Fuel-Efficient Driving Tips

CAA believes in giving you the knowledge to make informed choices about how you drive, the kind of vehicle you purchase, and how you take care of it.

When you follow CAA’s fuel-efficient driving tips, it’s possible to:

  • Save hundred of dollars at the pump each year 
  • Lengthen the life of your vehicle by preventing unnecessary wear on your vehicle 
  • And help save the environment

CAA's Easy Fuel-Efficient Driving Tips

Accelerate Gently

Avoid “jackrabbit” starts and hard braking. While you think you are saving time, you are actually just using more fuel. To maximize your fuel efficiency, take five seconds to accelerate your vehicle up to 20 km/h from a stop.

Coast to Decelerate

By looking ahead at how traffic is behaving, you can often see well in advance when it’s time to slow down. You can conserve fuel and save money by taking your foot off the accelerator and coasting to slow down instead of using your brakes.

Keep up with regular car maintenance

Underinflated tires increase fuel consumption by up to four percent. With regular maintenance services you can help your vehicle run more efficiently.

Don’t Idle

Parked and waiting for someone? You waste 1 litre of gas every 20 minutes you idle. If you are going to be stopped for 60 seconds or more, try to turn off the engine.

Avoid Speeding

As you increase speed, more power is needed to push the car through the air. Driving at lower speeds can greatly reduce fuel consumption. Using cruise control on highway helps maintain a constant speed and saves gas (but be careful in wet or icy conditions and consult your owner’s manual for safe instructions on the use of cruise control).

Decrease Drag

Take off roof and bike racks when you’re not using them. They decrease the aerodynamics of a vehicle. Remove unnecessary items from your trunk.

Combine Trips

Whenever possible, plan your route to combine many stops into one trip.  Your vehicle is more fuel efficient when it is warmed up, so several short trips with a cold engine can use much more gas than one longer trip.