Tips for Fuel-Efficient Driving

Avoid Aggressive Driving

“Jack-rabbit” starts and hard braking can increase fuel consumption by as much as 40%. Tests show that “jackrabbit” starts and hard braking reduces travel time by only four percent, while toxic emissions were more than five times higher. The proper way is to accelerate slowly and smoothly, then get into high gear as quickly as possible. In city driving, nearly 50% of the energy needed to power your car goes to acceleration.

Deceleration also affects fuel efficiency. Instead of breaking to stop your car, anticipate traffic flow as much as possible and coast to decelerate. In fuel-injection vehicles, removing your foot from the accelerator automatically stops the flow of fuel to the engine until the engine speed drops to idle—when it starts again to ensure your car doesn’t stall. Coasting to decelerate also saves wear and tear on your brakes.

Drive Steadily at Posted Speed Limits

Maintaining a steady speed helps your engine perform efficiently. In one study conducted in Japan, small variations in speed were shown to increase fuel consumption by as much as 20-48%. Instead of allowing small dips in speed followed by bursts of acceleration, maintain a steady speed. When traveling in hilly terrain and where traffic permits, allow your car to slow down naturally when traveling uphill and to speed up again when going downhill.

Avoid Speeding

Increasing your highway cruising speed from 55mph (90km/h) to 75mph (120km/h) can raise fuel consumption as much as 20%. You can improve your gas mileage 10 – 15% by driving at 55mph rather than 65mph (104km/h). Natural Resources Canada puts the “sweet spot” for most cars, trucks, and SUVs even lower, between 30 mph (50 km/h) and 50 mph (80 km/h).

Note how quickly efficiency drops after 60 mph.