The latest of the bill hikes was confirmed on Tuesday (February 25) and is set to be the energy bills, Martin Lewis – the BBC and ITV star – has said.

UK households have been given a loophole to escape SIX bills which are going up in April. The latest of the bill hikes was confirmed on Tuesday (February 25) and is set to be the energy bills, Martin Lewis – the BBC and ITV star – has said.

But there could be a way around the bills hike, according to the 52-year-old Money Saving Expert. “The cheapest year-long standalone fixes right now are about 4% less than the current cap, never mind once it rises in April,” said Mr Lewis.

“So if you get a good fix now, you lock in at a cheaper rate for a year, get price certainty, save instantly and save relatively more once we get to April.” The cheapest fix on the market is currently £179 below the April cap, offered by Outfox the Market, according to Uswitch.

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The cheapest fixed deal from a large supplier, British Gas, is set at around £172 per year against the April rates.

Mobile bills

There are as many as 14 million mobile customers out of contract in the UK. When you come to the end of your mobile contract your phone will still continue to work as normal. Once you’ve paid off the cost of your new handset, a few things should happen.

Your monthly costs will decrease as you’re only paying for your calls, texts and data now. Your contract should switch to a rolling month-by-month contract, leaving you free to switch to a new deal or a new network if you want better coverage, more benefits or a cheaper deal.

You should receive an ‘end of contract’ notification from your network at least 30 days before your contract is up informing you of your new rates as well as a few options. Richard Neudegg, head of regulation at Uswitch.com, says: “For years, providers have profited from not always being entirely transparent about the status of their contracts.

“The introduction of end-of-contract notifications and annual out-of-contract reminders should finally put an end to this murky practice and help consumers know the best time to consider their options. Our figures suggest mobile and broadband consumers could be £1 billion a year better off if they take the opportunity to move to a better value deal.

“Uswitch has spent years campaigning for these measures, which we hope will give a much-needed shake-up to the industry and put more power in consumers’ hands to get off packages that are no longer good enough.”

Broadband

You should be able to avoid mid-contract price hikes if your deal has expired. If you haven’t signed up for a new contract for two or more years, you’ll almost certainly be free to leave your provider without facing a penalty. It’s better to sign up for a new contract as deals for newbies often work out £100s a year cheaper than rolling post-minimum term arrangements.

If your minimum term is drawing to a close (ie, will be ending between now and early May), you should be able to beat this spring’s price hikes. It’s worth looking into the deals that are available now to give yourself the best chance of maximising your savings on a new contract.

Roughly a month before the end of your minimum term, you will be in a strong negotiating position with your current provider. If they can’t beat the top deals you’ve seen, you should consider switching.

Energy bills

Energy customers could save almost £180 by shopping around for fixed deals, consumer groups have said. This would more than cancel out the £111 increase to the average bill announced today by Ofgem, which will come into force from 1 April for three months.

Fixed deals lock customers in at one price for a set period of time, such as 12 months, which can be a money-saver if the price cap rises, but customers can miss out if it is substantially reduced. Despite analysts predicting a £93 drop in the cost of the average energy bill in July, Martin Lewis, Which? and Uswitch have urged consumers to consider fixes.

Car insurance

Average car insurance prices have dropped by 16% in the past year. Martin Lewis said: “What I’m hearing a lot these days is that when people do their renewal, they’re so used to prices going up, when they get a renewal that’s the same price they go ‘yaaay, my renewal hasn’t gone up, I’m sorted’. No. If your renewal is the same, the market has dropped 16%, you’re paying too much.

“Even if it’s a little bit cheaper, you’re paying too much. So my warning is against complacency. If you’re getting a renewal and it’s not giving you a good saving on what you were paying, well I’d always say don’t auto-renew, don’t settle, combine comparison sites because they serve different insurers and they have different deals even from the same insurers. It’s worth doing, and the perfect time to get your quotes is 26 days before the renewal.”

Water bills

Water bills for households are due to go up in England and Wales by £10 more per month on average, but there’s a lot of variation depending on the company. For example, the annual Southern Water bill will jump 47% to £703, while Anglian Water customers will pay 19% more, or £626.

Some households in England and Wales have a water meter, so only pay for the amount they use, plus a standing charge. Unmetered customers pay a set amount regardless of how much water they use. This is usually based on the rateable value of their home – an approximate annual rental value for the property.

All households also pay for sewerage services, either as part of their water bill or separately if their water company doesn’t deliver wastewater services. Every water company offers a scheme which can help reduce your bills if you’re on a low income but the each firm’s rules are different.

Car tax

Several tax and rule changes are set to take effect in April, one of which will introduce a new car tax for electric vehicles (EVs). Motorpoint experts are advising EV owners to take a crucial step before this deadline that could potentially save them £195.

Currently, EVs are exempt from road tax, but this will end in April. Most EV owners will face charges ranging from £10 to £195 depending on when their car was registered. Mike Vousden, Motorpoint’s resident EV expert, explained: “At a simple level, as more car owners make the move to electric, the current exemption means that fewer motorists are paying vehicle excise duty (also known as road tax).

“So, there’s less tax being collected from motorists. The government is also losing out on fuel duty as EVs don’t require petrol or diesel, which has tax baked into the price at the pump.”