How and When You Drive Affects Your Fuel Economy
There is no feeling so satisfying than being able to pay bills on time with some extra cash still on hand. You still have enough for going to the mall, eating out, or maybe even taking a weekend off to some beach. Expenses are a daily thing for all of us, and if we are not able to save or enjoy some of our hard earned money, every day will start to feel very tiring.
There are daily expenses that we should prioritize everyday: food, water, and miscellaneous house maintenance fees. But there is one other expense some of us always worry about—fuel. Some people find fuel expenses completely vexing because they just cannot seem to be controlled. Other than commuting via transit, carpooling or getting fleet fuel cards from Motorpass to use as a payment card (which comes with a real-time report of your car expenses), here are some tips on fuel efficiency that will help you control your fuel expenses.
Try to avoid the rush hour
You might be thinking that there is no way to avoid traffic, especially on weekdays when everyone is out to go to work or school. But best believe that there actually is. Study the patterns of the rush hour. You will notice that it does not happen very early; in fact, if most people be at work at 9:00, you will expect it at around 8:30, not an hour before.
Capitalize on that time window, drive to work when not a lot of people are out rushing to go to theirs. You will have more time to prepare in the office or maybe grab a few bites on the way.
Crunch multiple tasks in one trip
Are you buying groceries, or are you just out to drop a letter off at the post office? These are tasks that you can do in one trip. Write down all the errands that you make on a daily basis and categorise them into “things I can do immediately” and “things that can wait.” For errands under the latter category, try to make one car trip for all of it. It cuts down fuel usage by half.
You can also do these errands with someone else in your family who has tasks they need to do so that you can all cover more ground.
Get a fleet card so you can monitor your payments
Fuel cards like the Motorpass fleet card act like a credit card you can use for fuel or other vehicle maintenance. This is very convenient to have, especially if you have other expenses to think about, since it comes with real-time reports of all your expenses concerning your car. The benefits depend on your fleet card supplier, but what is common are seeing how much you spend on gas, cash-less transactions and chip-and-pin protection.
Close your windows when you are on the highway
Leaving your windows open is not going to be a problem if you are only driving within your town, moving at a reasonable speed. But when you are going out of town on a trip, your speed on the highway is obviously high. Your car’s shape is a very important part of fuel economy, what scientists would call aerodynamics. It reduces drag and makes the ride as smooth as possible. By opening the window on a high speed, you are making your car more expensive to run.
Do not accelerate haphazardly
There really is no point to overtake a car simply because you want to be in front of it. Drive at a constant speed, 50 mph is recommended. Be patient when you are driving, you will get to where you want to go eventually.
Follow speed laws
Follow the speed limit even if you know that by ignoring it, you will be shaving a few minutes off of your trip. When you speed up, your car is using far more fuel and it will cost you a few extra bucks.
Remember that the way you drive and how you take care of your car can affect your fuel usage. Keep these simple tips in mind and you will be saving money you can finally use for that holiday trip you have been planning.
