How to save fuel and drive economically

Fuel-saving tips​

The consumption of fuel often depends on what vehicle you drive, but regardless of what vehicle you own, there are many ways to save fuel and drive more economically.

Take a look below to see what you can be doing to save fuel, whilst many of these changes are only small, they will benefit you in the long run.

Maintenance:

Keeping your vehicle in good running condition is a really important part of ensuring that it runs efficiently.

  • Regularly Checking Tyre Pressure – It requires more force, and therefore more fuel, to move under-inflated tyres.
  • Changing Your Oil - When dirt builds up inside your engine it can cause friction, which will negatively impact the fuel efficiency of your vehicle. Regularly changing your oil will keep the engine running smoothly and efficiently.

Servicing:

Getting your vehicle regularly serviced, according to its service schedule, will help prevent and discover problems that are affecting your fuel efficiency. 

Plan Ahead:

You can save fuel just by making a few small preparations before setting off on your journey, things like:

  • Removing Excess Weight –Consider whether you need your roof box or bike rack for every journey. By removing any unnecessary items, and reducing the weight of your vehicle, you’ll need less fuel for your journey.
  • Plan your route – If you’re travelling to a place that you are unfamiliar with, spending a bit of extra time before the journey making sure you know the route and destination will save you extra miles getting lost or looking for somewhere to park.
  • Check the Traffic – Sitting in traffic will cause you to spend more money on fuel, by checking the traffic, you can plan alternative routes if necessary.

How to drive more economically

You may not realise, but sometimes the way that we drive plays a bigger part in our fuel economy than you might think. Our tips for saving fuel whilst driving:

  • Drive smoothly – Accelerating and decelerating gently, avoiding harsh braking or fast acceleration.
  • Stay Rolling – Where possible avoid stopping the vehicle completely.
  • Shift Gears Quickly – Moving up gears quickly helps with fuel efficiency, as it reduces unnecessary engine revs. Vehicles with gear shift indicators will usually advise when shifting gears will improve your efficiency.
  • Stick to the Speed Limits – As well as it being part of the law, you use more fuel the faster you go, sticking to the speed limits ensures you don’t use any more fuel than you should be.
  • Turn off what you don’t use – certain vehicle features, that whilst great, affect your fuel consumption more than you might think. Things like air conditioning, heated seats, heated windscreens, etc all contribute so turn them off when you don’t need them to save fuel.