Say goodbye to high gas prices with Urban Cars Blog’s fuel cost reduction tips!
Welcome, savvy readers! Ever find yourself cringing at the gas pump as your hard-earned money vanishes into your fuel tank? Well, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered with some fantastic fuel cost reduction tips!
We’re diving into the world of practicality with some easy fuel cost reduction tips that promise to put your money back in your pocket. The truth is that fuel expenses can feel like something other than an unsolvable puzzle.
From simple tweaks in your driving habits to clever tricks that won’t cramp your style, you’ll save money quickly. Get ready to embark on a journey where your gas money stays where it belongs… with you.
So, fasten your seatbelt because we’re about to transform your fuel-saving aspirations into a concrete reality. Let’s roll into a future where these 8 fuel cost reduction tips become your go-to weapons for financial freedom at the pump!
Fuel cost reduction tip: Start paying with a gas credit card
If you don’t have one already, you should apply for a rewards credit card that will earn you points or cash on every purchase at the pump and use it every time you fill up your tank. The best cards earn 3 to 4% back on eligible gasoline and EV charging purchases.
Just be aware that there are some limits on how much you can make in a calendar year. If you belong to a warehouse club, including Costco, you can apply for the Costco Anywhere Visa card. It’s a rewards card exclusively for Costco members.
Eligible gasoline purchases earn 4% cash back, which you get as Costco store credit, on the first $7,000 spent yearly. It has a high enough limit to accommodate all but the highest-mileage drivers.
Also, if you prefer a particular gas station, join its rewards program and try applying for a store credit card that gives you instant savings at the pump or rewards, which you can redeem later.
These rewards programs’ instant discounts might offer a better rate of return than many other gas credit card rewards.
Fuel cost reduction tip: Check your speed limit
All cars optimize fuel consumption at different speeds. But fuel efficiency declines rapidly beyond 50 mph, says FuelEconomy.gov.
Consider that each increase of 5 mph over that point works out to a surcharge of $0.25 to $0.50 per gallon burned, supposing a per-gallon price of $3.50. Driving 50 mph isn’t safe or practical on the highway.
The best thing to do is to go with the speed of traffic in the slow lane. That generally means observing the speed limit, which can range from 75 to 80 miles per hour on the open highway. In any case, you shouldn’t waste fuel by going over the limit.
And try to use cruise control to help maintain a constant, law-abiding speed. Cruise control is frequently milder than human driving anyway, helping to reduce a surplus of fuel consumption through more gradual acceleration and braking.
Fuel cost reduction tip: Get a tune-up
Keeping your car’s engine in working order can go a long way when it comes to fuel savings. A routine tune-up can improve gas mileage by about 4% if your vehicle needs service. Ensure you’re also changing your oil on time and using the correct grade of oil for your car.
That little maintenance can get you another 1 to 2% increase in fuel economy. You can check the car’s owner’s manual to see what grade the car manufacturer recommends.
But while a tune-up can significantly affect gas mileage, maintenance will only sometimes impact fuel economy. One common misconception is that changing your air filter will improve the miles per gallon, but this differs for most cars produced after the 80s.
If you have an older car, make sure you’re changing the filter once a year or every 12,000 miles for a fuel savings boost of 2 to 6%. Your engine is one of many things that need maintenance if you want to maximize your miles per gallon.
Fuel cost reduction tip: Try a gas-finding app that helps you save
Gas prices vary considerably over short distances, especially if you live in border regions. Every driver, particularly those who regularly cross state and county lines, should have a fuel-finder app that shows the best gas deals in real time.
A gas-finding app with a good reputation is GasBuddy. It features precise, near-real-time pricing information for thousands of US gas stations and boasts a convenient internal payment platform that can save you up to $0.25 per gallon.
Heavy drivers can opt into GasBuddy Premium. But it costs $9.99 for a monthly membership with savings of up to $0.40 per gallon.
Fuel cost reduction tip: Don’t idle around
A stopped car’s fuel mileage is zero. You should avoid running your vehicle’s gas motor whenever possible while waiting or parking. That said, idling is unavoidable in some situations, like warming up and getting rid of ice on a frosty morning.
But you don’t need to let your car run for half an hour before hopping in. And you don’t need to warm up fuel-injected vehicles, those built after the mid-1990s, at all, at least not for the engine’s sake, according to experts.
Leave your car idling in the morning only as long as necessary until it reaches a warmer interior temperature. Or you can keep your coat on in the car and drive off as soon as you start it.
Fuel cost reduction tip: Find the most efficient route to your destination
Vehicles burn more fuel during acceleration than while cruising or coasting. That means the most fuel-efficient route to your destination might not necessarily be the shortest. It’s the route that mandates the slightest acceleration and deceleration.
This is the one with less congestion, fewer stoplights, lower traffic volumes, or better traffic flow altogether.
You can find the best route for you using a navigation app that uses real-time traffic data, like Waze, or shows stoplights and other traffic control measures, such as Google Maps or Apple Maps.
Fuel cost reduction tip: Limit how much you use the air conditioner
Using your car’s air conditioner can decrease fuel economy by up to 25%, according to FuelEconomy.gov. That’s especially enunciated in short trips, hot weather, and hybrid-electric vehicles, which may otherwise run on battery power alone.
On nicer days, be sure to turn off your air conditioner entirely and use the coolest non-AC blower setting possible. And when it’s too hot to go without air conditioning, set the AC to the lowest comfortable setting or use your car’s eco AC setting if it has one.
Fuel cost reduction tip: Get your tires checked
Underinflated tires tend to create drag, decreasing gas mileage by 3% or sometimes more. Checking your car’s tire pressure using an inexpensive tire gauge is straightforward.
Most tires should be around 30 to 35 pounds per square inch, and your owner’s manual can tell you what psi is best for your car. Check your tire pressure at least once monthly and add air whenever necessary.
The secret with this fuel cost reduction tip is to maintain the safest tire pressure without overinflating them.
Even though slightly overinflating your tires can enhance gas mileage, it also increases your risk of blowing out a tire and makes it more difficult to brake and turn the car.
You never want to put fuel savings ahead of your safety. So maintaining your vehicle can go a long way in getting better mileage. But switching to a fuel-efficient car is worth the money for many drivers.
And if you’re looking to replace your tires, Amazon has some great deals, including this one: Red Hawk TIR-206 Tire
We hope you found this article on fuel cost reduction tips useful. But Urban Cars Blog is more than just tips and tricks. For instance, we highly recommend you also read: Revolution on Two Wheels: 7 Motorcycles With Innovative Features
