How to drive economically

With inflation running rampant you might like to know there are ways you can make your driving more economical. Here’s a few tips:

1. Take your foot off the pedal more. A light foot spares the fuel. In order to accelerate an engine needs a richer fuel mixture. You can save a lot of fuel with a lighter approach to driving. I personally remember one car: when I drive it economically,it would do 30+mpg, when I pushed it hard, it would go down to 18mpg.
2. Cut your top speed on the motorway. An awful lot more fuel gets used at 80mph compared to 70mph and I swear it makes no difference to how soon you get where you are going. 56mph is the official most economical speed.
3. Get a post-2016 diesel. These cars are the only diesels allowed in ULEZs.
4. Get an electric or hybrid. An obvious choice and I am sure this is something you are thinking about in the current climate. And if you get a plug-in hybrid make sure you do actually plug it in – most people do not.
5. Avoid the short trips. Lots of people make short trips which all add up. If it is less than one mile consider walking or cycling instead.
6. Work from home more. 2-3 days a week working from home saves a lot of fuel and time commuting. People are also 40% more efficient when they work from home.
7. Take out unnecessary weight. If your boot is full of stuff, that is weight you are using fuel to transport around, lighten the load and save fuel.
8. Take off roofracks when not in use. They reduce your aerodynamic efficiency and cost money to drive around with.
9. Select the right gear. If you are driving in too low a gear the engine will rant and you will use more fuel than you need to. Ideally drive in as high a gear as the car will manage for ultimate efficiency.
10. Aim for a steady speed. Stopping and starting uses much more fuel. Sometimes in slow-moving traffic it is worth hanging back a bit so you can simply progress at a constant speed rather than stop-start.
11. Make sure you service regularly. A regularly serviced engine is more efficient.
12. Check your tyre pressures. The correct tyre pressures make a big difference to the fuel efficiency of your vehicle.

Changing your driving habits and cutting out unnecessary short drives can have a big impact in your pocket especially with fuel prices as high as they currently are.