How to Save Fuel While Driving and Best Fuel Saving Techniques (2024)

Everyone wants to avoid hefty bills for petrol or diesel. However, it becomes increasingly difficult with continuously rising fuel costs in India.

As petrol prices reach an all-time high in the country, it’s time we looked at some of the best fuel-saving tips.

Let’s start!

1. Do Not Leave the Car on Idle for Long

A vehicle consumes fuel even when the engine is on idle. Hence, it makes sense that you turn the engine off at crossings, red lights, and traffic jams. Moreover, restarting an engine takes about the same amount of fuel that idling a vehicle for 30 seconds takes. So it’s better to save petrol by turning off the engine.

2. Maintain Your Vehicle

Properly maintaining your vehicle can help to save fuel. So, keep your wheels properly aligned, the air filter clean and use high-quality energy conserving oils. Save fuel by maintaining your vehicle.

3. Do Not Drive Aggressively

If the jammed streets do not allow you to drive rashly, thank them for helping you save fuel. Fast starts, swerving in and out of traffic, and accelerating are how you can increase fuel consumption. So practice fuel-efficient driving.

4. When On the Highway Rely on Cruise Control

Another fuel-saving tip is to avoid unnecessary speed changes when driving on the highway. Hence, use cruise control. Also, when driving uphill, there is no need to step your foot on the gas as the engine is already consuming a lot of fuel. Instead, drive at a steady pace.

5. Carpool

The best advice we can give you on how to save petrol is to carpool actively. Rope in colleagues and friends and create a route so that all of you alternatively benefit from the move.

6. Amp the Aerodynamics of Your Vehicle

One of the ways to save fuel while driving is to reduce wind drag. When driving at highway speeds keeping the windows down increases aerodynamic drag. Hence, this could result in a 10% decrease in fuel efficiency. So roll up the windows for better fuel efficiency.

7. Use the Air Con When You Need It

Air cons are arguably the biggest drain on fuel. So the best fuel saving tip we can leave you with is to use the air con sparingly. Doing so can reduce fuel consumption by 5-20%. Also, park in the shade to prevent the fuel from evaporating.

8. Observe the Speed Limit

There is a 10-15% increased improvement in fuel economy when driving at 55 miles per hour than at 65 miles per hour.

9. Keep Tires Inflated to Correct Pressure

Keep the vehicle’s tyre pressure at the recommended level. Doing so is a real fuel-saving booster. The idle levels of tyre pressure for cars and bikes are mentioned below:

10. Keep a Lighter Trunk

Vehicles provide better mileage when they are not heavily loaded. It is an old fuel-saving trick that adds weight to the trunk, lowering fuel efficiency.

11. Avoid Roof Racks

Adding extra weight reduces the mileage of the car. The extra weight requires extra power on the car’s part. Remove roof racks or carriers, if any, when not in use. It helps reduce weight as well as air drag, prolonging mileage.

12. Implement Pre-Planning for Your Rides

Plan your rides if you need to travel a lot. Getting the trips sorted out before going out helps cover multiple errands in one go. You can save a lot of time and hassle if you plan your rides beforehand. This also helps to conserve fuel and improve the mileage.

13. Keep Windows Closed at High Speeds

Try to keep the windows closed when driving at high speeds. If the windows are open, the car experiences an extra air drag due to disturbance of the aerodynamics. Hence, keeping the windows closed at high speeds will help you conserve fuel.

14. Choose the Route Wisely

Always keep a note of the route you are travelling. Different routes remain busy at different periods of the day. Plan it accordingly, and then start your trip. This will prevent the car from idling too much and stop-and-go movement, thus conserving much fuel.

15. Use Public Transport

Try to use the public transit system as much as possible. Especially when you have to travel to faraway places, it is advisable to use public transport. This helps you save fuel and reduce travel costs.

16. Ensure Parking in the Shade

Heating up the car can cause the fuel to evaporate, as petroleum fuels are highly volatile in nature. Try to park in the shade as much as possible, as parking in direct sunlight causes the car to heat up, and the fuel may get evaporated.

17. Get Fuel During Mid-Weeks

Fuel prices are generally volatile and keep fluctuating. Filling up your tank mid-week helps you save money on fuel as fuel prices tend to rise before weekends as a consequence of high demands.

18. Do Not Rev Unnecessarily

It is advisable to drive gently and wisely. Avoid revving unnecessarily as the engine rotation reaches high RPM limits. These higher RPM limits tend to consume more fuel. Thus, avoiding revving can help a great deal in both saving fuel and cutting noise pollution.

19. Avoid Using High Beams

Using high-beam lights unnecessarily increases the electrical load on the car and leads to excessive fuel consumption. Try to use DRLs or LEDs as much as possible. Avoid any extra modification lighting.

20. Time Your Fill-Ups

Get your gas filled up in the morning or later in the evening after the sun goes down, as the fuel is denser when it is cooler. This helps to conserve fuel so that it lasts longer.