Driving for Fuel Economy

Keep tires at the correct inflation pressure. Underinflated tires increase rolling resistance — the tire deforms more with each rotation, requiring more engine effort to maintain speed. The effect compounds across all four tires and over every mile driven. Checking pressure monthly and before long journeys costs nothing and has a direct, consistent impact on fuel consumption. The correct pressure is on the door jamb sticker, not on the tire sidewall.

Significantly. Hard acceleration burns more fuel than gradual acceleration to the same speed. Maintaining a steady speed on the highway uses less fuel than repeated acceleration and braking cycles. Anticipating traffic — lifting off the accelerator early and coasting toward a red light or slowing vehicle rather than braking hard — reduces fuel waste. Each of these behaviors reduces the work the engine has to do, which directly reduces fuel consumption.

Fuel efficiency generally decreases as highway speed increases, because aerodynamic drag grows with speed. Most vehicles are more efficient at moderate highway speeds than at maximum legal speeds. Cruise control on flat highway sections helps maintain a consistent speed and avoids the fuel-wasting surges of manual throttle management on long straight stretches. The specific most-efficient speed varies by vehicle — consult your owner's manual or the vehicle's trip computer if it provides consumption data.

Yes. Any item that increases the vehicle's frontal area or disrupts the airflow around it increases aerodynamic drag, which the engine has to overcome. Roof racks, cargo boxes, bike carriers, and ski racks all add drag, particularly at highway speeds. Remove them when they're not in use. The weight of cargo inside the vehicle also matters — extra weight increases the energy needed to accelerate and maintain speed.

Yes. Tire lines designed with low rolling resistance as a primary characteristic reduce the energy needed to keep the vehicle moving. These tires use specific rubber compound and construction technologies to minimize deformation as they roll. When comparing tires, rolling resistance is one of the performance attributes you can evaluate. Note that tires optimized primarily for traction — off-road, mud, and winter tires — tend to have higher rolling resistance than highway-focused options.

Idling consumes fuel while producing no forward movement, so it is always less efficient than moving. In traffic jams or at extended stops (railway crossings, long lights), turning the engine off and restarting when traffic moves is more fuel-efficient than sustained idling, provided it's safe to do so. Modern engines are designed to handle frequent restarts without meaningful wear. Many newer vehicles include automatic stop-start systems that do this automatically. In cold weather, extended idling to warm the engine is generally not needed by modern vehicles — the engine warms more quickly under gentle driving load than at idle.