{"id":41664,"date":"2026-03-17T10:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T21:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/?p=41664"},"modified":"2026-04-09T14:48:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T01:48:07","slug":"fuel-economy-tips-for-rising-gas-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/fuel-economy-tips-for-rising-gas-prices\/","title":{"rendered":"Fuel economy tips for rising gas prices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How can you save money on fuel? Use less. Here are some tips – more than 40 of them! You should be able to save at least 10%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Keep your tyres inflated to the correct pressure. Under-inflated tyres increase rolling resistance significantly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Remove anything from the vehicle you don’t need to carry around; the lighter the car, the less fuel it burns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Take roof racks and bike carriers off when they’re not in use as they create aerodynamic drag even when empty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Drive at 90 km\/h rather than 100 km\/h on the open road. This doesn’t impact your journey time too much. Most modern vehicles reach peak fuel efficiency around 80km\/h and fuel consumption rapidly increases above that.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Open the windows rather than use air conditioning where practical, and park in the shade to reduce how hot the cabin gets before you drive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Switch to Eco mode if your vehicle has it, and use the fuel economy display on the dashboard to monitor your habits in real time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Don’t leave your engine idling. If you’re going to be stopped for more than 30 seconds, turn it off.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Read the road ahead: if you can see a red light in the distance, ease off and coast up to it rather than braking hard at the last moment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Don’t tailgate because following too closely forces constant small speed adjustments that waste fuel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Keep your vehicle well serviced: use the correct grade of engine oil, replace the air and fuel filters, change spark plugs on schedule, maintain fuel injectors, and fix any dragging brakes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  11. In wet weather, avoid driving through puddles because they create additional drag on the vehicle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  12. Carpool where you can (sharing a trip means sharing the fuel cost),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  13. Walk or cycle for trips under a kilometre.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  14. Cover the tray of your ute or the deck of your truck; an open tray creates significant aerodynamic drag.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  15. When approaching a roundabout, time your entry so you can keep rolling rather than coming to a full stop because restarting from a standstill costs more fuel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  16. If your schedule allows, shift your commute outside of peak hours to avoid stop-start traffic. Or work from home one day a week.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  17. Take it easy when the engine is cold. Cold engines burn more fuel, so avoid hard acceleration until the engine has warmed up.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  18. Reverse into car parks rather than reversing out. Slow manoeuvring on a cold engine uses a lot more fuel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  19. In a truck, use block shifting (skipping gears) to get into the highest appropriate gear as quickly as possible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  20. If your truck or trailer has a tag axle, raise it when you don’t need all the wheels on the ground; fewer wheels rolling means less rolling resistance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  21. Set your roof kit correctly for your trailer so that air flows over the trailer rather than smacking into the front of the trailer<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  22. Install cab vanes on your tractor unit<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  23. If you have an adjustable 5th wheel, run the trailer as close as you can to the cab without it hitting the cab – a shorter gap means less aerodynamic resistance<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  24. Apps like Gaspy can help you find the cheapest fuel in your area.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  25. Get a wheel alignment; misaligned wheels increase rolling resistance and cause uneven tyre wear.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  26. Use cruise control on the open road to maintain a steady speed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  27. Drive in the highest gear that’s appropriate for your speed and conditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  28. Use smooth, gradual throttle inputs rather than sharp acceleration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  29. Avoid unnecessary overtaking; the time you gain is often minimal relative to the fuel you spend.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  30. Choose routes with fewer traffic lights and stop signs where practical.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  31. Combine errands into single trips rather than making several separate journeys. For example, stopping for groceries on the way home from work rather than making a second trip out is more efficient.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  32. Where you have a choice, take flatter routes because hills cost fuel. (We’re not telling you to move to Christchurch, but some routes are considerably more hilly than others.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  33. Distribute your load evenly because an unbalanced load makes the vehicle work harder.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  34. If you need new tyres, consider low-rolling-resistance (eco) tyres.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  35. Modern vehicles only need a few seconds to warm up – there’s no need for extended idling before you set off.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  36. Build up speed before you reach a hill, not on it, then hold a steady throttle on the climb – it’s more efficient than trying to accelerate up the slope.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  37. Let gravity do the work on the way down. Ease off the accelerator and use your momentum rather than fighting it with the brakes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  38. Consider keeping your tank at half rather than full. A full tank of petrol adds around 30\u201340 kg, though the benefit of running lighter is modest.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  39. Don’t carry passengers you don’t need to, unless you’re all carpooling, of course.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  40. Take the first car park you find, even if it means a slightly longer walk. The time and fuel spent circling for a closer spot rarely pays off.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  41. Switch off electrical accessories you’re not using as they all draw on the alternator and put load on the engine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  42. Avoid driving into strong headwinds where you have a choice – wind resistance at higher speeds has a meaningful impact on fuel consumption.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  43. Carry a little more speed through corners (safely) to reduce the amount of braking and re-accelerating you need to do.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  44. Keep your cool behind the wheel. Road rage and aggressive driving is inefficient driving<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  45. Do SAFED (Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving) training – click here to find out where<\/u><\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  46. Google Maps often shows you the route with the best projected fuel economy. This might not be the shortest route, but it’s all about the savings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  47. A final bonus one about fuel use in general: protect your fuel. Use a lockable fuel cap so your fuel can’t be siphoned.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    You might also find some useful driving techniques in the following online courses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Driving in Difficult Conditions<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fleet Driver Skills<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Road Rage Awareness<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Speed Awareness<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You could also consider in-vehicle coaching, such as this option<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    How can you save money on fuel? Use less. Here are some tips – more than 40 of them! You should be able to save at least 10%. You might also find some useful driving techniques in the following online…<\/span><\/p>\n

    Read more ›<\/a><\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41669,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41664"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41888,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41664\/revisions\/41888"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}