We all like to save money where we can and with petrol prices being so high knowing a few tricks to save on fuel costs can certainly help your pocket
. The below tips will be especially useful for minicab and chauffeur drivers who clock up a lot of miles and need to fill up on a daily basis.
This is not a widely known tip but it is a useful one. The best time of the day to buy fuel is early in the morning. Fuel is stored under the ground and the cooler the ground the denser the fuel, as the ground warms up the fuel expands, so if you buy your petrol or diesel in the morning you are actually getting more for your money because fuel pumps charge by volume taken not density
When you fill up your tank do not fill it to the top because overfilling can lead to wastage when it sloshes around in the tank
Speeding will use up more fuel, for example if you travel at 55 mph your car will potentially be around 20% more fuel efficient than if you were travelling at 70 mph
Not many people adhere to this tip but it can help you to better maintain your car and save money. Read the owner's manual it will provide best practice for maintaining your vehicle. The handbook should also detail service intervals and the most suitable grade of oil to use, which also helps with fuel efficiency
A good way to ensure your car is using fuel efficiently is to check and clean the air filters. A dirty air filter reduces air flow into the engine which decreases performance and fuel economy
The condition of your suspension and chassis can increase engine drag. Poor shock absorbers and bent axles can also dramatically affect the way your car drives and how efficiently it uses its fuel
Save money on fuel by not warming your car up for too long up on cold mornings, 30 to 40 seconds is more than enough time for modern car engines
Things like demisters, air conditioning and heaters can reduce fuel economy by up to 20% try to avoid using these features if you want to save fuel
If you live in London you will no doubt be aware of the traffic problems and for London minicab and chauffeur drivers who clock up a lot of miles filling up your tank is a daily occurrence. So knowing the cheapest places to fill up is a big benefit there is a site called PetrolPrices.com,which shows the cheapest places to fill up nearest to a given post code
Next time you buy a new car look at more fuel efficient options. For example the Honda Insight is a hybrid car which does 83 miles per gallon where as a BMW 5 series does only around 38 miles per gallon