Money Saving Gas Tips

Fuel-efficient vehicles are one way to save money and reduce fuel consumption. However, as you wait for more affordable fuel-efficient and electric vehicles, there are a few driving habits that you can adopt right now to lessen your consumption of fuel, save money and even help the environment.

Drive Sensibly

Avoid aggressive driving such as speeding, rapid accelleration and rapid braking wastes gas and can lower your gas mileage by 10 - 33% at highway speeds and 5% around town. Driving sensibly on the highway can save you up to 80 gallons of gas, translating to approximate savings between $95 - $310. Driving sensibly around town can save you up to 30 gallons of gas and up to $115.

Avoiding agressive driving reduces pollution. When you practice rapid accelleration, you produce high pollution rates. According to Greenercars.org, "One second of high-powered driving can produce nearly the same volume of carbon monoxide emissions as a half hour of normal driving."

Switching from aggressive driving to sensible driving is safer. By maintaining a safe distance from other cars, you can make your trip safer for you and others.

Result: Major savings potential

Savings: Up to 37 percent savings, average savings of 31 percent

Observe the Speed Limit

Gas mileage usually decreases rapidly above 60 mph. So driving 75mph instead of 65mph will lower your fuel economy by about 10% and will increase tailpipe pollution in many vehicles. On their test car (a Toyota Camry), Consumer Reports found that slowing down from 75mph to 65mph resulted in a 5 mile per gallon performance increase. Slowing down from 75mph to 55mph saved 10 miles per gallon. Allocate sufficient time to get to your destination so you can drive at the designated speed limit, which helps to increase your fuel efficiency, saves you money and is better for the environment.

Result: Substantial savings on a long trip

Savings: Up to 14 percent savings, average savings of 12 percent

Use Cruise Control

Using cruise control on the highway will help you maintain a steady, constant speed, and reduces the need for acceleration and braking. Edmunds.com conducted a study which found that using cruise control reduced fuel consumption by seven percent.

Result: Surprisingly effective way to save gas

Savings: Up to 14-percent savings, average savings of 7 percent

Avoid Excessive Idling

When stopping for more than a minute, turn your car off. Idling your engine gets 0 miles per gallon, generates more pollution than driving and wastes fuel. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.

Result: Very important

Savings: Avoiding excessive idling can save up to 19 percent