Fuel Economy

Fuel prices continue to rise, and even though modern vehicles are becoming gradually more and more fuel efficient, fuel bills can easily run into thousands of pounds per year for each vehicle.

There are various actions that can be taken to help to reduce the fuel bill, including:-

Ensuring the vehicle is regularly serviced and maintained

Ensuring the vehicle always has the correct tyre pressures

Avoiding carrying any unnecessary weight in the vehicle

(not always easy or practical in company vehicles)

Keep windows and sunroof closed to reduce drag or wind resistance, especially at higher speeds

Turn off air conditioning when it is not needed.

All of this advice can make differences to the fuel bill, however, the single best thing that can be done to improve a vehicle’s fuel economy is a well trained driver, employing defensive, fuel efficient driving techniques.

Driving for better fuel economy does not mean having to drive excessively slowly. A well trained driver will still be able to reach their destination without wasting time, often having a higher average speed than the untrained driver.

The trained driver will make more efficient use of speed, deciding when to go quickly, but also using good planning and anticipation skills to avoid unnecessary use of wasteful acceleration, or harsh braking, therefore not only saving fuel, but also saving wear and tear on their vehicle, and still arriving at their destination promptly.

There are many variables that will govern how much fuel economy can be improved by driver training; type of vehicle; type of journey; volume of traffic; how good or otherwise the driver currently is; however savings of between 10% and 15% are quite common.