How Can I Save Money on Gas?

This past week I was in San Francisco for a convention.  As I was riding to my hotel from the airport we passed several gas stations.  The price of gas was $4,79 per gallon and that was the cheap stuff.  Premium gas was well over $5,00 per gallon.  Ouch!  So, it occurred to me that I should take a departure from my normal “credit” related blogs and give you some tips on how to save money on gas.

Use other modes of transportation – Use public transportation such as bus, train or subway.  Consider walking to your destination, if at all possible.  Or, ride a bike!  San Francisco has a huge bike to work population and you don’t see many obese bike riders.  That’s probably not a coincidence.  If you can’t use alternative transport every day then try to swap out even just one day per week.

Carpool – Find someone who lives near you to carpool to work and/or to children’s activities.  Many companies and/or cities offer services that match you with a carpool to go to work.  Another similar alternative is the ride share lot.  Many cities have ride share programs where you can park your car in a designated lot near the on-ramp of the interstate and share a ride into the city.

Gas – Use the lowest octane gas to save money. Don’t top off your gas tank as the additional may spill or seep out.  Tighten up your gas cap so the gas doesn’t evaporate.  I realize this isn’t a good option for performance vehicles.  You’re stuck with your Premium gas.  But, you also knew that before you bought the car.

Combine trips – Combine your trips and errands such as banking, groceries shopping, gas and other shopping.  One trip out saves miles and gas.

Keep your engine tuned up – Worn out spark plugs can reduce mileage by 30%.

Tires – Using the owner’s manual recommended tire pressure can increase mileage by 15%.  Keep your tires in alignment to also increase mileage.

Driving habits – Driving at 55 MPH instead of 65 MPH increases gas mileage by 15%.  Go easy on the brakes and don’t idle for a long time.  SLOW DOWN!!  And watch your accelerations.  Your 0-60 speed might be impressive but it’s also sucking up gas.  Take it easy.

Oil – A clogged oil filter reduces mileage by 10%. Using the oil recommended by the owner’s manual can increase mileage by 1 to 2%.

Parking – Parking your car in the garage keeps it cooler in the summer and keeps it warmer and uses the defrosters less in the winter.  If you don’t have a garage or park your car outside at work or while shopping, try to park it in the shade in the summer.

Air conditioning – Roll down your windows or use the air vent to avoid using the air conditioner.  Use it only when necessary.

Buy another car – You could buy a more fuel efficient car.  This will be more costly in the short term, but may not in the long term.  This requires lots of research.

The items that make the most impact are use public transportation, walk, carpool, use the lowest octane gas,  keep engine in tune, check tire pressure and alignment, drive 55 MPH, change clogged oil filter and combine trips.  You have to determine what will work the best for your lifestyle.

John Ulzheimer is the President of Consumer Education at SmartCredit.com, the credit blogger for Mint.com, and a Contributor for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.  He is an expert on credit reporting, credit scoring and identity theft. Formerly of FICO, Equifax and Credit.com, John is the only recognized credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry.  Follow him on Twitter here.

Categorised in: Financial, Saving Money

This post was written by John Ulzheimer