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Here are some practical tips and tricks to help you drive smarter and reduce your fuel consumption.
Fuel is money. So it follows that if you want to save money, and minimise the CO2 you're pumping into the atmosphere, you'll want to burn the absolute minimum amount of petrol possible. But how do you do it? Here are some practical tips and tricks to help you drive smarter and reduce your fuel consumption.
To achieve maximum fuel efficiency, your engine must operate at its best. This makes regular servicing crucial. Keep a track of your required services in the log book.
Additionally, keeping your tyres correctly inflated is also important – some of a car’s power is used just to overcome rolling resistance, and this increases with lower tyre pressures.
Weight and aerodynamics also have an impact on fuel consumption, so avoid carrying unnecessary heavy items in the boot.
Two identical cars driving the same route will return different fuel-economy results. One driver may aggressively accelerate, disregard traffic patterns, and brake unnecessarily, while another opts for gentle acceleration, coasting when feasible, and anticipates traffic flow to minimise braking and acceleration. The latter approach proves more efficient. Moreover, driving while angry or rushed often leads to erratic driving habits, making it challenging to maintain a smooth and efficient driving style.
On open, unobstructed roads, vehicles consume less fuel compared to navigating through frequent stops and starts in traffic. Opting for a longer highway route instead of a congested one to reach the same destination can often yield greater fuel efficiency. By investing a bit of effort in experimenting with and planning your daily commute, you could secure significant long-term financial benefits.
Do you even need to drive a traditional fuel-burning vehicle? EVs are powered by electricity from batteries rather than petrol or diesel. They are becoming a very popular car of choice, with more than 180,000 EVs on the road*. According to the National Electric Vehicle Strategy, an average EV costs around $400 in electricity a year, compared to a petrol car that costs around $2,400 in fuel per year. That’s a $2,000 saving!
So as fuel prices rise and rise, it makes sense both environmentally and financially to slip behind the wheel and zip down the road as economically as possible.
EVs are great for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cheaper to run than petrol cars and a whole lot of fun to drive.
Thanks to the Federal Government’s Electric Car Discount, eligible EVs^ financed through a novated lease are exempt from fringe benefits tax. This can add thousands of dollars of extra savings to the savings you may get from taking out a novated lease on a petrol car.
* Electric Vehicle Council, Australian Electric Vehicle Industry Recap 2023
^ Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) exemption available for eligible electric, plug in hybrid or hydrogen cell vehicles purchased through a novated lease up to the Luxury Car Tax limit ($91,387 in FY 2024-25). Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles will only be eligible for the exemption if a quote is signed and returned to us on or before 31 March 2025.