Reduce your annual petrol bill
To reduce your annual petrol bill,
there are a number of simple steps to start saving. First you
can change your driving style, then you can make your car more
efficient and finally, as with most categories on this site, you
shop around!
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Drive efficiently
- Drive
smoothly: Accelerate gently when pulling away and reduce aggressive accelerating or braking.
- Read
the road ahead when driving. By
anticipating what is coming up, you'll save fuel by starting to slow down early and not needing
to come to a stop, therefore using less fuel to pull away.
- Don't rev the engine whilst stationary
as it wastes
fuel. Modern car engines don't need to be warmed up either.
When the engine is idling you're wasting fuel. If you're likely
to be at a standstill for more than three minutes, switch off
the engine.
- Correct changing of gears saves fuel.
Change up into a higher gear as soon as
it’s possible and safe to do so.
- The faster you go, the more
fuel you'll use. Doing 80mph on the motorway will use between 10% and 20% more
fuel than doing 70mph.
- Turn
off the air conditioning when you can and avoid opening the windows when driving at speed as
this can increase aerodynamic drag which will waste more fuel.
- Plan your journey, including
going the most efficient route, for example the most direct
route where you will encounter the least traffic. Also try
to fill up when your passing a petrol station as your wasting
fuel if you need to go out of your way to fill up. Try to
avoid motorway service stations as they are almost always more
expensive.
Make your car more efficient
- Avoid having a roof rack on
your car unless you are using it as this again increases
aerodynamic drag.
- Clear non essentials out of
your boot as the heavier the load the more fuel your car
consumes.
- Check that your tyres pressure
are at the manufacturers' recommended level as they will be more
fuel efficient. Having the correct wheel alignment can
also save you money.
- Fuel is heavy, so by not
filling up, you reduce the cars weight. The less fuel your car
has in it, the more efficiently it drives.
Shop around
- Shop around for the cheapest
petrol stations by using the dedicated sites listed below.
Register for free and search by postcode. While the
difference is only a few pence, in percentage terms it can be up
to 5% off your annual fuel bill.
Useful Links
Petrol price comparison sites
Other useful sites
Other Tips
Cut Price Motoring user Feedback
Egg -
www.egg.com
Egg are offering 2% instant cash back
of fuel purchased at Shell petrol stations. Offer until 31
March 2008, see site for T&C.
Morrisons -
www.morrisons.co.ukPetrol-stations
A Morrisons Miles Card allows you to
collect points every time you fill up which can be redeemed against
fuel.
Shell
-
www.shell.co.uk
Receive three per cent cash back to be
redeemed on fuel by using the Shell MasterCard to pay for fuel at
certain Shell garages.
In Store Promotions
Look out for in store promotions such
as "spend £50 and get a 5p off/litre voucher" deals. These are
usually promoted in store and in the national press by the leading
superstores.
Cash
Back Offers
Use
your credit cards to earn cashback. The percentage varies but
the best offer at the time of writing is
5% cashback for the first 3 months and
1.5% thereafter.
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