Green Driving Tips

Here are some green driving tips, even if you can't afford to purchase a green car, these tips will save you money and lighten your carbon foot print. Remember if the trip you plan to make is only a short distance, it is better for the environment and your health to walk or ride a bike.

1. Tyre pressure is our number one tip, properly inflated tyres are one of the easiest and simplest ways to improve your fuel economy and make your trip a bit greener.

2. Take off from a standing start smoothly without too much acceleration. One thing I have learnt from driving a Prius is you can get to about 50 kph (30 mph) in electric only if you take off smoothly.

3. Remove unneeded weight from your vehicle such as golf clubs or such like. These will reduce your fuel economy every time you drive. Also remove roof racks when not needed.

4. Keep an eye out ahead for red lights and take your foot off the accelerater and cruise upto traffic lights. This will also reduce your stress levels. Remember most of the time it doesn't matter if you get to your destination 5 minutes later, just enjoy the journey.

5. Ensure your vehicle is maintained correctly, a properly serviced and maintained car will produce less emissions and lower your fuel costs. Faithfully sticking to a car maintenance schedule goes a long way towards reducing your carbon footprint.

6. Reduce your speed. When driving at 70 mph (110 kph) your car uses up to 25% more petrol than it would cruising at 56 mph (90 kph). When oil was very expensive during 2008, Spain introduced a law to make people drive at 80kph on motorways to improve their fuel efficiency.

Remember next time you plan to change to a newer vehicle, demand a greener more efficient car, check out our top fuel efficient cars for high mpg cars available now.