6 easy ways to PRESERVE YOUR PETROL

Make your fuel go further with these great tips...

- Trudie McConnochie

We're all finding ways to make our money go further right now, and that includes at the bowser. As well as looking for the cheapest petrol station, there are lots of other ways you can lower your fuel expenditure.

We asked driver trainer Chris L'Ecluse, solutions specialist at Teletrac Navman, for his top tips and tricks.

1 THINK AHEAD 

It may sound obvious, but one of the best things you can do is reduce unnecessary car trips. Chris says we're very used to jumping in the car and going wherever we want, whenever we want, so try only using your car when you really need to eg walk or cycle to the shops instead of driving. It's also a good idea to consolidate all your errands into one trip.

"Where possible, avoid driving during the peak hours of commuting and school runs, which are usually between 7 and 9.30am, then 2 to 6pm," advises Chris.

"If we can coordinate our trips to occur outside of those times then that reduces the incidence of stopping and starting, therefore, that has a very real impact on fuel economy," he adds.

2 REDUCE WEIGHT

When was the last time you had a good look in your boot? "If you're lugging around bikes, sports gear or bags of clothes to donate, for example, that extra weight will mean extra fuel. Removing excess baggage keeps your car running more efficiently," Chris says.

3 LOWER DRAG