9 Ways to Improve Fuel Efficiency of Your Car
Key Points
- The smallest changes in your driving habits can significantly improve your car’s fuel efficiency.
- Always plan your journey to avoid unnecessary traffic issues.
- Driving safe and steady is always the best way to avoid unnecessary fuel consumption.
Have you ever considered how much of an impact your driving habits have on your car’s fuel efficiency? With the rising fuel price in Malaysia, it is more important than ever to consider how you are driving and if your vehicle can improve its fuel efficiency.
Sometimes the smallest changes can make a big difference. You may be interested that you can improve fuel efficiency with 9 simple steps.
1. Reduce weights
The more weight you take on, the less enjoyable driving can be. Get rid of anything that is unnecessary and takes up space in your car. You’ll be surprised that the car is heavier when you add up either a forgotten backpack or sports equipment in your car.
Interesting fact: Did you know every extra 50kg your car puts on will increase fuel consumption by 2%?
2. Remain steady when accelerating
I remember the first time when I learned how to drive. My instructor wanted me to drive safe and steady, especially when accelerating. Not only are you safer, but you decrease fuel consumption.
Don’t rev the accelerator suddenly when you’re driving a car and need to accelerate quickly. Prevent sudden acceleration or hard brakes, as this will help conserve fuel.
3. Regular maintenance
Maintaining your car is the number one way to prevent rolling resistance from taking away fuel efficiency. Make sure you check for any loose parts and inflate tires appropriately, so they don’t wear down too quickly. When you drive a car with underinflated tires, it will increase fuel consumption by 3%, and this will cost you a fortune for an extended period.
Moreover, your engine’s efficiency is a key factor in determining how much fuel you use. That means anything that affects it, such as dirty spark plugs, air filters, or clogged-up injection systems, will affect your overall gas consumption! Therefore regular maintenance is a must if you want to improve your fuel efficiency for your car.
If yours is a used car, you might need to put more effort and care into your engine status because your car might be old enough to have engine issues. Read this to know more about the differences between new and used cars.
4. Be prepared for your journey
It is essential to plan your journey before you start driving. If possible, try to avoid black traffic spots and busy times. Use the navigation apps (Google Maps, Waze) to help you with your road journey. This will allow your journey to go smoothly and improve fuel efficiency.
Moreover, combine your journey and run your errands one after the other in that area to avoid multiple visits to the same place. For example, plan to visit your friend at KL Gateway. You should also visit Jaya Grocer to purchase groceries before going home (if necessary).
The consequences of stop-start traffic are easily seen, especially when most of us now are working at the office. According to road safety expert Professor Dr Kulanthayan K.C. Mani, there are 33.3 million registered vehicles in Malaysia, much higher than the total number of Malaysians (32.6 million) last year. Increasing engine pressure and greater fuel consumption drastically reduce a car’s fuel efficiency.
5. Eco mode
The eco mode is designed to improve fuel economy by restricting engine and transmission performance.
When you stomp on the gas, your vehicle won’t do everything in its power to go as fast as it can. Instead of going at top speed, which would be against manufacturer guidelines for Eco Mode settings, it’ll travel only at speed allowed with those settings activated.
6. Drive within speed limit
Depending on the route, driving at a stable speed that is not too fast or slow is recommended. Speeding up fast and braking hard can be very fuel inefficient, so avoid doing that when driving on the highway.
The efficiency of a car changes depending on how fast you’re going. For example, at 120 km per hour, your vehicle uses about 20% more fuel than when travelling at slower speeds at 100km/h. The ideal speed to avoid fuel waste and maximize driving efficiency is about 50-90 km/h on the highway.
7. Avoid idling in your vehicle
Sometimes I would like to sit in my car with air-cond and music to enjoy some alone time, especially after a busy day. However, this is not an excellent way to improve your fuel efficiency. We might have a misconception that idling cars will not waste much fuel.
Surprisingly, idling your car is a massive waste of fuel and gives off tons more pollution compared to when you are driving. So, next time when you are waiting for something or someone that requires more than 3 minutes, turn off your engine. It might seem like a small action, but it can make an incredible difference in how much fuel is used!
8. Understand the road
We have different kinds of roads in Malaysia, from flat surfaces to uphill and downhill types of road. It is essential to understand so that you can choose the most efficient way to drive on that road.
For example, when going uphill, you should accelerate early and use gravity to your advantage by building up momentum when going down the incline to help you get uphill quickly. This will help you gain speed rather than accelerating hard up the hill.
When driving, look far ahead and keep moving wherever possible by anticipating obstacles. Easing off the accelerator is better than speeding up and then braking again, and it’s more efficient!
9. Choose the right fuel
Some misconceptions using RON97 is more efficient than RON95. However, this is wrong because RON97 not only cost more than RON95 but also didn’t reduce fuel consumption. Not only is your fuel efficiency not improving, but it might also increase the burden of your daily financial planning. Read this to understand which fuel is more suitable for you!
Verdict
As we know, driving nowadays in Malaysia is NOT cheap at all. Therefore, improving the fuel efficiency of your car is a must! Reduce weight, regular maintenance of your car is very important. Moreover, your driving behaviour is one of the main factors in improving your car’s fuel efficiency! Therefore, DO drive safe and steady!
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Related: Most Fuel-Efficient Cars in Malaysia | Which Petrol is Better? RON95 or RON97?
