I drive a 25 mile round trip every day to work which I know isn’t much compared to a lot of people’s commute but to us, it means that petrol makes up a big part of our monthly budget.
But it is possible to change your driving habits a little to make the best use of your fuel so you can get the most out of it.
- Keep your tyres inflated to the correct pressure. As well as making your car more fuel efficient, it’s also safer for you and your passengers.
- Don’t use your air conditioning unless you have to – just wind a window down.
- Turn your engine off as soon as you reach your destination.
- Accelerate smoothly without over revving and keep an eye on your rev counter. You should try to stay under 3000 revs when driving and should be changing up a gear when you hit 2,500 revs on a petrol and 2,000 on a diesel.
- Drive along speed-humped roads at a steady 15-20mph rather than accelerating between speed bumps and having to brake each time you get to one.
- According to the Department for Transport, if you drive at 70mph you are using up to 9% more fuel than at 60mph and up to 15% more than at 50mph. 80mph can use up to a massive 25% more than you would use doing 70mph.
- Don’t use your car for journeys where you could just as easily walk – popping to the local shops or going on the school run are great examples of when people don’t always need to drive.
There’s even more information about how to save money on your petrol on The Guardian website. They say it’s possible to save up to £800 a year on petrol if you change the way you drive so I’m going to give it a go. Let me know if you do too and if you see any improvements….
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Image credit: Shutterstock, Syda Productions
