I’m an expert hypermiler – here are the 9 ways you can save £40 A MONTH on petrol… and they are so simple
A HYPERMILER has revealed nine ways to save £40 per month on petrol.
Kevin Booker, 43, has achieved three Guinness World Records for his cash-saving expertise.
He began experimenting on his 70-mile round trips from Swansea to Brecon each day.
Kevin said: "It was about reading the road ahead and stuff and making sure you don't stop at roundabouts - judging traffic lights as well so you don't end up coming to a stop for a traffic light just for it to go green.
"It's more kind of rolling up to it and keeping some speed there but not actually coming to a complete stop.
"There's also things like looking at how much speed affected my journey times vs the efficiency of it.
"I found out by driving fractionally slower that overall your journey time is about the same, but you're saving a significant amount of fuel.
Here are his tips.
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Maintenance
Kevin said: "The first thing is maintaining your vehicle, making sure the tyre pressures are right, that oil levels are correct, if it's a fuel car.
"Tyre pressures are the thing, making sure they are in good condition. That is the key for the car side of it."
Read the road ahead
Drivers should try to read where the traffic is going and adjust their speed accordingly, Kevin said.
It means driving when there is a lot of congestion is worse than driving when the roads are clear.
Avoid stopping and starting
Just like reading the road ahead. Drivers should try to roll up to roundabouts or traffic lights so they don't have to come to a complete stop.
Remove excess weight
Heavier cars will need more energy to get them going than lighter cars, which increases fuel consumption.
Get rid of anything from the car that is weighing it down and does not need to be there.
Avoid harsh acceleration
Instead, increase speed at a gradual pace and gently move through the gears.
Harsh accelerations will add stress to the engine and burn more fuel than it needs to get to that speed.
Avoid harsh braking
Not only does this damage your breaks, it also negatively impacts your fuel consumption.
If you are approaching a red light, instead of slamming on the breaks, reduce your speed gradually to roll up to it.
Ideally, try to time it so you don't stop at all. This will mean you won't have to accelerate so much to get going again, which reduces fuel consumption.
Reduce drag
Cars are designed to be aerodynamic, but some things increase wind resistance and cause fuel-draining drag.
This means that your car uses up extra petrol because it's less streamlined.
External additions to your car such as roof bars, boxes and flags do this.
Driving with your windows down has the same effect.
Turn off air con
Avoid using your air conditioning when possible.
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Air con drains fuel so it's best to switch it off when you don't need it on.
Drive slower
Driving just a little bit slower will hardly impact the overall journey time but will save a lot of fuel.
