by James Abbott

Created on: November 03, 2008   Last Updated: November 12, 2008

In these financially difficult times, many of us have to make tough decisions and the use of our automobiles is no exception.

The most obvious means of saving money on our fuel bills are often the most drastic and least popular; trading down to a more efficient (and on occasion a less desirable) car.

Beyond this there is the general life style change of asking your self Is this trip really necessary?' Walking or riding a bicycle to the store won't cost you anything in fuel and will help keep your cholesterol down too. But, what about longer journeys or the commute to work? Well, car pooling is increasing in popularity all the time, also if you can find another means of transport to take you to work you'll not only save on fuel costs, you could also lower the cost of insuring your vehicle.

For the majority of though, car travel is still a must, so we should focus on how to save money whilst still owning and using the car we have.

Fuel efficiency should be thought about on two fronts; through optimising your driving and optimising your vehicle.

By just changing how you drive you can make massive savings on your fuel costs.

Driving faster uses more fuel; a 10mph rise in speed can use over 5% more fuel.

Avoid over revving or driving at high speeds in a lower gear, this could cut your car's efficiency by more than a third.

The use of air conditioning will be a drain on your fuel. So, try to use the cars internal vents. Don't rely on an open window when driving at high speeds to cool you, this affects the aerodynamics of your vehicle and will again lower your car's efficiency.

Avoid driving on rough road surfaces.

When waiting, stationary, at road sides or in the parking lot turn off your engine.

You should always try to accelerate gradually and brake gradually as both of these will put less of a demand on your engine and in turn, your fuel so avoid driving at rush hour; the stop-go traffic situations do not help fuel efficiency. It is possible to take a longer (by distance) journey on a minor road with less traffic and save fuel.

When approaching a hill accelerate before you hit the incline. Accelerating up a slope uses more revs, which means more fuel.

In addition to these tips, you can increase your efficiency before you put the key in the ignition.

Service your car regularly, performing frequent oil checks. At the same time ensure that the tyres are inflated to the recommended levels, for every pound that your tyres are under-inflated you could lose 2% of your car's efficiency. Also, it's worth remembering that an under-inflated tyre will wear more quickly and that's another cost.

Try to fill up you tank in the early hours of the morning or late at night; fuel is denser at cooler temperatures, so a greater density of fuel will be pumped into your tank than if you were fill up in the middle of the day.

Try to remove all excess weight from your car's trunk. It's not a mobile closet! The same goes for the roof rack. If it's not being used it's an ornament and is effecting your car's aerodynamics.

Also, it pays to calculate the efficiency of your vehicle every few weeks/months as any noticeable drops in fuel efficiency may point to some underlying mechanical fault.

Happy (thrifty) motoring!

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