Fed up of forking out on essentials? Tired of seeing all of your hard-earned cash go down the drain? It’s time to get serious with your driving and get more miles out of your car.

There always seems to be more and more that we need to spend our money on and with prices rising faster than you can say “inflation”, cost saving tips are always welcome. You can’t skimp on necessities like food, rent and travel, but Motor Range is here to offer advice on something that could very well reduce your spending in one of these areas… fuel.

How Can I Save On My Car Fuel Costs and Get a Better MPG?

 

We know you need to get to work or college, ferry the kids to school and have a few days out here and there, but you don’t necessarily have to cut down on your driving to make each tank of petrol or diesel go further. By making a few changes to the way you drive, the pennies could soon be adding up. Here are our top tips to help you get more miles per gallon out of your motor:

• Where the road allows, accelerate quickly and shift up gears promptly, staying in the highest possible gear whilst maintaining the lowest speed you can. Driving in the wrong gear will burn fuel faster. Make sure you stay within the speed limit and always drive responsibly, especially when traffic is busy or there are lots of pedestrians.

 

• Keep looking ahead on the road and anticipate when you are going to need to slow down or speed up. Move your foot on and off the gas smoothly instead of accelerating or braking hard hard which uses more fuel.

 

• Approach traffic queues slowly to avoid having to stop the car and then start it again. If you have to sit in traffic, take your foot off the clutch so that the car’s own stop/start mechanism (if it has one) kicks in.

 

• Minimise the load. Remove any unnecessary items from your car, eg, buggies or car seats when children not travelling with you or gym kit and golf clubs, unless you are on your way to use them. More weight means less fuel efficiency.

 

• Don’t drive excessively fast. Even on the motorway, the optimum speed for fuel efficiency in most cars is around 55mph. Not to mention the more braking that’s required when you need to slow down.

 

• Remove roof boxes or bike carriers when not in use to retain the car’s aerodynamics. Wind resistance applies more force to a car which has items attached to it, needing more fuel to propel the car forward.

 

• Use a sat nav or map to avoid getting lost and driving round and round… and round. Not only will you do more miles but you’re also likely to drive less smoothly when you don’t have directions.

 

• Plan your route carefully to avoid too much accelerating and braking. Take the roads that are flatter, straighter, and have less congestion or fewer traffic lights. By doing this, you’ll be more likely to be able to travel at a constant speed, with little stopping and starting - even if it is a little longer.

 

• If your trip isn’t urgent and it’s possible to choose the time you travel, drive when the roads are quieter so that you aren’t wasting fuel while standing in traffic jams. This could mean using flexitime at work or doing your weekly shop later in the evening.

 

• Use ‘park and ride’ schemes to avoid city centre crawling. Some of these facilities are free and your car should be safe while you avoid the traffic, the stress and steep parking fees of the city centre.

 

• Reduce your use of air conditioning and other electrical features, such as demisters and heated seats when you really don’t need them. You’d be surprised how much energy (and fuel) these use up.

 

• Listen to the engine and keep an eye on your rev counter to avoid a struggling engine. If the revs are over 2000 rpm for a diesel or 2500 rpm for a petrol car, chances are that the engine is struggling and burning unnecessary fuel. You’ll need to change gear or get the car checked out.

 

• If making a trip with several stops, start with the furthest first, giving the engine more time on the road to warm up and be more fuel efficient.

What Else Can I Do to Reduce My Car Fuel Costs to Get a Better MPG?

As well as making changes to the way you drive, the mpg that you get out of your car can improve by completing a bit of general maintenance and a little research to help everything run tickety-boo at the lowest possible price.

 

• Check your car tyres often. Keep them at the recommended pressure that you’ll find in your car manual or inside the driver door. Also check for wear and that the tread depth at least the legal requirement of 1.6mm. Both these things will improve your car’s grip on the road and allow better fuel efficiency.

 

• Like people, if your car isn’t kept fit, it’s not going to run properly. Keep up to date with your car’s servicing schedule to ensure that filters are regularly cleaned or replaced, fluids are topped up or replaced and leaks are attended to. This will help to keep your car running as efficiently as possible.

 

• Shop around. Find the cheapest place to re-fuel. Often supermarkets are keener on price than dedicated petrol stations as the supermarkets like to compete with each other on price, and sometimes offer money off vouchers. Check your nearest and cheapest place to refuel.

If you’re still fed up of paying out for petrol or diesel, you can always switch to an electric vehicle (EV) or hybrid. With charging stations popping up all over, they are becoming a popular option.

And if you’re still not impressed by your car’s fuel efficiency, it might be time to trade up to a more economical model. Take a look at the range of quality used cars at Motor Range from economical superminis to hybrid 4x4s.

 

Fancy putting your fuel saving techniques to the test? How about taking a leaf out of the book of these intrepid explorers and see how far you can get on one tank of petrol? Let us know how you get on.