Gas Saving Tips: 10 Ways to Lower Costs

1. Keep your car well serviced and check the oil level regularly. Correctly maintained cars can operate more efficiently and help reduce CO2 emissions.
2. Check your tyre pressure every month. Under-inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by up to 4%*.
3. Remove unnecessary weight and empty roof racks. They increase the weight and air resistance and the heavier the car, the harder the engine has to work and the more fuel it consumes.***
4. Use a quality fuel additive. This will improve fuel economy and reduce your emissions.
5. Stick to the speed limits. At 70mph you could be using up to 30 per cent more fuel than at 50mph.***
6. Use air conditioning and other on-board electrical devices (like mobile phone chargers) only when necessary. Unnecessary use increases fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 5%**.
7. Start driving soon after starting the engine and turn off the engine when stationary for more than one minute. Modern engines are designed to be most efficient when you just get in and go. Keeping the engine running or pumping the accelerator wastes fuel, increases engine wear and increases emissions***
8. Drive smoothly. Check the road ahead, anticipate traffic and avoid harsh acceleration and braking. Every time you accelerate or brake suddenly, your engine uses more fuel and produces more CO2.***
9. When accelerating, shift to a higher gear at the right time. Shift up at 2500rpm for petrol cars and 2000rpm for diesel cars. A vehicle travelling at 37mph in third gear uses 25 per cent more fuel than it would at the same speed in fifth gear.
10. Consider car sharing for work or leisure. You will help reduce congestion, fuel consumption and there will be reduced travel costs for each person.***

* International energy agency ** European Commission ***direct.gov.uk

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