Fuel consumption has become a pressing concern for UK citizens in recent months, as a growing cost-of-living crisis sees household expenditures increase across the board – with petrol and diesel prices in particular having increased significantly. With fuel now prohibitively expensive for many households, there is renewed pressure to bring down individual reliance on fossil fuels. Long-held habits can be difficult to break, but there are a number of ways in which you can reduce your own reliance on fossil fuels. The most obvious is to cut down on your car usage completely, but for many who rely on private transport for their daily work commute this simply isn`t possible. Instead, here we will examine ways to reduce fuel consumption and reduce your overall fuel expenditure.
Keep Your Tyres Inflated
There are a number of small interventions you can make to improve your current car`s fuel economy, and addressing your tyres is one of the most effective. Your tyres are your vehicle`s only point of contact with the road, and their condition can greatly affect the efficiency with which they transfer energy.
Older tyres with less grip are more likely to spin and struggle for traction, resulting in excessive fuel usage to move. But a factor that far more commonly affects fuel economy is tyre pressure. Under-inflated tyres hug the road more, resulting in increased road resistance and your engine working harder to compensate. Keeping your tyres inflated and checking them regularly can ensure you aren`t wasting fuel.
Use Your Air Conditioning
In warmer weather, it can be especially inviting to open your car windows to cool down – however, doing so can greatly increase your car`s drag, as air rushes into the interior and pushes against it. Instead of opening the windows, you should turn your car`s AC on to cool down and preserve your car`s aerodynamic profile.
Drive Steady
Your driving habits themselves could be contributing to excessive fuel usage. Accelerating hard and braking late into corners are both examples of inefficient driving; instead, you should pay attention to your driving and try to adopt more economical techniques. Coasting into corners and to stops ensure your engine isn`t working for nothing.
Replace Your Car
Lastly, the above suggestions can only do so much for a car that already suffers from poor fuel efficiency. Rather than sinking further costs into keeping an older, less efficient car running, it may be more economical in the long term to invest in a newer car. Used Audis are relatively affordable, and also afford impressive fuel economy through their engineers. There are myriad fuel efficiency rankings online that you can check out to find the best car for you; overall, though, you may be better off cutting your losses with your current vehicle.