Are you running out of your pocket on fuel?

Do you wish to save more than £800 a year? Then check your driving habits.

06:52 08 December 2013

Fuel prices are finally falling, but they are still higher than they were a few years ago. Here are some tips on how to drive down the cost of filling up.

 

Ditch the extra weight:

Keep a check on the vehicle load efficiency as you may lose approximately 5 miles per gallon. So if you do not need it, get rid of it! Also, try to travel with between ¼ to ½ tanks. This can save you 4% of fuel costs.

 

Basic Maintenance:

Do you regularly monitor your tire pressure, oil level, and coolant? Ideally these are priority checks and your car will be more fuel efficient. Under-pressurised tires can cost you 3% of your fuel bill, as well as being potentially dangerous.

 

Best optimal route:

This is not complex. Choosing a good route can save on fuel. Avoid crowded roads and areas that require switching gears at nominal speeds. The Highways Agency can provide you with traffic reports.

 

Look for supermarket deals:

Popular supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco always provide store promotions which often save at least 5p per litre of fuel, when you spend a minimum amount in store.

Some businesses such as Next or Bella Italia or B&Q that have a Morrison’s fuel station nearby will offer you 1p off per litre of fuel for every £10 gift card you buy. Unfortunately, if the business were to go under, you would lose out on the promotion.

 

Use a cashback card:

Fuel expenses can be paid using a cash back credit card only if you know if you could pay back expenses at one go. In this case, you can earn cash back of 1.5% of entire fuel cost on an average, regardless of where you buy the fuel from.