5 Ways to Boost Your Fuel Efficiency

Unless your work commute involves heading from your bedroom to your home office, you’ve noticed the increasing prices at the pumps lately, and you’re wondering how to boost your fuel efficiency. It’s a trend that has been slowly creeping up. Last year, average gas prices during this time were approximately $3.07, but now they’re around $5.01 and increasing every day – that’s a 62% increase in a year.

New cars are hard to come by as supplies are limited due to the chip shortage, so more people are holding onto their older vehicles that may not be as fuel-efficient as their newer counterparts. Still, we’ve got 5 ways to boost your fuel efficiency so that the cost at the pumps doesn’t break your bank.

Change Your Driving Habits to Boost Fuel Efficiency

Often easier said than done, one of the ways to start conserving fuel is to audit your driving habits and adopt some more conservative practices. For example, begin anticipating road conditions, try to time your stop and starts at stoplights to conserve momentum, and avoid rapid starts and stops (also known as “jackrabbiting“), which can lower fuel economy by 15-30% at highway speeds and 10-40% percent in stop-and-go traffic.

• Use cruise control when on the highway as it will keep your vehicle’s momentum and reduce drastic fluctuations in speed that can lower your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. However, remember not to use your cruise control in slippery weather like ice and rain as it can cause loss of control if you hydroplane or slide. Also, consider getting a “fast pass” or “ez-pass” so that you can cruise through tolls instead of having to come to a stop or slowing considerably.
• Our lives are busy, and we have places to be! Sometimes we treat speed limits more like suggestions. One way to immediately begin to see increased fuel efficiency is to follow speed limits and drive a little slower but more steadily. Your fuel economy peaks at 50 mph and drops off at faster speeds. Driving a little slower can add up, in the long run, saving you 7-14% in fuel efficiency.

Keep Your Vehicle Maintained For Optimum Fuel Economy

Changing your driving habits isn’t the only way to increase your fuel efficiency. A few inexpensive preventative maintenance tips will help you save money at the pumps in the long run.

• One of the easiest ways to increase your fuel efficiency is to ensure that your tires are adequately inflated. You should check your tires at least once a month and more often when the temperatures steadily drop or rise as seasons change. Do you know how to check your tire pressure and where to find the proper PSI for your vehicle? You might be thinking if you overinflate your tires, you’ll save even more. Spoiler alert – it won’t!  It’ll provide a harsher ride, wear out your tires faster, and increase the likelihood of a blowout. If you’d like professional help, you can turn to any VIP in New England, and our teams are happy to provide this service free.
• Cold weather, unfortunately, can negatively affect your fuel economy as your engine won’t perform as efficiently in lower temps. In the colder months, it can take longer for your engine to warm up, but you shouldn’t let your engine idle to warm up as that doesn’t help your fuel economy. It uses more fuel and increases pollution. Here are some suggestions from the U.S Department of Energy and the U.S EPA to improve fuel economy in the winter months.
• Cut the clutter! Removing unnecessary heavy items from your vehicle can help increase your fuel efficiency. Having an extra 100 lbs in your car can affect your vehicle’s fuel economy by up to 1%. This is much more helpful in smaller vehicles and economy cars than bigger trucks and SUVs. But, also consider if you need to have your rooftop storage racks and containers on your vehicle every day. Every time you reduce the aerodynamics of your car, you’ll be negatively affecting your fuel economy.

There are many other ways to increase your fuel efficiency! However, these are just the easiest ways that can boost your efficiency today. You should keep track of your vehicle’s fuel economy throughout the year because if you notice a sudden drop, you should take your car to a trusted shop for service.

[Blog updated on 6/13/22 to reflect current gas prices and averages.]