Last updated on May 1st, 2024 at 03:37 pm

Many business people spend a lot of time driving, whether it’s visiting clients or delivering goods. The cost of fuel seems to be increasing all the time, caused by high taxes in the UK, demand for oil from the developing countries and political troubles around the world. This means that fuel costs are an increasingly large part of a businesses expenditure.

This article aims to help you reduce those costs by suggesting driving tips and simple vehicle maintenance. It’s been suggested by some people that by combining all of these tips you could save up to 30% of your fuel costs. And of course, by applying these tips to your personal driving you could save money there as well.

Driving tips

Drive steadily and keep to the speed limits.

Photo by Benjamin Elliott on Unsplash

Increasing your speed obviously increases the amount of fuel you use. By driving at 70mph the average car uses 38% more fuel than it does at 50mph. Driving at over 70mph, apart from being illegal in the UK increases the aerodynamic drag produced by the car as since 50% of the power produced by the engine is used to overcome drag this will obviously affect your fuel consumption.

Acceleration is what uses the most fuel, by driving smoothly, slowing down gradually and speeding up without reving the engine too much you will reduce the amount of fuel used (and also reduce the wear and tear on your car – meaning less servicing costs).

Use The Right Gear

Every revolution of your engine uses fuel so the lower the revs you are doing the better. To maintain low revs whilst driving you should change gear as soon as is practical. Most car and van engines run most economically at revs between 1,500rpm and 2,500rpm so aim to always be between this unless more power is required.

Don’t Coast In Neutral

Modern cars and vans automatically shut off fuel to the engine if you’re not accelerating, but in neutral the engine will still use a tiny amount of petrol to stop it from stalling, so when cruising up to the lights keep the car in gear.

Close Your Window

If you are driving fast then don’t have your windows open unless necessary. Having the windows open when driving at over 50mph causes significant drag which increases fuel consumption, even at lower speeds it may affect your consumption. So close your window and put the fans on.

Turn the air conditioning off

Having air-conditioning is a nice luxury, and when it is very hot air-con seems like the greatest invention ever.  However air-con does increase your petrol consumption by as much as 10%, so when it is warm just have your fans on cool instead of having the air con on, or just have the window down slightly. If this fails to cool you down then try to just have the air-con on in short bursts.

If you are traveling at over 60mph and it is too hot then it is recommended you actually have the air-con on instead of putting the window down, this is because having the window down increases drag which in turn reduces your fuel consumption and the drag caused by the open window is probably more than the extra consumption caused by using the A/C.

Having said this it is recommended that you run your AC for a few minutes each  month as the seals can dry out and this leads to expensive repairs.

Pump Up Your Tyres

Under inflated tyres increase resistance which harms your fuel consumption.

It is estimated 50% of tyres on the road are under inflated. Check your car manual for the recommended pressure then go to your local petrol station and use their pump if you do not have one yourself.

Reduce Weight Of Your Car

If you are keeping lots of items in your boot that you don’t need then take them out.

On average every 50kg extra will increase your fuel consumption by 2%.

There is no need to use your car as a moving storage box, keeping your golf clubs etc in your garage/loft/shed instead of your car will save you money.  If you are on a business trip ask yourself if you really need that box of folders or can you take just one or two with you.  Similarly with samples, do you need to take one of every size and colour?

External fixings on your car (like a roof box) also increase your cars aerodynamic drag because they change the air flow over your car. So to travel at the speed you normally travel at the engine has to work harder using more fuel. So remove internal and external items from your car because they are weighing you down and affecting your aerodynamics and costing you money.