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Does driving your car fast damage it?

I admittedly have a bit of a lead foot, and it drives my dad insane. (Go figure—he’s a mechanic.) He’s constantly telling me that I’m wrecking my car by driving fast, but I think he’s just being overprotective. So, let’s settle it once and for all. Can you damage your car by driving fast?

avatar
Michelle Ballestrasse · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Even if he weren’t a mechanic, it is such a dad thing to be worried about! But I’m afraid in this particular instance, he’s not just being overprotective.
Driving your car fast does damage it. You’re not just accelerating your engine, you’re accelerating the
wear and tear
on your entire vehicle.
Engines work best between 40 and 60 mph—a figure that makes most people shudder. But driving faster than that not only consumes more fuel per mile, it also causes the small moving parts in
engines
—not to mention your transmission—to wear out faster. And that leads to breakdowns, usually of the expensive type.
If your lead foot habit is a bit hard to shake off, you may want to consider upping your
car insurance coverage
to include something like
mechanical breakdown insurance
. And for that,
Jerry
is your best bet.
Jerry is a fully-licensed, dad-approved app that curates tailored quotes from dozens of insurance companies in minutes. The average Jerry user saves $887 per year on insurance, which can go a long way toward undoing some of that wear and tear on your vehicle.
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