If the price of fuel makes you wince, CAA is here to help with tips for hyper-fuel-efficient driving.
Accelerate gently
“Jackrabbit” starts and hard braking reduce travel time by only four percent but increase fuel use by 39 percent. Instead, take five seconds to accelerate. Imagine a cup of hot coffee on your dashboard – you don’t want to spill it!
Coast to decelerate
Stay fuel-efficient by watching how traffic is behaving to determine when it’s time to slow down. You can conserve fuel by coasting to slow down instead of using your brakes.
Check your tire pressure monthly
Driving under-inflated tires can increase fuel consumption by up to four percent. Find the right tire pressure on the edge of the driver’s door or doorpost.
Maintain a steady speed and use cruise control
Varying your speed up and down between 75 and 85 km/hour every 18 seconds can increase your fuel use by 20 percent. Use cruise control to maintain steady, consistent speed.
Avoid high speeds
Most vehicles reach peak fuel-efficiency at 50 and 80 km/hour. But on highways, stick to 100km/hour. At 120km/hour, a vehicle uses about 20 percent more fuel than at 100 km per hour. Plus, you only gain two minutes if you’re on a 25km trip.
Use air conditioning sparingly
Air conditioning can increase a vehicle’s fuel consumption by as much as 20 percent. If you do use air conditioning, use the re-circulate air option. It will minimize the impact on your fuel-efficiency.
