Smart driving saves the planet and your pocket

Burning rubber on the roads will burn a hole in your budget, while a smoother driving style saves lots of fuel.

Press gently on the accelerator and brakes, and shift to a higher gear as soon as possible while remaining within speed limits.

Driving more slowly also boosts fuel efficiency. A car travelling at 120kph uses 20% more fuel than one going at 100kph.

It also means more chances of a fine and penalty points in a 100kph zone – such as the M50 – and gives you less control over your car.

Also remove unused roof racks and bike carriers because they increase air resistance, and thereby fuel consumption, particularly at higher speeds.

The AA reckons that all these methods can knock 10% off fuel bills.

Saving: €180 a year

Shop around for fuel.

It’s not hard to do this- all stations must display their prices prominently.

Based on recent surveys, you can easily save 10c a litre just by shopping around locally.

Also try to “fill up” in the morning when fuel is colder and therefore more dense – so you get more.

Some stations have also been noted lowering prices in the early morning to encourage business at slack periods.

Another handy tip is not to keep filling up after the pump automatically clicks off. When it does, fuel in the nozzle is sucked back in so you’re just paying for it twice if you start to go again.

Annual saving: €124

Chill out

Air conditioning isn’t a must-have in Irish cars for the amount of time we need to use it. But it is present in most vehicles. And it does add alarmingly to fuel consumption.

The AA reckons “air con” can add up to 10 percent to fuel consumption – especially on short journeys.

So use the air vent instead – it’s free. Or even roll down your windows when driving slowly. That also reduces fuel efficiency but costs far less than air con – at low speeds.

Annual saving: €40

Change your route 

Are you faced with roadworks, excessive traffic and row upon row of traffic lights on the daily commute? It all means more stopping and starting and burns more fuel.

The the Google Maps app directs drivers away from queues to alternative routes, saving users time, money and frustration.

Saving: €40 a year

Pump it up

As well as being unsafe, driving on underinflated tyres is costly. Yet two-fifths of cars are driven with at least one tyre dangerously low in pressure, according to Michelin.

Your car’s logbook – usually left in the glovebox - should tell you the correct pressure. Otherwise enter your vehicle details at tyresafe.org/check-yourpressures.

The AA recommends drivers check tyre pressure every fortnight. It’s easy to do it. Either use your local garage’s inflator  or a foot pump with a pressure gauge.

Its RAC rival estimates tyre pressure can add 2% to fuel costs – or €30 a year.

Saving: €30 a year

Lighten the load 

A heavier car uses more fuel to get up to speed. 

So if you regularly carry a pile of clobber in the boot - ditch the dead weight to save cash.

Annual saving: €10 a year

HOW YOU CAN CUT FUEL BILLS

Driving smart - €180 per year

Shopping around for fuel - €124

Reduce air conditioning - €40

Changing route - €40 per year

Inflating tyres - €30 per year

Removing dead weight - €10 per year

Total: €424 per year 

Calculations based on class C family car driving an average 1600 km  per year.

Film-maker Declan Cassidy has discovered that appearences can be deceptive when it comes to picking a fuel-efficient car.

He currently drives a Mercedes e220, a big and sporty ‘motor’ that looks like a real ‘gas-guzzler’.

Yet it is actually more fuel efficient that his previous car, Toyota’s smallest runaround – the Aygo.

The Aygo was not the smoothest drive over long distance

or on some surfaces, and it actually guzzles more fuel than the much more comfortable big Merc.

His E220 BlueTEC returns a phenomenal 57.7mpg – which is more than Toyota’s smallest runaround.

And despite being a diesel car, it emits just 126g/km of CO2, which means motor tax is just €270.

Declan drove an Aygo because he feels strongly about the environment. Like many other drivers he switched to diesel a few years ago because we were encouraged by Government to do in order to reduce emissions.

“Diesel was a bad choice for the world. It was only later that problems emerged (about a particular type of air pollution). But as diesels go, the e220 is one of the most efficient cars there is,” he says 

Declan travels 100km most days between visiting his mother in a nursing home near Drogheda and attending Trinity College Dublin.

He always fills up in Drogheda – because it’s around ten cents cheaper than Dublin, on average.

“I got diesel there for 1.15c recently but that was when prices dipped a lot and it wasn’t consistent. There’s nothing mad cheap but I find that if I fill up in Drogheda, it could be 130c per litre – against 139c or 140c in Dublin,” he says.

“When I’m driving 100km a day to see my mam (Declan visits most days) that adds up,”  he says.

Declan is reaping the benefits of driving a relatively recent ‘smart car’ which has an inboard computer and lots of gizmos to help him to drive efficiently.

“I can see the difference – you can almost halve your fuel consumption at times by going easy on the accelerator.”

The car automatically cuts out when stopped at traffic lights which helps to further improve its phenomenal fuel efficiency.

“The onboard computer also tells me when I drive carelessly. I can get 4.2l per 100km versus 7 or 8 per 100km when not paying attention, so I really notice the difference.”

The car also warns when the air pressure in individual tyres gets too low.

“And I notice a difference in fuel consumption if the tyres are off balance.”

When he drove an Aygo, Declan, a beefy 6 footer, was once verbally slagged at traffic lights by immature males for driving such a small car.

“Now, I don’t get slagged. Or if they do I can’t hear them because I’ve left them  behind at the lights!,” he quips.