Tips on how to get the most out of your tank of petrol during the fuel crisis

With drivers having to go from forecourt to forecourt looking for petrol and diesel, driving fuel efficiently has suddenly become much more important.

Fortunately, there’s also lots you can do to get as much out of a single tank of petrol or diesel as possible. Try these tips from the RAC:

Drive with a light right foot

The way you drive has the biggest impact on how much fuel you use. Accelerate and brake gently, and in a manual car drive in the highest gear possible (while staying within the speed limit of course). This keeps the engine’s revs down and saves fuel.

Try to maintain momentum

Slowing down (and stopping) and then having to build speed back up again wastes fuel, so as far as you can anticipate what’s happening up ahead and adjust your speed smoothly using the gears. For instance, if you can see traffic lights ahead are red then approach more slowly and you may not need to stop at all. Good for your mpg, and you’ve kept moving!

Combine your journeys

Cold starts increase your car’s fuel consumption, whereas a warm engine is a much more efficient one, so try to make one round trip rather than lots of separate ones where you’re switching off and then back on again.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “The recent events have thrown into sharp focus just how dependent many of us are on our cars, whether that’s getting to and from work, shopping, attending urgent medical appointments or going to see friends and family. While we all hope not to see a return to the worst of the forecourt delivery problem but if we do, it’s worth knowing what to do to conserve as much fuel as possible – and even in normal times, driving more efficiently can save drivers money.”

More tips on fuel efficient driving can found here: www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/how-to/fuel-saving-tips