Save close to R20k of fuel a year

Wednesday, 1 April, 2020

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s budget speech delivered a double whammy for motorists.

With the general fuel levy increasing by 16 cents per litre, cashstrapped motorists will have to make the most of every tank of fuel. Coupled with the nine cents per litre RAF hike, you can expect to pay about R60 extra per month for a 60-litre tank of petrol if you fill up four times a month.

However, there are ways to make the pinch less painful. You can boost the fuel efficiency of your car by 40% by maintaining it and changing your bad driving habits. So, if you fill up 48 times a year at R1 000 per tank, a 40% reduction in fuel consumption could save you over R19 000 a year.

Here are tips for better fuel economy:

Service your car regularly. Worn spark plugs, sticky brakes, low coolant levels, dirty oil and dirty fuel and air filters all add up to engine inefficiency, which increases fuel consumption.

Check your car’s wheel alignment. Bad wheel alignment causes more friction, which takes more power to overcome and results in higher fuel consumption.

Check for underinflated tyres, as these, too, increase resistance.

Close the windows when driving, as open windows cause drag.

Reduce the car’s weight by removing unnecessary items from it and, if you mostly do urban driving, consider driving with only half a tank of fuel.

Reduce drag by removing roof racks and other accessories when they aren’t in use.

Don’t speed.

Avoid stop-starting. Maintain momentum by looking ahead, flowing with traffic and timing your approaches to hills, traffic lights and crossings better. 27 27

Drive at the lowest speed in the highest gear that the road and traffic conditions allow, without labouring the engine.

Use the air conditioning only when necessary.

Do several tasks on one round trip, as opposed to many shorter ones.

Wait out the traffic. If traffic is heavily congested, spend a bit more time at the office to tick more items off your to do list.

Read or listen to traffic reports and monitor your GPS for faster routes.

Susan Steward is with Budget Insurance