You could save up to $50 a week on petrol.
Got a bout of the bowser blues? The right car and driving technique can slash your petrol bills.
They say the only certainties in life are death and taxes but you'd be fairly safe to add petrol price hikes to that list.
The world oil price is creeping up again and while a strong Aussie dollar is keeping a lid on things, prices at the bowser are slowly but surely heading north.
Last week you were asked to shell out up to $1.42 for a litre of petrol in Sydney, according to price-watching website motormouth.com.au, with the average price peaking above $1.30 on some days. What's more, plenty of factors, such as global politics, could easily push prices higher, back to the $1.60 levels of recent years and beyond.
If you don't enjoy spending half your salary at petrol stations, don't despair. There are two main things you can do. One is to make sure the vehicle you drive delivers good fuel economy. The other is to drive in an economical manner.
With this in mind, here's a guide to the most economical vehicles and tips on how to drive them. A daily commuter who opts for a frugal car and drives carefully could save $50-a-week off his or her fuel bill.
Which vehicle is best for you?
When choosing a frugal car, consider factors such as whether most of your driving is in the city or country.
Hybrids are best suited to stop-start metro commuting. They are less effective on the open road and cost more than similar-sized petrol or diesel cars.
Diesels work well in most traffic conditions and they excel in hilly terrain, where their pulling power at modest revs is an asset. However, like hybrids, diesels also carry a price premium, usually about $2000. This undermines their savings unless you routinely cover plenty of kilometres or plan to keep the vehicle for five years or more.
Conventional petrol vehicles are keeping up with their rivals in terms of efficiency, thanks to clever under-bonnet developments and more efficient transmissions. They can't quite beat diesels and hybrids at the fuel-saving game but they can get close and are cheaper to buy.
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) set-ups are suited to big vehicles, which are not particularly economical. They'll never win a fuel efficiency contest outright.
Keep off the gas
If you can't afford to get behind the wheel of a super-economical vehicle immediately, there are still plenty of ways to reduce your fuel bill.
By adjusting your driving style and putting thought into trip planning, savings can be substantial.
Accelerate smoothly
A smooth throttle application at all times is important. The jerky on-off-on-off technique adopted by many taxi drivers is extremely inefficient.
Don't idle
Modern vehicles don't need to be warmed up by idling before moving.
Keep to optimum speed
The ideal cruising speeds of individual vehicles varies. Small cars are most efficient around 70km/h; bigger cars can travel a little faster.
Anticipate
Anticipation and reading the traffic ahead are assets, especially on city roads. Try to avoid stopping at traffic lights by slowing down earlier and maintaining at least some movement — vehicles, especially heavy ones, have a big drink of fuel when moving from rest.
Switch off
Switching off for any time over 45 seconds will save more fuel than is lost from the burst of fuel involved in restarting the engine.
Don't overcool
Set the airconditioning to low. Airconditioning will hurt your economy to the tune of about 10 per cent. Air from outside is also bad for fuel efficiency because window openings create drag.
Check tyre pressure
To improve rolling resistance, inflate tyres to the highest pressure recommended by the manufacturer.
Use the right fuel
Choose wisely at the bowser. Cheaper E10 (ethanol) petrol is false economy as it doesn't stretch as far as regular unleaded or premium unleaded. Use the grade of petrol recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. An engine designed to run on premium unleaded will not be as fuel efficient with lower-octane petrol.
Streamline
Roof racks and cargo boxes can increase fuel consumption.
Use momentum
Your vehicle will drink less fuel if you gather a little extra speed on descents so your vehicle has more pace on the subsequent climb.
Avoid cruise control
Don't activate cruise control except on flat rural roads or highways; in hilly or undulating areas, the cruise systems tend to kick down to lower gears, using more revs (and therefore more fuel).
Find more money-saving tips in the Essential Baby Managing Money Forums.
