Hoot Guide to cheaper motoring

At Hoot, we love nothing better than saving our customers £££'s on car insurance for young drivers. There's not much we won't do to shave a few pounds off a pricey policy - short of compromising on cover, of course.

That's why Hoot never sells a policy without legal expenses insurance. It's an essential part of any good insurance package, but many other car insurance firms only offer it as an afterthought (and an expensive afterthought at that - we routinely see them charging as much as £50 extra).

Every now and then however, we like to take a bit of a break from saving you money on cheap car insurance - so we can save you money on something else! Take this Hoot Guide for instance, which is loaded with tips to help you reduce other motoring costs.

Reducing your fuel bill
With fuel prices on the increase, most young drivers end up on a permanent economy drive when it comes to petrol. Many of the following may seem pretty obvious but they're all good money-saving ideas - just try out one or two and you'll be amazed how much money you can save.

There are three main ways to cut your fuel bill down to size:

1. Reduce the number of miles you travel
Sounds like an obvious point, but think about it: can you walk or cycle instead of using the car? Travelling short distances, stopping and starting and queuing in traffic all burn massive amounts of petrol so you'll make a substantial saving if you start making these short journeys on foot.

If walking and cycling doesn't appeal, how about taking the bus? Okay - we know it's not much fun standing at the bus stop in the pouring rain but maybe you could try it in summer. Using the bus often works out cheaper than driving, particularly if you factor in parking costs.

What if you're too lazy to walk and too shy to take the bus? Well, there is one last economising option available to you - car sharing. If any of your colleagues live nearby, why not take turns driving each other to work? It'll literally cut your fuel bill in half.

Cutting down the number of miles you travel by car is a particularly brilliant economy because it saves money on your car insurance premiums as well as your fuel bills. The annual average mileage in the UK is about 12,000 miles, so aim under that and you can expect a substantial discount from your motor insurance provider.

2. Reducing the amount of fuel your car uses
Besides travelling fewer miles, there are a number of steps you can take to conserve petrol when out driving. Try a couple of these and besides saving money, you'll also be doing your bit for the environment.

While stuck in a traffic jam, for example, or waiting for traffic lights or a level crossing barrier, try switching your engine off rather than leaving it idling. Running the engine while you're at a standstill is like leaving your TV on standby - a complete waste of energy.

For optimum fuel efficiency whilst you're on the move, experts recommend driving at 56mph, the perfect cruising speed for most cars. By driving at 56mph rather than 70, for instance, you'll end up saving a phenomenal 10 percent on your fuel bills.

Similarly, smooth driving - that is, avoiding harsh braking and acceleration - can lead to a staggering 30 percent economy over erratic driving.

3. Make your car more fuel efficient
We've seen that learning a few new driving habits can make a real difference to fuel economy and the price of car insurance for young drivers. But besides changing the way you drive, you'll find making a few basic changes to the car itself can have similarly beneficial effects.

Firstly, don't carry heavy objects around in your car unnecessarily. It seems like an obvious point, but you'd be surprised how many drivers end up with a boot full of power tools, golf clubs and the odd spade - none of which have been touched in months. Of course, all this extra weight takes more energy to move around, and that means more petrol.

Less obvious but no less important is tyre pressure. Flat or over-inflated tyres are detrimental to handling and force the engine to work harder, wasting fuel - so be sure to check them regularly.

Air conditioning systems need a lot of power to run and so force down fuel economy. So cool down by opening the windows instead of cranking up the air-con.

Lastly - and this'll come as bad news to all you gear-heads out there - when choosing a new car, bear in mind that one with a small engine will dramatically improve value-for-money at the petrol pumps. Keep it under 1.5 litres and you'll be rolling in money (don't forget the purchase price and motor insurance rate on these cars is usually lower, too).

Other ways to cut motoring costs
A fuel economy drive is a great way to manage the price of your car, but it's by no means the only one. For extra cheap motoring, try some of the following suggestions:

Buy yearly road tax: For a typical car with an engine size under 1.5 litres, 6 months' road tax costs £60.50, whereas a full years' worth costs just £110.

Get your car serviced regularly: Unless your car is fairly new, it's not really worth paying main dealer prices for a service. Fast-fit garages are usually significantly cheaper.

Keep your car clean and in good condition: Your car will hold its value much better if you look after it properly.

Take an evening course in car maintenance: Roll your sleeves up and get your hand under a bonnet one night every week - it's great fun and it'll save you a ton that would otherwise have been spent at your local garage.

Visit your local scrap yard: If possible, repair your car with quality second-hand parts from a scrap merchant or online rather than shelling out for new ones at a garage. Plus if you're taking those night school classes you can fit them yourself! Try http://www.nationalbreakers.com or http://www.ebay.co.uk to get you started.

Try Hoot car insurance for young drivers
At Hoot, we know all about cutting the cost of motoring - and we know it starts with a really cheap car insurance quote.

Cutting out unnecessary costs like an expensive advertising budget and the need for retail outlets and call centres means Hoot prices on car insurance for young drivers are some of the best on the net.

At Hoot, we don't believe in spending your premiums on pricey TV ads or annoying radio commercials. We think our motor insurance prices speak for themselves and it's precisely this lack of promotion that lets us make them so cheap.

There's another reason we're able to undercut our competitor's car insurance quotes: it's because we're committed to being an online car insurance company. We don't have to pay for an office on the high-street or a big call centre, and this saving really shows in the price of our car insurance.

So if you haven't already got a really cheap motor insurance quote, get one now!