The most boring and bizarre ways to improve fuel efficiency

Fuel has to be one of the least exciting things to pay for with your hard-earned money. Luckily, there are a number of ways to improve fuel efficiency that can help minimise your visits to the servo.

These fuel efficiency methods range from the simple and dull to the genuinely bizarre – so let’s look at the most unusual ones first.

Hypermiling and the extreme end of optimising fuel efficiency

Hypermiling is a driving style that sees drivers doing just about anything they can to improve fuel efficiency. It began in the early 2000s after a spike in fuel prices, but the premise remains the same: cut down on energy loss to optimise your vehicle’s use of fuel.

Is it an Americanised term? Sure – but you have to admit hyperkilometre-ers is a mouthful.

Now, many hypermilers are all about making small and sensible changes to the way they drive and maintain their cars, which we’ll get to in a moment. But at the extreme end, some hypermilers cop flack for taking part in dangerous and downright illegal behaviour. We’re talking things like coasting along in neutral, driving on road markings, carrying out extensive car mods, stripping out airbags to remove weight, and driving in the slipstream of larger vehicles in a practice known as drafting.

Surely there have to be safer ways than tailgating a truck? Absolutely, so let’s look at them.

Smarter (and slightly dull) ways to improve fuel efficiency

They might not raise your heart rate or risk you copping a fine, but these tried-and-tested tips are known to improve fuel efficiency and can be some of the best ways to make a difference to your fuel costs and driving emissions.

Keeping up on basic maintenance

We did warn you these tips wouldn’t be exciting! Start by making sure your plugs and air filters are clean and in good condition, and ensure that your car is serviced according to its schedule. Check regularly that your tyres are inflated to the correct tyre pressure and properly aligned to minimise rolling resistance.

Developing smooth driving habits

Driving habits can have a significant effect on improving fuel efficiency, particularly by minimising acceleration and braking. So the focus here is on driving gently without too many sudden changes. Try to anticipate the need to slow down, and avoid heavy braking.

Watching your speed

It might not be worth driving 20km/h below the speed limit to save a litre here or there, but a lead foot certainly won’t help you improve fuel efficiency. Savvy hypermilers follow the rule of maintaining steady speed with low RPM, and will often use cruise control on flatter roads.

Reducing idling

Idling literally burns fuel and money for no good reason, so switch that engine off as soon as possible wherever possible. On this point, it can also help to plan your journeys so you’ll spend less time stuck in traffic idling.

Staying light and nimble

Reduce all unnecessary weight in the car by taking out all the sports equipment, spare shoes and op shop donations that have been floating around in the boot for weeks, and removing any rooftop tents or pods. Extreme hypermilers will even strip out their spare tyre and only half-fill their fuel tank – but we don’t recommend that. Just make sure you leave anything at home that adds weight or creates air drag.

Upgrading to something more efficient

If you’re just not getting the kilometrage you want out of every litre, there’s always the option of trading in and moving to a smaller, more efficient or more aerodynamic vehicle. Remember, you can always find quality used cars with Carma if you’re looking for something more streamlined and fuel efficient.

At the end of the day…

Whether you drive a hatchback, ute, or SUV, improving fuel efficiency is actually easier than you might think. You don’t need to go to extreme measures – just stick to those smart, sensible tips and suppress those rev-head instincts.

And if you’re looking for more ways to save on fuel, make sure you check out Carma’s article on fuel price cycles so you can find fuel at the cheapest point in your local price cycle.