5 Ways Car Owners Can Save Money

Car ownership is expensive. Your paycheck gets a cut every month for the car loans and getting your car filled at your favorite gas station can sometimes feel like getting robbed in broad daylight! Except of course the gas station attendant offers to clean your windshield. 

Ever wondered how you can save a few pesos while driving your own car?

Take a 10-minute break to read and learn from this article contributed by MoneyMax.ph that uncovers some practical ways on how you can save money as a car owner:

Car Insurance
You typically pay car insurance once a year, so the cost isn’t a monthly burden. However, the premium is a major expense, so it pays to put effort into looking for a good deal. The next time you sign up for car insurance, make sure to get a quote from various companies first. Get help from a car insurance broker to help you compare prices. There are websites that let you get a quote for a car insurance online that helps you compare different premiums and annual rates and also informs you on how to file your car insurance claim.

Regular vs. Premium Gasoline
Premium gasoline typically costs P3 more per liter here in the Philippines compared to regular gasoline. Some drivers say they want premium gasoline because this is what their car manufacturer recommends or some even see it as a “treat” for their beloved car. Car Talk has an eye-opening article on why you should save more money by buying regular gasoline instead of premium gasoline the next time you’re at the pump. Premium gasoline are designed for high compression engines to prevent “knocking” or “pinging” which are the result of an uneven combustion of fuel in your cylinder.

Car Talk argues that modern car engines are equipped with knock-sensors that delays the spark in your engine to minimize knocking without the need to fill up your car with premium gas. They add that filling up on premium gasoline is only recommended when you’re carrying a heavy load and it’s hot outside. That P3 per liter difference adds up over time especially if you fill your tank once a week! You’re looking at saving hundreds of pesos a year just by switching from premium gasoline to regular and by using premium gasoline only when it’s necessary. 

Driving Apps to Find the Faster Route
With all the endless road constructions around the metro and the various things that could suddenly block roads like stalled buses on EDSA or flash floods around Quezon City, you want a way to let you know of alternate routes to help you avoid these obstructions and find a faster route.  

Download Waze or the MMDA App on your smartphone and get tips on which roads to take! These apps are a dozen times better use of your plan’s data than Clash of Clans! Another handy feature of Waze is that it lets you compare gas prices so you know which gas station to go to for cheap (regular!) gasoline.

Low Rolling Resistance Tires
You can improve the fuel-efficiency of your car by choosing a tire with low rolling resistance. Tires with low rolling resistance can improve fuel efficiency by more than 1 km per liter. Ask your tire dealer about low rolling resistance tires the next time you have to change tires so that you can enjoy better fuel economy. Not yet time to change tires? Making sure that your tires are properly inflated every time you drive and especially before a long trip will not just help your car run more efficiently, it also helps you keep safe on the road because of improved braking and steering.

Ride a Bike for Short Distances
Don’t let the number-coding scheme be your only reason to use another type of transportation over your car. For short trips and for when you don’t need to carry a lot of things, try riding a bike instead! You get a quick exercise when you do it and get to save gas money too! Who knows? Maybe riding your bike once in a while will challenge you to try biking to farther places more regularly! Sure, Manila’s not like Copenhagen, but you can bike to almost anywhere here in the Metro and there are just a few roads where bikes are banned. Just stay out of the toll roads (NLEX, SLEX, CAVITEX, etc.) and you’ll be fine.

This is a guest post.
 
Author Bio:

MoneyMax.ph is the Philippines’ leading financial comparison site where you can save money by comparing financial and car insurance products and services – fast, comprehensive, and free. We aim to give the power of smart purchase decisions back to Filipino consumers by providing everything they need to become financially savvy. Like 'em on Facebook to get the latest tips on how to save.

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