A Martin Lewis Money Saving Expert has provided five handy checks for drivers to help them drive more efficiently and save money on their fuel.
It comes as drivers across the country have been hit with rising costs of fuel at forecourts across the country as the cost of living crisis continues to grip the nation.
Fuel prices have surged to record-high's in recent weeks, despite chancellor Rishi Sunak announcing a 5p drop to help combat the rising prices.
The MSE recently shared their tips to keep fuel costs down in the recent weekly edition of the Martin Lewis Money Saving Expert Newsletter.
The tips will come as welcome news as the price of unleaded hit 163.30, while the price of diesel hit 177.11, according to the latest RAC figures.
In the newsletter, the expert breaks down five common checks that drivers can implement to become a more fuel efficient driver and cut back on costs.
Step 1: Make your car more fuel-efficient
It’s estimated drivers can save up to 30 per cent on their fuel bill by simply following these steps.
Keep your tyres inflated
Keeping your tyres inflated to the correct pressure will save on fuel. Lower tyre pressure increases the drag on a car, while higher pressure will also use more fuel.
Declutter your car
By clearing out junk from the boot and not carrying any unnecessary weight, you can save a little more money. Any extra weight you ride around with ups your fuel consumption
Take your roof rack off
Even an empty roof rack adds extra weight and increases wind resistance, reducing the efficiency of your car.
Turn off air con at lower speeds
The general consensus is it's more fuel efficient to drive with the windows down and the air-con off at lower speeds. But at higher speeds it's better to use the air-con and keep windows up due to the extra drag caused by having windows down.
Save cruise control for motorways
On long, flat roads, cruise control helps you save on fuel by maintaining a constant speed, thus reducing any unnecessary acceleration. But used regularly on roads that aren't flat, it will increase how much fuel you use because it's slower to react to changes in gradient, meaning it could accelerate for longer than a driver typically would when going up a hill.
Step 2: Seven tips for fuel-efficient driving
The key here is to drive smoothly making it better for your wallet and the environment.
Accelerate gradually
The more you press on the accelerator, the more fuel will flow. As a rough rule, stay under 3,000 revs.
Change up a gear sooner
Always drive in the highest gear possible without labouring the engine.
Think about road position
This helps you plan ahead and move gradually which means more efficient driving.
The brake is a money burner
Where possible, slow the car naturally rather than jumping on the brake. It’s best to use the car’s momentum, and good road positioning will help with this. The more you brake, the more you’ll have to then later accelerate, burning more fuel.
Listen to the noise of your engine
If you hear sharp acceleration and screeching brakes you know you're doing it wrong.
Keep moving if you can
The first metre you drive is always the most expensive as it takes a huge amount of energy to get a car going. If you can safely roll gradually up to a traffic light as it changes from red to green, without stopping, it is more efficient than stopping and restarting.
There is a word of caution though when trying to save money on fuel - coasting in neutral may feel cheaper but it’s dangerous.
Step 3: Find the cheapest petrol or diesel prices in your area
Prices comparisons can be made via a useful online tool PetrolPrices.com. Once you’ve registered you can enter your postcode, how far you are willing to travel for fuel, and what sort of fuel you want.
It will list the cheapest filling stations in your area and covers around 8,500 forecourts across the UK.
There is also an app you can download.
Use loyalty schemes:
Many petrol stations including the supermarket ones run some form of loyalty scheme, it's worth signing up to schemes for the forecourts you'll use most regularly to get a little bit extra back.
Although don’t just pick a petrol station for the loyalty scheme.
Other filling-up tips include:
- Always fill up at least 50 miles before your tank is dry – this gives you time to look around for the cheapest option
- Only use ‘better fuel’ if your car can cope – ‘high performance’ fuels make little difference to the performance of non-performance cars
- Filling up at night won’t be a big money saver – it’s a slight urban myth as the difference is minuscule – pennies at best.
- Don’t try to put more in after the clunk - don't keep going after the petrol nozzle 'clunks'. If you do, you're overfilling.
Step 4: Pay using a cashback credit card
Cashback credit cards pay you back each time you spend on them. But you must obey the golden rule of setting up a direct debit to repay the card in full each month, so you never pay interest, which would outstrip any gain.
The interest cost of all cashback cards dwarfs the cashback you'll earn.
Step 5: Share the driving to cut your petrol costs
An obvious way to cut your petrol costs is to drive less, so if you can share a ride to work with a colleague this can make big savings.
There are also sites like Liftshare and BlaBlaCar which can connect people making the same journey.
Subscribe to our Money newsletter here.
