Fuel Efficiency & Tips to Lower Your Vehicle's Carbon Footprint

No one likes paying for gas, no matter how fuel-efficient your car is. Whether you have an older car or a bigger engine, here are some ways to save on gas and minimize your vehicle's carbon footprint:

Practice a steady speed: Use cruise control if you need help maintaining your speed. The more your speed fluctuates, the more your engine must catch up. When able, let the car slow down on its own versus pushing the brake pedal. An engine has an easier time accelerating without a brake-initiated stop.
Avoid rush hour when possible: A nice flow of traffic reduces the need to stop and go too much. When you are constantly braking and accelerating, your engine is using more fuel. Purchase a "fast pass" to avoid stopping at tolls.
Warm-up your car before operating: Warming up your engine prior to driving allows the engine to prepare for movement. The colder the engine is, the harder it must work to warm up when already on the road.

Plan your trip accordingly: Make a mental map of where you need to go, and try to make it a seamless trip, rather than a back-and-forth expedition.

Keep your car maintained: Routine maintenance is crucial to smooth operation. Take it a step further by looking into better quality oil, fuel, and tires.

Park in the shade in hot weather: The more you air conditioning you need, the more fuel consumption you need. You can also roll down the windows to save even more gas.

What Else Can You Do?

These are just some of the ways you can save money on gas and reduce your carbon footprint. Thankfully, makes like Toyota Prius, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Honda Civic practice their own ways of reducing their footprint by offering hybrid vehicles, automatic engine start/stop (Idle smart), and smaller engines without impairing performance. Check out our inventory to see which fuel-efficient models work for you!