How to maintain a car on a budget

All over the UK, people's finances are under pressure in the current climate. If you're a motorist, and you rely on your car to get you from A to B, you'll have extra expenses to budget for too: from petrol and MOTs to repairs and maintenance.

But there are ways you could stay on the road without spending a fortune.FreemanJones.co.uk has drawn up these helpful tips for running a car without leaving too much of a dent in your bank balance.

Drive smart

If you seem to be getting through a full tank of petrol faster than you really should be, you could benefit from adopting more efficient driving habits.

For example: try to avoid unnecessary acceleration, remove roof racks when you're not using them, check your tyre pressure regularly, don't carry loads of things you don't need in the boot and try to avoid short journeys. All these things could help to reduce fuel consumption - and cut your bills considerably.

Learn some car maintenance

You could avoid hefty bills at the garage by picking up some basic car maintenance 'tricks of the trade'. Changing the oil, spark plugs or air filter might sound trickier that it actually is - and learning to do these routine jobs yourself could save you a small fortune in the long term.

Shop around for the best car insurance

Car insurance. It's a price we pay for being on the road - and one that can't be avoided. However, you could save some money every month by shopping around for the most affordable policy.

Some companies, for instance, offer discounts if you take out multiple policies with them, so you could consider getting car insurance from the same company you have your home/life cover with. Whatever you decide, comparison websites and recommendations from friends/family can both be good places to start.

Go green

If you're looking to buy a new car, have you considered opting for a fuel-efficient/alternative-fuel model? Along with reducing your fuel costs, you could also benefit from lower road tax (or even no tax at all), which could give you a bit more room in your budget every month.

Shop around for fuel

Prices at the pump vary a lot around the country. But you might not appreciate how much they can vary between petrol stations in the same town. Although you may regularly stop off at the garage just down the road to top up your tank, you could find that travelling a bit further down the road to the next petrol station is well worth it.

Passed the Driving Test

You may have destroyed your L plates by now, but might want to download some free P plates to use, to show other road users that you are a new driver.

Now that you have your licence you won't want to lose it so take a look at what happens tonew drivers who offend.