Buying a fuel-efficient car is only the first step towards achieving good fuel economy. Your driving habits can also make a difference to your fuel consumption. Follow these habits for a better and more fuel-efficient driving.

Plan Your Route

Tune in to radio for updates on traffic conditions, so that you can avoid getting trapped in traffic jams that could lead to increased fuel consumption.

Drive Sensibly

Aggressive driving behaviours such as speeding, hard acceleration and sudden braking can lower your car’s fuel efficiency by as much as 20%. Driving sensibly including maintaining a safe distance from other cars and anticipating traffic conditions ahead not only saves you fuel, but is also safer for you and other road users.

Observe Speed Limit

It is advisable to allocate sufficient time to get to your destination to avoid speeding. Speeding would usually lead to harsh acceleration and braking, which would lead to increased fuel consumption. Furthermore, it is unsafe for you and other road users. Using cruise control on the highway to maintain your speed constant and can help improve fuel efficiency. The optimal driving speed for best fuel economy is about 37 to 52 mph. Higher speeds lead to excessive fuel consumption and increased pollution.

Close Window while Driving in High Speed

Don't drive at higher speeds with windows wide open. It increases the aerodynamic drag on the highway and lowers fuel economy.

Minimize the Use of Car's Air Conditioner

Operating an air-conditioner in hot weather can increase fuel consumption by more than 20% in city driving. Therefore park in the shade to keep car cool and reduce the need for air-conditioner or use the vent setting as much as possible to minimize the use of air conditioning.

Avoid Excessive Idling

It is advisable to switch off your engine if you are leaving your engine to idle for more than 2 minutes.  Excessive idling not only wastes fuel and pollutes the environment, but it also contaminates your engine oil and wears out engine components.  Vehicles with larger engines waste more fuel than those with smaller engines when idling. Minimize the amount of time your vehicle idles by consider parking instead of using drive-up lanes.

Gentle Drive Start

Start car and immediately, but gently, drive away. Don't leave car idling. Today's engines don't need to be warmed up. Prolonged idling creates excess emissions and wastes fuel at the same time.

Reduce Unnecessary Loads

Avoid carrying unnecessary loads in your car. Your vehicle engine would need to work harder as a result, leading to unnecessary increase in fuel consumption. Objects placed on the outside of vehicles also lead to increased drag force and lower fuel economy. You can reduce this drag force by placing items inside the vehicle rather than on the roof.

Use Handbrakes on the Slopes

Some motorists fail to make use of handbrakes when stopping their vehicles on a slope. Instead, they either ride the clutch (for manual transmission vehicles) or use the accelerator (for automatic transmission vehicles) to keep the vehicles from rolling backwards. This also leads to unnecessary fuel consumption.