• Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by five percent around town.
• Avoid high speeds. Each five mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gas.
• Use air-conditioning only when necessary.
Car Maintenance Tips
• Keep tires properly inflated and aligned. Properly inflated tires can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent.
• Get regular engine tune-ups and car maintenance checks. Replace clogged air filters-this can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent, and it will also protect your engine. If your car has a faulty oxygen sensor, your gas mileage may improve by as much as 40 percent.
• Combine errands into one trip. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip.
$ Long-Term Savings Tip
• Consider a highly fuel-efficient vehicle for your next car, SUV, or truck purchase. Buying a standard vehicle, with high fuel efficiency, a hybrid vehicle, or an alternative-fuel vehicle for your next purchase, could save you a lot at the gas pump and help the planet at the same time. Vehicle emissions are a major source of U.S. air pollution today.
For some A to Z energy tips that include buying a new car or truck, what's on the energy horizon and fuel cost calculators to find and compare costs, visit www.energy.gov and click on "energy saving tips" and select "cars."
Weighty Matters: Avoid carrying unneeded items in the trunk. Extra weight decreases gas mileage.
