Fuel Economy

In real-world testing by Edmunds.com, aggressive driving — rapid acceleration, high cruising speed and braking sharply rather than coasting — was by far the biggest culprit in gas guzzling. Using a sedan, an SUV and a truck, the tests showed that motorists who adopted a "calm" driving style could save 33% to 38% on gas. (Disclosure: In a previous position, I helped design Edmunds’ gas-saving test.)

Check Your Gas Cap

A bad seal or missing cap can allow gas to evaporate from your tank. Besides costing you money, this pollutes the air. Replace your gas cap if the rubber seal seems worn or damaged.

Lighten Your Car

The less you have weighing down your vehicle, the better gas mileage it gets. Look at what you’ve got in your car and remove anything you don’t need. So that neglected sports equipment in your trunk can go.

Use the Right Oil During Oil Changes

Using the wrong grade of motor oil can cost you 3 to 6 cents per gallon, according

Join a Fuel Rewards Program

Use a Rewards Credit Card

Use Free or Discounted Gift Cards

Share Rides

Use a Bike

Accelerate Slowly and Coast More

Reduce the Use of Your Heater and Air Conditioning

According to a 2019 GasBuddy gas price analysis, gas prices tend to be the lowest on Mondays and Tuesdays. If you’re looking to buy cheap gas, avoid filling your tank on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays when gas prices tend to be the most expensive.

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Knowing when to use premium comes down to the difference between two words: “required” and “recommended.” If your car requires premium gas, you must use it to avoid damage to your engine. If your car recommends premium, experiment with using lower grades. If it still performs well and delivers the same fuel economy, you can skip the premium. If premium gas is, say, 25 cents more per gallon, that’s savings of $3.75 per 15-gallon tank.

Although gas prices have largely stabilized in recent years, you might still notice a lot of price variability. Drivers often think finding the cheapest price around is the key to savings. But, rather than drive across town to save a nickel a gallon, it’s much better to find convenient stations along your commute or places you pass frequently. You can track local gas prices using GasBuddy, which aggregates price data from user reports.

It takes several miles for a car to warm up to full operating temperature. During the warm-up period, the car is less fuel-efficient and emits more pollution. Walking for short trips, rather than driving, can help save gas and reduce emissions.

Once you start trying to boost your miles per gallon, you’ll want proof that your efforts are paying off. Most modern cars have computerized fuel economy meters. Once you fill up, reset the meter so you can track your fuel economy over the distance it takes to use that tank of gas. Keep a notebook in the glove box to keep tabs or download a gas-tracking app such as Fuelly.