by 
Loading ...
Wasn’t so long ago that ‘green driving’ meant pootling around a golf course on an electric cart.
Now of course everyone knows it means driving your car in a fuel-efficient way. It’s even become part of our driving test in the UK.
Let’s be clear: it’s not as green as not driving at all. But if you’ve got to get in the car - or if you just want to save money on petrol - green driving is the way forward.
There’s a lot of advice out there, so we thought we’d do the navigation for you and pick out what you *really* need to know to save fuel.
Get quick on the gears
Change up as early as you can, generally between 2,000 and 2,500 RPM.
Steady now
The most fuel-efficient speed to drive depends on the vehicle, but recent research by What Car? has suggested that it is the lowest speed at which you can comfortably travel in highest gear - which could be as low as 20 to 40mph. So a valid reason for a bit of ‘Sunday driving’.
But if you haven’t got the time to be quite so laid back, at least keeping at an even tick should save fuel, as will accelerating and decelerating gently where you can.
Don’t be an idler
If you’re likely to be stationary for more than a minute or two, switch off the engine. Burning petrol when you’re not even moving is so last century.
Slim down
We’re talking about the car here. Although, thinking about it, if you’re carrying a few extra pounds it wouldn’t hurt your fuel consumption to shed those too.
If you don’t use your roof-rack, it’s a real drag - so get rid of it. Carrying around gubbins (recycling, boxes to go to the charity shop, massively heavy dumbells, etc) also adds to the load, so give your boot (and, if you’re really grubby, footwells) a clearout.
How much fuel can green driving save?
Tricky to put a figure on this, but the Driving Standards Agency think 8.5% on average, while others reckon a saving of 15% is easy to achieve.
Bigger savings are certainly possible, if you take it to extremes (though you do so at significant risk of road rage on the UK’s busy streets).
Going further
There’s more detailed advice on green driving at Ecodrive.org and on MORE TH>N’s Green Driving Tips pages. If that’s not enough to fuel the new green you, try EcoModder.com’s whopping list of ecodriving tips.
More on green driving
108 (and counting) Hypermiling Tips
From the EcoModdder forum
Full of sciencey green driving wisdom
Advice from the good people at the Energy Saving Trust
With nice pictures, on the main MORE TH>N site
Header image (green cars) by Flickr user doug88888, rabbit image by absolutwade
Article updated 24.10.08
