Every Last Drop

Fuel prices have risen dramatically over the past few years and show no signs of returning to their previous levels. There are few steps you can take to keep your fuel bill from blowing your budget entirely.

Plan your journey

Rather than popping out to do several small errands a day which can add up to a lot of stale kilometres, you may make it easier on your petrol tank to make one trip, and plan a route that will cover all your tasks off efficiently.

Think about the time of day you travel if you have the choice. If you can travel at off peak times, you will spend less time idling in traffic, with little more to do than watching the petrol gauge sink. The less you have to stop and start, the more efficient your fuel usage will be.

On long journey, use cruise control if your car is equipped with it. It keeps the car travelling at a constant speed, which in most cases uses less petrol. You may also like to try backing off the throttle, even if only by a few kilometres an hour. Generally the faster you go, the more petrol you will use. Strong acceleration and braking will chew through petrol at a fast pace.

Pump it up

Ensure your tyres are well balanced, regularly rotated and correctly inflated. You will use more petrol driving on flat or unbalanced tyres.

Don't store lots of unnecessary gear in your car – the heavier it is, the more energy it needs to run.

Service

If you car is regularly serviced, it will usually run at its optimum level and be as efficient with fuel as possible.

Use the correct fuel for your vehicle – using fuel of a higher octane than is recommended will only result in a higher fuel bill – there is no guarantee of greater performance – check with your owner's manual.

Choose your car wisely

If you live in a household with more than one vehicle, drive the smallest one, particularly for quick trips to the shops, or better still – walk occasionally!