Save money with our top ten fuel-saving tips

For more information read our guide on how to check your tyres.

2. Lighten the load

More weight equals higher fuel consumption. Remove any unnecessary items from your car - like toolkits in the boot or CDs in the glove box.

3. Warming up

Don’t leave the engine running for five minutes before driving to ‘warm it up’. It’s a big waste of fuel. Drive gently for the first few minutes of your journey instead.

4. Avoid unnecessary engine use

Switch your engine on after you’ve put on your seatbelt, checked your mirrors and tuned the radio. Fuel used while you’re carrying out these actions is wasted.

5. Drive smoothly

You’ll use less fuel if you maintain a steady speed, and avoid sudden stop-start movements by braking or accelerating sharply.

6. Make you car more aerodynamic

Close your windows and sunroof when driving - the less resistance your car has, the less fuel it will consume.

For the same reason, if you’ve got a roof rack attached, remove it. They can increase your fuel consumption by up to 30 per cent. (If you don’t know how to remove your roof rack, get a professional to help.)

7. Avoid short journeys

Travelling short distances of around ten to twenty minutes results in poor fuel consumption.

Minimise small journeys by walking or using public transport if possible. If you do have to drive short distances, combine a number of outings into one longer drive.

8. Change gears efficiently

Change gear at around 2,000rpm in a diesel car or around 2,500rpm in a petrol car to put less strain on your engine and use less fuel.

9. Go green

Convert your engine to run on liquid petroleum gas (LPG). It costs less than unleaded and diesel, costs 53 pence per litre (on average) and according to Central Garage (Carcroft) in Doncaster engine conversion rates range from £1,000 to £1,500. Find out more on our LPG cars page.

For more information visit our green cars pages.

10. Find cheaper petrol

Use petrolprices.com to find your cheapest local petrol station. Updated several times day, the simple website searches the UK’s 9,690 petrol stations to find cheap petrol near you.