The Money Saving Expert founder spoke about the tips on a recent episode of his Money Show on ITV
Martin Lewis has revealed straightforward methods to reduce petrol or diesel consumption by up to 30% through improved vehicle efficiency. The Money Saving Expert (MSE) founder discussed these strategies during a recent instalment of his Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV.
He explained that his recommendations, which include a 45kg ‘rule’, might “seem small”, but they can deliver a “bigger impact than you think”. His guidance arrives as the Middle East crisis has prompted a substantial increase in petrol and diesel costs, fuelled by major disruptions to worldwide oil production and shipping routes.
Efficient driving helps conserve fuel by reducing the amount of energy your engine requires to overcome resistance. When you maintain smooth driving habits, you minimise the ‘wasted’ energy that typically converts to heat or additional exhaust emissions.
Outlining methods to lower fuel consumption on his programme, Martin stated: “Now, these seem small but have a bigger impact than you think. You should try and look to make your car as efficient as possible. First of all, it’s got a roof rack on. If that’s empty, get rid of it. Really inefficient. You’re having to push that through the wind on a motorway as you drive. And you’ll see problem in all walks of lightness.”
Elaborating on the ’45kg rule’, Martin emphasised the significance of clearing anything unnecessary from your boot. He noted: “Junk in your trunk. You want to get rid of junk in your trunk. Extra weight, for every about 45kg, it makes your car 1% less fuel-efficient, so we get anything out of the boot that we’re not using in heavyweight.”
Removing unnecessary items from your boot can help reduce fuel consumption by decreasing the vehicle’s weight. With a lighter load, the engine requires less effort to operate, meaning it expends less energy during acceleration, deceleration and maintaining speed, resulting in improved fuel efficiency, reports the Mirror.
The finance expert also recommended ensuring your tyres maintain correct pressure, as inadequately inflated tyres can “add 3% or 4% to your fuel bills when it’s not more efficient”. He stressed: “So get your tyres checked and pumped up properly.”
Martin’s final suggestion concerns air conditioning. He explained: “When you’re going at low speeds, your aircon can be really quite expensive proportionally and make the car much less fuel-efficient. At high speeds, if it’s warm, keep it on because opening your windows is again on a motorway will really add drag and make the car have to work much harder to go further so that’s the next step make your car more efficient.”
Your driving style is equally important, Martin said. Elaborating on this point, he told viewers: “Your accelerator is a money pump. When you are pressing it, you are spending the fuel that you have put into the car. Your brake isn’t much better. It’s a money burner, because when you’re braking, you are converting the energy stored into the car into heat and throwing it away.
“Now, I’m not saying don’t accelerate or brake, because that’s what driving’s all about, but, yeah, obviously. Your road positioning. Safe distance from the car in front. Thinking ahead all enables you to speed up more slowly and slow down more gradually, which is massively more fuel-efficient.”
Research indicates that enhancing your vehicle’s efficiency and adopting better driving habits can reduce your petrol and diesel expenses by 10% to 30%, depending on your starting point. “So it really is worth having a look at, especially at the moment when prices are high. Not rocket science, but worth knowing,” Martin further noted.
Tobias Federico, Chief Analyst at energy intelligence provider, Montel Analytics, claims: “It’s likely that wholesale gas prices in the UK could roughly double to around 300 pence per therm (UK NBP) over the next three months.”
