Drive Economically and Save Money: 7 Tips

1. Regular Maintenance

A well and professionally maintained car performs better and drives more efficiently. Worn spark plugs, dirty filters, leaking fuel lines and under-inflated tires all result in higher fuel consumption. So stick to the maintenance schedule and make sure you bring your lease car in for maintenance on time.

2. Check the tire pressure

Underinflated tyres increase rolling resistance and therefore fuel consumption. It is therefore advisable to check the tyre pressure of your vehicle regularly, at least once a month. By increasing the tyre pressure (up to max. 0.5 bar above the prescribed tyre pressure) you can save fuel. The correct tyre pressure for your car can be found in the instruction booklet or on a sticker on the inside of the driver's side door.

3. Use Cruise Control

By maintaining a constant speed you can easily save petrol. Cruise control can help you with this and is especially useful for longer distances or when driving on the motorway. An additional advantage is that driving with cruise control is experienced as calm and comfortable.

4. Drive at a Lower Speed

If you are driving a manual transmission car, it is advisable to shift to a higher gear as soon as possible. This prevents the car from continuing to drive at a higher speed, which would cause you to use more fuel. It is also important to accelerate gently and not to accelerate unnecessarily quickly, because this also means that you are driving at a higher speed than necessary, and therefore using more fuel.

5. Minimize Idling

Even when your engine is idling, you use petrol. It is therefore better to switch off the engine completely, at least when you have to stand still for more than a minute. An idling vehicle quickly uses more fuel than restarting the engine, and idling also shortens the lifespan of a car. Even in the winter, it is no use letting your car idle while you are scraping; the car only warms up when you are driving.

6. Reduce Weight

The more weight you carry in your car, the higher the fuel consumption. In fact, every 100 kilos of weight leads to an increase of 0.3 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. To save money, it is therefore good to remove unnecessary luggage from the trunk and keep the weight of your lease car to a minimum.

7. Limit the Use of Air Conditioning

The air conditioning also has a considerable influence on fuel consumption. If you drive with the air conditioning on, you will quickly use 5 to 20% extra fuel. So only use the air conditioning when it is really necessary and try to use the air conditioning as intelligently as possible. For example, in the summer, drive for a few minutes with the windows open, close the windows and then turn on the air conditioning; this will cool down a lot faster.

Conclusion

Rising petrol prices make fuel-efficient driving and saving on petrol costs more relevant than ever, and by driving more economically you also contribute positively to the environment. Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do yourself to reduce your petrol consumption and lower your costs. You can significantly reduce your fuel consumption by having your car serviced regularly and professionally, adjusting your driving style and changing or adopting a few habits. Get out there, apply these tips and drive economically, cost-effectively and environmentally consciously!