Good Garage Scheme recommends ways to cut your fuel spend by a third

Petrol and Diesel costs are at an all time high, but there are many ways that you can reduce your fuel spend by a third, and save yourself £100’s with the Good Garage Scheme's three step plan.

Step 1: Make Your Car More Efficient - you can save up to 15% in fuel costs by making minor tweaks to your vehicle.

• Keep your tyres correctly inflated.
Lower tyre pressure increases the drag on a car, meaning you need more fuel.

• Declutter your car.
The lighter your car is, the less effort it needs to make to accelerate. Therefore by decluttering you can make extra savings.

• Take your roof rack off.
A roof rack, even unused, adds massive wind resistance to a car, increasing drag and making the engine work harder.

• Turn off the air con.
Air conditioning uses an incredible amount of fuel. Keep it turned off unless you really need it. This could improve your fuel efficiency by 8%. However, if it's really hot, it's worth keeping the air con on, as having all the windows open causes extra drag.

• Don't fill it up.
Fuel is heavy, so by filling the car up you're adding more weight. The less fuel your car has in it, the more efficiently it drives. Filling up slightly more often and putting less in will make the car run more efficiently.

Step 2: Drive More Efficiently - you can reduce your fuel costs by 60% by driving more efficiently. Drive more smoothly to boost your fuel efficiency.

• Accelerate gradually without over-revving.
Speed up smoothly; when you press harder on the pedal more fuel flows, but you could get to the same speed using much less power.

• Drive in the correct gear.
Always drive in the highest gear possible without labouring the engine.

• Slow naturally.
Rather than brake all the time, let your car slow naturally and use its stored momentum.

Step 3: Find The Cheapest Fuel - a really easy way to reduce your fuel costs is to find the cheapest petrol or diesel in your area. Use the Petrol Prices website to find your cheapest fuel - it could save you a significant amount over a period of time.

http://www.petrolprices.com/

For more money saving tips, visit http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheaper-fuel#petrol