by Steven Gomez

Created on: November 04, 2008   Last Updated: November 26, 2009

You don't need a hybrid car to save money and save gas. Whether you drive a relative fuel efficient car or a gas guzzler, the following tips can help you save gas and save money on gas without resorting to buying an expensive hybrid vehicle.

- Don't bother topping off the tank at the gas station. Common sense indicates that, once the automatic pump shuts off, indicating your tank is full... you can and should add additional gas until it tops off again.

Gas in the tank beyond a certain point seeps out and often goes unused, and the pump is designed to stop once your tank capacity hits that certain point. You can fill up beyond that but that additional gas will just go to waste. Once the pump clicks off, you've bought enough gas. Put the nozzle back in its place and move along. You'll lose no mileage and save a couple bucks per trip.

- Do the speed limit and try not to drive any faster than 55 if you can help it. Optimal fuel mileage speeds are around 45-55 mph. If you hit a freeway with a 65 or 70 mph speed limit, said speed can actually waste more gas to go the same distance than if you had driven 55 since wind resistance and the weight of your vehicle will increase the fuel needed to maintain the higher speed. Try to avoid higher speed freeways provided it doesn't add too much time to your commute.

And of course, drive at the speed limit. While slower speeds are sub-optimal to going 45-55, going above the speed limit often leads to more braking, and in turn more gas-guzzling acceleration, as you encounter slower traffic, traffic signals and other obstacles. Going the speed limit improves the flow of traffic and actually reduces the gas wasted in stops and starts, as acceleration in the flow of traffic is smoother and you encounter fewer needs to stop. This of course never minds the high costs of traffic tickets when pulled over for speeding.

- Replace your gas cap and while you're at it, get a locking cap. A worn or damaged cap allow evaporated gas to escape from your tank. On top of that, rising gas prices have given rise to gas thieves who siphon gas from the tanks of parked vehicles, and the practice is rampant enough that a large portion of us may have been hit, knowingly or unknowingly, costing each victim money in gas purchased and lost. A locking cap should dissuade just about any potential thief.

- Keep the car under shade in summer and under cover in winter. Whether or not heat can increase gas evaporation, leaving the car in open sun will increase your need for gas-guzzling air conditioning. Likewise, keeping the car out in the cold will lead to you wasting gas with the interior heater. Obviously there are times where your choice of parking leaves this beyond your control, but when possible try to park under shade in the summer and park in a garage during winter.

Learn more about this author, Steven Gomez.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.