With the recent removal of the petrol subsidy by the Federal Government, many Nigerians especially low-income earners have shelved driving to their offices and business locations.
This class of people abandon their cars as the money spent on fueling takes a serious toll on their income due to the adjustment of petrol pump price from N195/litre during subsidy to as much as N637/litre now depending on the city.
Research shows that automatic cars tend to be less fuel efficient than manual ones because the engine works a little harder to power the automatic transmission.
Here are 10 ways owners of automatic cars can save fuel and reduce the money spent on fueling the car, especially at this time when the pump price of petrol is as much as N637/litre in some cities in Nigeria.
Even out the acceleration
When driving an automatic car, you need to even out your acceleration to save fuel. This can be done by gradually pressing down on the pedal instead of sudden, and jerky movements. Avoid braking suddenly, when stopping, try to ease off the accelerator to slow down.
Also, try to maintain a steady speed on the motorway and avoid changing lanes and speeding up and slowing down frequently. Maintain a steady speed to avoid slowing down or speeding unnecessarily.
Don’t rest your foot on the brake
Another way to save fuel is to avoid resting your foot on the brake. Most cars have a footrest beside the pedal, so get used to putting your left foot there because it will help you to keep your foot off the brake in order to continue moving forward smoothly.
Use the air conditioning sparingly
Using the car’s air conditioning constantly can have a significant impact on the fuel consumption of the car. Therefore, to save fuel, try to use your air conditioning sparingly. One way to do this is by rolling down the windows at lower speeds and using the air conditioning when driving at higher speeds, such as 50km/h or more. At a higher speed, the car’s air conditioning will have a more significant effect on cooling the car.
Check your tyre pressure
It is also important to ensure your car tyres have the proper pressure because flat or under-inflated tyres increase the rolling resistance of the tyres, which makes the car use more energy when in motion.
Therefore, to boost the fuel efficiency of your car, always ensure the tyres have the correct pressure for your car and also have regular wheel alignments.
Read also: Here are 10 cars, SUVs with the worst resale value in 2023
Control your transmission
In driving cars with an automatic transmission, the higher the engine note climbs, and the revolution per minute (RPM) goes, the more fuel you are burning.
Therefore, you can coax your car transmission into shifting gears earlier by listening for the engine note and watching the needle on the tachometer to track the RPM when you are accelerating.
Modern cars also come with paddle shifters, so you can control the gears like a manual car while still enjoying the ease of an automatic.
Shift to neutral or turn off when stopped
Another effective way to save fuel is to turn off the engine or shift the gear into neutral when you stop in traffic. By doing so, your transmission will not be working hard to keep up the engine while the car is not moving. It is better to turn everything off if you are waiting around or are going to be parked for more than a minute or so.
Plan ahead
Before you set out on your journey, plan ahead by studying Google Maps to help you find the best and less traffic-congested routes to take. Try to follow the route that avoids traffic lights and crossing intersections, as they are likely to cause you to stop and start often. This will help you to save valuable time and fuel.
Use your car’s technology
There are features in your car that help to track and control the fuel consumption of the car. For instance, the automatic function of hill-hold control is especially effective when driving from a stopped position up a steep incline. It holds your vehicle temporarily, so your car won’t roll back down as you release the brake pedal to accelerate, reducing the use of fuel.
Tyre pressure monitoring systems let you know which tyre needs topping up on air, which helps improve overall fuel efficiency.
Maintain your car regularly
Servicing your car regularly will keep it in top shape to ensure that the engine is running exactly as it should. It is important to keep the fluids topped up and replace faulty components like oil and air filters.
Lighten your load
Carrying excess weight in your car can affect the fuel consumption of the car. Additional weight requires more energy and fuel to move. This is why it is important to remove the items in your luggage area that you don’t need for the trip in order to reduce the amount of money spent on buying fuel.
