gas saving tips

Best Gas Saving Tips to Increase Your Mileage

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Depending on the state they live in, Americans annually spend, on average, between $400 and $1,300 on gas. The most common average yearly cost of gas per person in the US moves around the $1,000 mark. Meaning, a family with three active drivers spends about $3,000 on fuel.

Spending less money is possible by implementing a few simple changes. In this article, you can find 20 tested gas saving tips that actually work. These tricks will help you improve your car’s mileage and, consequently, save you cash quickly.

Drive Slower

Most of the cars spend more fuel when the speed of driving is 60 mph or more. Driving slower has a positive impact on petrol mileage, and it’s also safer for you. The speed at which the vehicle is most economical depends on the model of the car. Still, regardless of the model, driving it at speed above 60mph is not efficient.

Inflate Your Tires

One of the best gas saver tips is to have your car tires inflated at the right pressure, always. This is useful for saving money on gas, but also, it’s better for the tires and safer for you. With this simple step, you will notice the gas mileage improving by at least 0.6%. In some cases, the savings can go up to 3%. To find your vehicle’s optimal tire pressure check the sticker located in the door jamb.

Regular Maintenance Helps

Regular maintenance of the car will help with the gas mileage. Routine maintenance, among other things, includes oil change, filter replacement, and tuning-up. Oil should be changed every 3 to 6 months. This increases your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. Just make sure to use the oil grade recommended by the manufacturer. A tune-up can boost gasoline efficiency by 4%, depending on the type of repair.

Be Smart About Filling Ups

Filling up your tank without planning and frequently isn’t smart. Instead, fill up the tank, and do the next top-up when there is less than a quarter tank. This is a classic pick among our tested gasoline saving tips. When your tank is full, the car is heavier, and it uses more petrol when driving. Operating low on petrol, however, can damage your vehicle. So, the strategy explained above is the optimal one for keeping your car in excellent condition while saving gas.

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Avoid Overusing The AC

Using the AC carefully is among the best gas saving tips. After all, your air conditioning unit uses power directly from the motor of the car. Meaning, the vehicle spends additional fuel to power the unit. The AC in the car decreases fuel efficiency by almost 3 miles per gallon. However, this varies based on the size of the vehicle and the year of production. Not overusing the AC can save money even for those living in a camper.

Accelerate Moderately

Driving slowly and accelerating moderately is another classic strategy on how to save gas in your car. This is not only a way to save money on gas, but it’s also a tip on safe driving. Quick acceleration is inefficient when it comes to fuel consumption because it requires more power. Hence, it spends more petrol.

Use Gas Saving Apps

These give useful information that saves you both fuel and time. Choose an app that provides info on traffic, what streets to avoid, price calculator, etc. They can even calculate your trip costs and give valuable tips. So, these are useful for when you’re creating your vacation savings plan too.

Some apps also have loyalty programs that give you a specific discount when you use their payment feature. Not sure what the best gas-saving apps are?

Here are our recommendations:

  • Gas Buddy
  • Gas Guru
  • MapQuest
  • Waze
  • Upside

Compare Gasoline Prices

As gasoline prices are not the same everywhere, it’s beneficial to check them regularly. Always fill up your tank at stations that have the most affordable prices. If you’re not willing to do the work, just get an app that lets you compare petrol prices. While getting cheaper gasoline doesn’t affect the mileage, it undoubtedly positively impacts your budget.

Keep Eyes On The RPMs

Adequately changing gears is a good strategy on how to conserve gas while driving manual vehicles. Depending on whether the car is diesel or petrol, there is a certain number of revs per minute (RPMs) that make the fuel mileage most efficient. For diesel cars, once the RPMs meter hits 2,500, it’s time to change the gear. With petrol cars, you can go up to 3,000 RPMs.

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Avoid Idling

Do you wonder how to increase fuel economy without putting in any special effort? Well, avoid idling! There is a wide misconception that idling is better than turning your car off and then on. In reality, idling wastes your petrol and should be avoided. So, next time you’re idling – park up instead!

Close Your Windows

Air resistance directly impacts the amount of gasoline your car spends. When you drive at high speeds with the windows open, the vehicle loses its aerodynamics. So, it needs more power to achieve the desired speed. Meaning, its fuel consumption increases.

Turn Cruise Control On

Cruise control is the best way to save gas while driving on the highway. Steady speed is the key to obtaining optimal mileage. Cruise control devices achieve this by automatically regulating your speed. No slowdowns, speedups, and similar speed fluctuations.

Keep Your Distance

Tailgating is terrible for gasoline efficiency. When you’re not keeping your distance, you must hit the breaks or change directions suddenly. Both lead to spending more petrol than usual.

Avoid Using Your Car

This isn’t one of the ways to save gas mileage. Instead, this is a strategy to use your car less and, consequently, spend less petrol. How can you achieve this? Well, carpooling is always an option for going to work without your vehicle. You can try using public transportation if possible or even take the bike instead.

Unload Your Car

This is simple physics. The heavier a vehicle is, the more power it needs to move. Meaning, any heavy load will negatively impact your mileage. The easiest way to deal with this issue is to clean up your car and remove any unnecessary heavy items. For instance, there’s no need to carry your 30-pound kayak in your trunk if you’re not using it frequently.

Get Free Gasoline Gift Cards

If implementing tips to save gas isn’t the right fit for you, try and get free gas cards instead. After all, the money you’re not spending is money you’re saving, right? To grab gasoline gift cards, you can join rewards programs of gas stations. Shell Fuel Rewards, Speedway, and British Petrol are some reliable options. You can use travel rebates when on a trip, complete online surveys, or put ads on your vehicle for free petrol too.

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Fill Up Either Early In The Mornings Or Late At Night

This is a well-kept secret any driver should know! Gas is cooler and, therefore, denser at low temperatures. Meaning, when you top up the tank when it’s colder outside, you get more gasoline for the same amount of cash. To ensure the fuel is as cold as possible, visit petrol stations either early in the morning or late at night.

Avoid Excessive Braking

One of the simplest fuel savers that really work is avoiding sudden and excessive braking. This terrible habit not only lowers your gas mileage, but it’s also bad for your brakes. Extreme braking leads to tires wearing out faster too. So, from now on, forget about hitting the brakes suddenly. Instead, drive within the legal limits, avoid tailgating, and slow down before you stop.

Buy A Fuel-Efficient Car

For obvious reasons, this step isn’t possible for everyone. To buy a new vehicle, you need to spend your savings. Alternatively, if your credit score is poor, you can get a car loan for bad credit. Still, it’s not an option you should ignore altogether. By upgrading to a car that gets 30 MPG instead of 20 MPG, you can save up to $650 per year. Plus, if you compare car insurance rates, you’ll see that you’ll save on insurance too.

Get Help From Free Gas USA

If you often wonder, “where can I get help with gas for my car?” try reaching out to Free Gas USA. This organization has been helping Americans who need emergency petrol ever since 2008. Assistance is provided to people who need fuel for doctor appointments, getting to work, or picking up their children. Free Gas USA issues monthly grants whose size ranges from $50 to $1,200.

Gasoline Saving Tips – Bottom Line

Driving less isn’t the only way to spend less money on fuel. Try implementing our proven ways to get better gas mileage instead. You don’t even have to use them all. Stick to the ideas that suit your driving style.

May it be closing your windows or driving slowly, any of these will be a positive change. Even if the savings seem minimal. In the long run, you’ll save thousands of dollars by improving your driving habits.

Our ProMoneySavings financial experts regularly publish similar content on saving money quickly. So, subscribe to our newsletter if you’d like to get all our latest articles directly into your inbox.


Frequently Asked Questions


How can I make gas last longer?

Driving slowly and avoiding idling are two sure ways to improve your gas mileage. Regular maintenance of your car (changing oil, replacing filters, etc.) helps your vehicle be more efficient. Closing your windows while driving and turning off the AC have positive effects too. Other steps for making petrol last longer include inflating tires, using cruise control, and avoiding excessive braking.

Does filling your tank save gas?

Filling up your tank makes your vehicle heavier. So, the car will work harder and spend more fuel. On the other hand, it saves you time and lowers the chance of water condensation in the tank. When your tank is at least half-way full, it also prevents other adverse effects on your car. So, even though it doesn’t directly save gas, filling up is the smarter way to go.

What are two ways to save gasoline?

Slow driving is the surest way to save petrol. The other tested strategies are to inflate your tires, close your windows, and turn off the air conditioning. You can take a few extra steps to improve your gas mileage too. These include regular vehicle maintenance, monitoring RPMs, and removing any heavy items from your car.

How can I use less gas?

Using less fuel is possible through better driving techniques or less driving. If the second option doesn’t work for you, you can try the following tips. Drive slowly, keep your eyes on the RPMs, and avoid tailgating. Also, make sure to close your windows when driving fast and turn off the AC whenever possible. When combined, these steps can significantly improve your mileage.


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    Joseph

    12 thoughts on “Best Gas Saving Tips to Increase Your Mileage

    1. Kara says:

      I love to have electric car and not bother with gas saving tips. They are so expensive. Maybe in a few years I can afford one.

      1. Joseph says:

        Sure, good luck!

    2. Angelo Porter says:

      For me the best way how to save on gas is to have my tires in top shape and to drive slowly. I didn’t know the thing about gas density, I’m doing it from now on.

      1. Joseph says:

        Thanks for sharing your own experience, Angelo!

    3. Boris Bogomolov says:

      I need to spend less on gas and I was looking for gasoline saving tips online. This is by far the best article I found. So detailed and nicely explained. Bravo!

      1. Joseph says:

        Thank you very much!

    4. Niley says:

      Shell has the best loyalty program if you ask me. I’m lucky enough to leave nearby a Shell station and that’s where I do the fillups every single time.

      1. Joseph says:

        Thanks for sharing your own expertise!

    5. Zara M. says:

      This post is the money saver I needed so badly. It’s amazing that someone took the time to list all these helpful ideas.

      1. Joseph says:

        Thank you kindly!

    6. Shpresa Ganiu says:

      I would love to have electric car and buy no gas and be eco. That’s still not an option for me, so for now I follow your guide!

      1. Joseph says:

        Thank you!

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