Get the most from your car part 1: Reduce Fuel costs
So we’re always stressing out about petrol/diesel prices, the cost of a service, general maintenance, road tax and the big one – INSURANCE!
I will touch on each of these in this series of posts, starting with reducing fuel costs. We might not be able control the prices set, but there’s a heck of a lot we can do on our end!
Drive consistently/economically
This is something I personally find the hardest so I thought I would get it out of the way first! So although this is more effective with diesel cars, none the less if you are driving in the city try not to accelerate too fast off the line all of the time. This increases your revs and burns more fuel, not to mention putting a strain on the turbo – if you have one.
Try to drive at a consistent speed and not to make too many sharp turns – accelerating gradually uses less Revs.
Keep your tyres inflated to their full PSI
Keep your tyres inflated to their full requires PSI (Pounds per Square Inch). If they are lower than they need to be it takes more power to move the vehicle.
Lighten your load
The lighter the car, the less the engine has to work, so look at things you don’t actually need in the boot, maybe a roof rack can be removed, child seat not being used and so on. This also includes not filling up more fuel than you need to in the week – if you’re doing the weekly commute and that’s it then there’s no need for a full tank. It all helps!
Turn off the air con
If you don’t need the air con on, turn it off. It actually uses engine power, and if you are at lower speeds the engine is getting used less and with the air con on it has to compensate by working harder to power it. Notice how quickly the car heats up when you are driving fast?
Reduce breaking
If you can look ahead on a road or motorway and see when you have to slow down, and you have sufficient space why not slow down naturally instead of using the breaks at the last minute. The breaks use power and the less you use the more you will save.
Get more out of the gears
You should drive in the highest possible gear and change early as this puts less stress on the engine and reduces your Revs. This will vary according to your car, you will know the limits of course.
Look for deals, points and check prices close to you
This might seem a chore; however you will be surprised how much you can save.
Loyalty cards at the supermarket
Shell do a Shell Smart loyalty programme (www.shellsmart.com), nectar cards (www.nectar.com), Tesco club cards (www.tesco.com/clubcard/collect-spend), these are just a few that offer points. Just google your choice of station or supermarket, or look through the loyalty cards you already have and google the services they support.
Deals, deals, deals!
Look out on websites like Hot UK Deals (http://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/fuel), and sign up to Groupon (www.groupon.co.uk) and you will be sent emails with the latest deals.
Compare prices of stations close to you
There a few websites the let you enter your postcode and inform you of the prices close by, such as:
http://www.whatprice.co.uk/petrol-prices/recent-petrol-prices.html
To Summarise
If you do as much as you can on your end to reduce your fuel consumption, and look out for deals I am sure you will be surprised at how much you save!
