These days many of us are looking to save money any way we can. Although fuel consumption has a lot to do with the type of vehicle you own, there is a lot that car owners can do to drive more economically.
Not only will driving more economically help the environment but it will go a long way to saving you money too with average savings as much as 10% per week on fuel costs.
Driving more economically is:
- Safer for you & your passengers
- Better for your vehicle – Meaning less repairs
- Better for your fuel consumption – Saving you money!
7 tips to help you drive more economically
- Drive lighter – More weight means that your vehicle needs to work harder, take out any non-essentials, especially roof racks for example which weigh you down. Another step you can take is to distribute any heavy weights in your vehicle, avoid putting too much pressure on one area of the vehicle. For example a disproportionate amount of weight at the back could put damaging pressure on the back tires.
- Plan your routes – One of the biggest reasons that people waste fuel is because they don’t know where they are going.
- Maintain your speed – Keeping at a consistent speed is an easy way of driving more economically & putting less pressure on your car. If you have the option set your vehicle to cruise control. Also remember that speed can contribute a lot to fuel consumption, for example driving at 70mph can increase fuel consumption by as much as 9% compared with driving at 60mph.
- Keep your car serviced – A poorly maintained vehicle is often much less efficient & will cost you a lot more money! An unmaintained vehicle can use up to 50% more fuel & cost you more money in expensive repairs if something goes wrong. Make sure you know at what intervals certain aspects of your car need to be serviced, check your manufacturers handbook for recommendations specific to your vehicle.
- Drive more smoothly – Avoid fast acceleration & sudden breaking, think about ways that you can put less pressure on your vehicle, for example changing gear at lower revs. Rolling your car is another way of saving fuel stopping & starting, where possible keep your car moving. Driving your vehicle more smoothly is one of the most effective ways of looking after your vehicle & driving more economically, plus its safer for other drivers too!
- Turn off those extras! – Aircon & other extras that use electricity all use fuel! Aircon can even can increase your fuel consumption by up to 10% in older cars. Consider cutting down on a hot day & use your air blower instead.
- Combine your trips – Complete your errands in one trip if possible, cold starts use more fuel so try doing more at the same time.
Try some of these tips to driving more economically next time you drive. Some of them might be small changes but could all help to save money & help the environment too!