The cost of gasoline has always fluctuated historically, but in recent years it has been particularly expensive. Unfortunately, not everyone has the option to buy an electric vehicle or give up their commute.
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For many people, driving is a necessary part of life. So how can you soften the financial impact of high gas prices? Try implementing one or more of these money-saving tricks.
Don’t stay idle
You are waiting to pick up your child from school and keep the car running even though you have 20 minutes to wait. Your spouse walks into the store and you sit idle while they shop, because how long can it really take?
These examples don’t seem like much, but the fact is that idling uses up a surprising amount of gas (up to half a gallon of fuel per hour) and is also bad for the environment, according to the Department of Energy (DOE). In some states and jurisdictions, idling for more than a few minutes is even illegal. So save some gas and try not to idle if you don’t have to.
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Buy Gas on Mondays or Fridays
Gas is gas, no matter what day of the week, right? Yes, but it doesn’t cost the same every day, according to the laws of supply and demand.
In fact, according to a 2021 study by gas rewards app GasBuddy, Monday is the cheapest day of the week to buy gas (it also turns out they got the same results in their 2017, 2018 and 2019 studies ). The second cheapest day, counterintuitively, is Friday. You’d imagine that people would be gassed up for trips and other weekend events, but apparently that’s not the case. Instead, Thursday is the day you want to avoid.
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don’t finish
If you’ve set your gas pump to auto so you don’t have to hold the nozzle while pumping, the gas pump will turn itself off when the gas tank is full. But you might think, I’ll do it with a few extra bombs to make sure it is really full up.
Stop right there.
According to Cars.com, relaying is not only wasteful, but potentially dangerous and harmful to your car. The relay can damage parts adjacent to the gas tank, such as the charcoal canister, which are only intended to handle vapors, not liquid gas. If you fill the tank with liquid gas, it could cover the steam inlet hole, which can enter the charcoal canister. This could damage the canister and other parts of the system.
Also, gasoline increases in volume as temperatures rise. According to Consumer Reports, it will expand by 1% for every 15 degrees Fahrenheit. So if you overfill in the morning and the day heats up, you can force gas where it shouldn’t go or create a dangerous leak.
Get regular service
What does regular maintenance of your car have to do with saving gas? It’s pretty simple: If your car is performing as intended, you should actually be getting the gas mileage it promises.
If you haven’t serviced your car and something isn’t working right, your engine could be working twice as hard and using more gas to do its basic functions. Things like dirty air filters, old oil, using the wrong type of oil, under-inflated tires and a host of other issues can all be wasting gas in the long run.
Do not choose Gas Premium
Premium gas looks like it must contain some great ingredients, and at one time it actually contained more detergents and additives that helped reduce carbon deposits, according to Edmunds. However, government regulations required all grades of gasoline to have these additives to reduce pollution and protect engines. So now the differences are minimal.
You really only need to buy premium gas when it is mandatory for your vehicle to run smoothly. Edmunds suggests that your car’s performance may experience a slight dip, such as a half-second lower time, but unless you’re a professional racer, you probably won’t notice. Opt for regular gas and save up to $0.80 cents per gallon, according to The Penny Hoarder.
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Drive more slowly
The faster you drive, the more gas your car uses and the lower your long-term mileage. While every car has its optimum speed for best fuel economy, the DOE suggests that gas mileage begins to decline rapidly above 50 mph.
So, if you don’t need to go anywhere in a hurry, take the back roads, drive in the slow lane and put some leisure into your commute. When you can, use cruise control, which the DOE suggests can improve fuel economy by 15% to 30% on highways and 10% to 40% in stop-and-go traffic.
Use a gas rewards app
Many gas companies offer customer loyalty rewards programs where you can earn gas money through purchases or other purchases made with a qualifying credit card. Plus there are popular gas apps like GasBuddy. The app relies on real-time reports from users to tell them the price of gas in any area and relays that information to its users so you can find a nearby gas station with the best price. Plus, for a small fee, you can sign up to earn cash with a GasBuddy credit card.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 7 Driving Hacks to Save Money on Gas
