]We’re sure you’ll agree that saving fuel is important. At the same time, keeping petrol costs as low as possible is not quite as easy as you might think. Especially if you need your car every single day to drive to work and back or if you’re travelling a lot, fuel consumption can be mindbogglingly high.

This is why we’ve compiled some of the most important recommendations from experts on how to save fuel. Some of them may sound familiar, but we’re sure that at least a few of these may be new to you.

Why saving fuel matters

First of all, though, let’s quickly discuss why the question of how to save fuel is so important. Leaving the aforementioned ecological aspects aside, fuel costs are important for every driver, even if you only use the car on few occasions.

Let’s do the maths here. Imagine you own a car in the price range of between £13,000 and 18,000 and you’re driving about 10,000 miles each year. Then, according to an extremely useful calculation by the Automobile Association, your yearly petrol costs would amount to roughly £1,312. This constitutes by far the most expensive position in terms of your running costs, although it is still slightly lower than depreciation.

Clearly, then, it pays off to become more efficient with your fuel.

The choice is yours

Obviously, there are limits to how much fuel you can save. For one, more fuel efficient models tend to be more expensive and are thus not available to everyone. And yet, you do have a choice to bring down your petrol consumption, even on a limited budget.

When selecting a new car, make petrol costs your main decision criterion. In doing so, you may be turning down a lot of flashy models and trendy brands, but you’re also putting safety and economy first. As it happens, these cars usually also rank high when it comes to practicability and functionality and require little to no maintenance.

So although you may not be able to save the world over night, you do have the choice to at least make a contribution.

Recommendations from experts

Once you’ve picked your car, of course, your range of possibilities for saving fuel is restricted. At the same time, there are plenty of things you can do to significantly bring down fuel costs.

Here are some of the best recommendations by experts:

• Close the window: The better your car’s aerodynamics, the less fuel it consumes. Closing the window and the sunroof while driving may not seem like the natural thing to do in the Summertime. But it can definitely save you money.
• Eliminate excess weight: The more weight you’re carrying around, the more energy it takes to move it. This is true for cars as well. Which means that any unnecessary items still left in the trunk – such as a crate of water, for example – should be stored somewhere else.
• Drive at a constant speed: If you’re driving with cruise control, this is already taken care of. But even if you don’t, you can save fuel by acceletering smoothly and slowly.
• Don’t push the accelerator down too far: According to the Telegraph, “this one always surprises people. It’s not just to do with what gear you’re in. You may be in a high gear and travelling at a sensible speed, but if you’re pushing the accelerator down a long way to avoid changing into a lower gear (into third from fourth, for example), then you’re actually using more fuel not less.”
• Keep tires well inflated: According to online website Gasbuddy, “a single tire under inflated by 2 PSI, increases fuel consumption by 1%.”

But, of course, everything start with the right choice of car. We’ll gladly advise you on the fuel costs of each of our models and help you make the best choice. Simply drop by our Manchester showroom and take a look. We have great new models coming in almost every day.