Brits have been left horrified by rising petrol and diesel prices in the last few months.
And things have come to a head this week as drivers are now facing paying record prices of £1.53 a litre on average for petrol, and £1.58 a litre for diesel.
Just in the last week, amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, the cost of filling up a typical 55-litre family car has increased by more than £2.
The increases have left car owners desperately trying to find ways of saving their fuel so that they can fill up less often.
To help, experts at car leasing firm Vanarama have shared their top tips for making your fuel go further, WalesOnline reports, and one handy tip involves nothing but a bowl of water.
Vanarama explains that careful driving is key to saving fuel.
Every time you apply the brakes, energy is lost in the heat generated by the brake pads and discs.
Revving the engine unnecessarily is another way you can lose that energy you've paid for through fuel.
You need to ensure that you're driving as carefully as possible – anticipate when you'll need to brake and move gently through the gears, keeping the engine speed to a reasonable level.
The firm's top tip is to drive as if you have a bowl of water on your passenger seat – if you're going to spill it, you could be driving more carefully.
As well as that, they shared eight more ways you could make your fuel go further.
- Make sure your car is clutter-free – When you’re carrying a heavy load, your car doesn’t perform as well on the road. These long inclines are harder work and will lead to you putting your foot down, or changing down a gear to keep the speed up – all of which uses additional fuel
- Keep your fuel tank level low – Diesel and petrol are heavy, and add additional weight to your car. Keep your fuel tank lower and there'll be less weight to carry
- Take all non-regularly used bike racks and ladder racks off your vehicle – Unless you’re using a bike or ladder regularly, take the rack off your vehicle. If you do, however, need a roof rack, then keep it clear of loads as much as possible
- Keep your tyres pumped up – Often motorists only check their tyre pressure once they have a puncture, however, this is a costly mistake. Low tyre pressures create heat and friction with the tread and sidewalls flexing, with research showing that you use an additional 3% fuel for every 10% your tyres are under-inflated
- Limit your use of the aircon – Many of us leave the air conditioning switched on all year round, overriding it when necessary with the heater. Try and get into the habit of turning it off when you don’t need it, it can be quite a drain on fuel when in operation
- Have regular servicing to prevent further costs down the road – This is extremely important as something as simple as a blocked air filter will result in poor performance and higher fuel consumption. A brake that is binding slightly can have a dramatic effect on your MPG
- Keep your window closed – All that buffeting you get when you have the window open, even slightly, doesn’t come for free and fuel is burnt to generate it. If you don’t need the window open, close it
- Always pre-plan your journeys – Probably the single, most effective way of lowering your fuel bill is to reduce the mileage you drive and to avoid time consuming and costly congestion. Plan your routes carefully using real-time data such as that offered by Google Maps.
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