10 Ways to Burn Less Fuel When Driving

Are you tired of seemingly giving all of your money to the oil companies?

If so, you don't have to do anything radical, like changing your car for a smaller model, in order to reduce your fuel costs.

Here are some top and entirely free (or very low cost) ideas that might achieve the same thing.

1. Go easy on your accelerator. 

Massive (and usually pointless) "G-force" type accelerations away from traffic lights or stop signs, achieves nothing other than wear to your tyres and the consumption of far more fuel than is necessary. 

Follow the example of professional chauffeurs driving luxury limousines, who usually have their eye on reducing wear and tear to their vehicles and fuel consumption - you won't see them trying to emulate Formula One racing cars as they pull away!

2. Drive more slowly. 

On motorways, driving just a few miles/kilometres an hour beneath a maximum speed limit can make a huge positive contribution to reducing how much fuel you burn.

3. Make sure your tyres are inflated to the correct pressure. 

That may vary upon local conditions and loading factors but incorrectly inflated tyres will cause you to use more fuel.

4. Keep your engine tuned. If you don't know how to do that yourself, contact a professional garage to do it for you. True, this may involve a little expense but it could pay for itself very quickly in fuel cost reductions.

5. Regularly check the oil levels in your engine and make sure that the oil is changed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. 

The harder your engine needs to work in order to achieve something, the more fuel it'll demand to 'make it happen'.

6. Anticipate stops in advance and slow down gently rather than braking hard. 

Rushing up to a stop and then 'hitting the anchors hard' at the last second is crazy from a number of viewpoints - including fuel economy.

7. Try to drive your car at a consistent speed. 

Constantly accelerating and slowing down then accelerating again to get back up to your desired speed level is highly inefficient. It might also indicate that you are not in full control of your vehicle.

8. Switch off your air conditioning where possible. 

Such systems are typically a huge drain on your car's electrical and motive power systems and yet again, that will have a big impact on your fuel tank.

9. Plan your journey from an efficiency viewpoint. Incredible as it sounds, it's not unusual to see people using their car three or four times in a short period to run errands when with a minimal amount of planning and coordination, one journey would have sufficed.

10. Finally, an old piece of advice but always valid, question whether you need to use your car at all! 

Sometimes stretching your legs for 10 minutes to get down the road rather than taking the car will be good for your wallet and for your health.

These are a few basic tips but if applied, they might well help you to keep more of your money in your pocket rather than helping to push up the oil companies' profits!

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