10 Ways to be more fuel efficient

Having a car comes with the unavoidable burden of trying to go the distance with as little fuel as possible. With fuel rises ever on the rise and concerns about climate change taking the centre stage, who would blame you for trying to be more fuel efficient? Definitely not us. In fact, as the auto experts of Sydney, we are happy to put together a list of favourite tips. Browse our genius tips to stay ahead of the curve and save fuel.

1. Choose Your Car Wisely

Our first word of advice is to make a smarter decision even before you purchase the car. While several tips can help you improve your fuel economy, the truth is that they will only take you so far. In the current market, we would advise against a gas guzzler, especially for everyday use. The Green Vehicle Guide provided by the Australian government can be a good yardstick to measure a car’s greenhouse emissions and air pollution. Make an informed choice on these factors, especially regarding a family car. Here are some affordable cars for tradies and cars for university students.

2. Leave the Air Conditioning On

We know it seems counter-intuitive from what has been accepted as fact. Do air conditioners consume fuel? Of course, they do. Is it better to leave the windows open instead of the air conditioning? Absolutely not. The wind resistance experienced when you leave the windows open makes the car burn up that fuel quite quickly. So when you weigh these two options, keeping the air conditioning on is simply more economical. This is especially true when you are on open roads travelling at unperturbed speeds.

3. Maintenance is Everything

Maybe you think you don’t have to service your car on the dot. Perhaps you are in favour of delaying fixing minor problems until the next service cycle. This is not only gonna cost you dearly, later on, it very likely costs you dearly right now. On any given day a well-maintained car will give you more kilometres on the litre. Meanwhile, a poorly maintained car will consume much more fuel and emit more toxic fumes. Servicing regularly and checking on any problems will go a long way in improving your car’s mileage. More information on how to maintain your car.

4. Keep it Light

The boot is one of the unlikely culprits playing spoilsport with your fuel performance. Overloading the boot space can put some serious pressure on fuel consumption. If you are in the habit of stowing away unnecessary things other than a spare tyre in the boot space, you might want to rethink this habit. For every 50 kg of extra weight your car is pulling, the fuel consumed shoots up by 2%. So, it might not be a bad idea to practise mindful packing when on a road trip with the family.

5. Check Your Tyres

The most cost-effective way to improve your car’s fuel economy is to keep those tyres pumped up. Poorly inflated tyres pile on the friction as the kilometres go by burning up your precious fuel. Unattended flat tyres will further increase the drag and contribute to unwarranted fuel consumption. Since even 10psi can prompt a massive uptick in the amount of fuel burnt, it is always a good idea to consistently check the pressure. We would advise you to pump up your tyres before you embark on any long trips.

6. Tweak Your Driving Style

Now we are not here to criticise anyone’s driving style but some things are hard on a car’s fuel tank. If you tend to slam the brakes or drive with your left foot firmly resting on the brake pedal, it might be a problem. Since you are in a situation where you have to accelerate again, this uses quite a bit of fuel. If you are someone who enjoys revving the engine, you might not enjoy it so much if you knew how much fuel it is costing you to indulge. This also leaves the cylinder walls dry for the next startup which is simply not good.

7. Plan Your Drive

These are the little things that will make a world of difference. To start with planning your commute through the rush hour traffic will not only save you your time and energy but also fuel. Start and stop traffic is a big deterrent for fuel efficiency, especially on urban roads. Plan your trip to the grocery store and fit multiple chores into that one trip. This will save you the trouble of going again and again and ultimately help cut down those fuel expenses. You can also opt for alternative modes of transportation when you can.

8. Don’t Stay Idle

We are much too familiar with rush hour traffic; sometimes it is unavoidable. In such a situation, you are very likely stalled in the gridlock for more than a few minutes. If you don’t switch off the engine at this juncture, you may be idle but your car is not, it is likely burning up a fair bit of your precious fuel. So if you find yourself stuck in traffic for more than three minutes, you might not be able to do anything to reduce your boredom. You can, however, reduce fuel consumption, so turn that engine off.

9. Merits of Staying Steady

Switching gears suddenly and speeding up on the highway will increase wind resistance and increase your fuel consumption but slowing down isn’t much better either. If you drop to a lower gear and opt to drive below the speed limit, this can negatively impact fuel consumption. The best course of action here is to stay steady and if you are driving an automatic car, there is a way to combat this problem. Use the cruise control function to keep the speed constant. Additionally, avoid revving your accelerator to keep things smooth.

10. Avoid the Bad Roads

None of us hate this idea because let’s be honest, who wants to spend their time navigating a bad road? However, you’ll be happy to know that taking the trouble to avoid bad roads will save you a fair bit of fuel as well. In fact, bad roads with one too many obstacles can reduce your car’s fuel efficiency by 1/3rd. Applying that throttle unsurprisingly is not good for your car and it is perhaps worse for your fuel tank. So do yourself and your car a favour and steer clear of the bad roads whenever possible and plan so you don’t have to.

All said and done, these tips are only relevant if your car is still relatively new. If your car is over 10 years old, it is very likely its advanced age, poor condition, and outdated standards draining the fuel. In this situation, the smarter thing to do is to scrap your car and replace it with a new more efficient one. If you find yourself in this situation, connect with Scrap Car Removal to get started on scrapping your car.