The Guardian offers advice on how to reduce fuel consumption

With petrol prices escalating to record highs and more of us spending time at the pump, many people are trading their cars in for more economical models or finding ways to drive more fuel efficiently.

The Guardian has attempted to help the latter group, by providing advice on how to reduce fuel consumption, offering a series of handy tips for owners to save fuel cash for cars that are petrol thirsty.

Tips include using a credit card for fuel purchases, as many credit card companies allow users to earn cashback on their purchases, cash that can be put towards more fuel or other household expenses. Along the same lines, it is advised to use the same supermarket to fill up, as most big name brands offer loyalty schemes, allowing car owners to gain points which can save them on their weekly shopping bills.

Gemma Kappala-Ramsamy at the paper writes that by spending £40 a week on fuel from Morrisons, car owners can save up to £20 in store.

Other tips for saving money include not using cars for short journeys and instead walking the kids to school or taking a bike down to the local shops. At a time when the government is pushing its healthy living scheme ''Change for Life,'' taking more exercise can be prudent for many.

Planning a journey carefully and checking tyre pressures can also save considerable money - flat tyres in particular can be extremely costly, as they wear down tyres quicker, slow a car down and consume more fuel.

On the slow front, driving at 85 mph on the motorway - which is in fact illegal - can increase fuel consumption by a quarter, compared to driving consistently and smoothly at 70 mph.

Perhaps one of the most useful pieces of advice that The Guardian has to offer is to recommend that drivers set aside a specific petrol budget every week. This means that they will be more careful with their fuel, only using their car when necessary.

Despite reports of oil companies like BP seeing a 135 per cent increase in profit according to Metro, petrol prices aren't set to decrease just yet. Therefore, such tips from The Guardian could prove more helpful than ever.

 

 

 

Lisa Hole, Gwent, SUBARU IMPREZA

Stephanie & Kevin Laidlaw, Liverpool, Saab 9-3 Aero