In this two-minute read we discuss what measures you can take to make your vehicle more fuel efficient.
1. Don’t buy your fuel at a motorway service station if you can avoid it. By buying it from a supermarket service station you could save as much as 35p per litre.
2. Phone apps can be a great way to make sure you’re getting the best deal on fuel. Apps like PetrolPrices.com or WhatGas will show the cheapest fuel near you.
3. Once at the pump, use fuel loyalty and cash back cards to get the most from each fill up. Supermarket forecourts such as Tesco have loyalty schemes that transfer the benefits from your daily shopping to the petrol pumps.
4. Drive as smoothly as you can. Go gently on the accelerator and change gear early, but not too early, so as not to labour the engine.
5. You don’t need to use every gear when accelerating – if you’re driving a car with a manual gearbox, try skipping third and going from second to fourth, or from first to third, and so on. With an automatic, it’s best to let the gearbox do the work for you, although gentle use of the accelerator will mean it’ll automatically shift up earlier, and the engine will burn less fuel as a result.
6. Brake as gently as you can, and don’t over brake, even when coming to a complete stop. If you brake too hard then need to accelerate again, you’ll use more fuel than if you’d anticipated better, braked less hard and shed less speed than you needed to.
7. Plan your journeys. Sat nav is great, mostly, but if you have a quick look at the news before starting a long journey, you might be able to avoid a 25-mile detour that’s not necessary. Google Maps is great, because it updates traffic information quickly and accurately.
8. Think about the possibility of car shares. Maybe you could share the drive to work or the school and spend less on fuel? Great for the environment too.
9. Reduce the amount of drag on the car by removing any unnecessary roof rack or items you leave in the boot.
We hope this helps a little. If you think of any other great fuel saving tips, do let us know here at Crane & Co.