Tips for saving fuel in the city
Saving fuel has become essential with prices where they are right now, especially if we are driving in the city, where consumption can really shoot up.
In a traffic jam, with the air conditioning on to cool the cabin, it is normal for fuel consumption to soar, although fortunately there are a number of tips you can use to burn less petrol when getting around.
How to save petrol if you drive in the city
Many drivers do not know how to save petrol in the city and end up driving in a similar way to how they do on the road, which in many cases causes instant fuel consumption to easily exceed 10 litres.
Avoid hard acceleration
If you do not know how to save petrol, or you have already read so many tips that they are starting to overwhelm you, one of the best is to avoid hard and sudden acceleration.
These bursts of acceleration are usually a bad idea in all kinds of driving, but even more so if you want to use less petrol when driving in the city, because they are pointless.
You can pull away quickly from a traffic light, but the next one will turn red and you will see how the cars you left behind catch up with you, and then the same thing happens at the next one, and again when you reach the roundabout, etc.
In urban environments, speed is not determined by how hard you press the accelerator, but by the law and the surrounding traffic, so you can use less fuel by accelerating smoothly.
Adapt to the traffic
Related to the above, one recommendation is to adapt to the traffic, as this is one of the best tips for saving petrol.
This means anticipating what other drivers are doing, such as when you see that the traffic light 200 metres ahead turns red. In that situation, there is no point in wasting petrol accelerating only to brake a few seconds later.
That is why, in that case, you can lift your foot off the pedal and let the vehicle’s inertia carry it forward without touching the gearbox until it is close to stalling, if you are driving a car with a manual gearbox.
You can do the same if you are approaching a roundabout or if you see that the cars ahead of you are starting to stop because of a traffic jam, gradually reducing fuel consumption, which you can check on the car’s computer.
Look for a car park or a blue zone
Among the fuel-saving tips that work best is looking for a car park or a blue zone, because nothing burns more fuel than driving around in first or second gear at low speed, accelerating and braking while looking for a place to park.
That way of driving goes on for a long time if you are trying to find somewhere to park, and it does not even guarantee that you will find a space, especially in the most touristy areas.
So, the best thing is to use our app, with which you can book a space in advance, arrive at the car park and leave your vehicle in your spot, being able to come and go as many times as you want without touching the machine, because by activating the automatic barrier opening service, it will open when it recognises your number plate.
This is a tip that works for everyone, but especially when you are sightseeing and do not know the city, because you do not know where to park, which areas are more dangerous, etc.
Avoid congested areas, even if it means driving more kilometres
Even if you do not know the city because you are there for a few days, with Google Maps it is now very easy to avoid traffic jams, as it alerts you in real time.
If there is congestion on your route through the city, the best thing you can do is ask Google for an alternative route, and you should not mind driving more kilometres, because even so you will use less fuel.
In fact, another tip you can use to make the car consume less is to avoid driving through cities. All of them have a road running through them, usually an old national road, and using the fast roads around them to reach different points will also save you a lot of time.
Saving petrol is essential right now, and cities are the places where cars consume the most. Fortunately, there are some tips you can use, such as not driving around looking for parking, not accelerating hard, or taking advantage of technology to avoid the traffic jams that always occur in urban areas.
