With petrol prices reaching record highs we’ll all be feeling the pinch at the pump. The good news is it’s really easy to save fuel. By making a few small changes to your driving style and keeping your car well- tuned, you can reduce the amount of fuel you use by as much as 20%.

“At today’s prices, it is costing around $100 to fill up an average sized car, says Mike Underhill, chief executive of EECA. ‘Everyone should be able to easily save 10%, and for some people as much as 20%, just by changing the way they drive. That equals savings of between $10 and $20 per fill, and that makes a real difference over time.

“I would encourage all motorists to follow these simple driving tips,” says Mr. Underhill.
“Following these tips not only saves money, it’s also better for the environment as well. If we all cut our fuel use by 20%, New Zealand would save over 620 million litres of fuel each year - that's like taking 500,000 cars off our roads,” said Mr. Underhill.

• Drive smoothly - accelerate smoothly. Change gear early, but don't labour the engine. If you drive an automatic, switch overdrive on as this will keep the engine speed down.
• Watch your speed - Reducing your speed by 10 km/hr can knock around 10% off your fuel consumption.
• Check your tyre pressure- keeping your tyres at the right pressure saves fuel. A test by the AA last year found that driving with tyres 7 psi underinflated increased fuel consumption by nearly 8%.
• Look ahead - look ahead, maintaining a safe following distance and you'll keep at a more constant speed. This uses less fuel than constantly accelerating and breaking.
• Care for your car - regularly getting your wheel alignment corrected and keeping you engine well tuned helps improve your fuel economy.
• Watch your air conditioning - only use air conditioning when you really need it - in older cars, running it uses around 10% more fuel.
• Keep your load down - it sounds obvious, but a heavier vehicle uses more fuel. Leave heavy items from the boot at home when you're not using them.
• Reduce Drag - take roofracks or luggage boxes off your car when you aren't using them.

Calculate your fuel economy
The first step to improving your fuel economy is knowing exactly how much fuel your car is using right now. You can calculate exactly how much fuel you are using by following the steps below next time you fill up.
Make a note of where your fuel gauge needle is, for example empty, a quarter full.
Fill up your car and keep your fuel docket which shows how many litres you bought.
Reset the trip meter before you drive off.
Drive around as you normally would. When the fuel gauge reaches the same point as in step 1, write down the distance you have travelled from the trip meter
To find out your fuel economy in litres per 100 km, divide the number of litres of fuel used by the distance travelled, then multiply this figure by 100
Your result - the smaller the number, the better your result
You can also find out what fuel consumption to expect from a car of your make and model, and compare it to other similar cars at www.fuelsaver.govt.nz

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