How to reduce fuel usage when driving

Having your car serviced regularly provides peace of mind that your vehicle is in road-worthy condition. But it doesn’t stop there, it’s important you keep up to date with car maintenance to improve the overall efficiency of your vehicle.

Fresh oil and new oil filters will help your engine run smoother. Making sure your tyres are inflated to the correct pressure will reduce rolling resistance. All together these are a recipe for more efficient petrol and diesel use.

Identifying any issues with your car early on will help you save on costly repair bills and help your car last longer.
Remember, just because a car feels ok, it doesn’t automatically mean all is working as well as it should be, so watch those lights on the dashboard for any warning signs.

Excessive speed will guzzle more petrol or diesel when driving. Making sure your acceleration is as gentle as possible is key to being more fuel efficient. Remember, the faster an engine spins, the more petrol or diesel your car uses.

The best practice is to drive in the highest possible gear for your vehicle while keeping within the speed limit. Be sure to change through the gears as quickly as they allow when driving through urban areas, this can help reduce petrol and diesel usage.

We all know that speeding whilst driving is illegal but staying within the speed limit also saves on fuel. Give yourself time, arriving safely should always come before arriving quickly, plus you can end up saving yourself a few extra pounds.

If your vehicle has cruise control, we recommend switching it on when you drive.

Constant changes in acceleration and deceleration causes your car to use more fuel as you drive. By switching on cruise control, your car will maintain the same pace. Motorway driving is great for cruise control as it works best when driving on a constant flat surface.

Another way to keep costs down when driving is by switching off the air conditioning and heating when possible. Although it only uses a small amount of petrol and diesel, the cost can add up overtime.

Did you know: If you’re driving with your windows open at high speed, you may be using more petrol and diesel. That’s because opening the windows whilst driving at high speed, like on the motorway, will cause your car to drag.

When a car has more people, pets, luggage or loads, the engine needs to work harder to move, stop and start all that extra weight. So, the more packed up your car is, the more petrol or diesel you use.

This isn’t something you can necessarily avoid, but you should always check the car manual for the maximum carrying weight. The last thing you want to do is overload your vehicle and cause any damage.

Driving around different towns and cities you’ll likely notice the varying costs of fuel, especially between big name oil companies and your local supermarket.

So, the cheaper you see the fuel the better, as any brand that sells petrol and diesel within the UK will need to conform to the same British Standards. This means if you see cheap petrol or diesel at your local supermarket, you can fill up your car for less, and don’t have to worry about the quality.

The government is backing Electric Vehicles (EV) as cars of the future, with the UK on track to have around 300,000 public chargers available by 2030 - that’s the equivalent to almost 5 times the number of fuel pumps on our roads today.

Whilst many still see EVs as a more expensive alternative to traditional petrol and diesel cars, they can actually be a lot cheaper to run overall. Electric vehicles are typically more expensive than petrol and diesel fuelled cars to purchase, but the cost of running and maintaining them are much lower in the long run.

To encourage people to switch, there are various government grants, such as car tax discounts or exemptions and exemptions from petrol and diesel duty to congestion charge.

If you have an EV or are considering purchasing one, check out our EV risk management guide and explore our EV insurance options.