Gas Saving Tips That Really Work

Now that filling your tank isn’t much different than buying dinner for two at a five-star restaurant, there are dozens of gas saving tips popping up all over the place. Edmunds.com decided to test a number of these supposedly helpful tips to see which really work. Tests were based on two separate fuel testing sessions using two cars from the Edmunds.com long-term fleet and driven on a 56-mile test loop.

Aggressive Driving vs Moderate Driving: Savings-Up to 37% savings. Recommendation: Stop driving like a maniac.

Lower Speeds Save Gas: Major savings on long road trips, average 12% savings. Recommendation: Drive the speed limit.

Use Cruise Control: Surprisingly effective way to save gas, average savings of 7% up to 14%. Recommendation: If you’ve got it, use it.

A/C On, Windows Up vs A/C Off, Windows Down: No measurable difference or savings. Recommendation: Stay comfortable, use you’re A/C.

Check Tire Pressure: No measurable difference in savings but important for safety and to reduce tire wear. Recommendation: Check your tire pressure often but don’t expect big savings.

Avoid Excessive Idling: More important than assumed, this can save up to 19%. Recommendation: Shut her down if you are stopping for longer than one minute and stop using fast food drive-through windows.

The good news is that you can drastically save your fuel consumption but you will have to change your driving habits. You’ll find additional benefits such as no speeding tickets, greater safety, reduced stress and lower repair bills for tires and brake pads. In the long run this will save you a great deal of money to spend on things that truly make you happy.