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As Chancellor George Osborne cuts the duty on fuel by 1p per litre, Arnold Clark has issued some valuable advice on how motorists can lower their driving costs even further with a selection of handy motoring tips and a range of vehicles with some of the most competitive savings, lowest road tax and highest miles per gallon on the market.

With this in mind the Crunch Busters have returned to Arnold Clark, Europe’s largest independent motor dealer, and with it comes some outstanding savings on a wide range of vehicles including a saving of over £4300 on a brand new 11 plate Vauxhall Corsa 1.0 S Ecoflex, on sale at Arnold Clark from only £6995 or a 60 plate Ford Focus 1.6 Sport 5 door from only £11,995, an incredible saving of £4900 on cost new.

Other Crunch Busting deals from Arnold Clark include an 08 plate Volkswagen Passat Highline 140bhp, diesel from an incredible £10,488 or a 2011 Hyundai i10 with delivery mileage from an unbelievable £6688.

Sir Arnold Clark commented, “Our Crunch Busters campaign is all about passing thousands of pounds of savings directly onto our valued customers during these difficult economic times. We aim to keep customers on the road by upholding our simple philosophy of offering genuine value for money and high levels of customer satisfaction.”

Low road tax

If savings weren’t enough Arnold Clark advises motorists to choose cars with low CO2 emissions and high miles per gallon which in turn leads to low road tax, like the Kia Picanto 1 5 door which does up to 65.7 MPG and has a road tax of only £30 per year. Furthermore, this car also has a £2000 saving on the list price, on sale at Arnold Clark from only £5370. To view a wide range of low road tax vehicles click here.

Under inflated tyres

Savings and lowering road tax payments are not the only ways drivers can reduce their motoring costs, there are some small, yet significant changes that motorists can make for them to see a difference in their monthly outgoings. With more than a third of all drivers in the UK needlessly increasing their fuel bills and wasting £0.7 billion(1) as a result of under inflation, a simple two minute check of the vehicle’s tyres could instantly help motorists’ pockets.

“When tyres are under-inflated their rolling resistance or the force needed to make them turn increases. This means the engine has to work harder and more fuel is used, making the car less economical, a simple tyre check could help save you money,” comments Sir Arnold Clark.

Under inflated tyres carry a maximum fine of up to £2500 and three penalty points for each illegal tyre so it is important to have them checked regularly. Arnold Clark is offering motorists a free tyre check at any of its dealerships. Find your local Arnold Clark Service department who will then expertly check your vehicle’s tyres to ensure they are within the legal tread limit.

Fuel efficient driving

Driving a bit more carefully can also benefit motorists’ pockets. Drivers can boost the overall fuel-efficiency of their vehicles by as much as 30%(2) by simple vehicle maintenance and attention to driving style, in turn saving pounds at the petrol pumps. Arnold Clark in conjunction with GTG Training gives the following handy tips for fuel efficient driving:

1. Have your vehicle serviced regularly. This helps maintain efficient running and good economy. Inefficient, under-serviced engines can reduce fuel economy by ten percent or more. Catalytic converters are environmentally friendly but only if they are properly maintained.

2. Driving in a gear lower than you need wastes fuel. Change up through the gears and into the top gear as soon as possible without accelerating harder than necessary.

3. Use the air conditioner sparingly. Using the vehicle’s air conditioner can increase fuel consumption by as much 10%(3). If it’s cool enough use the flow through ventilation on the car instead of the air conditioner. Although air conditioners are built to last the lifetime of the vehicle, they do require regular maintenance to ensure they are working effectively, efficiently and safely as they don’t only cool the car they also heat the car.

4. Avoid aggressive driving. Quick starts and hard breaking can increase fuel consumption by as much as 40% but only reduces travel time by four per cent. Accelerating slowly and steadily is a much more fuel efficient way to drive.(4)

5. Never carry unnecessary weight in the car as it will reduce efficiency. Golf clubs, push chairs, tool boxes etc can 'weigh down' a car so remove them when they are not needed. Also remove roof racks, cycle racks and storage boxes when they are not being used as they affect the aerodynamics of the car.

6. Slow Down. By reducing your average speed by just a few miles per hour can have noticeable effect on your fuel consumption and your wallet. Driving at 70 MPH uses 9% more fuel than driving at 60 MPH. Cruising at 80 MPH (a recent suggestion to raise the motorway limit) uses a staggering 25% more fuel than driving at 70 MPH.(5)

7. Don’t explore too far for fuel. The price of fuel can vary greatly between suppliers. However, if it requires an extra journey to seek out where to save a few pence per litre there may not be an overall saving in money. Try to remember where the best deals are and fill up when you are passing rather than make a separate journey.

8. Sitting in congestion can often mean you are doing zero miles per gallon. Plan your route – a bit of forethought can help reduce wear and tear on the car. Try to take the most direct route and go off peak if possible.

With these helpful hints and economic prices, Arnold Clark is working to ensure that customers aren’t feeling the pinch. For more helpful driving tips or to view over 15,000 Crunch Busting offers on new, nearly new and used cars throughout the company’s 20 franchises log on to the UK’s Number 1 dealer website www.arnoldclark.com to find out more.

1 TyreSafe, www.tyresafe.org, 2010
2 www.eartheasy.com 2011
3 www.bbc.co.uk
4 www.eartheasy.com 2011
5 www.motoringassist.com 2011