Drive slowly, change gear and read the road: how to make your petrol go further

theguardian.com:

With petrol prices going through the £2 a litre mark at pumps around the UK, making the most of the fuel you put in your tank is more important than ever. Here are some tips that could help your money go further, literally.

Drive more slowly

Driving quickly uses more fuel. According to the RAC, although there is no optimum driving speed for fuel economy, typically “cars are most fuel-efficient at between 45 and 50mph” – that’s below the speed limit on open roads and motorways. On a motorway, driving at 80mph rather than 70mph is not only illegal, but will cost you: figures from the Department for Transport show that it can use as much as 25% more fuel.

Change gear

You will get the most miles per gallon if you gear up when you can – the Energy Saving Trust recommends you change up early, “usually by around 2,000rpm”.

Aim for less braking

Smooth driving is more fuel-efficient than speeding up and braking suddenly, so aim to anticipate stops and take your foot off the accelerator. In March, Kevin Booker – a “hypermiler” who holds a world record for energy-efficient driving, told Guardian readers: “Read the road ahead for traffic lights and roundabouts, so you always keep moving. If there’s a green light a fair distance off, there’s a high probability it will be red by the time you get to it. It’s all about pacing, so you get there when it’s green. With roundabouts, feed into them rather than stop.”

Reduce your load

Empty your boot of unnecessary clutter and take off your roof box if you’re not using it – any extra weight means you need extra fuel to move the car. Some analysis of roof boxes has suggested they can increase how much petrol you use by 50%, but other tests have found negligible difference. Road conditions and the shape