In an age of frugality, it’s likely we’re all trying to cut back on our expenditure. You might have tried shopping somewhere a little cheaper or limiting yourself to only the essentials… both of which can help – but there’s an area we could all cut back on more.
Driving more economically – it sounds easy, and it can be – but it’s also easy to get things wrong, too. For that reason, we’ve put together a few tips to help you get the most out of your fuel tank; hopefully saving you some money and helping to keep your car in great shape!
Car maintenance
First and foremost, to get the most out of your car, it needs to be in good working order. Here are some of the areas you should focus on:
- Fluids
Make sure all of your car’s essential fluids are topped up. That goes for anti-freeze, windscreen washer fluid and oil (which should be changed at least once every three months). Keeping things topped up helps the motors of your car to run smoothly; and can prevent damage that could occur without these fluids present.
- Tyre pressure
Dig out your car handbook and flick to the back of the book. Here, you’ll find a set of tables – where you’ll be able to locate the correct tyre pressure for your vehicle given its current weight/load. Driving with the incorrect tyre pressure will likely lead to uneven wear on your tyres – which can, in turn, lead to unwanted wear on your wallet!
- Keep on top of repairs
Any small repairs, whether it’s a replacement headlight, or a broken mirror, should be attended to as soon as possible. While they won’t directly affect the efficiency of your car, they can affect your ability to drive your car in an economic and efficient manner. So if you discover a chip in your windscreen or need to replace it, make sure you get specialists on the case.
Excess baggage
Just as carrying heavy bags can slow us down and decrease our own efficiency, it can have the same impact on your car.
For that reason, you should only travel with what you need.
Your best bet here would be to open your boot and take out all the things you don’t need on a day-to-day basis. Then move around the inside of your car and do the same thing. Finally, if your car has a roof rack with nothing on it (a common sight, we’re sure you’ll agree!), remove the rack – it’s only adding extra weight!
Acceleration
The age-old tip of acceleration – you probably knew this one would be included – and for good reason, too. Acceleration is the single biggest area we lose the most efficiency from our car. Accelerating harshly to ‘beat’ the car next to us, or to get to our location in a quicker time, is only draining our fuel tanks further. Not only this, but it’s increasing the wear and tear on other areas of your car too.
So the obvious fix here is to accelerate gently. However, this can be easier said than done. So, use your rev counter as a limiter here; when setting off, try not to exceed 2,000-2,500 RPM and you’ll find your fuel lasts for longer!
While these tips aren’t guaranteed to save you hundreds of pounds, they’ll certainly help you drive more economically!
