Tips to Save Fuel

There was a time, more than a decade ago when petrol prices fluttered around Rs 40 for a liter. It was deemed as quite high for those days. Well, thanks to inflation, the price of petrol and other automobile fuel has shot up at an insanely fast pace. Fuel has become a prized commodity in the past few years. These rising fuel prices have had a direct effect on the people who have vehicles or are looking to buy one. Most buyers seriously consider fuel efficiency over other factors while buying a car or a bike. However, no matter how much fuel efficient the vehicle is, the price of fuel is constantly on the rise. In order to conserve fuel, one must be attentive towards one's driving habits and keep the vehicle in a conducive condition. A few smart tips and tricks from mymoneykarma can help you can save on fuel while driving.

• Don't indulge in aggressive driving – Accelerating suddenly, speeding and braking frequently consume a lot of fuel unnecessary. Avoid such practices to reduce your fuel efficiency by around 33% while driving.

• Keep an eye on your speed – A car’s fuel consumption depends upon various factors such as the vehicle’s aerodynamics, engine efficiency, road friction, the speed of the car, etc. Studies have suggested that the fuel efficiency of a vehicle drops significantly once the speed goes beyond 80kmph. It is better to keep the speed within 60 - 80 kmph.

• Keep a light trunk – If the trunk of the car is stuffy and heavy, it may reduce the vehicle's fuel efficiency and as a result, reduce the mileage too.

• Regular servicing – Every vehicle goes through wear and tear with time and usage. In order to minimize that wear and tear and keep the vehicle at its optimum running condition, regular servicing is necessary. Get the engine tuned up, the air filter cleaned, the engine oil checked, etc.

• Keep the windows up on highways – Cars are expected to run at a relatively higher speed on highways as compared to driving within cities. If you keep the windows down while driving at higher speeds,  the drag on the vehicle increases considerably, resulting in about 10% more fuel consumption.

• Turn off the air conditioning – Driving a car with the AC running increases the load on the engine causing more fuel consumption. We often tend to keep the AC ON just by habit. Remember to switch it off when it is not needed.

• Avoid jerky drives – Jerky drives inevitably means sudden acceleration and sudden braking. This, when done frequently, can increase fuel consumption by up to 20% unnecessarily. Try to accelerate slowly and steadily - do the same while braking. This technique can help save fuel.

• Don't run the engine on idle – 'Idling' refers to a situation when the vehicle's engine is running but the vehicle isn’t moving. It is a common practice that allows people to wait in the traffic comfortably with the air-conditioning on. It might be comfortable, but it wastes a lot of fuel. It is better to turn the engine off if the waiting time exceeds 10 seconds.

Try inculcating good driving habits. These little efforts can help you save a significant amount of fuel.