The greener driving guide

Put cars on an eco diet with these green tips on driving, planning and car maintenance – you'll improve your mpg and save money!

How much you will save

Green driving – ‘hyper miling’ as it’s sometimes known – is about going as far as you can on a tank of petrol.

Simple changes to how you drive – which soon become second nature – increase your mpg and chop around 10 per cent off your petrol bills, according to official government research. That’s a green saving of £6 for the average tank of petrol or another 10 miles free for every 100 miles you drive.

Read on for great ways to make your driving greener.

Watch your driving

New cars don’t need warming up

Just get in and go. Pumping the accelerator wastes fuel and increases engine wear.

Drive smoothly

Watch out for bends, traffic lights and roundabouts – there’s no point accelerating towards them and then braking. Speeding up and slowing down gradually improves fuel efficiency by around a third.

Change gear at the right time

A car travelling at 37mph in third gear uses a quarter more fuel than in fifth gear. Shift to a higher gear at 2,500rpm for petrol cars and 2,000rpm for diesel cars.

Stick to speed limits

Fuel efficiency plummets after 60mph. At 70mph you could be using 30 per cent more fuel for the same distance than at 50mph.

Turn off the engine

If you’re stuck in a traffic jam or are stationary for more than two or three minutes, switch off the engine to save fuel.

Check your car

Make your car lighter

The heavier your car, the more petrol it uses. So take anything you don’t need out of the boot (except for the spare tyre!)

Remove the roof rack

As well as making your car heavier, it increases air resistance (as do open windows).

Service your car regularly

Green drivers make sure their engine is operating at peak efficiency.

Check your tyre pressure

Under-inflated tyres are dangerous and increase fuel consumption by up to 3%.

Turn off the air con

Air conditioning uses petrol – up to 10% more (even the rear window heater uses 5%).

Plan your journey

Check for roadworks and traffic

Traffic jams are a real waste of petrol, so check if you’re likely to be affected. Likewise, drive outside rush hour if you can.

Know where you’re going

Driving round lost is another big green driving no-no (as is looking for a parking spot). Investing in a sat nav can save you a lot of time and petrol.

More advice

We’ve got lots more green money-saving advice – why not share your green driving tips in our forums?