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How to improve your fuel economy



As petrol and diesel fuel get more and more expensive, it makes sense to do as much as you can to improve your fuel economy. Here are a few tips to help you keep your fuel costs down.

Buy the right car

This may sound a bit obvious to some people, but actually buying a fuel efficient car in the first place is probably the most important thing you can do. When choosing a new car try to put MPG (Miles Per Gallon) near the top of your decision making criteria.

Do you really need a large gas guzzling 4x4 just to do the shopping? Buy a vehicle that is big enough for your needs and no bigger, the larger the car the less fuel efficient it is likely to be.

The new generation of 'hybrid' vehicles may also be worth considering. These vehicles use a combination of both petrol/diesel and electric power supplied by batteries which are recharged by the car itself. A clever computer control system automatically switches between the two drive systems to make the best use of your fuel.

Tyre pressures

Keeping your cars tyres at the correct pressure is very important to ensure your vehicle is fuel efficient. If your tyres are under inflated they will have a greater rolling resistance and thus need more energy from the engine to overcome it.

Speed and driving style

Keep your speed down. At speeds above 60mph the increased wind resistance will start to have a significant impact on your fuel economy. Also try to adopt a 'smooth' driving style. An 'accelerate hard - brake hard' style of driving will use up fuel like there is no tomorrow and wear out many of your cars components much more quickly.

Wind resistance and extra weight

Your car is designed to be as aerodynamic as possible. As soon as you start bolting things on to it like roof racks or bike racks, you will increase the drag or 'wind resistance' of your vehicle, and it will need to use more fuel to combat this. Keeping your windows closed when driving also reduces wind resistance.

Don't carry around more ‘stuff’ in the car than you need to. Leaving heavy and unnecessary objects in your car boot will slow your car down and reduce your fuel efficiency.

Service your car regularly

There several things on your car that will need replacing on a regular basis like spark plugs, oil filters, air filters etc. Many of these items will start to affect the efficiency of your engine as they become clogged or simply wear out. When you take your car to be serviced all these items will be checked and replaced if necessary by the garage technicians.

Just give us a call on 0845 6768898 or start your claim enquiry using our online claim form.

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