How can electric vehicles save you money?

One of the biggest day-to-day savings we can make is the cost of fuel. A 2018 study showed that electric cars cost half as much to operate as a diesel or petrol alternative. Our cost calculator analyses your personal usage to tell you if you’re able to save some cash by buying electric.

So whilst our calculator works it’s magic, here’s some tips for saving money with your existing diesel or petrol vehicle:

  1. Inflate tyres properly

Your tyre pressure is important to your vehicle, regardless of whether it’s electric or diesel/petrol. Achieving optimum tyre pressure can stop your fuel consumption increasing by up to 3%. Tyre pressure can decrease due to the thermal contraction and cause uneven wear. It’s recommended that all drivers check their tyres monthly, but if you can at least once per week.

  1. Stick to the speed limit

Sticking to the speed limit can be challenge but not accelerating all the time can boost your fuel economy. If you were on the motorway and you didn’t go up to 70 mph, you will be dropping your fuel efficiency significantly and slowing down can decrease your fuel economy by 23% which means your fuel can last a lot longer.

  1. What’s in your boot / trunk?

Do you drive around with things in your car that you don’t need? Well, don’t. Emptying your vehicle will help your fuel economy decrease accordingly. Want it to rise 5% more? Well… if you have a roof rack, remove it from your vehicle when you’re not using it.

  1. Roof bars

Removing your roof bars to put them back on is a big pain but removing them when they aren’t needed can save up to 15% on your fuel bill. The more you pay for roof bars the easier they are to use so we recommend taking a look at the easy version, called the “quick release”. The money you pay for the roof bars you would have saved on fuel anyway, so why not give it a go!

5, How clean is your engine’s air filter?

Have you got a dirty air filter in your engine? This can decrease your fuel economy and can stall the engine. The fuel filter should be replaced per the recommended schedule of the vehicles manufacturer. This will have another big impact on the fuel efficiency.

  1. Tune-up

Checking your engine oil is a pain (yup, another one), but having the right amount of oil in your vehicle can make you more economical, raising fuel efficiency by ten percent.

  1. Narrow tyres

Narrow tyres are more economical as they reduce the aerodynamic drag that tyres normally have. Every vehicle can purchase narrow tyres for their vehicle at a reasonable price (although we do recommend shopping around a bit), just make sure it’s been approved by your car manufacturer.

  1. Air con or windows open

Driving with your air conditioning on? Do you really need it on…? Having your windows open can be more fuel efficient when you are driving at low speeds in residential areas. Once you have reached the speed limit of 20 mph it is more fuel efficient to keep your windows shut and put the air conditioning on low.

If you drive smart, look how much money you will be saving.