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How to drive down your car running expenditure

April 5, 2013 09:04

By

Martin Lewis,

Martin Lewis

1 min read

The cost of running a new car is nearly £4,000 a year – and older cars are not too far behind. Most bills are drip-fed so it is easy to pay without realising that for most homes, a car is the second biggest cost after a mortgage or rent.

Here are five tips on how to save money on your motor:

PRIVATE PARKING FIRMS CANNOT FINE YOU

Tickets from supermarkets or private car parks may look like fines but they are just invoices — a claim that you broke a contract with the landowner. Like any invoice, if it is genuinely unfair, simply explain why and tell them you will not be paying. The only way they can enforce it is by going to court. If that does happen (often it does not), then a judge can decide. With official council tickets you can be fined, but even then you have a right to appeal.