Routine vehicle maintenance: This is critical to keeping your vehicle fuel-efficient. A well-maintained vehicle will use less fuel and eliminate excessive polluting emissions from the tailpipe. Remember to schedule your vehicle for regular maintenance.
Inflate your tires: An under-inflated tire can cause as much as a 2 MPG decrease in fuel economy.
Empty your trunk: Carrying unnecessary weight in your vehicle will decrease your fuel efficiency.
Drive smoothly: Accelerate gradually and avoid aggressive driving habits. Anticipate stops to avoid sudden braking. Whenever possible, coast to stops when you see traffic stopped.
Plan your trips: Avoid unnecessary travel and attempt to schedule travel during non-congested times of the day.
Eliminate idle time: if idling longer than 10 seconds, except in traffic, turn the engine off. More than 10 seconds will use more fuel than shutting the engine off and restarting it again. Idling a vehicle 10 minutes per day can consume as much as 26 gallons of fuel a year. Avoid the drive-through at the restaurant, bank, or anywhere else. If you are waiting for someone, turn the engine off.
Vehicles warm up better if started and immediately driven: An engine with a computer system needs a maximum of 30 seconds before being put into motion. Other parts, such as wheel bearings, steering, suspension, transmission, and tires, also need to warm up while the engine gets warm. The only way to warm all these components is to move the vehicle immediately after starting the engine. This will create a better warm-up situation and less wear on all components.
Always avoid speeding: This can decrease fuel economy by as much as 15%. A speed of 5 MPH over 60 is like adding a dime to the cost of a gallon of fuel. Give yourself plenty of time to get where you're going because hard braking and driving too fast also burn up fuel.
Use the air conditioning only when necessary: When the air conditioning compressor is on, extra fuel is burned in the engine to create the power to drive the compressor. This decreases the fuel economy of the engine.
Short trips do not allow the engine to warm up properly, increasing fuel consumption and exhaust emission output.
Avoid driving "two-footed": when resting your left foot on the brake pedal, the pressure will cause the brakes to gently apply, causing friction at the brakes and holding back the vehicle. This increases the fuel consumption, as well as causing the brakes to wear out quicker.
Share a ride whenever possible: This will decrease fuel consumption as well as making the trip more pleasant when accompanied by another person.