
Fuel efficiency tips
Checking and adjusting the pressure of your tires once a month may increase a car's fuel efficiency by up to 3%.
AccelerationRapid acceleration and braking often may decrease instantaneous fuel economy by up to 33%.
WeightRemoving 100 pounds of stuff from your trunk may increase fuel efficiency by 2%.
IdlingTurn off your car engine while you are waiting.
GearsGet into the habit of shifting to a higher gear as soon as you can. Higher gears are more economical in terms of fuel consumption.
Cruise controlUsing cruise control on the freeway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, save fuel.
Proper maintenanceFixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test may improve its fuel mileage by an average of 4%, though results vary. Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, may improve your mileage by as much as 40%.
Air filtersReplacing a clogged air filter on vehicles with fuel-injected, computer-controlled gasoline engines — such as those manufactured from the early 1980s to the present — or diesel engines does not improve fuel economy, but it can improve acceleration.
Replacing a clogged air filter on an older vehicle with a carburetted engine may improve both fuel economy and acceleration by a few percentage points under normal replacement conditions.
Route planningAre you going out to run weekly errands, or are you just dropping one letter off at the post office and coming right home? You will essentially cut distance traveled and fuel usage in half by making all your stops at once, instead of taking multiple short round trips.
The data has been sourced from the U.S. Department of Energy.