Changes to driving style can have a dramatic effect on fuel economy. Europcar’s Frank Reynolds explains.
THE price of fuel may have come down recently. But fuel costs are still substantial for any small business.
And yet some of the greatest fuel savings – possibly as much as £800 – are in the hands of the driver.
To prove the point, a team at Europcar undertook a 125 mile business car economy test. The route: the M25 London orbital motorway in 11 different business cars.
The plan: use simple driving strategies – such as reading the road ahead, and not over-revving the engine – to maximise fuel economy.
The results were spectacular. The fuel efficiency testers found that a new Volvo V50 D5 Geartronic achieved 58.23 mpg, a 44% improvement over its official combined mpg figure: a potential saving of £800 per annum on fuel.
A Nissan Qashqai dCi achieved 70.33mpg: a 30% improvement over published figures.
And a Peugeot 308 HDi 90 delivered 95.91mpg using just £7.24 of fuel.
The business car run was carried out mid-morning during a normal working day. It included a 13-mile traffic jam between Leatherhead and Chertsey. The drivers drove individually without any modifications to the cars. They used the techniques explained below.
Europcar tips for driving economy
If you want to save money on fuel, too, then follow these simple rules to maximises business car fuel efficiency and start saving on the bottom line.
- Drive smoothly
- Read the road ahead
- Use the gears intelligently
- Don’t exceed national speed limits
- Avoid warming up the engine on cold mornings
- Turn off the air conditioning if it’s not required
Did you know?
Travelling at 80mph on the motorway will use between 10% to 20% more fuel than at 70mph. Over 20 miles, 80mph will only save you 2 minutes compared to travelling at 70mph.
