.

10 Tips to Reduce Your Motoring Fuel Spend

BEFORE WE LOOK AT THE TIPS FOR REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF FUEL YOU USE, DON’T FORGET THE OBVIOUS - SHOP AROUND FOR THE CHEAPEST PETROL AND DIESEL PRICES

With the fuel spend being approximately 20 - 25% of your motoring costs it definitely pays to shop around to get the best pump price. From our data it we can see that fuel prices at different filing stations will typically vary by between 6% and 12% within a 5 mile radius. With fuel prices changing frequently at filling stations knowing where the cheapest current price is could be a challenge, that’s where PetrolPrices.com comes in. This is a free fuel comparison site that can quickly tell you the lowest price filling station in your area. PetrolPrices.com

1/ MAKE FEWER TRIPS A car with a cold engine will use more fuel than one that has been driven recently and is warm.Fuel savings can be made by simply combining trips into one, this would not only save fuel because the engine is not starting from cold but may actually reduce the miles driven as well by reducing duplicate route journeys.  

2/ PLAN THE TIME OF YOUR JOURNEY Some journeys have to take place at a certain time to get to an appointment but planning the time of your journey and avoiding times when traffic is congested will definitely improve your fuel consumption. Cars use significantly more fuel when they start to move than when they a travelling at a steady speed, so sitting in rush hour traffic jams will mean your fuel is being used without really travelling any distance. Anticipating the speed of traffic in front of you will also help, driving at a steady speed without the need to constantly stop and start.  

3/ DON’T USE YOUR CAR AS AN EXTENSION TO YOUR GARAGE The heavier your car is the more fuel you will use, so removing items stored in your boot will improve your mpg, Often people leave there heavy golf clubs and trolley in the boot or their pram. Making sure you only carry the things you actually need may be a little inconvenient but will mean you need to fill up less frequently.  

4/ FUEL IS ITSELF WEIGHT Don't always fill your fuel tank up. Fuel adds weight to your car and the heavier your car is the more fuel you will use. Unless you drive high mileage filling you tank 1/2 or 3/4 full will not be a great inconvenience and will reduce you fuel spend.  

5/ DON’T ACCELERATE FAST AND KEEP YOUR REV COUNTER DOWN The faster you accelerate and the higher your rev counter is the more fuel you will burn, its as simple as that.  

6/ TURN THE AIR-CONDITIONING OFF Air-conditioning increases fuel consumption particularly at low speeds and often gets left on even when the temperature does not require it.  

7/ ARE YOUR TYRE PRESSURES CORRECT? Under inflated tyres increase the friction with your cars contact on the road contact and as a result increase the amount of fuel used. A simple 5 minutes check of you tyre pressures with not only improve your driving safety but will also improve your mpg.  

8/ IMPROVE YOUR CARS AERODYNAMICS Car manufacturers spend millions of pounds designing cars in the most aerodynamic form to reduce the 'drag' effect and improve its driving and fuel efficiency. Common things that impact negatively the aerodynamics of your car are leaving your windows or sunroof open when travelling at speed or leaving your roof rack or car roof box on your car when not in use, the less aerodynamic a car is the more expensive it will be to run.  

9/ SLOW DOWN Higher speeds result in fuel being used at a greater rate, by simply driving at 10 mph lower you could reduce your fuel consumption by between 10 and 20%  

10/ CONSIDER AN ELECTRIC OR HYBRID CAR Electric and Hybrid cars are reducing in cost and have improved significantly with the range they can travel between charges. Average cost per mile for petrol and diesel cars is currently around 12-15p, whist the cost of fuelling an electric car is only 3-5p. 

We hope you find these tips useful, please take a look at our "Help Me Choose" tool to find your next fuel efficient car Click Here for Help Me Choose