Enforcement scheme came into effect in June 2011, stating all cars must be insured even if no one drives them (see the Compulsory car insurance MSE news story).

The rules are designed to clamp down on uninsured drivers. Break ’em and there’s a fine followed by clamping, seizure or having the car destroyed (warning letters come first).

Even if you let cover lapse during holidays or hospital stays, you’re breaking the law.

The only way out’s to apply for a SORN, which declares the car will never be driven. To apply, see the Gov.uk website.

Combine comparison sites to check 100+ insurers in minutes

Comparison sites zip your details to hosts of insurers’ and brokers’ websites, scraping their data to report back the cheapest.

See our guide explaining how to Combine Comparison Sites for the full list, plus a comprehensive step-by-step system to cut costs.

To get max quotes at speed, combine comparison sites Google*, Confused.com*,GoCompare* and MoneySupermarket* and check Aviva*, Direct Line* and Zurichwhich they miss. Then check the policy’s right and see if cashback’s available. Always check your policy, so you know exactly what you are and aren’t covered for in the event of a claim.

The record using the full system is 96p for a year’s fully comprehensive cover – let us know if you beat it.

Prep your car for winter

Breakdowns are inevitably more common in winter, so it’s worth being prepared. Our Cheap Breakdown guide has full info on breakdown insurance, but preventing your car from breaking down in the first place is better than waiting for rescue. Here are six tips to prep your motor before the cold weather sets in:

• Buy anti-freeze and a screen-scraper. Anti-freeze stops your car coolant from freezing so it can keep your car’s engine working, while a screen-scraper is useful for clearing your windscreen (a de-icer will also make the job quicker).
• Make sure your lights are working. Scan your lights and check them regularly to make sure they’re working properly so you can be seen in bad weather.
• Check your tyres. The AA recommends a tyre tread of at least 3mm for winter driving (Tyre Safety has a video on how to do this).
• Stop doors sticking with Vaseline. A thin coat of polish or Vaseline on rubber door seals should stop them sticking.
• Make sure you car is stocked up with essentials. For example: a torch and spare batteries, first aid kit, warm blanket, mobile phone charger, shovel, road atlas and jump start cables.
• Check your battery. A faulty battery is one of the most common causes of cars breaking down at winter. It needs to be regularly checked and might need charging if it’s not been used in a while.

The AA and the RAC also have full guides on winter driving and year-round essentials to have in your car.

Only drive occasionally? Consider car clubs

Car clubs claim to be a cost-effective way to drive, as they remove insurance, breakdown and maintenance costs. Yet joining, rental and annual fees mean that they only tend to be appropriate for those who use them infrequently, and make short journeys each time.

Before joining, think about your circumstances and carefully weigh up if it’s worth it. Here’s some general feedback on pros and cons from MoneySavers, though it varies by company so always check. See more tips and let us know how you’ve got on in the Car clubs cost-cutting hunt.

Driving abroad: Is your UK licence valid?

A UK driving licence is accepted throughout the EU, but if planning a road trip further afield, check if you’ll need an International Driving Permit (IDP).

See the Is Your Driving Licence Valid? guide for full details, but here’s the key info.

An IDP is required or recommended in about 140 countries, including the USA, Thailand and India. Drive without one where it’s needed and you risk trouble with the authorities, and may be refused a hire car.

It’s in booklet format and there are two types, known as the 1926 and 1949 Conventions (they’re the same price). Which you’ll need depends on where you’re off to.

Beware websites selling ‘international driving licences’ – these aren’t legally-recognised documents, so don’t get caught out.

Halve hire costs in minutes

Holiday car hire can save a hefty whack on taxis to and from the airport, and can be invaluable if you’re on a family getaway. If you’re definitely going to need it (see below foralternatives), make sure you book the right way.

Find full details of current deals, tips ‘n’ tricks in the Cheap Car Hire guide. Here are the key points:

• Define your requirements. There’s often a mass of costly add-ons on offer, such as air con, sat navs and extra drivers. Before you book, work out what you need and ditch the rest.
• Quickly compare quotes. Next, take the legwork out of your search by using the right comparison sites to grab the most quotes in the least time. Our top picks areSkyscanner*, TravelSupermarket*, CarRentals* and Kayak*
• Check for extra discounts. See if you can squash the price further via fly-drive package deals, cashback, specialist travel brokers and online vouchers.
• Get the cheapest excess insurance. At pick-up, hire firms will try to flog “excess insurance” – but it’s possible to do it for less than half the cost, via comparison site MoneyMaxim*.

The earlier you book car hire, the more you’ll usually save.

Bag a free parking tips mini-guide

The Glovebox Parking Aid is a free printable PDF mini-guide to help combat unfair parking tickets, clamping or towing. It’s designed to sit in your car ready for action if the worst happens, giving you essential info when you need it most.

In it, there’s help on what to do at the scene, how to avoid tickets when parking, as well as common mistakes to avoid when out and about. Print and pop it in your glovebox – you may well be glad you did.

Declutter your car to cut fuel costs

Fuel price rises can be a painful addition to motoring costs. But some basic maintenance can help put the brakes on your fuel bill.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Keep your tyres inflated Efficiency improvement: Up to 3%.
  Lower tyre pressure increases the drag on a car meaning you need more fuel, so regularly check the pressures are correct.
• Declutter your car Efficiency improvement: Up to 2%.
  The lighter your car is, the less effort it needs to accelerate. So declutter: clear junk from the boot, and ditch unnecessary weight.
• Take your roof rack off Efficiency improvement: Up to 2%.
  A roof rack adds massive wind resistance, increasing drag and making the engine work harder. Don’t need it? Remove it.
• Turn off air conditioning at lower speeds Efficiency improvement: Up to 8%.
  Air con uses an incredible amount of fuel, so turn it off unless really needed. The general consensus is it’s more efficient to drive with the windows down and the air con off at lower speeds, but at higher speeds it’s better to use the air con and keep windows up due to the extra drag caused.
• Don’t fill it up Efficiency improvement: Up to 1%.
  Fuel’s heavy, so by filling up you’re adding weight. The less fuel your car holds, the more efficiently it drives. Filling up slightly more often and putting less in (1/2 or 3/4-full) will make it more efficient.

Thanks to the RAC for efficiency data. See Make Your Car More Efficient for more.

Smoking in the car with under-18s could land you with a 50 fine

If you’re a smoker, then you need to be aware of a new law. Since Thu 1 Oct, anyone in England and Wales, whether a driver or passenger, who smokes in a private vehicle with someone aged 17 or under inside could face a fine.

If caught, the person smoking faces a 50 fine – and if they’re a passenger, the driver will be fined 50 too. This is quite apart from the fact smoking is both extremely unhealthy and mega expensive (see our Stop Smoking guide).

At the moment the law will only apply in England and Wales. The Scottish Government is working on a similar law that could be in place next year but there are no plans to introduce this in Northern Ireland.

The law also applies to caravans, motorhomes and campervans when they are being used as a vehicle with the engine on, but not when they are being used as accommodation.

Quick questions

Grab fuel vouchers with your weekly shop

Supermarkets often run petrol promotions. As their forecourts are usually cheap for fuel (always check), these schemes mean you can make some decent savings.

The offers are usually something like “spend 50 and get a 5p off/litre voucher”. Past discounts have included 12p off/litre with a single voucher.

Check Supermarket Petrol Deals for current offers. The best are always in the freeweekly email, so sign up to hear about them first.

Get car parts yourself

If you don’t mind the legwork, it’s possible to make hefty savings on parts by sourcing them yourself. Before getting your motor repaired, ask for separate quotes for fitting and parts, and check if they’d mind just fitting the part if you can find it.

Then get its exact details, including name, type and size, to see if you can buy it yourself for less. Forumites recommend eBay* for cheap car parts, as well as calling independent suppliers and motor factors and comparing prices online. Amazon’s car and motorbike* section’s also worth a look. A few forum success stories for inspiration:

My 2001 Ford Focus only came with one working remote key. I bought two fobs from eBay for 20 each and got a locksmith to supply and cut new blades and programme the remotes. Total cost was 140 for two new keys, as opposed to 200+ quoted from a Ford dealer.

My car needs new CV joints. Quote including labour is 945.41. After my eyes stopped watering, I told them I’d get back to them after I’d had a look for a better price. I’ve just gone to a local independent and got a quote of 150-180 all in. I’ll be saving nearly 800.

Is your car still under warranty? If so, the AA’s told us in most cases repairs will be carried out for free. But if you choose to have the car serviced outside the dealer network, the garage must use parts that match the original specification to avoid invalidating the warranty.

Add a second driver to cut insurance costs

If you’re considered high-risk, adding a second driver to the insurance – even if they won’t use the car often – can smooth out the average risk, and can even reduce the cost.

Those with a record for driving well are likely to help make bigger savings (if your friend’s driving style’s more Mr T than Driving Miss Daisy, this probably won’t work), but adding anyone that’s in a lower risk category can help.

It won’t always work, but it’s worth playing with quotes to check.

Learn to dodge parking tickets

Ever wondered what ‘blip’ markings on kerbs mean, or if a quick trip to get change is allowed? These are just some of the key points in the Park Right guide.

Parking tickets aren’t just irritating, they’re hideously expensive. Plus, they may take months to reverse, so arm yourself with the myth-busting Top Five Parking Facts (if you know others who often get ticketed, pass ’em on):

1. There’s no standard ‘single yellow’ parking restriction. You can sometimes park on a single red or yellow line, but there aren’t standardised times. Always check the road signs.
2. Watch your wheels. Ensure your car’s completely within any defined spot, such as a residents’ or pay-and-display bay. If one wheel’s outside, you risk a ticket.
3. Proudly display your permit or ticket. If you’ve a special permit (such as a residents’ or disabled permit), a warden must be able to clearly read it otherwise you’ll often get a ticket. The same goes for pay-and-display tickets.
4. Bank holiday rules vary by council. Many wrongly assume they can park anywhere on bank hols. Some councils allow parking in residents’ bays or on a yellow line, others won’t. There’s no hard and fast rule; if unsure, don’t do it.
5. Beware EVERYTHING in private car parks. Rules change on private land or in private car parks – whether at supermarkets, hospitals or elsewhere. You can be asked to pay huge amounts without reason, so check signs and be cautious.

Find the cheapest petrol station in seconds

Before you fill up, use free website PetrolPrices.com to find the cheapest petrol, diesel and LPG near you. After registering, enter your postcode and and it’ll list the cheapest forecourts in your area.

The Cheap Petrol guide’s also full to the brim with ways to save, including a quick tool to show the target cheapest price to aim for in your area.

Make cash from your driveway

If you live in a city, near an airport or train station, or anywhere where parking’s pricey, your driveway might just be paved with gold. Rent out a parking space and you could make 200 a month or more.

Here’s a quick tip, but you can find more, plus the list of the big parking sites to try and what to watch out for, in the Rent Your Parking Space guide.

Quickly find what yours is worth. To get an idea of what you might be able to make, clever online tools can give quick estimates. You can see what those nearby are charging for long-term stays (eg, a month) with Park Let’s price guide tool, or for short-term stays (eg, a day), try the tool on Just Park*.

Private parking firms CAN’T fine you

Parking tickets from supermarkets, housing estates or other private car parks do better impressions than Jon Culshaw. Some are dressed up like fines, they can even be called Parking Charge Notices to mimic council Penalty Charge Notices. Don’t be fooled, they’re just invoices.

If a ticket’s slapped on your windscreen and you think it’s unfair (eg, no signage), like any invoice, reply explaining why and that you won’t pay. It may huff and puff, yet they can’t “hit your credit record” or “send bailiffs” without the time and expense of court action. If they do push that and the ticket’s truly unfair, the court will wipe it anyway.With 177 of the biggest firms you can also appeal to an independent body – 49% of the 65,000 motorists who tried between October 2012 and July this year succeeded. Find full info in our Fight Unfair Private Parking Tickets guide.

Tips to haggle down tyre costs

New tyres can be pricey, but it’s essential to make sure you keep them above the 1.6mm legal minimum tread depth to let surface water slip through.

To measure, use the quick 20p tyre test detailed on theTyreSafe website. Pop a 20p coin on its edge into the main grooves of the tyre tread. If the outer rim of the coin is hidden, your tyres are legal. If you can see it, get them changed.

Don’t just go for the first quote you get. You can make big savings by ringing round local garages for the cheapest quote on the ones you want, then see if you can lower the price further by haggling it down.

This can make a big difference to the price, particularly if you’re replacing more than one tyre. Here are a couple of success stories from the forums for inspiration:

I rang around and then asked Kwik Fit to price match – got my two tyres down from 165 per tyre to 128 fitted, tracked and balanced.

I went to them with a price for just supplying tyres. They came back and beat the price, including fitting, balancing and tracking.

Give it a try. See Haggle on the High Street for tips, and report your successes on the Cheap Tyres discussion.

Should I get premium tyres? The AA’s told us a driver changing all four tyres for AA-grade tyres, doing 9,000 miles a year with a fuel consumption of 30mpg, could save about 170 on fuel a year. However, as AA-grade tyres are generally pricier, weigh up any extra cost carefully before shelling out.

Swap Clubcard points for cheap RAC cover

If you’re a Tesco shopper, hoard your Clubcard points and you can use them to get cheap breakdown cover.

How does it work? Spend Tesco Clubcard vouchers on goods or services listed in its Clubcard Boost brochure and you get back up to four times their face value.

Which policies can I get? One of the deals offered is an RAC roadside recovery policy, meaning you can sometimes get it at about a third of the high street cost. Not all the usual packages are available – see the Tesco Clubcard RAC table for the range on offer.

Protect your no-claims bonus

For every year you don’t claim on your insurance you get a discount, which can make a big difference to costs. If you claim, you usually lose two years off this discount – a deliberate tactic to encourage you not to claim.

You can get a protected no-claims discount so claims don’t impact the discount. Some schemes also offer an accelerated no-claims bonus, eg, giving a year’s bonus after 10 months, such as Admiral’s* Bonus Accelerator. See Protect Your No Claims Bonus.

Beware price rises. Remember, if you have an accident, even if you don’t claim, in order to keep your no-claims discount, you should report it or risk invalidating your insurance.

As a result, the price of the policy can still rise. Having a discount is one thing, but if you’re seen as more of a risk (which happens when you have an accident) the price is still likely to rise, because this is a separate calculation insurers make when determining costs.

Grab cheap MOTs if you’re sure your car will pass first time

If your car’s in perfect condition and you’d be surprised if it failed anything, look out for offers to get your test as cheaply as possible.Then check your local garages to see if they’ll match the lowest possible MOT test fee. It’s also worth hunting around for cashback deals (full explanation in the Cashback Sites guide).

Tweak your job title for cheaper cover

When it comes to insurance quotes, tweaking a job title could save serious cash. Insurers base prices on risk assessments, and your occupation plays an important part.

This isn’t about claiming you’re a lollipop lady when you work as a stunt driver. But done responsibly, this can really help to lower your policy cost.

To help, we’ve built a fun Car Insurance Job Picker tool to show the riskiest jobs and see if small tweaks to your job description could save cash. For example, someone paying 500 a year for car insurance listed as ‘builder’ could knock off around 30 by tweaking it to ‘contractor’.

Shockingly, those listed as unemployed are sometimes charged over five times more for their insurance than those in work. See the full MSE News investigation.

When considering using a different title, always imagine asking a reasonable person who knows what you do for a living. Would they say it’s reasonable for you to describe yourself this way?

Don’t be tempted to lie when getting car cover

With insurance, remember the golden rule:

Tell them the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

If you’ve read these tips and thought, “It’s easy to lie”, you’re right. Yet lying on your insurance form is fraud. It can lead to your insurance being invalid and, in the worst case, a criminal prosecution for driving without insurance. Don’t do it.

Even if parking for free, there are catches

In rural or suburban areas, you can usually park for free outside busy parts of town where there are no road markings. But you can’t just park anywhere that’s unmarked.

Here are some basic rules to remember:

• Avoid parking near the top of a hill, otherwise you may not be seen by approaching vehicles.
• Never park on a bend, for the same reasons.
• Make sure you’re not on a clearway or red route. If you can’t see a sign, or simply weren’t looking for one, this generally means you can’t park on busy roads. So stick with residential streets, or roads where many other cars are parked.
• Don’t park within 10 metres of a junction.
• Don’t park where the kerb’s been lowered to allow vehicles to access a driveway.

Time your MOT right

Whether you’ve a banger or a Bentley, your car needs an MOT when it’s three years old (four years in NI), then once a year after. Yet timing is crucial.

Get a test in the month before the current certificate ends and the new one will expire exactly a year from the original’s end date (the earliest date you can do this is printed on your test certificate).

But get it tested more than a month before the MOT’s due and it’ll expire exactly a year later, meaning you lose out.

Always book tests in advance if your certificate’s run out. If your car’s out of certification, you can drive it to the test centre provided the test’s been booked. Plus, if it’s failed the test, to get the problems fixed you’re allowed to go from the test station to a repair centre. The vehicle still must meet a certain standard of roadworthiness, otherwise you can be fined. See Cheap MOTs for more.

To get a reminder six weeks before your test’s due, use
the free Tart Alert tool.

Grab breakdown cover for 17 a year

Whether you’ve a flashy new convertible or a trusty old banger, there’s no need to pay 100s for breakdown cover. See Breakdown Best Buys for the latest cashback deals and best buy roadside recovery policies to help find the cheapest cover.

You’ll also find full info on the different types of policies to make sure you choose the right cover, as well as specialist policies, safety tips and more.

Know where to look and you can often get a basic policy for 17 after cashback, or full service cover for 41.

Driving in Europe? Check insurance, breakdown and road rules

Don’t assume you’re automatically covered if you’re taking your car to the continent. Make sure you set off fully prepared.

Here’s a useful basic checklist:

• Car insurance. Most comprehensive or third party, fire and theft policies become third party outside the UK (ie, they’ll pay if you damage another car but not your own, and no cover if your car’s stolen abroad). You may need to notify your insurer of your trip, so check your policy (see Cheap Car Insurance).
• Breakdown cover. Go outside the UK and often your breakdown cover isn’t valid. Do a check and if not, you can either upgrade to a European policy or buy special one-off temporary cover (see Cheap Breakdown Cover).
• Do a maintenance check. Do all necessary maintenance before you go, and ensure you’ve got manuals and the numbers to call if your vehicle breaks down.
• Driving rules. Check the country-by-country overseas driving regulations on theAA website to make sure you’re familiar with the local rules before you go.

Snaffle hidden airport parking discounts

It’s often said airports make more from parking and shopping than planes. Leave the car there without booking first and you risk sky-high rates, but a quick comparison can nearly halve the cost in minutes.

The Cheap Airport Parking guide has full listings of the latest discounts which can help to hammer down your quote. It also has forum discussions for each airport to help uncover hidden local discounts.

Don’t just turn up at the airport. Booking first, even on the day of your flight, could save money.

Consider car hire alternatives

Before you book car hire, don’t forget to consider the alternatives. Unnecessary car hire can be an expensive, unused hindrance. Car swaps, public transport and even taking your own car may work out cheaper for some destinations.

Go through this checklist first:

• What’s the public transport like? In Miami or Los Angeles, everyone needs a car to traverse the huge city distances. But in New York you can’t park anywhere, so the subway wins. Many European cities have great public transport links too, so a little research goes a long way.
• How much are taxis? Sometimes car hire’s cheaper than just one taxi. A taxi from Malaga airport to Marbella’s about €80 each way, yet you can often get car hire for 70 a week. So even if you never use it again, it wins. Use international taxi fare calculator Holiday Taxis for a benchmark price.
• Can you take your own car? If off to Europe, this may be an option. All UK car insurance policies automatically provide the minimum cover required by law in the EU, but check if full cover extends to Europe for full protection. It can be cheap to get EU breakdown cover. See Cheap Breakdown Cover.

Don’t overestimate motorbike mileage

If you’re on two wheels, finding cheap insurance isn’t always an easy ride. The Cheap Motorbike Insurance guide has a step-by-step system to help find the cheapest cover for your needs, with tips on security, mileage, no claims and more.

Big name insurers tend to think motorbike, moped and scooter insurance is risky and steer clear. So smaller companies cover the market instead.

But it’s still possible to save 100s on cover, if you know where to look. While many of the methods to save are similar to car insurance, there are a few issues that are specifically for motorbike and scooter cover:

• Mileage. If you also drive a car, don’t overpay because you’ve overestimated bike mileage. Many riders don’t use their bike as their main transport, but base their estimated mileage on what they do in their car. The average bike does just 4,000 miles a year.
• Age of riders. Insurance costs jump if you’re under 30, and more if under 21.
• Security. This is a big problem for bike owners. If you keep it indoors or locked to a proper bolt, fixed to your wall, you’ll get a cheaper quote. Spending 100s on a lock may not substantially reduce the quote price though, so bear this in mind – and always check if it’s a requirement with the insurer.

Halve parking costs with a private space

If you drive to work, buy monthly car parking with one of the big chains or pay over the odds for your regular Saturday football space, you might be able to halve parking costs by renting a private space. Plus you can get a rough idea of savings in seconds.

Try Park Let’s price guide tool, which lets you search for guideline UK parking prices on a map. Just drag the area of the map you’d like to park in under the ‘X’. You’ll only find the best average prices Park Let can offer, so even if the saving’s good, use it as a benchmark to beat.

Once armed with Park Let’s best price, try comparing Just Park*, Your Parking Space and Park On My Drive. If you’re willing to dig a bit more, you could also tryGumtree. See the Cheaper Parking Tips note for full info and safety tips.

Security’s a potential downside to parking privately, especially if you’ve a flashy motor, so always check this out.

Try the petrol diet

No, we don’t advocate swigging the stuff – it’s a challenge on the MSE forum, where MoneySavers share tips to cut their fuel spend.

It’s free to join in, open to all, and has loads of handy tips to help put your fuel usage on a diet to trim up your finances. See the Petrol Diet Discussion to find ideas and share your thoughts.

It’s about pain-free, speedy ways to make your car and driving more efficient – and put you back in control of your fuel bill.

Cut fuel costs through car share schemes

A quick way to reduce your fuel bill is simply to drive less. No, we don’t mean hiring a chauffeur – try sharing journeys with friends or colleagues.

The following sites help connect you to others planning the same journey:

• Liftshare. Register your details on Liftshare (it says it never uses them for marketing purposes) and enter the journey you’d like to share.Then check its search results for matching commuters. You can also opt for weekly or monthly emails alerting you to new matches, and it also lets you search for potential matches before registering.
• Carpooling. Website Carpooling (now joined forces with BlaBlaCar) lets you see possible matches before registering, then lets you register to get in touch if you find a match. It has over four million registered users across Europe, not just the UK, and is generally better for longer trips.For extra safety, it also allows you to only travel with ‘authenticated’ users who have proven their ID, and offers a rating system that lets you read reviews on users you’re considering sharing a lift with.

• BlaBlaCar. Founded in France in 2006, BlaBlaCar came to the UK in 2011 and since joining forces with Carpooling it now has 20 million users across Europe. It lets you search for potential matches without registering, but you’ll need to register for free via Facebook or email to contact a driver or offer a lift.

Find full car-share info, safety and insurance tips in the Share Driving note.

Grab free maps, cycle guides, travel mags…

There’s a mass of motoring goodies available for free at the click of a mouse. Visit the Travel and Motoring Freebiessection of the full Freebies guide for goodies including maps, practice theory tests, car stickers, travel magazines, cycle guides and even a free motorbike trip.

Check van insurance terms carefully

Whether your van’s used for removals, family holidays or work, as with car insurance, it’s possible to save hundreds by switching.

Though many of the issues are the same as for car owners, there are important issues that are specific to vans. There’s a full list and cost-cutting system in the Cheap Van Insuranceguide – here’s a taster:

• Business or pleasure? If using a van for your business, make sure the policy covers business use, not just social and domestic.
• Speedy repairs. If your van’s damaged or stolen, it may be out of action which could hit your livelihood. If so, look for a policy that repairs or replaces quickly.
• Contents. Vans’ lack of windows make them more attractive to thieves. Check policies before buying to make sure anything left inside overnight is covered.
• Breakdowns. Most vans are heavily-used, increasing the chances of breakdowns. Some policies include breakdown cover, but separate cover’s often cheaper.

Find extra public transport discounts

Public transport may be a more MoneySaving alternative to driving, particularly if your once-economical motor is now a fuel-guzzling monster. And there are easy ways to cut costs further.

The Cheap Train Tickets guide is crammed with tips on getting standard rail travel for less, from split ticketing to the full list of railcard discounts, plus how to use Tesco vouchers to get cheap tickets.

Train and bus companies often discount heavily with regular sales to fill seats. Deals have included 1 UK train and bus tickets, and London to Scotland for under 20. See Cheap Trains & Coaches for the latest.

Cheap train and coach ticket offers go quick. To hear about them as soon as they’re released, sign up to the free weekly email.

Alternatively, get your skates on (or your trainers, rollerblades or unicycle) if it’s a short journey. Going by foot’s a far healthier alternative, and it’s MoneySaving too.

Share your tips on the motoring forum

The Motoring forum board is fantastic for sharing ideas and swapping tips on all aspects of being on the road. Whether you want to learn to drive for less, find free car journey gamesor buy a second-hand car, there’s something for everyone.

Sell your car and stop driving

OK, it’s a radical thought, and it’s not right for everyone. But if your motor costs a fortune, it’s worth considering: do you really need it? Or if you have two cars, do you need them both?

Think how much you would get from selling it, how much you’d save on insurance, tax, fuel and repairs compared to the cost of getting public transport.

Not only would it save you money, you’d be doing your bit for the environment. See some of the forum discussions for other people’s experiences of selling their motor.

How to buy cheap tyres

You can save a lot on new tyres by shopping around.

• Online tyre prices. Buying and fitting new tyres in a garage is less hassle but may cost you more. It’s often cheaper to buy tyres online.
  Tyre-shopper.co.uk and Blackcircles.com are liked by MoneySavers but always check a few websites before parting with your cash. Tyrequote.com compares prices and local garages and is a good tool for researching the market.
  Enter the tyre width, diameter and load rating (from the car’s manufacturer handbook) to work out the cost. This is more accurate than relying on automatic results from your registration number.
• Delivery. Remember to factor in the price of getting the tyres delivered, fitted and balanced at a garage.
• Tyre quality. Before you buy, check the quality of the tyre on a website such astyrereviews.co.uk. It lists all published tyre tests and will give you a good idea of how the tyres you’re buying stack up.

Give your local independent a try, if he’s like me he will try his damndest to compete and will not try to sting you with ‘extras’ you don’t need.

Learn DIY car maintenance

Ever fancied yourself a dab hand under the bonnet? Well, why pay for basic repairs and car maintenance when you could do them yourself? The time and effort spent learning how to fix and look after your car could also prevent more serious problems from happening down the line, saving you even more dosh.

On a similar note, you could also personalize your car on your own instead of hiring a professional to do it for you, which seems to be an expensive option. To do so, all you need to do is figure out what improvements you want to make, purchase the materials (like custom decals, stickers, etc), and watch a tutorial online to guide you.

Of course, if you’re ever in doubt then seek professional advice, but if you’re keen to learn for yourself then check with your local council, as well as nearby colleges, to see if they are running any cheap car maintenance courses. For instance, City of Westminster College runs a 10-week evening course in DIY Car Maintenance three times a year for 325. Use Hotcourses to find lessons in your area.

You can also search online for tips, information and guides on how to look after your motor. The Useful Motoring Websites forum thread has a long list of helpful sites to visit, while the Car Maintenance Tips thread has a huge amount of information on fixing common car complaints.

Wear your MSE car sticker with pride!

If you’ve found this checklist useful, pass it on – and if you want to show others you’re proud to be a MoneySaver, get the ‘free’ official MSE car sticker (you know you want to!).