Sometime I feel as if I’m dating the gas pump – I visit often, and when I leave, my wallet is considerably lighter. If you feel the same, here’s some tips to change your relationship to a more of a friends-with-benefits kinda deal:
- Drive sensibly – Watch the road ahead. Needless acceleration and braking wastes gas.
- Sort out your gears – If you drive stick, make sure you are in the appropriate gear. Proper gear changes mean lower revs – lower revs mean a lower fuel bill.
- Slow down – Again, high speeds mean high revs. Driving at 70mph burns 30% more fuel than at 60mph. Sorry that’s just physics.
- Keep your car in good repair – Tune-ups, oil changes, and filter replacements will help you get more miles for each gallon of gas.
- Check your tires – Check your tires once per month. Badly inflated tires not only use more fuel, but are unsafe to drive on.
- Use the Right Grade of Gasoline – Most of us really don’t need the high octane stuff, most cars are fine on regular.
- Don’t “top off” at the pump – A full fuel tank is just extra weight to lug around, meaning that extra gas just burns up faster.
- Engage Cruise Control – If your car has cruise control, use it to avoid unnecessary changes in speed.
- Turn off the AC – Using your car’s air conditioner can increases fuel cost by over 20%.
- Roll up those windows – Rolled down windows just add drag, especially at high speeds.
- Dump the extra weight – All that junk in the trunk costs you at the pump.
- Remove the rack – Removing your roof rack reduces drag and can help increase the time between fill-ups.
- Choose a fuel-efficient vehicle – Next time you’re car shopping, check out the miles-per-gallon rating. Even better, go electric!
- Choose vehicles according to your need – In the city you don’t need the horsepower to sit in traffic. A smaller car is more efficient, more agile, and easier to park. For longer distances, diesel engines are quieter, more powerful and 30%-35% more efficient than gasoline.
- Drive less – If you don’t need to take the car, maybe a consider walking. Short journeys are especially bad for fuel efficiency and speed up the wear and tear on your clutch, transmission and brakes.
- Use public transport – This can really depend on where you live, but if you have usable public transport it can really push down your commute cost.
- Carpool – Split the cost, and the driving with friends, colleagues, or other Carmapoolers. Our app makes it a snap to find people to carpool with.