A driver of the average car travelling 10,000 motorway miles in a year at 80mph would spend on average £518 more on fuel than if he had driven the same distance at 60mph. The price of a short holiday??
Driving more smoothly saves money. Acceleration and deceleration is what uses the most fuel. Smooth , progressively gentle use of the accelerator and changing up through the gears as quickly as the engine revs allows will save money. And, not just heavy braking from speed, but also what we call 'comfort braking' will add to your fuel costs and wear out your brakes and tyres more rapidly. We've all been 'comfort brakers' at some point, you know, lightly tapping or touching our brakes coming to a slight bend or a curve we're when we're not sure how sharp it is. Its almost a natural reflex. But think. Why? Its having no real effect on slowing the car, only on our wallets. If you need to slow down for a bend or curve, just look further ahead, plan ahead, lift off the accelerator a bit sooner and let the car slow down, or change down if you have to.
Likewise at roundabouts and approaching junctions, 'comfort brakers' will brake 3 or 4 times approaching a roundabout or junction because they seem unsure of when to actually slow down. When approaching a junction or roundabout, lift of the accelerator, let the car slow down, then change down, only braking in the last 100 yards or so to actually stop the car or slow it enough to join the roundabout. You should only need to brake hard to stop, or to avoid an obstacle. If you think further ahead and leave room between you and the cars in front, you'll cut your braking down by 50% and you'll be able to use much more of the cars natural momentum with far less cost. Brake pads and tyres will last up to 25% longer and you WILL save fuel.
Use top gear. - To maintain low revs whilst driving you should change gear as soon as is practical. Engines run most economically at between 1,500 and 3,000 revs (a little lower for diesels - 900 - 2400 rpm), so try to always be in this range unless you need more power for a particular reason. Diesels will also pull better from lower speeds in higher gears, so use that benefit to your advantage. You are also wasting money by using the wrong gear. A car cruising at 45mph on rural roads uses 20 per cent more fuel in fourth gear compared with fifth. In town, you can cut fuel bills by pulling away slowly and smoothly, changing up early and anticipating road conditions to maintain a steady speed. You'd be amazed how slowly you can run a car in top gear. Our Renault Grand Espace, will pull for around 18mph in fifth gear quite happily with no juddering at all.
Close Your Windows - If you are driving even relatively fast then don't have your windows open unless necessary. Having the windows open when driving at over 50mph causes significant drag which increases fuel consumption, even at lower speeds it may affect your consumption. So close your windows.
A cold engine uses twice as much fuel as a warm engine, and catalytic converters take 5 miles to become warm and therefore fully effective. So either avoid short journeys where possible, or drive slowly and as efficiently as possible (using the lightest pressure on the accelerator) until the engine has warmed up. In winter, don't leave your car to warm up on the drive. Use de-icer or a scraper and get going as quickly as you can. (DO NOT however, drive off until you have fully cleared your windscreen and side windows!) Moving engines warm up faster than stationary ones. and you'll be using the fuel to actually get somewhere! Also, back your car into your drive, so you can drive immediately away forwards without having to manoeuvre your car in reverse when its engine is cold. It'll save you money
Air-conditioning is commonplace now, and when it is really hot, air-con seems like the greatest invention since the wheel. But it will increase your petrol consumption by as much as 11%, so when its warm just have your fans on cool instead of having the air con on, or just have the window down slightly. If this fails to cool you down then try to just have the air-con on in short bursts. At high speeds (over 65), the reverse is true. Better to use air con than have the windows down as the resultant drag effect is worse than using the air-con.
When possible try to avoid driving on rough road surfaces like gravel or dirt roads. Driving on these kinds of surfaces can reduce your fuel consumption by up to 30%. Even if a route on smooth tarmac is slightly longer the reduction in friction will mean a much better MPG so it is worth going the solid tarmac way.
If you have Sat-Nav, use It! It will take you on the shortest and therefore most economic route and save your fuel bills.
Condense your journeys. Don't go to the shops three times a week, when with a bit of planning you could go once. If you need to go see your mum, auntie etc, combine it with a trip to the supermarket. Don't drive just to look for cheap fuel. Use a site like petrolprices.com, locate your cheapest fuel source, then see if there is a supermarket nearby you can shop at? Its simple logic, but so far this year, its already saved me £150! You'd be amazed how much you'll save in fuel, on tyres and on wear and tear. Think before you drive and plan to start your journey a bit sooner. The longer you have, the slower you can go!