Everyone around the world is feeling the pinch of higher oil prices, and in most countries governments are doing little to help us out by reducing tax. There are steps you can take to try and reduce your fuel consumption in order to save the planet and your hard earned cash.
It goes without saying that the first thing you should try and do is down size your car or switch to a more efficient one. Ask yourself, do you really need a 4×4 just to drop the kids off at school in suburbia? Or perhaps if you are driving around in an old banger it is time to upgrade. Older cars are massively less efficient and therefore use up considerably more fuel just doing the same journey.
Once you have a efficient well maintained vehicle here are the top steps you can take while driving to improve fuel consumption:
- Turn off your engine when you are waiting for longer than 30 seconds. If you are stuck in a traffic jam that is going nowhere then cut the engine, contrary to popular belief the amount of fuel required to start the engine back up again is not even as large as running the engine for more than 30 seconds.
- Drive slower and more smoothly. The aim while driving should be to avoid the need to brake sharply. The less speed you gain in the first place the less you will need to lose. Speeding up every short road and then coming to a near stop is inefficient and often dangerous.
- Share your ride. If you commute to work using your car chances are there are many others doing a very similar journey. Taking it in turns to give each other lifts not only means you can avoid having to drive every morning but can cut your fuel bill massively. Think, if four of you shared a journey each doing a week a month you could cut your fuel bill to work by 75%.
- Check your tires. Having the correct tire pressure can considerably improve the performance and therefore helps you get the best possible fuel economy from your car. You should check tire pressures weekly and adjust to the recommended pressures (usually in the cars handbook).
- Lose the weight. Try not to carry around excess weight when it’s not needed. Do you really need that set of golf clubs in the car at all times? Still got the roof box attached from your last big trip? Try to lose them and save fuel in the process.
Hopefully these tips have given you a good starting point in order to save money on your fuel, but remember the best way to save is to simply not use the car at all so if you can avoid it, walk or get public transport instead.
Image by: teachernz
Mike is a keen car enthusiast and loves writing about cars. When not writing he works for a 
