How to improve your car's fuel efficiency: Some easy steps

Indian consumers are highly price-conscious and when it comes to owning a car, getting the optimum mileage out of the vehicle is one of the key steps to maintaining a cost-effective ownership experience. A few simple steps can help a driver to achieve optimum fuel efficiency. At a time when petrol and diesel prices are at a record high level, improving fuel efficiency means saving precious money.

There are many ways to improve the fuel efficiency of a vehicle. These primarily involve efficient driving and proper maintenance of the vehicle. Here are some key steps to achieve optimum and improved fuel efficiency.

Maintain speed limit

Overspeeding or rapid acceleration waste fuel. Sudden and frequent braking too wastes fuel. Depending on the type of car, poor driving habits can result in up to 30% extra fuel consumption. Maintaining the speed limit can save you from spending that amount of money. It also helps the car to be in good shape for a longer run.

Don't overload

Additional weight to the car means additional load for the engine, which results in higher fuel consumption. Smaller vehicles are usually more affected by higher weight compared to larger cars. Hence, always try to avoid overloading the car. Also, try not to add unnecessary accessories, as those add weight to the vehicle impacting fuel economy.

Use cruise control

Using cruise control under appropriate situations can improve fuel efficiency by up to 14 per cent. This means a lot of fuel can be saved by using cruise control under certain circumstances.

Turn off ignition in signals

Idling results in huge consumption of fuel in the long run. The California Energy Commission (CEC) advises that vehicles should be turned off if the expected wait will be longer than 10 seconds as an idling vehicle can burn as much as one-gallon petrol each hour.

Maintain tyre pressure

Maintaining OEM suggested tyre pressure ensures improved fuel efficiency. Lower tyre pressure results in more pressure on the engine. Hence, always try to maintain optimum tyre pressure.

Replace spark plugs

Bad spark plugs can decrease fuel economy by up to 30 per cent. They can cost drivers a hefty amount. In case a vehicle's mileage drops suddenly, there is a good chance that its spark plugs are misfiring and need replacement.

How to improve your car''s fuel efficiency

Step 1 :

Maintain speed limit

Step 2 :

Don't overload

Step 3 :

Use cruise control

Step 4 :

Turn off ignition in signals

Step 5 :

Maintain tyre pressure

Step 6 :

Replace spark plugs