12 ways to drive more efficiently

12 ways to drive more efficiently

With an ever-growing consciousness of our carbon footprint, driving economically and efficiently can be added to your list of New Year’s resolutions, no matter how late into the year it is.

There are many of us that haven’t yet hopped on the electric car ‘wagon’. However, it could be that - for now - the option to lease an electric car is not realistic or affordable.

With that in mind, it’s still important for us to try and minimise our environmental impact whilst driving - with the added benefit that we’ll be spending less of our hard-earned cash on fuel.

If you’re wanting to make the most out of your fuel, that’s where hypermiling comes in.

Hypermiling – a driving technique to maximise your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. 

1. Check your tyre pressures regularly

Maintaining and checking your vehicle regularly is always important, but even more so before long distance journeys.

One sneaky culprit to watch out for? Under-inflated tyres. Yep, they’re more than just a mild inconvenience—they can be a real drain (literally).

Why use more fuel to go the same distance?

Inflate your tyres to the recommended PSI/Bar for your tyres and load, and you’ll be saving fuel in no time.

With properly inflated tyres, your car won’t be working overtime just to keep up with normal speeds, and you’ll avoid unnecessary wear and tear.

If you’re unsure how much air to be pumping into your tyres, please don’t eyeball it. The recommended tyre pressure can be found usually in your car handbook or on the inside of the driver or passenger’s door.

We get it. It’s a bit of a faff, especially if you’re in a rush or running late, but trust us, your car will thank you.

And more importantly, so will your wallet. 

2. Keep to speed limits

As we’ve all been told – safety first. Sticking to the speed limit is about keeping you and everyone else safe on the road.

But here’s a bonus you may not have thought about: it’s also a great way to lower your fuel consumption.

The faster you go, the more fuel your car guzzles, and the difference can be pretty shocking.

For example, cruising at 80mph instead of 70mph can burn through up to 25% more fuel.

That’s like paying extra just to get somewhere a couple of minutes earlier. Probably not worth it to be two minutes earlier than your ETA.

3. Don't blast your air-con constantly

Heating your home constantly is expensive.

And it’s not free in your car either. Instead of paying for it in kilowatts, you pay for it in fuel consumption.

As lovely as the heating is, or the air con, you shouldn’t rely on it 100%. Instead, layer up or down for the weather.

It’s a bit like when you ask someone at home to turn the heating on, and the reply is, ‘just put another layer on’—when you’re already stood there with three jumpers and your dressing gown on.

Annoying? Yes, but it’s a much cheaper solution than constant heating. And it’s better for the environment, so it’s a win-win.

But using the air-con at regular intervals keeps it working nicely and stops it from getting any smelly build-up. Just be smart with when you use it —if you’re trying to save on fuel this is an easy one.

4. Remove roof boxes and bike racks when not in use

We’re sure this is no shock to anyone, but weight affects fuel economy.

Any added weight to the car (like roof boxes, bike racks, and even a car with a sunroof) makes the car work harder, and that sadly uses extra fuel.

And in particular, we’re going to villainise roof boxes for a quick sec.

A roof box on top of your vehicle creates wind resistance and a drag effect – this makes the car a lot less efficient and slower.

Your poor car.

Sure, it can be a pain, and we get it—sometimes you just can’t be bothered.

But trust us, taking off those roof boxes and bike racks when you’re not using them is totally worth it in the long run, and you can watch your fuel savings roll in.

5. Keep the boot empty when you can

With similar logic to the bike rack, a load of extra weight in the car is going to make it less efficient and cost you more in the long run.

And yes, your car boot is a great storage solution for your muddy wellies.

But try not to keep a small shoe selection in the back if you can – this is added weight.

So, don't keep stuff in your boot unnecessarily, and when you are carrying more, remember to adjust your tyre pressures.

6. Anticipate your route

Plan ahead and stay one step ahead of the game—because let’s face it, smooth driving is smart driving.

While life on the road sometimes throws curveballs, try to keep your momentum going instead of doing the stop/start shuffle.

Your car (and your fuel tank) will thank you.

It's also important that you anticipate changes in speed and don’t accelerate or brake harshly where avoidable.

And when it comes to gears, keep things nice and smooth.

Glide up and down through them rather than going for big block changes that could leave you scrambling if you suddenly need to adjust your speed.

Why?

Because those rapid speed shifts make your engine spin like it’s in a dance-off, and the harder it works, the more fuel it burns.

7. Stick to motorways

Consistent speed, and minimal harsh accelerating and braking is great for your fuel economy.

Enter, the motorway.

This lack of start/stop driving will positively affect your MPG overall.

Even though that your car is hurtling along the road at a much faster speed on a motorway, your fuel will actually take you further in miles than if you were bumbling through town.

All hail the motorway.

8. Keep cruise control for motorway driving

While we’re on the topic of motorways; we want to talk to you about cruise control.

It’s an intelligent system, and great when you need to stick to one speed on a relatively flat road.

But it can’t predict regular gradient changes on the road, which is much more likely on those A roads and especially B roads.

Therefore, it will keep the power on for longer than you would if you were controlling the throttle yourself.

9. Stay in high gears for as long as possible

According to the RAC, the trick is to shift up through the gears as quickly as possible while keeping those revs nice and low.

Their golden rule?

Stick to around 2000 rpm.

It’s a simple way to save fuel and keep things running smoothly—just don’t forget to stay within the speed limit while you’re at it.

10. Don’t drive in heavy shoes

As much as we love a Dr. Martens boot or a steel capped-toe workers boot, they’re not great in the driver’s seat of your car.

It reduces our sensitivity to the throttle and make us (get ready for the pun) heavy-footed.

One thing is for sure, sitting about in your car chatting with the engine running is not great for fuel use.

If you know you’ll be parked up for more than a few minutes, do yourself and your fuel tank a favour and switch the engine off.

And don’t fall for the old myth that you need to let your car idle to warm up the engine. It’s simply not true. Engines actually warm up much faster when you’re driving, so just take it nice and easy as you set off.

But heads up—it’s both illegal and unsafe to drive with ice or snow on your car, so make sure to clear it off first.

Now, before you become an engine-off enthusiast at every stop, here’s a tip: don’t go switching off your engine constantly in traffic unless it’s already warm and you know you’ll be stationary for a little while.

Doing this too often can really drain your car’s batter, and no one likes a flat battery surprise.

If you have the option, look out for cars with stop/start technology. These clever systems only switch the engine off when they know they can easily turn it back on again.

12. Combine journeys

Lots of short trips mean the engine can’t warm up properly and therefore perform as well as it might.

Short journeys are much more intensive on the engine due to this. 

Although a couple snack trips to Tesco is a very fun activity in the evening, it isn’t the most fuel efficient, and can be draining on your battery.

So, rather than three short trips throughout the day, combine them all together and save time.

Even better, combine them with friends, colleagues or family – carpool time.

We’ve shared our top hypermiling tips with you, to save on fuel costs and to produce fewer emissions from your car.

But an even better way to do this is in a hybrid or electric vehicle. They’re the real pros in fuel economy and low emissions, keeping more of your hard-earned cash where it belongs.

In your wallet.