If you own a car, you have been hit hard by the increasing gas prices. Gas prices are the highest they have been in 14 years, with the average price well over $4 per gallon. While most of us can’t avoid paying the price altogether, there are definitely steps we can take to reduce our gas usage and increase our cars’ gas mileage.
A few steps we can take include:
1) The most obvious, try to drive your car less. RTD offers busses and light rail services to all major areas and residential neighborhoods in the Denver metro area. You can use this link to plan your trip and take advantage of public transport. You can also carpool, bike any number of our amazing trails, or rent a scooter to get moving! Or there’s the good old-fashioned way...walk and enjoy the sunshine.
2) Stop the puffing! Warming up your car for more than a minute wastes fuel and emits large amounts of greenhouse gas. Not to mention it’s illegal in the state of Colorado.
3) Fuel up early morning or late in the day. Gas is cooler and denser when the temps are cooler, so you get more in the early and later hours.
4) Be smart about where you fill-up. Gas stations near highways generally have higher prices. You can also download an app that lists the lowest gas prices in the area, sometimes saving you up to $0.20 per gallon.
5) Keep your car maintenance up to date. A properly tuned engine uses less gas; properly inflated tires last longer and provide better gas mileage; the right oil keeps your engine working efficiently; clean filters keep your car running more fuel efficiently.
6) While driving, keep your speed down, drive steady, and monitor when and how you break.
7) Consider switching to an electric vehicle (EV). There are more than Tesla’s on the market these days for EVs...BMW, Subaru, Ford, Volkswagon, and many more companies offer EV options.
This list just scratches the surface of ways you can save on gas. For more ideas or to schedule a tune-up for your car, give us a call and let us know how we can help.
