Ten Easy Ways to Get Better Gas Mileage

Ten Easy Ways to Get Better Gas Mileage

Inflation is inevitable during any given time, but it has been amplified globally in 2022 as nations throughout the world have seen record high rates of inflation over the past year. For the average American, this is most relatable at the gas pump, as the national average price for a gallon of gas has increased by 44% over the previous year, according to AAA.

So what’s the best way to save at the pump? The simplest solution to combating high prices at the gas pumps is to decrease your driving, however, with summer road trips being planned and more people commuting back to the office, it can be very difficult to go back to just sitting on the couch. So here are ten easy ways for you to increase your fuel economy and get more miles per gallon, thus saving you money on gas.

1. Plan Ahead
Plan your everyday trips in advance to minimize your miles traveled. Combining errands and avoiding peak traffic times will eliminate unnecessary backtracking and start-stopping in congested areas.

2. Take the lead out of your feet
With fuel economy peaking at 50 mph on most cars and dropping significantly as speed increases, reducing your highway speed by 5 to 10 mph typically increases fuel economy by 7 to 14 percent.

3. Don’t Drive like a NYC Cabbie!
Avoid jumpy starts, rapid acceleration, and take it easy on the brakes and avoid hard braking. All of these can lower your car’s fuel economy by 15-30% on the highway and up to 40% in stop-and-go traffic.

4. Avoid excessive idling
Car engines consume nearly a half gallon of fuel per hour when idling. A warm engine only takes a fraction of the amount of fuel to start back up. A good rule of thumb is to shut the engine off if you’re going to idle for more than 30 seconds.

5. Coast downhill
Let off the gas if you’re cruising downhill, and if it’s a longer, steep hill you can shift into neutral when you coast.

6. Turn the A/C off
Once you’ve gotten the cabin cooled, you can turn the air conditioner off and adjust the controls to recirculate the air. This will keep the cool air inside the cabin recirculating for quite some time.

7. Use the Cruise
Driving at a consistent highway speed by utilizing cruise control helps save gas tremendously. Be cautious when using cruise control on slippery roads, though.

8. Warm the engine up by driving
When cold temperatures hit, allow the engine to warm up by driving normally once you start the car. The engine will get to operating temperature quicker, which helps to save gas.

9. Shift efficiently with manual transmissions
Upshifting as soon as practical keeps your RPMs lower, and using the brakes as opposed to downshifting will do the same.

10. Avoid highway congestion
This may not be possible at all times, but during rush hour, try taking an alternative route. Typically the highway speeds will produce better MPG, however, if you’re crawling, then speeding up, then slowing down for an extended period of time, then you might save some gas by cruising slower on a country road.

Start implementing these gas saving tips today to save money at the pump for that $7 mochafrappalpacino!