Tips for Fuel Efficiency:

General Cars and Smaller Vehicles

            In general, average sized vehicles like cars get the best MPG when compared to other larger vehicles or cars with powerful engines. Still, everybody wants to save money and time when travelling, especially if you drive to work every day, drop kids at school, or go on road trips.

            The simplest and most efficient method for decent fuel efficiency involves:

1. Drive Slower – While some drivers would rather speed up than save up, keeping a car at the speed limit, avoiding unnecessary acceleration, and keeping a steady 65MPH on the freeway will provide the best results. Remember, if you drive for 1 hr without traffic at 80mph versus 65mph, you’re only saving yourself roughly 14 minutes – that’s if you’re lucky. Just imagine that those 14 minutes you saved will lead you to a gas station 14 minutes faster than the rest.

Not only will you have wasted more gas, but, in the long run, you don't save that much time.

2. Avoid Driving – Today, what better way to use a car cover then to leave your car at home and go for a walk? It is good to try bike riding, walking, or even carpooling when going out. This way, you only spend either a fraction of the cost for gas or none at all. Not to mention, you save money on your car’s upkeep, avoid the dangers of driving, and help protect the environment.  Plus, statistics show that most fatal auto accidents occur with teen drivers, nearly 2/3 in fact, so if you want to show your kids that driving isn’t necessary in today’s world, you’ll teach them the values of saving money and protecting them at the same time.

3. Plan Ahead – If you know where you’re going, you won’t waste time or gas searching where to go, where the nearest gas station is, waiting to pick someone up, etc. There are a numerous amount of times where a person is stuck sitting in their car with the motor on or listening to music with the air conditioning on. While these are mostly small time wasters, unless you keep your time spent in the car to a minimum, you won’t save as much money as you might think.

Although we could continue explaining how to save fuel with in many ways, the following tips are pretty much understood to have similar benefits for the most efficiency.

- Get your car tuned up as often as possible. Check with your local dealer or mechanic when to get your vehicle fixed. Some newer manuals will even list the mileage or months and what would be recommended to check or replace.

- Keep your tires inflated at a safe level – not over inflated or too low. Most cars need about 32 PSI.

- Interestingly enough, turning on the Air Conditioning does help fuel efficiency. While some argue that rolling down the windows with the AC on works better or that some combination of windows down and AC works better, we find it’s best to keep things simple and just use the AC. You’ll have better fuel efficiency and get a good temperature at the same time. Sometimes a little comfort goes a long way.

We hope these tips have helped you save time, money, and make the most out of your driving experience. Even if you’re not sure about what tips to follow, in the end, the best method is to invest money for a car with higher MPG. Not only will your driving become environmentally friendly, but your gas bills will be a lot lower.