How to Reduce Fuel Consumption

The fuel price is an important factor to consider when you buy a car. In fact, it’s important to check the fuel consumption of your next vehicle.

Here are a few tips to help you reduce your fuel consumption these days.

Take the Time to Get Informed

If you’re looking for a vehicle, it’s a good idea to check its fuel consumption before you buy it.

The vehicle’s technical data sheet usually contains three important pieces of information about its fuel consumption:

• City fuel consumption
• Highway fuel consumption
• Combined fuel consumption

The fuel consumption in the city will be the highest, because your vehicle uses more fuel in town than on the freeway. Fuel consumption will be lower on the highway, while combined consumption is a good indicator of your next vehicle’s fuel consumption.

In short, take the time to examine these data before you make your purchase.

How to Reduce Fuel Consumption

Now that you’ve taken note of your vehicle’s combined fuel consumption, here are a few tips on how to reduce your fuel consumption.

Favor Even Driving

First of all, we advise you to avoid sudden acceleration. In fact, when you hit the gas pedal hard, you use up liters of fuel more quickly. Get into the habit of driving smoothly, without jerking the gas pedal.

On the freeway, stick to the speed limit to save fuel at the service station. In fact, car manufacturers use this speed limit as the basis for their fuel consumption figures on the freeway, for example.

Plan Your Destination in Advance

It’s not just a question of entering your destination on your smartphone. If you want to save on fuel, you’ll also need to find out about the route in question, so you’re aware of any roadworks in progress, possible bypasses, rest areas on your route, especially if it extends over long hours, and so on.

This way, you can optimize your journey, anticipate any inconveniences and save fuel along the way.

Plan Your Departure and Arrival

You’ll save fuel if you plan to leave outside morning and evening rush hours, especially if you have to get to urban centers.

For example, if you need to get to downtown Montréal, Laval, Québec City, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières or Gatineau, it would be wise, if you can, to skip the morning rush hour and plan to arrive after 10am. The same applies at the end of the day, after 6.30pm.

Avoiding a traffic jam will save you fuel. In addition, since today’s gas prices tend to fluctuate quickly, it’s important to plan your departure and arrival times.

Drive within the Speed Limits

If you drive a car within the speed limits in town, you’ll also use less fuel. Respecting the speed limits indicated on road signs is certainly a safety measure for motorists, but it also affects your wallet.

Driving within the speed limit will save you gas at the pump.

Have Good Tires

Whether you have winter tires or summer tires, they must be in good condition. Tires with worn tread will affect your fuel consumption.

When a tire’s performance is no longer proven, it can exert unnecessary forces on the vehicle, contributing to poor fuel economy.

Therefore, it is recommended to check the condition of your tires, or have them checked, before each season (spring and autumn), and spare yourself a few dollars at the gas station.

In conclusion, as you can see, it is possible to save on your gas consumption by applying these few recommendations.

On the other hand, if you opt for an electric car, you’ll reduce your energy consumption, since it will cost you around $50/month in electricity if you drive 20,000 km a year.

In short, if you’re shopping for a used car at touteslesmarques.ca, your dealers in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, on Côte-Nord and in Charlevoix regions, do not hesitate to ask for information on fuel consumption in order to get a better idea of what to expect.

Look for a fuel-efficient vehicle and take advantage of our tips to reduce your fuel consumption. You’ll be doing your bit for the environment, and your wallet will be smiling too. Happy shopping!