Reducing Car Fuel

Keep a record of how many litres you buy in a month (not the amount you pay for fuel) and try to reduce this month on month.

1. Go electric

This may be too pricey an option for most of us, but, these cars are getting cheaper and there’s more choice for second hand. For many of us, where to charge is an issue – we need more reliable on street charging points. If you own your own home, there are grants for installing electric charging points available until April 2022. After that, the scheme will be available for people living in flats and renters. (See Which for details) There are also deals available for home charging from different electricity suppliers; however, you may need to do your sums to see if they work for you.

2. Eliminate all car journeys under two miles

It is difficult to find exact statistics, but a government survey in 2016, estimated that 42% of all car journeys were under two miles. Enterprise Car Club (a business that rents electric cars) quoted a statistic of 24% of all car journeys being under one mile. Short journeys are highly polluting as catalytic converters only work efficiently after five miles.

We sometimes overestimate how much time we save by using our car for short journeys. For example, a local journey to the supermarket to pick up a few things may take 12 minutes to walk, but going by car could take 8 minutes by the time getting the car out and parking are added in.

3. Share cars more and make each journey count

It’s about being conscious of how, when and why we use our cars.

4. Drive more fuel efficiently

Driving at a steady sixty miles an hour (where possible), reducing acceleration and braking all contribute to cutting fuel usage. Making sure that the car is not carrying extra weight and not using heaters or air con unnecessarily also help.