Four Key Car Tips For First Time Drivers
Passing your driving test is a cause for celebration, a major achievement representing the opening up of the UK’s roads to you – but the learning doesn’t always stop with your pass certificate. First-time drivers have a lot to learn once they’re fully licensed, from car care to road etiquette, but there are four simple tips new drivers can take on board to increase their confidence in a new skill… And here they are.
Bring Down Insurance Costs
As a first-time driver, insurance can be prohibitively expensive for many. This is because younger or newer drivers are higher risk than older vehicle owners who have been driving for year. But there are ways in which even the greenest of drivers can bring down their insurance premium. For example, you could opt for telematics or ‘black box’ insurance, whereby a device fitted to your car measures your driving habits and adjusts your premium accordingly. Alternatively, you could amend your insurance policy to include a more experienced driver as well, lowering premiums overall.
Go Electric
Electric vehicles represent a renaissance in the driving habits of the UK, despite hybrid vehicles having been around for some time. Fully-electric vehicles are becoming increasingly common on UK roads, and are set to become even more so as the government bans the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030. Fully-electric vehicles can be expensive at first glance, but you can sign up for electric vehicle leases to bring down that initial expenditure – and you would stand to make your money back over time, in savings made from road tax exemption and no longer having to pay for fossil fuels.
Get Used to New Experiences
When you’re fully licensed and behind the wheel for the first few times, you may be tempted to stick to what you know – driving in the daylight, in dry conditions or in areas with which you are already deeply familiar. Doing this can negatively affect your confidence should you be required to drive in unfamiliar conditions, which in turn can make you a less safe driver. Instead, you should strive to make journeys in unfamiliar conditions, to acclimatise yourself to different driving styles and to finding your way in new territories as quickly as possible. This will enable you to confidently use your car at any time, making you a better driver quicker.
Learn Your Car
Lastly, but part and parcel with the above tip, is learning your vehicle. The car you will be driving regularly is likely different to the car you passed your test in, and as such will have a different ‘feel’: acceleration will feel different; if it is manual, the biting point of the clutch may be in a different place; even your centre console will have a different layout. Taking the time, both parked and on practice drives, to learn your way around your car will help you in the long run.
