Top 5 ways to save on petrol prices

Friday, 26 March 2010

Any driver who uses their car regularly can't have failed to notice the fuel price increases. At the middle of last month the average price of petrol in the UK was 115.9 pence per litre, while the price of diesel was even higher at 116.6 pence per litre.

Tax increases announced by chancellor Alistair Darling in the Budget added one pence per litre on the price of petrol, effective from April 1st. An extra one pence per litre will also be included from October 2010.

It is therefore even more important for car insurance customers to save money on fuel

Tip 1. Shop around for the best prices

While there is no chance of finding a garage still selling petrol at the average price of 90.7 pence seen this time last year, there are places offering better value than others.

Rather than drive around town wasting valuable fuel, prices can be compared online on websites such as PetrolPrices.com, which looks at over 11,000 garages. Those who are not particularly tech savvy can also check out their local paper as some still carry a weekly list of petrol prices.

Admittedly, the money saved from shopping around is unlikely to be enough to send you on holiday, but those extra couple of pence per litre all add up.

Tip 2. Lose unnecessary accessories and gadgets

Roof racks and boxes might be great for ensuring you can take everything you need to when you go away, but make sure they are removed as soon as you arrive back home.

Any object which protrudes from your car will add air resistance and subsequently increase fuel consumption.

Drivers should also take car when using their air conditioning. According to the Energy Saving Trust (EST), this seriously increases fuel consumption, except for when travelling at high speeds in hot weather.

Tip 3. Use 'smarter driving techniques'

There are a number of simple tricks that can be used to make your driving techniques more energy-efficient, saving the environment and reducing fuel consumption.

The Confederation of British Industry believes that 'smarter driving techniques' could cut fuel consumption by five to ten per cent, which could lead to fuel economy savings of £200-250 per year. It is calling on the government to make energy-efficient driving a standard part of any test.

Braking severely and accelerating harshly both use more fuel than when you're driving smoothly and should be avoided as much as possible. This can be done by anticipating road conditions and planning your route to avoid roadworks and congestion hotspots.

The faster you drive, the more petrol you use, so sticking to the speed limit is not only the sensible thing to do in terms of safety, but also in terms of cost. As a guide, the optimum speed for fuel consumption is around 55-65 mph.

Finally, the EST recommends stepping off the accelerator early when slowing down or driving down hill.

"Remain in gear but take your foot off the accelerator early. This reduces fuel flow to the engine to virtually zero," it explained.

Tip 4. Stop using your car for short journeys

Aside from the obvious fact that using your car less will mean that you use less petrol, short journeys are often less cost-efficient than longer trips.

Cold engines consume much more fuel than those that have already warmed up and catalytic converters, which help make some of the harmful emissions from engines like Carbon Monoxide safe, don't begin to work until you've travelled five miles.

You should also switch off the engine if you're standing still for more than a couple of minutes.

Tip 5. Share a ride to work (Carpooling)

One simple way to cut the amount of money you spend on petrol is to split the cost by sharing a ride to work or as it's known, "carpooling".

Friends of the Earth believes that each day there are more than ten million empty seats on the roads as many people choose to travel alone and around two years ago the first motorway car share lane was opened.

It links the southbound M606 near Bradford to the eastbound M62 towards Leeds and can only be used by vehicles with two or more occupants.

The easiest way to start a car sharing scheme is probably asking around the office, but if that isn't an option there are organisations, such as National Car Share, which helps connect people looking to car pool.

Remember, the more people who share, the cheaper the cost of fuel per person and the fewer cars that are on the road, reducing carbon emissions and congestion.

© Adfero Ltd

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