Simple Ways You Can Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

Are gas prices hitting your wallet especially hard? You’re not alone. If you’re looking for ways to save at the gas pump, we can help. Below, we explain some simple ways every driver can improve their car’s fuel efficiency!

Clean Out the Car

The first and perhaps easiest thing drivers can do to help their car become more efficient is to shed extra weight. If you treat your car like a second home and keep many things inside, you can do your car and wallet a favor by cleaning it out of all inessential items.

Every extra pound of weight is an extra drag on your vehicle, and you’ll end up paying more at the gas pump if it carries this around all the time. A thorough car cleaning offers the double benefit of a more pristine and efficient vehicle.

Pro Tip: If you have any accessories for your vehicle, such as a bike rack or cargo box, removing them will immediately make it more aerodynamic and efficient.

Get New Tires

Your car’s tires are crucial to it running as efficiently as possible. If your tires are old, bald, or underinflated, they’ll worsen your vehicle’s fuel economy.

If you’ve had the same set of tires for a long time and they’re near the end of their lifespan, new tires will instantly make your car run more efficiently and safely. There are many things to look for when buying tires for your car, but you should also ask about fuel efficiency and which tires will improve your fuel economy the most.

Drive Conservatively

Perhaps the simplest way to improve your car’s fuel efficiency is to slow down and drive more conservatively. Speeding, accelerating quickly, and braking suddenly are all bad for your vehicle’s fuel consumption and put lots of mechanical stress on the car.

Studies have also proven that for every extra mile over 50 mph, a vehicle’s fuel economy diminishes. So the faster you drive, the more you’ll end up paying at the pump. The best way to offset this loss at high speeds is to use cruise control when safe and appropriate, as it optimizes your vehicle’s acceleration for efficiency.

Avoid Idling

Some drivers may be surprised to learn that idling is one of the worst things a car can do for fuel efficiency. This is why many modern vehicles now have stop-start engines to avoid idling. If your vehicle has such a feature, you don’t have to worry about idling.

But if you have an older vehicle, you should avoid idling as much as possible, as it needlessly burns fuel and can plummet fuel economy. If you think you’ll idle for longer than several seconds, shutting off the car and restarting when necessary can be more efficient.