MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Including: Cheaper Petrol | Pothole compensation | Beat Car Insurance Hikes | Cheapest EV tariffs | Full breakdown cover £57/yr | MOT soothers | Free car check   

Fuel costs are up 23% in just over a year. Running a car is becoming costlier and now car insurance prices are climbing too. So this week we want to help drivers put the brakes on accelerating prices... 

1. Take seconds to find the cheapest fuel near you. Even in the same town forecourt prices can vary significantly, so use this speedy fuel price checker for the cheapest forecourt near you. For example, for a postcode in Gloucester today (Tue), we found unleaded prices ranging from 162p/L to 196p/L within just five miles.

2. RAC warns potholes could get worse - check if you can claim compensation. This summer's heatwaves may make bad road surfaces deteriorate further, according to RAC. In England, you can check road conditions in your area using Gov ratings showing how your council is tackling potholes.

The AA averaged 1,681 pothole-related callouts a day in 2025, and reckons damage cost UK drivers an eye-watering £645m in repairs. If your car's been pranged by a pothole, see our step-by-step guide to claiming pothole compensation. Colin emailed us last summer: "Thank you for the help and advice I got from your website to assist me with making a successful claim of just over £2,500 for pothole damage to my vehicle from my local council."

3. Car insurance prices expected to keep rising - put yourself in the driver's seat to save £100s. The cost of car insurance has jumped nearly 10% this year (source: MoneySupermarket), and consultancy firm Ernst & Young warns rises could continue for another two years after almost three years of falling prices. But there are still £100s to be saved by switching. 

Don't assume that if your renewal quote is about the same, or even a bit cheaper, than last year, it's a good price. It probably isn't. The golden rule: always check how your renewal price compares against the market - and the easy route is via our Compare+ Car Insurance tool.

As Michael emailed last month: "I was autorenewing my car insurance quote which was £1,048. But I then used your tool and got an online quote with the same company for £524. You saved me £524!! Many thanks." 

Not at renewal yet? Don't ignore this. It's still worth a quick check. Switching mid-policy can sometimes save enough to beat any cancellation or admin fees and lock in a price until late 2027. This is especially true if you've changed your car, address, added drivers - or even just had a birthday.

4. Got an electric vehicle (EV)? Energy Price Cap predicted to rise 24% in Jan - is an EV tariff a MoneySaver? Our very rough rule of thumb is - if more than 20% of the total energy you use is for charging your EV, it's worth checking to see if a specialist EV tariff is cheaper for you. We've a full round-up of what's available in our special EV energy tariffs, but in a nutshell, there are two main types of EV tariffs: 

• Add-on EV tariff: You get a cheap rate for charging your car at any time of day, but ONLY for charging the car; the rest of your home's energy is charged at your normal rate. The advantage is you can add it to any tariff that provider offers.
• Two-rate EV tariff: You get a cheaper rate on all your energy at certain times of the day, usually overnight, on the assumption you'll charge your car then. It's best if you can shift other usage overnight too, such as storage heaters or appliances you can run (though don't run appliances such as a tumble dryer unattended, as that's dangerous).

If you're below that rough 20% threshold for EV charging, it's likely worth sticking with a regular energy tariff (though you can still check EV ones to see how they stack up). Do a Cheap Energy Club comparison to find your cheapest.  

5. FULL service breakdown cover £57/yr (incl home start & onward travel). AutoAid* has been one of our top picks for well over a decade. Via our link, new customers pay £57/yr (£79 if the car's 16+ yrs old, and there's a £25 call-out fee if the car's 10+ years old) for comprehensive cover. It covers you and your partner in almost any car you or they drive. Alternatively, Eversure* is £57.50/yr, though it won't cover cars more than 15 yrs old. Equivalent cover if you buy direct from the big providers can be £100+.

See our Cheap breakdown cover guide for more options, including how to get AA or RAC cover from £84/yr for equivalent cover if you're a new customer.

6. Never auto-renew with the AA/RAC without haggling first. Breakdown cover haggling success rates are higher than any other sector at 87% overall. Within that, the RAC and the AA are easier to haggle with than any other firm, with huge 91% and 90% respective success rates in our January 2026 haggling poll. So never just accept your renewal price. Full haggling help in breakdown cover haggling tips & techniques.

7. Got an unfair parking ticket? Don't automatically pay it - take these three speedy steps first. Almost 17 million private parking tickets were issued in 2025/26 - up 17% in a year. If yours seems unfair, here's what to do:

• Check what type of ticket it is. Private tickets often look like official fines - but they're not. They're invoices from the firm that manages the car park and should be treated differently from official tickets. See how to spot the difference.
• If it's private... There are various reasons you may have a case, including if signs were unclear, the payment machine failed, or you had strong mitigating circumstances. See our step-by-step Fight unfair private parking tickets guide for more info, including free appeal templates and why you shouldn't automatically name the driver.
• If it's from a public body (council/police)... You may be able to appeal if there were incorrect signs, an error on the notice or a warden mistake. Recent data shows over 60% of those who appealed had their ticket cancelled or reduced. See challenging unfair council or police tickets.

8. MOT smoother - check for easy fails first. About a quarter of vehicles fail their MOT first time, often for simple reasons. Avoid this by running through our nine pre-MOT DIY must-do's, including checks on brakes, lights, windscreen wipers and suspension.You don't need any mechanical know-how to do them, though while you may be able to sort some issues yourself, professional assistance is advised for others. But sorting them before the test is usually cheaper than after.

9. Then choose the right type of MOT test centre. If you're confident your car will pass or only needs minor fixes, check our list of  'hidden' council MOT centres'. These usually only do tests (not repairs), and some MoneySavers tell us they get fewer fails from them, so there's less chance you'll have to fork out for unnecessary work.

But if you think repairs are likely, choose a reasonably priced garage with a good reputation that does both testing and repairs. If your car gets a major fail, you may not be able to drive it away. See how to choose the right MOT centre.

10. Bought a car on PCP or HP finance between 2007 and 2024? Are you due a share of £8bn compensation. The redress scheme has been delayed by legal challenges, so payouts aren't expected to start until at least mid-2027 - we await news. Yet don't let that put you off putting a complaint in now (if you haven't already). Firms still have to process complaints, and getting yours in now via our free reclaim tool could make things easier and quicker once the scheme gets going. We've full info in our Car finance reclaim guide. 

11. Get up to 3% cashback on all your fuel spending. If you spend a decent whack on petrol or diesel, there's an easy way to claw a little back: use a cashback card - every time you pay, you'll get a little back.

• Get 1% cashback on everything. Lloyds' Ultra credit card pays 1% cashback for first 12 months (then 0.25%). 
• Or 3% back on fuel and more. The Santander Rewards credit card gives a year's 3% cashback on petrol, diesel, train travel, EV charging (not at home), plus eating out & takeaways, and 0.25% on everything else. So for big fuel spenders, it's worth a look. 

Both are credit cards, so only do this if you'll pay off IN FULL each month, preferably by direct debit so there's no interest. Alternatively, the Chase card is a debit card that gives 2% back on fuel spending. Full details in Top cashback cards.

12. Free (£15) car check - oil, battery, wipers etc. Before the bad weather hits, it's a 'wheely' good idea to check your motor's in tip-top condition. And there's a way to get Halfords' 10-point car check for free - it examines oil levels, battery, tyres, wipers and bulbs, and includes a screenwash top-up.

13. Almost 2.7 million driving licences will expire this year - is yours one of them? Check NOW. Don't worry, but do have a look. See how to quickly check your licence's expiry date & how to renew.

14. Eight tips to cut your fuel use. It's not just the cost of fuel, it's how you drive. See 8 ways to drive so you use less fuel and how to check your car isn't inefficient.

Now you're in pole position - race over to 50+ Motoring MoneySavers for even more ways to save.

PS: Could you ditch your car? Obviously it's not an option for everyone, but if you don't drive daily and live in or near a city or big town, you could save £1,000s by selling up and using a car club or the odd taxi instead.

And if you're looking to reduce your impact on the planet as well as the impact on your pocket, take a peek at our MoneySaving tips for cyclists, cheap train ticket and cheap bus travel guides. And if you're thinking of walking and want some inspo, see how Martin averaged 26,000 steps a day in 2025.