How To Save Sensibly On Petrol

There is no doubt as a driver that one of the hottest topics of recent times is the rising cost of petrol  Are there ways that you can save money and avoid paying more than necessary for your car’s fuel?  The short answer is yes, and in the following post we will look at the most sensible ways to easily and effectively save on the cost of petrol.

Always Shop Around

Rather than taking the easy and lazy option and just filling your car up at the petrol station that is closest to your home or work, it is much more sensible to look around.  It may be that you have to drive a little further, but if you save money in the long run the extra drive distance and time will be worth it.  There are some smartphone apps which can help you find the cheapest fuel in your area, if you are not too sure about the prices.

Driver Further, But Not Too Far

There is certainly no point in driving extra miles and miles just so that you can save a measly few pence on the cost of petrol.  Once you are more aware of the types of prices in your local area you can then work out if it’s worth it to drive further or is cheaper and more fuel efficient to stick to a closer petrol station.

Don’t Waste Petrol By Sitting Idly

So you know where to get the cheapest petrol from, how then do you make sure that you make the most of the petrol you already have in your car’s tank?  One of the easiest ways is to not sit idly with the engine running.  While you are sat for more than a minute you are wasting petrol and also causing unnecessary levels of pollution.  It is much more fuel efficient to turn the engine off when you make even the shortest stops and then turn it back on again when you are ready to hit the road again.

Regularly Check Tyre Pressure

It may be surprising but is nevertheless true that research has shown that drivers who use their car with poor tyre pressure are reducing the efficiency of their car’s fuel by around 3%.  Even if that doesn’t sound like much now, over the course of a year or two all that adds up and means you are spending more money than you need to on petrol.

Use The Car’s Air Conditioning And Close The Windows

This is something that really shocked me but apparently rolling your windows can reduce the efficiency of your car’s fuel.  It appears to be something to with the drag that is created, but what it essentially means is that if you keep your windows up you will save and conserve your car’s fuel better than if you roll them down.  Other figures suggest that if you are driving at over 50 miles an hour, it is much more fuel efficient to keep the windows rolled up and use your car’s air conditioning system.  At lower speeds however it is far more fuel efficient to roll the windows down when the car feels too hot.

Regularly Clean Your Car

You may not have realised it but driving around in a dirty car can affect how much you spend on petrol.  There is a strange misconception held by some people that driving around in a dirty car is somehow more fuel efficient than driving around in a clean one.  This seems to be based on the theory that it forms dimples similarly to those found on a golf ball.  While interesting, it is not true as it will actually be as much as 10% less efficient.


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