There’s plenty of ways to save pennies on running your car, whether it’s getting another quote for your insurance premium or using the cheapest petrol station in town. Getting more miles per gallon (MPG) is another way to save money on motoring.
MPG is a way to quantify fuel economy, so the higher the number the more efficient a vehicle is. Improving MPG is a good way to make a daily effort towards reducing fuel costs. Here’s some tips and tricks on how to get better MPG.
Vehicle health
Following the manufacturer’s advised service intervals will ensure the vehicle stays in good condition. Regular maintenance helps the engine to keep performing at its best, skipping services could affect engine efficiency and cause greater fuel consumption.
Tyre health is also a key maintenance consideration to keep on top of. As the only part of the vehicle that comes into contact with the road, it’s important that your tyres are well looked after and optimised for fuel economy.
The correct tyre pressure varies depends on the weight in the vehicle. The correct pressures can usually be found on the inside of the driver’s door – or on the fuel cap or in the vehicle handbook – and indicate different pressures for heavier loads. Make sure to regularly check tyre pressure is at the correct level, plus checking regularly will also help to detect slow punctures that you might not notice in normal driving.
Over-inflated tyres are more prone to punctures and excess wear. Under-inflated tyres have a greater surface area on the road that increases rolling resistance. Higher rolling resistance means there’s more friction between the tyre and road, causing the engine to work harder to overcome these forces.
Tyres now come with efficiency ratings, ‘A’ being the most efficient and ‘E’ the least efficient. When it comes time to replace tyres, these ratings are good indicators for tyres that will support better MPG.
Driving style
The way you drive is the main way to influence fuel economy. Causing the engine to work harder than it needs to uses more fuel and decreases MPG. Smooth acceleration keeps fuel consumption consistent but this means racing off the line is not an option.
In cars with manual gearboxes, being in the right gear gives the engine sufficient power without burning unnecessary fuel. At motorway speeds it’s a good idea to use cruise control to maintain a consistent speed. In vehicles with adaptive cruise control, the car can be slowed down and acceleration can be applied more smoothly.
Other tech that can aid fuel economy include ‘eco’ driving modes and start/stop engines. ‘Eco’ modes conserve fuel and sometimes employ regenerative braking to capture the energy lost to braking. Automatic start/stop systems cut the engine when the vehicle is at a standstill, often in traffic. Turning the engine off, limits the amount of time a vehicle sits idling and burning fuel without going anywhere.
Planning your route can help to avoid idling in traffic jams and some sat navs now show the most economical route to take. This might not be the shortest or fastest route but should be the most fuel efficient option.
Conserve energy
As well as utilising tech to save fuel, there’s simple practical changes that can influence MPG. Cars are designed to be aerodynamic but the addition of roof boxes and bike racks disrupts airflow, creating more drag. This also increases the weight of the car, making the engine work harder to shift a heavier vehicle.
When not in use, remove roof boxes and additional baggage to restore the vehicle to its intended aerodynamic design and weight. At high speeds having the windows down can also create drag. Whilst the use of air conditioning at lower speeds has a negative impact on MPG, cooling down using air conditioning at high speeds is better than putting the windows down.
Using electrical components like heating and air conditioning drain energy from the battery that needs to be replenished by the engine. Only using these when necessary means the battery doesn’t need to draw on the engine as much to recharge.
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