How To Save Money On Gas
To save money on gas, avoid rapid acceleration and braking, use regular gas instead of premium gas if possible, and find the cheapest fuel on your usual routes.
Written by Jason Tushinski
Reviewed by Carrie Adkins
If you want to save some cash at the pump, avoid rapid acceleration and hard braking, opt for regular gas instead of premium (unless your car requires it), find the cheapest gas on your usual routes—and use your bicycle or walk more often to avoid taking the car out at all.
Many factors go into your car’s fuel economy, including your speed, whether you’re driving in the city or on the highway, and the fuel efficiency of your car. Implementing some simple changes can have a big impact on both your wallet and the environment.
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Be a smart driver
One of the easiest ways to save money on gas is by being a more intelligent driver. Maintaining a calm style of driving preserves gas, which will be worth it once you realize you’re making fewer trips to the gas station.
Avoid aggressive driving and braking
- Both starting aggressively and slamming on the brakes waste gas, as does cruising at high speeds
- A calm driving style saves plenty of gas—conserving between 33 and 38% on average for cars, trucks, and SUVs
Maintain your car
Don’t forget to keep your car in tip-top shape. A tuned-up car is more efficient than a poorly maintained one—a neglected car can waste up to 25% more fuel than a properly maintained vehicle. Here are some tricks to keep your car in tip-top shape:
- Take your car to a dealer or a trusted mechanic for regularly scheduled tune-ups
- Watch out for problems with mechanisms like brakes—fuel is wasted when more wheel resistance than necessary is used to slow down your car
- Use your air conditioning as little as possible—this feature is known to drive up a vehicle’s overall fuel usage
- Maintain your tire pressure as recommended by the manufacturer—properly inflated tires boost fuel economy, prevent wear and tear, and improve safety
Don’t use premium gas
Make sure you are using the right grade of fuel in your car. You may not need premium fuel for your vehicle—even if the manufacturer recommends it.
- Most cars can operate normally with regular or mid-level fuel in their tanks
- Check your owner’s manual—if your car absolutely requires premium, then use it
- If premium gasoline is recommended, try a lower grade—if it works, use the lower-grade fuel going forward, and you’ll save money every time you fill up.
Buy cheap gas
Buying cheaper gas is another sure-fire way to save on fuel. Find the cheapest gas station near you, but don’t waste fuel, time, and money driving across the city for the absolute cheapest gas you can find. Your wallet (and the planet) will thank you.
- Join a warehouse club, such as Costco, which often have cheaper gas (sometimes by nearly 50 cents) than major fuel providers
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Be fuel-efficient
To really save gas and keep that wallet of yours full, be fuel-efficient by changing your behavior or by buying a new car!
Buy a fuel-efficient car
If you’re in a position to buy a more fuel-efficient gas-powered car, that’s a great option. Before making a purchase, here’s what to look out for:
- Buy a car that meets your needs but doesn’t waste fuel unnecessarily
- Take a close look at the engines—try buying a car with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine
- Turbocharged engines boost a car’s acceleration while saving gas
- More powerful six- or eight-cylinder engines waste more fuel than a turbocharged four-cylinder engine
MORE: How to choose an eco-friendly car
Go hybrid or electric
If you want to take fuel efficiency to a new level, ditch your gas-powered car for an electric or hybrid vehicle. Here’s what you should consider:
- Look past the sticker price because electrics and hybrids prove their value over time
- Hybrid and electric vehicles usually have lower maintenance costs over their lifespan than their gas-powered counterparts
- Federal or state governments may offer credits or incentives for buying electric or hybrid vehicles, thereby reducing the money you actually owe on the car
- Electrics and hybrids are more fuel-efficient than gas-powered cars and far better for the environment
Don’t idle
Idling is a big contributor to pollution. By cutting it out of your driving behavior you’ll not only help the environment but waste less gas, as well.
- If you are idling your car in cold weather, do so for no more than 30 seconds
- An engine idling for more than 10 seconds uses up more fuel than it takes to start the average car (between 0.29 and 0.39 gallons per hour)
- Gently driving your car in cold weather will get it heated up faster than idling (and it's better for the environment)
Get an engine block heater
An engine block heater can warm up your engine and car in cold weather without wasting gas from idling.
- Using a block heater improves fuel consumption by as much as 15% on trips under 12 miles
- Engine block heaters are designed to warm up your car’s engine and fluids before you start your car (so you won’t have to idle)
- Block heaters will also warm up the inside of your car
Drive less
This is another great way to save money on gas—if you don’t need to use your car to get things done, then don’t use it!
- Walking or biking to a nearby store or the post office saves fuel, protects the environment, and helps you get your steps in
- Use a Fitbit or other app to track your steps and how many calories you burned to give your walks more purpose (while saving fuel and money in the process)
- Take public transit to save plenty of cash—and contribute to having fewer vehicles on the road
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