How can eco-driving help you save fuel?

3. Anticipate: slow down, don’t brake

For example, avoid racing up to traffic lights and hitting the brakes. Instead, plan ahead and allow enough distance to let the car gently decelerate in time.

4. Avoid jolted driving

Not always easy in built-up urban areas, but constant stopping and starting will take its toll on your fuel consumption. One of the ways to get better mpg (miles per gallon) when city-driving is to relax! You don’t need to be constantly bumper-to-bumper with the car in front. Luckily, these days many vehicles are equipped with urban driving modes designed to reduce fuel consumption. 

5. Avoid sudden accelerations

The faster you change an object’s velocity, the more force it takes. A sudden increase in speed will therefore require an extra dose of energy, and therefore tax your fuel supply.

6. Stick to speed limits

Not just imposed for safety reasons, car speed limits help reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions.

7. Read the terrain

Cruising in gear can be a great way to get better mpg. If you’re approaching a decline, for example, let your car cruise and gravity do its job. If there’s an incline just after, start accelerating as you reach the bottom of the slope. What about cruise control? While useful for the motorway, it’s best to turn it off on hilly terrain.

8. Don’t leave the engine running

For both your wallet and the environment, avoid leaving the car running if not necessary. This includes stopping to make a phone call, waiting in the car to pick up the kids, even sitting in heavy traffic.

9. Use air conditioning sparingly

Unnecessary use means more fuel consumed and more CO₂ in the atmosphere. At low speed, prefer ventilation or lower the windows.

And one of the most important factors when it comes to saving fuel and getting the most out of your miles per gallon (mpg)? Tyres! Cyrille explains that a lot of the “wasted” energy (fuel that isn’t used to turn the wheels of the car) is lost due to rolling resistance: “This loss represents up to 20%, in other words one full tank in five. And when you consider how much fuel we put in a car every year, you understand it’s a significant amount.”

The solution to reducing rolling resistance (without losing traction) is in the right tyres. Take the new MICHELIN e·PRIMACY tyres, for example. Specifically designed with all the aspects of eco-driving in mind, they help drivers save fuel and money due to exceptionally low rolling resistance⁽¹⁾.

With the best rolling resistance vs. the average premium competitors⁽¹⁾, MICHELIN e·PRIMACY offers 0.21 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres and around €80 over the life of the tyre^(2,3). For an electric vehicle, range is increased by an estimated 7% compared to other tyres of its category – that’s 30km, for an estimated 400km range⁽⁴⁾.