How to cut petrol costs

A change in fuel consumption habits could save you on average 8% of fuel costs says thismoney.co.uk. This works out to approximately £50-£100 per year. Manufacturers in the car industry have also said that driving slowly between 50-60mph can help reduce fuel consumption significantly, although this argument was countered by Peter De Nayer, who argued that 40mph was the optimum speed for fuel efficiency. (Read more about that here).

Here are some hints and tips to help you save fuel:

• Turn off Air Conditioning units and use windows - although this has been argued that windows can cause slight drag, the air conditioning units will still cause more fuel intake if turned on. So if you are warm, open the windows!
• Avoid sharp acceleration or braking. Acceleration should be smooth, if you are able to anticipate traffic flow in advance you can anticipate when to stop to avoid harsh braking.
• Removing clutter in your car that you don't necessarily need. Like that toolbox sat in your boot for months, do you really need to carry it around in your car with you everywhere? Do you have a bike rack on top of your car? If so, taking all of the necessary weight off your vehicle will help to decrease your fuel consumption significantly.
• Check your tyres to make sure that they are all properly inflated, underflated tyres cause more resistance when the car is moving which means your engine has to work even harder. According to car manufacturers, driving with soft tyres increases fuel consumption by 2%.
• Does your car have cruise control? If so, this could be a good option for you if you are planning a long journey, the unnecessary braking and accelerating that cruise control helps to will help reduce fuel intake.
• Check your exhaust system for any leaks.
• Cut out any unnecessary journeys, if it is only a couple of miles to your destination consider walking, cycling or using public transport.
• Supermarket promotions - many supermarkets offer incentives to their customers to buy products from them in their store. For example some offer that if a certain amount  of money is spent in their store they will give you a 10p off each litre voucher to use for your petrol.

If you'd like to calculate your annual petrol savings, use this nifty calculator brought to you by thisismoney.co.uk:  http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/petrol-bills-calculator

We've also had a look at Martin Lewis' website - moneysavingexpert.com who has some great advice as well as some suggestions for using promotional codes, offers and loyalty services to save extra pennies when it comes to buying fuel. Click here to read more.

We are sure there are more ways to conserve fuel, so if you have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to comment and give your feedback. Happy saving!