Fuel prices have reached new record highs in recent weeks. And as a result, people who (have to) drive a car lose considerably more money. Of course you can search for the cheapest gas station in your area to save with apps. But how much petrol or diesel you use also depends on how you handle your car.
We have listed what you can do to reduce your consumption. To this end, we collected tips from Milieu Centraal and spoke to expert Jos van der Drift of the ANWB.
According to him, driving behavior can make a big difference in fuel consumption. “I think if you take the two extremes, the aggressive versus the defensive driver, the difference in fuel consumption is about 20 percent.”
Here are all tips:
- Combine multiple small rides on different days to one big ride† “A car needs about fifteen minutes to reach operating temperature and then it is the most economical,” says Van der Drift. “So don’t drive to the supermarket one day, to pick up a package at the post office the next day and to the pharmacy the next day. Those are the most expensive trips, because the engine stays cold. The consumption is about double that. when the engine is up to temperature.”
- Drive slow† If you drive 100 instead of 130, that saves about 14 percent in fuel, according to Milieu Centraal. And 80 is even more economical.
- On the highway you can consider, but at a safe distance, behind a truck to drive. “A kind of shelter is created behind a large truck with relatively little wind resistance,” says Van der Drift.
- Use as much as possible cruisecontrol† If you don’t have cruise control, drive as much as possible at a constant speed, because then you consume less than when you go a little harder and softer.
- Drive anticipating, keeping the car as much as possible let roll out and need to brake as little as possible. “If you see in the distance that the traffic light is turning red, release the accelerator immediately,” says Van der Drift. “The Netherlands is packed with roundabouts. You have to stop accelerating so far in advance that you can take the roundabout without braking.”
- As early as possible, at about 2000 rpm, shift to a higher gear† Follow the shift indicator, if you have one.
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