Drive Smarter, Not Harder: Practical Ways to Cut Fuel Consumption Every Day
Those little “surprises” on the walls of filling stations have probably made more than a few drivers wonder how to cut fuel use. A few pointers follow.
An engine does not need a long warm up while standing still. It reaches its ideal operating temperature faster when the car is actually moving. Wait about 10 seconds, then set off gently. In very cold weather, leave it a little longer.
When pulling away, accelerate briskly. A brief spike in fuel use during acceleration, followed by smooth, steady driving, is more economical than crawling up to speed.
Starting the engine uses roughly the same amount of fuel as idling for about 10 seconds. Use the start stop system if your car has one. If it does not, switch the engine off yourself when you are stopped for longer periods. That can cut average fuel consumption by 3 to 10 per cent.
Tyre pressure matters more than many drivers realise. If it is 10 per cent below the recommended level, fuel consumption rises by around 2 per cent. And of course, a car has more than one tyre. Check pressures when the tyres are cold. A tyre that is 25 per cent below the correct pressure can still look perfectly normal. Some tyre makers even recommend running pressures 0.3 to 0.5 bar above the car manufacturer’s figure to reduce rolling resistance. Check them once a month.
If you do not currently need a roof box or bike carrier, take the roof bars off. At motorway speeds, empty roof bars can raise fuel use by 5 to 10 per cent, a bicycle on the roof by around 20 per cent and a roof box by roughly 15 per cent.
Keep the car properly maintained. On an older vehicle, something as simple as a dirty air filter can have a noticeable effect on fuel consumption.
Extra weight also matters. Around 20 kg adds roughly 1 per cent to fuel use. It is worth checking whether everything living permanently in the boot is actually necessary.
Use air conditioning, heated seats and other electrical systems only when you need them. That alone can save up to 5 per cent. At higher speeds, keep the windows closed.
With a manual gearbox, use first gear only to get the car moving. Shift up early enough to keep revs below 2,500 rpm in a petrol engine and below 2,000 rpm in a diesel. Once you have reached the speed you want, drive in the highest gear that suits it.
Keep the car moving whenever you can. Getting a vehicle moving from rest is where the biggest fuel hit comes. Leave enough distance to the car ahead and read the traffic well beyond the first set of brake lights in front of you.
Use the car’s momentum when slowing down. In gear, fuel consumption drops to zero when you lift off, so leave the clutch alone until the revs fall close to idle. Do the same on downhill stretches. A hundred metres here and a few dozen there can add up to several “free” kilometres over the course of a day. On level roads, use cruise control where it makes sense.
Traffic lights do not suddenly turn pink. Look for clues from pedestrian signals on the crossing road. On familiar journeys between home and work, use what you have already learned from driving the route every day. Constant acceleration, hard braking and racing from one set of lights to the next do not get you there any sooner. In fact, the driver making sensible choices often arrives before the one endlessly weaving through traffic. Read the road well ahead.
Fuel consumption is usually lowest between 70 and 90 km/h. On the open road, every extra 10 km/h can add 5 to 15 per cent to fuel use. The faster you go, the more air you have to shove aside.
Where possible, choose a quieter time to travel. Even setting off 5 to 10 minutes earlier in the morning can mean lighter traffic and noticeably lower fuel use.
A more anticipatory driving style cuts fuel consumption, reduces the risk of an accident and leaves you arriving with the same number of nerve cells you set off with.
