Money Saving Tips for Drivers
Thursday 26th February 2026
The annual cost of owning a car seems to rise year after year. Without careful planning, your motoring expenses can easily increase by hundreds of pounds. At Formula One Autocentres, we know a thing or two about car care. In this guide we share our top seven money?saving tips to help you keep your running costs down.
1. Keep your tyres properly inflated
Under?inflated tyres can cause a range of problems and dramatically shorten tyre life. When tyres don’t have enough pressure, a larger surface area is in contact with the road, causing uneven wear and faster deterioration.
It’s not only tyre wear that’s affected: under?inflated tyres increase rolling resistance, meaning the engine must work harder. This leads to higher fuel consumption, potentially adding hundreds of pounds a year to your fuel bill, plus the cost of earlier tyre replacement.
2. Check your tyre tread before your MOT
Tyre tread depth is one of the most common reasons for MOT failure. The legal minimum is 1.6mm; anything less results in an automatic fail.
Checking tread depth beforehand helps you avoid the cost of a retest and prevents the pressure of having to replace tyres immediately. Replacing your tyres on the same day as your MOT may limit you to what’s available at the time. Regularly checking your tread depth means you can budget for new tyres before they become illegal and means you can shop around, compare prices or take advantage of offers.
3. Use Formula One Autocentres tyre price checker for the best deal
Here at Formula One Autocentres, every week, we compare more than 2,500 competitor tyre prices to ensure that the price you pay with us, is the cheapest price you’ll pay anywhere.
If you find any competitor’s substantiated, like?for?like quote cheaper, we’ll match it and give you 10% of the difference.
4. Fix MOT advisories early
Most big repair bills start off as a small MOT advisory. Tackling these issues early can save you hundreds - if not thousands - of pounds later. For example, replacing worn brake pads is relatively inexpensive. But ignoring them can damage your brake discs, which cost significantly more to replace.
5. Book product services together to save
When you book your MOT and service together, you’ll often save money. Here at Formula One Autocentres, an MOT on its own starts at £35, but when booked together with a service starts at as little as £29.50. And that’s not the only service you can save on, we also offer discounts on our air conditioning services when booked together.
6. Regular servicing
Keeping up with regular servicing is one of the most effective ways to save money long term. We recommend servicing your car every 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Routine servicing helps to maintain your vehicle’s value and ensures issues are identified early, preventing costly repairs later.
7. Don’t skip oil and filter changes
Oil and filter changes are inexpensive but essential. Skipping them means your engine is running on old, dirty oil, which can leave sludge deposits, block oil passages and cause serious engine damage.
Changing only the oil without replacing the filter can also restrict oil flow. Engine repairs are among the most expensive a vehicle can require, making timely oil and filter changes a crucial saving.
Don’t forget, an oil and filter change is included in a full annual service.
Want to save money on your auto care costs?
Choose Formula One Autocentres for all your auto care needs, at great value for money. Find your nearest Formula One Autocentres branch today and start saving.
