Lighten the load
If your car is full of stuff you don’t need – store it somewhere else. A heavier car uses more fuel to get started and keep moving than a lighter one. Also remove roof racks and roof boxes if you’re not using them.
Keep up with maintenance
With fuel prices so high, you might be tempted to skip your car service. It’s not a good idea as well-maintained vehicles are more efficient when it comes to fuel consumption.
Check your tyre pressure
Under-inflated tyres can cause your car to use more fuel. Get into the habit of checking your tyre pressure every time you fill up. The pressures should match the figures in your owner’s manual.
Slow down
Keep to the speed limit and save on fuel. Most cars, vans, pickup trucks and SUVs are most fuel-efficient when they’re travelling between 50 and 80 km per hour. Above this speed vehicles use more fuel the faster they go.
Accelerate gently
It’s quite simple. The harder you accelerate, the more fuel you consume.
Be a calm driver!
Several studies have shown that fuel economy can vary by as much as 30% depending on whether a car is driven smoothly or aggressively. If you’re constantly tailgating, braking, and accelerating, you are wasting precious fuel.
Use your air-con wisely
At low speeds, air-con can increase fuel consumption by as much as 20%, so try opening the windows when you’re not driving at high speed.
Be smart about buying fuel
Petrol prices in metropolitan Perth currently follow a 14-day cycle. The cycle begins with a sharp increase one day (every second Wednesday) followed by daily price decreases for 13 days. On the last day of the 14-day cycle, prices are generally at or below wholesale prices – this occurs every second Tuesday and is generally the cheapest day of the cycle to buy petrol. As these low prices are unsustainable for retailers, they raise their petrol prices the next day, a Wednesday, and the cycle repeats.
(Source: https://www.fuelwatch.wa.gov.au/)
Go to the FuelWatch website to find the best fuel prices in your area.
