Ways to Save Money on Fuel

Between the school run, summer staycations, daily commutes, weekly shops and everything in between, cars are an essential part of many households. But how simple is it to keep car-related costs down?

At Fair for You, we’ve put together a few basic maintenance tips that can help you save cash on your fuel bill.

Clear Out Your Car

It’s simple but effective. A spot of decluttering will make your car lighter meaning it takes less effort to accelerate. If your boot is full of junk, now is the time to sort it out.

Keep Your Tyres Inflated

If you let your tyre pressure get too low, it will increase the amount of drag on your car. More drag means your car will need more fuel. So, make checking your tyre pressure a regular task on the to-do list.

Turn Off the Air Con at Low Speeds

When the sun is shining it’s tempting to automatically reach for the AC, but it actually uses a huge amount of fuel. You are best waiting until you really, really need it.

Instead, at lower speeds, it is usually more efficient to drive with the windows down and save the air con for higher speeds, like on the motorway. This is because otherwise the open windows might cause drag as you go faster, meaning your car will need more fuel.

Take Down the Roof Rack

Not making use of your roof rack? Even an empty roof rack can add a huge amount of wind resistance which makes the engine work harder. It’s probably best to remove it for the sake of the potential savings.

Don’t Fill Up the Tank

It might sound like a strange bit of advice, but by completely filling up the tank you’ll be adding a lot of weight. Filling up slightly more often and putting less in (so the tank is ½ or ¾ full) will keep the weight down and make your car run more efficiently.