In UAE, for every two residents there is one car. For many of us owning a car is increasingly becoming a necessity especially if we don’t live and work in the same emirate. And with the removal of fuel subsidies, we can expect our monthly fuel costs to increase. But there are ways you can save on your monthly fuel expenses. Check out simple steps you can follow.

Optimal speed

Drivers are generally mistaken when they think driving slow is more fuel efficient. When a car is running on low speed, it uses lower gears and that requires more fuel to run. Therefore, driving too slow can end up costing you in the form of higher fuel expenses. According to various studies, the optimal average speed to increase fuel efficiency is 80 km/h (49.7 mph).

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Lose some weight

Eliminating all unnecessary things from the car can result in less fuel usage. For every 90 kg of weight, the total distance traveled gets reduced by 1.6 km. This loss of distance can be avoided by simply removing unnecessary things from cars such as baby strollers or tools which can be quite heavy.

Maintain pressure

Has it been a while since you checked the pressure in your car tires? Checking tire pressure is commonly ignored by drivers which results in the engine using more power to run the car causing increased fuel usage. It’s advisable to regularly check tire pressure every week.

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Become aerodynamic

Everyone likes to roll the window down and enjoy the breeze, but this in turn makes the car use more energy to overcome the resistance caused by the wind. Closing all the windows and sunroofs will reduce the drag, and will make the car more aerodynamic hence use less power.

Switch off your engine

Don’t keep your car engine running when it’s not moving. In case the car is going to stay idle for more than one minute in situations such as waiting to pick someone or in case of heavy traffic congestion, turning off the engine will have a major impact on the fuel consumption.

Health check

Keep track of the car by checking the oil and fuel levels and regular servicing. Monitoring the fuel gauge when commuting to work and back is also important to determine if the car is in good health or needs expertise advice. Best way to track is when refueling you can zero the range meter, and than track how much the car has ran after full tank. New car usually have an automatic fuel range meter which displays the remaining kilometers.

These are really simple steps which every motorist can follow and can monitor a noticeable saving on fuel expense.