Oct 29, 2019
The ability to drive is a great thing as you feel more independent, you don’t have to depend on someone else or public transport to get you somewhere. However, the cost of motoring is on the rise, while we can’t do anything about the price of petrol or diesel, there are some things to do to increase your car’s fuel efficiency!
Keep your car well maintained. Get it serviced yearly, look after your tyres, top up the oil and coolant levels as and when they are needed.
Removing any excess weight, i.e. taking the buggy out of the boot or removing the bike rack can help improve your fuel efficiency as your vehicle will not be working any harder than it should be.
If it’s possible, try to plan your journey in advance. Cut out any roads you know are going to be busy or have road works. Use your sat-nav so you don’t get lost and drive for longer than you need to.
Unless you’re freezing or melting in the car, leave the air-con off. Using it puts a strain on the engine to burn more fuel, especially when you’re driving at a low speed. The same goes for any other mod cons or electrical appliances!
Be gentle and change your gears early, accelerate and brake gently, change to a higher gear as soon as it’s safe to do so. Don’t let the engine struggle at low revs.
More modern cars now have a stop/start function, which is designed to help increase fuel efficiency! Use it when in traffic, because if you sit with your foot on the clutch your fuel continues to burn.
Speed limits keep you and other road users safe, so stick to them! If you’re driving too fast, driving at 80mph uses 25% more fuel than driving at 70mph.
They are just some of the things you can do to help improve fuel efficiency! The list can go on, just remember these the next time fuel prices rocket or when your car is guzzling fuel.
