Just as you think fuel prices are dropped, they seem to sneak up again. And the problem is, there is little that we can do about it. To help make your money go a little further, check out our top ten tips for saving fuel.
1. Think before you drive! This is a no-brainer. All those little trips that you make tend to add up. In addition, making a trip of fewer than five miles with a cold engine uses much more fuel than longer trips. Instead of making lots of small trips, try to combine all of your errands, so that you aren’t restarting your car from cold every time.
2. Close the windows – open windows and sunroofs cause drag, which can impact on your fuel consumption. Short, relatively slow trips through town aren’t such a big issue, but if you are driving at speed, you are better off winding the windows up and using vents or air con instead.
3. Avoid rush hour. Aside from the fact that sitting in your vehicle in traffic for hours (or even minutes) is tedious, sitting stationary with the engine going is essentially burning money. In addition, your engine requires a large injection of fuel to start moving after it has come to a standstill. If you can’t avoid rush hour, try to avoid stopping and starting frequently by driving at a steady, slow speed; you may even find that avoiding stopping becomes a challenge and helps to pass the time in traffic! If it looks as though you will be stationary for more than a minute or two, switch off your engine to preserve fuel.
4. Travel light. Most boots permanently have something in them and the heavier they are, the more likely you are to leave them in the car. However, carrying your golf clubs, camping gear or tools around uses up lots of additional fuel. Just as you don’t carry a heavy bag around unless you can avoid it, try not to drive around with a heavily laden car.
5. Remove your roof rack. Driving around with a roof box, roof rack or kayak on your car may seem convenient – you may even think it gives you a bit of kudos, but the fact is that it burns fuel. Anything on top of your vehicle – even fairly innocuous roof bars – change the aerodynamics of the vehicle, which causes drag. It’s simple: if your car has to work harder to move, you will burn fuel.
It seems incredible that such simple, small changes can save you a small fortune, but if you make these tips a habit, you could save up to a third of fuel costs.
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