6 Seemingly Small Things That Waste Gas (2024)

Table of Contents

Accelerating Quickly Braking Hard Speeding Under/Over-Inflating Your Tires Driving Short Distances Excessively Idling

Oct 10, 2017 | General Information

Accelerating Quickly

If you’re someone who hits the gas pedal as soon as the light turns green, you’re likely wasting fuel; the harder you hit the gas, the more fuel your car consumes in a short amount of time. While this may not seem like anything to worry about, your car will feel the effects and so will your wallet.

Braking Hard

Just like accelerating quickly, braking hard also wastes gas. When you slam on your brakes, you force your car to downshift through gears quickly, which isn’t necessary. You’re also wasting energy on braking that isn’t necessary. Instead, slow down early to save gasandyour brake pads.

Speeding

Speeding shouldn’t come as a surprise as one of the top ways to waste gas. When you speed, you force your car to operate at a higher level that requires more gas and the more you speed, the more gas you’ll use. For the best MPG performance, our fleet fuel card company suggests driving at a speed of 55-60 mph.

Under/Over-Inflating Your Tires

Tire inflation is an important part of driving safely and efficiently. To get the most out of your tires and the most out of your fuel efficiency, your tires should be inflated to the proper PSI (either the PSI suggested in your owner’s manual or suggested by the tire manufacturer). Over-inflating or under-inflating them can mean less grip on the road and a worsened MPG rating.

Driving Short Distances

If you only use your car to travel a few miles a day, you’re actually making the engine work harder than it should. It takes around 15-20 minutes for your engine to completely warm up and all of your fluids to flow properly, so make it a point to drive further than necessary every once in awhile to get the most out of your engine and gas.

Excessively Idling

While it’s fine to idle at a red light or a drive-thru window, it’s not good to leave your car running for long periods of time. Not only are you pumping unnecessary emissions into the air, you’re also wasting gas. If you’re forced to idle for more than 10-15 seconds, turn off the engine and restart the car when you need to go.