Fuel duty has increased during the last few weeks and, as announced in the recent Budget, will go up again this September and next April.  But an experiment conducted by What Car? magazine has found that motorists can wipe out these hikes many in fuel duty times over, just by changing the way they drive. 

 

What Car? put eight readers through an eco-driving course at Millbrook Proving Ground to prove the point and they cut fuel consumption by 21% on average – a saving of almost £350 a year, whereas the most recent hike in fuel duty will cost the average motorist an additional £27 per year.

 

What Car? group editor Steve Fowler, explains:  “Each of our readers drove a specially designed 11-mile route to mimic different types of road driving. No eco-driving tips were given before or during the run, but fuel economy was measured.

 

“Next, they were given tuition on how to cut fuel consumption, and then sent off to drive exactly the same route – this time with a personal coach – to see how much fuel they could save using clever, but simple, eco-driving techniques.  All eight readers managed to slash their fuel consumption by between 17% and 53%.

 

“There are not only hefty fuel savings to be made.  If our eight test readers matched their improvements on the road for a year, they’d also emit a tonne less carbon dioxide. If every driver in the UK did the same that would jump to a whopping 33 million tonnes – the equivalent of taking nearly a quarter of all cars off the road in the same period.”

 

The magazine has also just published its top ten ways to save fuel:

1. Maintain momentum.  Your car uses most fuel getting away from a standstill.  The answer?  Don’t let it stop – keep it moving.  Pull away slowly and anticipate the road ahead, keeping a good distance from the traffic in front.  That way, you’ll need to stop fewer times.

 

2. Change up earlier.  Change up a gear as early as possible.  The fewer revs the engine is doing at any given speed, the more miles it’ll do to the gallon.

 

3. Shed weight.  Don’t lug around empty child seats or a boot full of tools.  The lighter your car is, the less fuel it’ll use.

 

4. Choose an eco route.  The way you get to places makes a big difference to your fuel economy.  Log on to www.viamichelin.co.uk for an easy way to plan economical routes.  Also remember that a longer route might cut your fuel bills if there’s less stop-start traffic.

 

5. Slash your speed.  As long as you’re in top gear, the slower you’re going the more miles per gallon you’ll do.  Cruise at 60mph rather than 90mph on the motorway and you’ll use roughly 50% less fuel.

 

6. Stay in gear.  Modern cars shut off the fuel injectors when you’re coasting in gear.  Staying in gear for as long as possible (rather than coasting with your foot on the clutch) will save you cash.

 

7. Switch off electronics.  Switch off your air-conditioning and you could save up to 20% on fuel.  Other electrics (such as headlights, stereos and satellite navigation) also require extra energy from the engine.

 

8. Check your tyre pressures.  Under-inflated tyres create excess drag.  Pump yours up to the correct pressures and you’ll use up to 25% less fuel.

 

9. Streamline your car.  Remove your roof rack or roof box when not needed, and wind up windows whenever possible (open windows cause drag, too).

 

10. Stop-start in traffic.  Some modern cars will automatically switch off the engine when you come to a halt.  If yours doesn’t (and you’re stationary for more than a minute), do it yourself.