This is partnered guest post.

Petrol and diesel prices are only going to rise in price over the next few years as crude oil becomes more scarce and governments increase taxes in a bid to reduce carbon emissions. Driving economically can considerably improve the fuel efficiency of any car and save the motorist a significant amount of money. Here are some tips to help you reduce your fuel consumption.

Tyre pressures and weight 

Make sure to keep your tyres at the pressure recommended by the manufacturer. Flat tyres cost money and even a slightly under-inflated tyre can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as 10%.

Unnecessary weight will also be wasting fuel so don’t keep anything you don’t need in the boot and clear your car out regularly.

Gears and acceleration 

Try to change up a gear as early as you can without making your car labour. Use your rev counter and listen to the signals your engine is giving you.

Accelerate gently and gradually up to the speed you need to be at. Don’t press hard on the accelerator and then coast, keep everything smooth and controlled.

Search for the cheapest fuel and most economical car Use a comparison website or just open your eyes to the variation in prices at the petrol pump. Rural garages tend to be more expensive than urban ones so try to fill up in town if you can. However, travelling miles to get to the cheaper petrol can be counter productive.

It may pay to spend more on buying or leasing your car initially if the extra money gets you a more efficient car. Use comparison websites to find the best deals and a car lease calculator Australia has some of the highest fuel costs in the world so it well worth bagging as efficient a car as you can.

Warming up and air conditioning 

Modern cars don’t need warming up on the drive before you set off. Newer engines warm up much better on the move so just get in and go.

Air con uses about 5% more fuel when switched on so try to only use it when necessary. You probably don’t need it on for the school run but do need it for longer drives. At slow speeds opening the windows is actually more efficient.

Anticipation and coasting 

Try to think ahead. If you can anticipate having to slow down and ease off the throttle nice and early, you will save yourself money and brake pads.

Coasting when in gear uses no fuel at al but coasting in neutral does use fuel to keep the engine running.

Convert you engine 

It may well pay you to convert a petrol car to LPG which costs about half the price and performs pretty much as well. Diesel cars can be converted to biodiesel which can be bought cheaply or you can even make your own. Older, cruder diesel engines can even be converted to run old cooking oil.

Switch your engine off and slow down

If you are going to be stationary for more than 10 seconds it is worth turning off your engine. Any less than that and it costs more fuel to restart it than you save.

Driving more slowly saves fuel like almost nothing else, driving at 60 mph rather than 70 mph saves around 17%.

Drive less 

The best way to save fuel is to leave the car on the drive and walk or get on your bike. Do you really need to drive that half mile to the shop? Could you cycle to work?
Written on behalf of the professional car loan company in Sydney – Fincar

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

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