How To Boost Your Fuel Efficiency

Step 1: Improve your fuel economy, lower your CO2 emissions

There are a number of things you can do to make sure you're getting the highest number of miles out of your tank of petrol, while simultaneously lowering your emissions:
- Keep your tyres properly inflated – if they're deflated at all your car will find it harder to move, and as such will use more petrol in an effort to maintain speed. If one of your tyres is under-inflated by just two pounds per square inch, fuel consumption goes up by 1%.
- Change the oil regularly to keep the engine ticking over at full efficiency.
- Reduce any excess weight: don't cart a boot full of heavy stuff around unnecessarily – it's dragging you down and costing you money.
- Turn off the AirCon: it puts extra strain on the engine, which consequently guzzles more petrol.

- Close the windows: it reduces the inherent aerodynamic sleekness of your car, and can lead to a 10% decrease in fuel economy.
- Drive sensibly: keeping your speed constant over long distances uses less petrol, so don't stop and start. Allow your speed to creep up – revving the engine and causing the car to accelerate quickly is wasteful, as is speeding up to traffic lights and having to stop.
- Move up a gear as soon as possible – if traffic conditions allow, slip into a higher gear. You're at your most eco-friendly between 40 and 60 miles per hour.
- Don't leave the engine to warm up in winter; you're burning petrol unnecessarily.
- Choose quiet roads- the route might be longer, but if you're on a road that's backed up with traffic you're not doing the planet any good.
- Car share- split a journey with someone else – that's one less car on the road, ruining things.

Step 2: Buy the right car

You could always trade in your dirty old motor for something that's designed from the ground up to offer high mpg whilst spitting out as little C02 as possible! Having spent the last few years improving the efficiency and lowering the emissions of their cars, the manufacturers are lining up to offer you planet-saving technology that means updating your car will make a difference.

What's more the cleaner the car, the more money you'll save on your road tax. Check the labels on new cars to see which band it's in – from green to red. Pick something towards the top of the scale. It's worth knowing that some manufacturers are even offering additional discount off a new car if you scrap your old car, assuming it's over a certain age.

Choose an engine that suits your needs. Diesel engine cars are generally more expensive up front but if you're planning to do lots of long distance driving it can work out more cost effective.

Diesel also produces less CO2, but arguably more air pollutants, so you might want to consider that if you're driving around town. The best thing you can do is have a good look at the car's mpg and co2 figures before you buy.

Remember, over a year, a fuel-efficient car could save you the equivalent of three months fuel!