Tips for getting the best fuel efficiency

Many new vehicles today have a technology feature either standard or available that helps you monitor your fuel efficiency. It tells you exactly what your fuel economy looks like from moment to moment, helping you to adapt good habits on the go. But for those of you with older vehicles that don’t have this fairly-new feature installed, or you simply opted not to include it in your newer car, we’ve got several tips for you to follow in order to get the best fuel efficiency.

Avoid Idling

One of the easiest ways to improve your fuel efficiency is to avoid idling as much as possible. You might be tempted to start your vehicle early in the winter months when it’s cold, but you’re going to be wasting a lot of fuel, so avoid it at often as possible.

Reduce Weight

Don’t drive around town with a bunch of extra, unnecessary weight. Obviously if you’ve got to cart a bunch of stuff from one place to the next there’s nothing you can do, but make the drop off your first stop. Or if you’re picking something up to bring home, make that your last stop. Either way, you’re getting all of your driving done without carting around that extra weight.

Avoid Roof Cargo

If you’re going camping and need a bunch of extra stuff that won’t fit in the back, there’s nothing you can do. But when your camping trip is over, get the cargo hold attached to your roof off as soon as possible. That extra item increases the wind resistance as you drive, which lowers your fuel efficiency quite a bit.

Drive the Limit/Cruise Control

You might be tempted to drive over the speed limit, but just know that the faster you go the more your fuel efficiency is decreased. An easy way to avoid this is to use cruise control whenever possible. You’ll be less inclined to speed, and also less inclined to apply the brakes more than necessary as well.

Avoid Aggressive Driving

Most importantly, just avoid aggressive driving altogether. Excessive speeding or braking, rapidly accelerating as you jump onto the highway or when the light turns green, et cetera et cetera. All of these things decrease fuel efficiency and it would be best to avoid them altogether.