Driving Costs In High Gear: Where To Find Relief

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The latest government inflation report confirmed what a lot of drivers might be thinking; it’s really expensive to drive a car right now, even as the costs of new and used vehicles have fallen off their peaks.

An uptick in gas prices helped fuel overall inflation last month, but that wasn’t the only auto-related driver.

According to the March report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, auto insurance costs have spiked 22% over the last 12 months. Auto maintenance and repair costs are up 8.2%.

The director for automotive research at AAA says insurers simply have more costs to cover.

And while prices for new and used vehicles have fallen off of pandemic-era peaks, newer features that make a car safer make repairs more specialized.

Drivers looking for some relief can effort lower mileage by carpooling, for example, but don’t cut corners on maintenance.