How Can You Drive More Efficiently And Keep Fuel Costs Down?

Posted on Jan 21 2019 - 10:34am by Editorial Staff

With BBC News reporting that the average price for a litre of fuel stood at close to £1.24 for petrol and £1.34 for diesel throughout the UK in the early part of December 2018, it’s apparent that Brits are having to fork out quite a bit of money to keep the tanks of their cars filled. By driving more efficiently with these five pieces of advice though, you should be able to make the fuel in your vehicle last a lot longer…

Become a more efficient driver by combining multiple trips into one

A car which is parked for hours will have a cold engine. As a result, it’ll take a lot more fuel to be used for around the first five miles of you heading out onto the road to warm it up. With this in mind, you should look to drive for as long as possible when the engine is warm instead of conducting several short trips with long gaps in between each one.

Let’s put this advice into a real-world situation. If you do the school run in the morning, have to go to the supermarket for the weekly shop sometime during the day and visit some family, can you not do all three during one stint away from your home?

Become a more efficient driver by carrying out maintenance checks around your vehicle

You’ll likely use less fuel getting a vehicle from A to B that’s in tip-top condition as opposed to one that appears to be running on its last legs. A regular service is highly recommended to achieve the best efficiency, while you need to be always using the correct specification of engine oil too — consult your manufacturer handbook to find the details you need here.

Both on a regular basis and especially before a long journey, be sure to check tyre pressures as well. This is because tyres which are under inflated will force your car into having to use more fuel. Correctly inflated tyres, meanwhile, could improve fuel consumption by up to two per cent in context, according to the RAC.

Become a more efficient driver by making your driving smoother

Another way to save fuel is to cut down on the amount of times that you brake and then accelerate while driving. Obviously, there will be times when you’ll need to slow your vehicle down — or to a sudden standstill in the event of an emergency — but you should be road savvy enough to be able to approach traffic lights at a gentler pace, for example, or smoothly get up a hill.

More fuel is used when you’re stuck in heavy traffic when compared to travelling along a route that barely has any other vehicle on it too. This is because you’ll be stopping and starting your vehicle every few moments. Therefore, if it’s possible try and get around having to commute in the rush hour. Perhaps you can head to an exercise class or gym that’s near your workplace instead of waiting until you get home, for instance.

Become a more efficient driver by removing all unnecessary weight

With each additional item that’s packed into your car, extra fuel will need to be used. Every 50kg increases your fuel consumption by two per cent on average, claims the RAC. With this in mind, regularly look around your vehicle and get rid of the stuff you aren’t using. Will you really be using that set of golf clubs in the middle of winter? Or that pair of cross country running shoes in the middle of summer?

Are you only needing to cover a short distance in your vehicle? Fuel economy can also be helped by only filling half your car’s tank with fuel — this substance adds to the weight after all, and you’re not going to need 300+ miles worth of petrol or diesel just to complete a half-hour commute to and from work.

Become a more efficient driver by preserving your car’s aerodynamic design

Wind resistance can prove to be a huge force against you when you’re trying to reduce the amount of fuel you’re using when driving. Therefore, it’s best to keep windows and sunroofs closed especially when you’re travelling at high speeds. Make sure to remove roof racks and boxes for storage when they aren’t being used as well — up to 20 per cent fuel can be saved on an annual basis by removing a cargo box from a vehicle’s roof alone!

Aerodynamics is looked at thoroughly by car designers. They will be searching for ways to reduce the drag that a car possesses, so it makes sense that drivers should be maintaining that aerodynamic design too.

This article was supplied by Vindis’ with the link over Vindis pointing to https://vindisgroup.com/

Sources:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21238363

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/10-fuel-saving-tips-every-driver-should-know/

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/how-to-save-fuel-when-driving

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/how-to/fuel-saving-tips/

https://www.shell.co.uk/motorist/motoring-tips-and-advice/10-fuel-saving-tips.html http://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/fuels-environment/drive-smart

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