Full tank. When you fill up with gas, fill up completely and try and keep your tank above one third full. If your fuel runs low, the engine might not receive a steady supply of gas (since it will splash around while you’re driving and it might momentarily splash away from the tube that leads gas out of the tank). Not having a steady supply of gas will make your engine less efficient.

Slow down. The faster you move, the harder your engine has to work to push through the wind. Speeding can reduce fuel efficiency by up to 33%.

Accelerate smoothly. When the light turns green, resist the urge to bolt ahead of the car next to you. This keeps the engine at lower revolutions per minute (RPMs) thus using less fuel. Car engines usually are most efficient at low rpms.

Plan your route carefully. Take the route with the fewest stops and turns and least traffic. Take highways in preference to city streets when possible.

Avoid braking wherever possible. Braking wastes energy from fuel that you have already burned, and accelerating after braking consumes more fuel than driving at a constant speed. On city streets watch ahead and coast when you see a red light or traffic jam ahead.

Try to avoid using the air conditioner in stop and go city driving as it causes the engine to work hard and consume more fuel. However, studies show that at highway speeds cars get somewhat better mileage with the AC on and the windows rolled up. The drag caused by rolled down windows at high speed reduces fuel efficiency more than the AC. 15

Find your car’s “sweet speed”. Some cars get better mileage at specific speeds, usually 50 mph. Your car’s “sweet speed” is the minimum speed at which the car is running in its highest gear (watch for rpm drops as you accelerate to determine when your transmission is shifting into higher gears). For example, most Jeep Cherokees are best at 55 mph, and Toyota 4Runners are best at about 50 mph. Find your vehicle’s “sweet speed” and pick your roads accordingly.

Use synthetic oil in your car to save on average 5% gas. Remember to change it according to your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations for any oil. Extending oil change intervals can be harmful to the life of your engine and the fuel saving benefits are lost as oil gets dirty. If you can’t use synthetic, choose the lightest oil possible, 15-30 rather than 20-50.

When getting your oil changed, use a synthetic oil additive to either natural or synthetic oil. This can increase your gas mileage by up to 15% if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions and recommended usage.

If your car has an automatic transmission with overdrive, make sure you enable overdrive except when towing very heavy trailers. Overdrive is by default enabled on the “D” on most shifters. Several cars have buttons on the shifter which allow you to turn off the overdrive gear. Don’t turn it off. Overdrive saves you gas mileage at higher speeds by using a lower ratio from engine speed to wheel speed - this places the engine at a more efficient operating point (by reducing throttling losses, etc).

Learn to watch and predict traffic signals. Stop-and-go driving is wasteful.

Maintain a safe following distance! Don’t stick to the bumper of the car directly in front of you. You will brake more and accelerate more to keep that unnecessary and dangerous narrow gap. Relax. Hang back a bit. You’re still travelling at the same speed as the car ahead of you even if you’re 100 yards behind. This also gives you a lot more room to play with when you are timing lights.

Avoid idling. For example, in cold weather warm the car engine no more than 30 seconds. This period of time is sufficient to ensure that the engine is properly lubricated for driving. Generally, if you can avoid 10 seconds of idling you will save gas by turning the engine off and restarting. However, starting an engine too often can lead to excessive wear and tear on the starter motor and wiring.

Select a gear ratio that is appropriate to your engine, transmission, and driving conditions. If you travel on the highway often and do not carry heavy loads, try a numerically lower final drive ratio (known as a “higher” gear.) Careful not to go too “high” with the ratio, this can cause smaller engines to work too hard to keep up, damaging the engine. Some manufacturers offer optional gearing.

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