What saves the most fuel?
What saves the most fuel?
Image supplied by MasterDrive
There are various ways in which you can save fuel – yet, which gives you the most fuel savings*? Fuel prices are going up at midnight for the third month in a row. Petrol will go up by between by 58c and 67c per liter (grade and region dependent). Diesel will rise by 3c inland and decrease by 4c in costal regions. This is inclusive of the levy increases announced in February.
MasterDrive has researched how much can potentially be saved by changing certain driving habits and the results are in:
| What | Why | How | |
| Tyre tips | Potential fuel saving of 3-5% | Correctly inflated tyres reduce rolling resistance | Regularly check tyre pressure matches OEM specifications with your own tyre pressure gauge |
| Accelerating achievement |
Potential fuel saving of up to 15%. |
Avoiding harsh acceleration reduces stress on your engine and transmission. |
Accelerate gently and leave adequate following distances to avoid unnecessary braking and acceleration |
| Speed savvy | Potential fuel saving of up to 20%. |
Reducing speed reduces rolling resistance and drag |
Reduce your speed by 20km/h to see the best results |
| Telematics triumph | Potential fuel saving between five and 15% | Real-time telematics data allows for efficient route planning, correction of driving behaviours and reduce other fuel-consuming habits. | Work with your telematics provider to obtain data necessary to make informed decisions |
| Defensive driving |
Potential fuel saving of up to 20%. |
Defensive driving techniques, including anticipating traffic conditions and watching 12 seconds ahead, reduces fuel consumption | Undertake training in defensive driving, or remedial training, to learn all the fuel saving techniques |
| RPM reduction | Potential fuel saving of up to 20%. | In manual vehicles, RPMs below 3 000 increase fuel efficiency | Make a habit of watching your rev counter and changing gears before 3 000 RPMs |
*Figures are affected by driving style, vehicles, region and fuel grade. Percentages provided are reflected as ‘up to.’ It should, however, be noted each factor is tested on its own merits and if all or some are combined, the savings are not cumulative.
