Here's how to beat rising fuel prices

Prior to this month’s hefty fuel price increase, South Africa saw large decreases in the fuel price. Unfortunately, however, most of the country was in lockdown and could not take full advantage of the decrease. Now that the majority of the country has returned to the roads, under more difficult economic times, it is important to decrease your fuel consumption as much as possible.

 The managing director of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, says by following a few basic fuel-saving techniques, drivers can save up to 20% on their fuel consumption. “Whether you need to save on your personal fuel bill or are a fleet operator looking for ways to decrease your fleet costs, reducing your fuel consumption is one of the most effective ways to save money for both. Drivers tend to fall into bad habits that not only increase your risk of crashes but increase fuel consumption as well.”

Herbert provides some tips on how to save on your fuel bill:

•  Reducing your speed by 20km/h is one of the most effective ways to reduce fuel spend by 20%
• If you cannot reduce your speed, attempt to at least not speed and adjust your speed to the current driving conditions
•  Anticipate red lights. If you can slow down in advance and avoid coming to a complete stop, it is more fuel-efficient to take off while moving than what it is to stop completely
• Drive looking 12 seconds ahead so that you can react to potential hazards and avoid unnecessary stops/starts
• Do not drive recklessly or aggressively. This kind of driving is often accompanied by fuel-heavy behaviours such as fast lane changes, sudden acceleration and harsh braking
• Plan ahead so that you avoid areas where heavy traffic often occurs, do not get lost and drive extra kilometres and select the most fuel-efficient route
• Keeping your engine revs between 2500 and 3000rpm can also help reduce your fuel bill

“Drivers that are taught how to reduce petrol consumption, save between 15% and 20%, on average. If a driver travels 3 000 km per month (at 10L/100km) they can save R5 000 each a year. When you multiply this by a fleet of 100, you could potentially save R500 000 a year. During a time that will place economic stress on both households and fleets, it is more important than ever to reduce your fuel bill,” says Herbert.