Want Cheap Motoring, Follow These Tips
For the last 10 years we have seen al rise in petrol and diesel prices well above the rate of inflation, and now that diesel is being viewed by the government as a dirty fuel the chances are that the Chancellor will tax diesel vehicles more heavily than ever before. Here are a few ways in which you can save money on your vehicle fleet costs for the year ahead. Even if you implement a couple of changes it can make a big difference to your vehicle expenses over the period of full-year.
To start with the first thing that you must consider the actual vehicles that youre going to purchase for your fleet. As a business it is important that you get the best value for money that you can and buying the right vehicles for the job in hand is imperative. What may appear to be a good deal on the forecourt but not necessarily make for a good deal over time this is where you first have to consider your purchases very carefully. Being able to get cheap fleet insurance for your fleet will make a big difference on your annual outgoings of the vehicle fleet.
Every vehicle in its class will have major competitors from all the major brands of vehicle manufacturer, so take time to read reviews, both professional and customer reviews for the vehicles that youre interested in. This should give you an honest appraisal of the long-term appeal of the vehicle or vehicles that youre interested in buying. Look at things like running costs maintenance costs and reliability of the vehicles. Sometimes it is not simply enough to look at the manufacturers specs but one has to dig deeper into finding out what the actual true costs are of running a vehicle. Also consider how you are going to purchase the vehicles, whether you are looking to purchase them outright, by the vehicles on HP or lease the vehicles to the business-each has his own merits, and you need to consider what is right for your business and your circumstances.
Once youve purchased your fleet of vehicles there are a number of things you can do to cut down the costs on the day-to-day running of the fleet. Obviously fuel costs will probably be the highest costs that you incur in the running of the vehicles and so it seems sensible to make sure that you are purchasing your fuel at the very best price available in your area. There are a number of websites now compare petrol and diesel prices all over the country and so its simple to literally go online and find out the cheapest place in your area to buy your fuel. By doing this you can save as much as 20p per litre and this can have a massive effect on the fuel costs over a year, and for a fleet of vehicles it makes an even bigger difference.
It makes sense not to keep things in the vehicle that are not needed. By lightening the load of the vehicle, this will improve fuel economy, so for example if you do not need a van load of tools all the time, then only put what you need in the vehicle and unload the vehicle when any jobs are finished.
The way a vehicle is driven will also have an effect on its fuel consumption, driving more smoothly and accelerating generally, avoiding unnecessary braking will help with the economy of the vehicle. Driving at 60 miles an hour instead of 70 miles an hour can save as much as 9% on your fuel costs and if youre likely to be stuck in traffic for more than three minutes it makes sense to turn your engine off, and switch it back on when the traffic moves.
But following some of the simple tips you can save an enormous amount of money when running a fleet of vehicles, it may seem like common sense but when a conscious effort is made to follow some of these steps, that is when savings are made.