Follow our tips and you could look like this!
Until you’ve actually owned and driven your first car, you won’t know the pain when you pull up at the pump to refuel.
Despite petrol stations offering discounts, refuelling your car can be an expensive proposition.
According to this comprehensive fuel guide, fuelling up with 95-octane petrol at, say, Esso, is $2.25 per litre.
Assuming you have a 50-litre fuel tank, that works out to $112.50 if your tank is near-empty.
Again making the assumption that you pump once every 1.5 weeks, that works out to around $350 per month in fuel bills alone.
If you drive a hybrid or electric vehicle, then those costs won’t come into play, but for the majority of us drivers, that’s the reality we have to deal with.
But all isn’t lost: we’ve come up with top 10 tips to save money on your petrol bill, and put it towards that holiday you’ve been looking forward to.
- Go easy on the loud pedal. Being auto enthusiasts, we all love the occasional burst of speed. But going hard on the pedal also means burning a hole in your wallet. When you move off from the lights, keep the revs as low as you need to to get the car moving.
- Follow the recommended octane rating. Your car doesn’t always need 98-octane rating fuel to move. Check what your car’s manufacturer recommends for your car and follow that: often it will be 93 or 95-octane petrol, which could save you a large chunk of cash. Check out our handy guide to see which fuel you should pump.
- Remove unnecessary weight. Extra weight means the car needs to work harder to move all of it. Look in your car and remove things that take up weight (and space) to save fuel.
- Brake only when you absolutely need to. Of course you need to brake on the road, but don’t do it unnecessarily. Watch the road and maintain a distance to the car in front, so you can cruise without constantly hitting the brakes.
- Pump up your tyres. Slightly overinflating your tyres can help you save fuel, but don’t overdo it or your tyres will begin to wear unevenly.
- Plan your route ahead. If you’re heading to a new location, use an app like Waze which lets you punch in your destination ahead of time and notifies you what route to use when it’s time to leave.
- Avoid rush hour if you can. We all want to go home early, and sometimes this is inevitable. But if you’re not in a rush, avoiding the jams along the CTE is a great way to save fuel.
- Reduce drag on your car. Do you really need that spoiler or that roof rack? Taking these things off smoothens airflow over your car, and helps you save fuel.
- Drive in the highest gear possible. Going up to your car’s highest gear lets the engine idle at a lower RPM, so that your car doesn’t need to work as hard, especially if you’re travelling on flat ground.
- Use Eco mode whenever possible. If your car has different driving modes, consider using Eco mode whenever possible so that the car can use the least amount of energy.
