Driving economically

Driving economically will provide you with a number of benefits.
When you drive economically, you consciously drive more carefully and are therefore safer. A safe journey is less stressful, and will result in less wear and tear on your car, whether through gentler braking, less revving or fewer collisions.

By driving economically, you will put out far less pollutants into the atmosphere, meaning that you're helping the planet as well as your pocket.

How to drive economically

• Try to accelerate more gently and smoothly
• Read the road and traffic conditions well ahead so that you can anticipate when you may need to reduce speed
• Come off the gas early, brake gently, and when appropriate, regain your speed smoothly
• Drive in the highest gear you can which is suitable for the speed at which you are travelling

Things to remember:

• Every time you accelerate or brake hard, you are wasting fuel
• In lower gears the engine turns faster and will therefore use more fuel
• 5th gear can be used on most cars at 40 mph, or more, and should be used on any road when travelling at or above this speed
• Most modern cars will give extremely good fuel consumption at around 50-60 miles per hour

So remember: drive smoothly, anticipate changes in speed and respond early, make good and sensible use of the gears, and you will get the most out of every precious drop of fuel.