What Will Reduce Fuel Consumption? 10 Ways to Save Fuel

About Author

Daanyaal Mahmood

I write about electric cars, schemes, and how they actually work.

With the cost of fuel being a major reason people switched to electric lets see how we can make our fuel last even longer! What’s more, transport accounts for 25% of the UK’s CO2 emissions, at just over 130 million tonnes of CO2 a year. These practical steps could help lower fuel emissions. The biggest tip we can give you is to make sure your vehicle is maintained, because this makes sure your engine/battery are working correctly and efficiently.

Fuel consumption is affected most by how you drive, how well your vehicle is maintained, and how much unnecessary resistance or weight you carry. Whether you drive petrol or diesel, small changes can significantly improve mpg and reduce fuel costs.

What Reduces Fuel Consumption the Most?

1. Keep Your Speed Consistent

Maintaining a steady speed uses less fuel, and sudden acceleration and braking kill efficiency. We suggest using cruise control or speed limiters when possible.

2. Ditch The Boot Clutter

Did you know? An extra 50kg can increase your fuel consumption by 1-2%, so don’t hoard all your belongings in your boot! Just bring what you need, when you need it.

3. Know When To Use Air Conditioning

For maximum efficiency, you should consider opening your windows when at low speeds instead of putting the A/C on, as it’s more efficient at low speeds. However, at higher speeds, air conditioning is better.

4. Anticipate Traffic, Don’t React To It

Making sure to look ahead and anticipate traffic allows for smoother braking, fewer RPM surges and better gear usage. Driving like this improves safety and fuel economy.

5. Avoid Excessive Idling

Idling when not necessary burns fuel. So, when stopping for longer than 60 seconds, consider turning your vehicle off. Many cars come with the start/stop function, which will automatically turn the engine off when idling.

Vehicle Efficiency & Maintenance Tips

6. Maintain Tyre Pressure

Tyre pressure affects fuel efficiency, so maintaining your tyre pressure can help you increase your mpg and miles per kWh. Under-inflated tyres increase rolling resistance, thus making it less efficient for the vehicle to move forward.

7. Keep On Top Of Your Maintenance Schedule

Making sure your vehicle is well-maintained is vital not only for fuel economy – but for avoiding excess damage. A dirty air filter or faulty spark plug can tank mpg, and making sure your software is up to date will help make sure you get the best fuel economy. Here’s some regular vehicle checks you can do to keep your car in top shape.

8. Don’t Overfill The Tank (Or Overcharge Your EV)

Filling up past the limits of the vehicle can lead to fuel spillages and risk overflow, especially when it’s warm and the fuel expands, so be careful when filling up.

If you’re an EV driver, charging to 100% can degrade battery health over time; think about it like your iPhone – it fast charges to 80%, then slow charges the rest of the way. Your cars battery works in a similar way. BUT, if you have your car through salary sacrifice, you won’t even notice!

Intrigued to know how much it costs to charge an EV?

Leverage Technology To Save Fuel

9. Use Smarter Navigation Tools

Apps like Waze and Google Maps have options to select eco routes to help with fuel economy; these options avoid start-stop traffic.

10. Use Telematics To Improve Your Driving

You can monitor your driving with telematics; many fleet managers use this method to monitor braking, acceleration and idle time like a black box. This data can help you improve your fuel economy.

Bonus Tip: You Can Save Over 50% On Your Fuel Costs

If you switch to an electric vehicle, you can save more than all the tips above on travel costs. You can save up to 60% in comparison to combustion vehicles. We provide the perfect method to hop into your first EV; we provide salary sacrifice for electric vehicles which allows you to save even more when purchasing a electric vehicle.

Fleet Evolution helps drivers and employers make the switch effortlessly.

✔ All servicing and insurance included
✔ No upfront cost
✔ Fixed monthly cost via gross salary deductions

📩 Explore EV Salary Sacrifice Options »

FAQs

What's the easiest way to reduce fuel consumption?

Keeping your vehicle well-maintained is the single biggest thing you can do to save fuel. A properly serviced engine or battery works more efficiently, lowering fuel use and emissions.

When is fuel consumption at it's highest

When rapidly accelerating lots of energy is used to deliver the power and when driving at high speeds the vehicle uses more energy to push forward because of wind resistance. So be careful if you have a heavy foot.

Which driving technique can save fuel?

There isn't one technique but a mixture of all of these: maintain a steady speed, accelerate gently, anticipate traffic flow, using higher gears and make sure to minimise idling, you can use start/stop to help with this.

Does cruise control use more fuel?

In some scenarios it can help like whilst driving on motorways or flat surfaces. However, when in heavy traffic, hilly environments or even driving for short periods cruise control can use more fuel.

Great experience with Fleet Evolution from both ordering my car and setting up the scheme, very helpful team.

Fleet Evolution's commitment to simplicity made the entire experience effortless and convenient. Not only was the process easy to navigate, but it was also incredibly cost-effective, allowing me to enjoy the benefits of driving a Tesla without breaking the bank.

A very thorough, knowledgeable, friendly and helpful team. We've had a very positive experience with this company when setting up our Salary Sacrifice Scheme for our staff.

Trusted by over 1000 drivers. Highly rated on Trustpilot ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Get in Touch

Fleet Evolution offers innovative salary sacrifice schemes, helping employers and employees save on costs while promoting eco-friendly electric cars. Enjoy easy setup, free maintenance, and swift activation for any company size.