Gas prices are often a sore spot for consumers, especially those who need to drive their vehicle for work, school, or running errands.
While there's not much the average citizen can do to bring the price at the pumps down, they can find ways to make their cars use less of the stuff.
Fuel efficiency is an important metric when you go to buy a car, but that can be changed both positively and negatively based on your driving habits.
Christine Niemczyk, the communications manager for CAA gave some of her top tips for raising the fuel efficiency of your vehicle:
- Not speeding, as that increases how much power your vehicle uses.
- Not idling - a liter of gas could be wasted every 20 minutes of idling.
- Planning out your trips - it's more efficient to have one long trip than several short ones.
- Maintain your vehicle - underinflated tires can increase fuel consumption by up to 4%
- Bring your vehicle in for regular maintenance services to help your vehicle run efficiently.
- Accelerate gently - frequent stops only reduce travel time by 4%, but increase fuel consumption by 39%
- Heating and AC can effect fuel consumption, depending on circumstances and the duration of the ride.
Niemczyk says that there are a few ways to check with other sources to see how you can improve fuel efficiency.
"Check with the owner's manual, I would say, or talk with a mechanic and just see if there are any other ways or means that I can be a little more effective with my fuel consumption. We also have on our website what we call the CAA's driving cost calculator. It can break down the true expenses of models of cars and their average costs for maintenance, gas, insurance, and depreciation."
The situation around what's best to do with fuel is always changing with resources available for the latest advice.
"It's always an ongoing topic and things are always changing, so check out our website and look up the fuel efficiency and driver costs under consumer education," said Niemczyk, "For those who are heading out for summer holidays soon, just have a safe holiday."