6 ways to beat petrol price rises
Posted by DavidM in Driving, Transport | 26 May 2008
With the price of oil heading ever higher it's getting increasingly expensive to use your car. I've had conversations with more people about reducing petrol consumption in the last few weeks than in the last 2 years.
So here are my top tips to reduce the cost of driving.
1. Get a more efficient car. Decide what you need from a car then look at the most efficient models in that class. For example, switching from a 2 litre VW Passat to a 2 litre Honda Accord will give you 11% more miles for your money.
2. Change to diesel. It may be about 9% more expensive per litre but you can get much more mileage from a tank of diesel, saving money overall. For example, changing from a petrol Audi A3 to diesel will give you 45% more fuel economy.
3, Switch to biodiesel. Another advantage of a diesel car is that you can run it on biodiesel, which is usually cheaper than normal fuel. Last time I filled up at Enfuels it cost only 94p a litre. You usually don't need to convert your car and if you check your biodiesel supplier makes it rfrom old cooking oil you'll be having a positive impact on the environment. Check out your local biodiesel filling station.
4. Drive less. I reckon it costs me £9 a day to drive to work and back. One day working from home a fortnight cuts my costs by 10%. See if there is a local car share scheme or use public transport. Short journeys are the most inefficient so leave the car at home and walk, cycle or catch a bus for those trips.
5. Drive less aggressively. Heavy accelerating guzzles fuel. Try to accelerate more gently, keep your top speed down and look ahead - if you are going to have to stop at the lights, let the car slow earlier. It may seem small but changing your driving style can add up to a good saving on fuel.
6. Finally, check out the cheapest fuel prices in your area. Use PetrolPrices.com to find the lowest price in your area. It's annoying that you have to register but then you can see where to go to get the cheapest petrol or deisel as well as sign up for email alerts to changes. Make sure you don't drive too far to get it though otherwise you'll use up any benefit.
From a personal point of view higher petrol prices are a pain. From an environmental perspective they are the best thing that could happen as more people are now thinking how they can reduce their consumption. Using these tips you'll save money as well as the planet.
