Eco driving money saving - part 1

The fact that owners of 4x4s - Range Rovers, BMW X5s and Toyota Land Cruisers and the like – will bear the brunt of changes in the way car insurance is calculated is only the start of a re-think by the insurance industry that will prove costly for everyone.

Under a revised risk assessment scheme, insurance is being based on the likelihood of a car being damaged in a crash - or damaging another car - and the likely cost of repair. This could add hundreds of pounds to the typical comprehensive quote. As well as Chelsea Tractors, drivers of sporty diesels and even some mid-range hatchbacks will be directly affected.

While the Association of British Insurers insists that drivers of less risky vehicles will see their premiums fall, all drivers are likely to end up paying for that extra torque - or aptly named “pulling power” of the turbodiesels and their offshoots that some drivers cannot adequately control.

But as individual drivers, whatever the type of vehicle we drive, we can act to reduce the overall cost of driving, saving ourselves money and helping the environment. Enter eco-driving.

A few improvements to our driving technique – accepting that we are all fantastic drivers and everyone else on the road is a potential idiot – can reduce our annual fuel costs by as much as 10% (the Energy Saving Trust). That is an average of £120 per year in petrol or diesel, at current prices.

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