20 tips for saving fuel

The average Kiwi driver spends around $2700 a year on fuel, yet it’s fairly easy to carve a chunk out of that total by following some simple steps — which is a smart move considering the upwards march of oil prices, and the role that burning fossil fuels plays in global warming.

We spoke to a group of motoring experts, including Clive Matthew-Wilson of the Dog and Lemon Guide and Steven McAfee, an autotronics lecturer at the Unitec Institute of Technology, to get their best tips for reducing petrol use. We then calculated the potential savings and ran those figures past the government Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.

The result? We found that if you change the way you drive and take good care of your car, you can reasonably expect to bring your average yearly fuel bill down by $470. And if you’re really serious about saving fuel and leave the car behind on some shorter trips, you can cut as much as $700 a year!

Remember — it’s not about trying to make unrealistic changes. Simply go through the list below and see which ideas you can easily apply to your life.

1. Shift to higher gears early

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) says you should change gear at around 2000 to 2500 rpm. If you drive an automatic, allow the transmission to change up early by accelerating gently on a light throttle.

2. Start up and go

Don’t worry about warming up your car before leaving home in the morning. It warms up just fine when you drive it. The longer you spend warming your car, the more you’ll spend filling your tank.

3. Hill work

The EECA says you can save dollars by driving cleverly on hills, building up speed ahead of the hill using the highest possible gear, then easing off the gas once you’re near the top, allowing yourself to coast the rest of the way.

4. Don’t idle

If you know you’re going to be idling for a while, turning the engine off is a good idea. Experts differ on this point though. Some suggest turning off if you’re going to be idling for more than 10 seconds, others say 30 seconds, and still others a minute. In newer vehicles, high-tech stop-start technology means your car will do this automatically.

5. Go easy, but not too easy

If you’re too heavy on the accelerator, your car uses a richer fuel mix — but if you’re too light, you’ll spend more time accelerating than necessary. Aim for moderate acceleration at a steady speed. (Save ~$170 a year with tips 1-5)

6. Turn it off

Heated seats, heated rear windscreens and other gadgets consume a lot of energy, says Clive Matthew-Wilson of car review website www.dogandlemon.com. The battery powers your gadgets, but the fuel tank powers your battery. If you don’t need it, turn it off.

7. Use fuel-efficient tyres

High-tech ‘low rolling resistance’ tyres are now widely available. They reduce the amount of force needed to move a vehicle, which equates to lower fuel use. (Save ~$50 a year)

8. Pump it up

When your tyres are under-inflated, it takes more fuel to make them turn. Keeping the pressure up keeps fuel bills down. (Save ~$30 a year)

9. Cut weight and drag

Load your car just before you leave and take out all non-necessary items. The more weight you leave in your car, the more fuel you’ll use. (Save ~$30 a year – or ~$170 by removing the roof rack)

10. Take Shanks’ Pony

Why drive when you can walk or bike? Seventeen per cent of household car trips are less than two kilometres and 48 per cent are less than six kilometres — perfect walking or cycling distance. If you’re serious about saving on gas, cutting out half of the trips under 2km (walkable) and 20 per cent of the trips between two and six kilometres (bikeable), can add up to big savings. (Save ~$230 a year)

11. Don’t be traffic

Clive Matthew-Wilson recommends checking traffic before leaving home, avoiding rush hour and busy intersections, and mapping your most direct route. Stop-start driving uses more fuel than cruising.

12. Make a plan

Think about where you’ve got to go in a day and cover as much of that as possible in one trip. Short trips add up and using the car when it’s already warm is more fuel-efficient.

13. Turn off the air

Experts say air conditioning adds about 10 per cent to the fuel bill, and many cars also default to ‘climate control’, which uses air conditioning without you even thinking about it. So it’s a good idea to turn the climate control off, and only use air-con when you really need it. (Save ~$80 a year)

14. Think small

Generally, the smaller the car, the bigger the fuel saving. Buying a 998cc Daihatsu Sirion rather than a 1798cc Toyota Corolla will save you $450, according to the EECA. Tip: you can check a car’s fuel efficiency by entering its number plate at www.fuelsaver.govt.nz.

15. Carpool

Work-related travel makes up a third of all household driving time and distance, and 90 per cent of people travelling to work in cars are single occupants. A Holden Commodore is more fuel-efficient with four people than a Toyota Prius is with one. (Save ~$400 a year)

16. Get streamlined

The shape of your car makes a difference to its fuel use. Modern teardrop designs mean less wind resistance and less energy required to push the car through the air.

17. Consider a car’s history when buying

Many New Zealanders modify their cars for performance. But giving a car more power also gives it a richer fuel mix. If you want to maximise fuel efficiency, shy away from cars that have been souped up.

18. Go hybrid

Regenerative braking is a big part of the fuel efficiency in hybrid cars. Every time you step on the brake, the car generates power effectively for free. This means that the big efficiency gains in hybrid driving are made by people doing mostly stop-start city driving. (Save ~$760 a year)

19. Get electric

The EECA estimates that using an electric vehicle is similar to buying petrol at about 26 cents per litre. (Save ~$1580 a year)

20. Maintenance

Keeping your vehicle serviced will help keep it running at maximum fuel efficiency. (Save ~$110 a year)

Operation frugal driver

Green Ideas editor Greg Roughan used a combination of these tips to get two months’ driving out of a single tank of petrol – spending a ridiculously low $67 – though admits to a little cheating.

“I’m lucky enough to be able to walk to work, so in that warm spell we had I got obsessed with leaving the car at home. It was great – I got a little fitter, arrived at work feeling better, and saved money on parking. But I cheated by outsourcing all of our open-road driving to my wife’s larger car. Still, I made some serious savings by doing several things differently. I took it easy on the accelerator, used higher gears, and emptied the boot of all the heavy stuff including some speakers that had stopped working anyway, meaning my already efficient Toyota was feather-light and ran on the smell of an oily rag.”