Gas Savings No-Brainers

Automobiles are your largest single impact on the environment -- a full 23% of your Total Environmental Impact, and if you're a typical driver, it's costing you about $1900 a year. Follow through on our Gas Savings No-Brainers and we estimate you'll save over $800 and prevent two tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Green your car and start saving today.

Tune It Up

The Department of Energy reports that keeping the right oil in your car and changing it every 4 months (or 5,000 miles) plus a once-a-year air filter change can improve your fuel efficiency by 8% or more! Over the course of just one year, we estimate that your average savings will be more than $150. Add in regular tune-ups to keep your car running the way it was engineered to run, and you'll pocket at least an additional $50 a year in savings.

Chill Out

Aggressive driving is costing you big time! Road tests by Edmunds prove that rapid acceleration and braking is not only bad for you blood pressure but has mammoth impacts on your fuel efficiency -- an average of 20%! We calculate that you can easily save about $350 through gradual acceleration and braking.

Roll Down your Windows (sometimes)

There are all kinds of debates over rolling down your window versus AC. So the folks at Bank Rate put it to the test and found that under 45 mph, you will save 10% with your windows rolled down and your AC turned off. But above 55 mph, you should keep your windows rolled up! This could save you $50.

Don't Be Idle

Many of us were taught that it's more fuel-efficient to leave your car idling, rather than turning it off and restarting. Not true! After just 10 seconds of idling, it becomes more efficient to turn your ignition off. The Edmunds Road test proves the point -- assuming you idle your car for just 10 minutes on a typical (40 mile) weekday, you will lose about 5% in efficiency and $50.

Pressurize

Many Americans forget to regularly check their tire pressure, and this definitely impacts your fuel efficiency -- up to 3%. If you pressurize your tires and lighten up you load, you will save $50 a year.

Lighten Your Load

Americans love to carry stuff around in their trunks, and it's weighing down your fuel efficiency 1% for every 50 lbs. That goes for your other trunk too. Yup, it might just be time for a diet. The average American is about 30-50 pounds overweight, and according to a recent report, our extra weight is costing Americans over $300 billion dollars per year in extra gas!

Take Your Time

Cruising down the highway at our below the maximum speed won't save you time, but it will save you money. Depending upon how much highway driving you do you can increase your fuel efficiency by up to 12% and save approximately $50. Just make sure you drive in the slow lane!

Go Hybrid

If you're in the market for a new car, buy a hybrid gas or electric vehicle. Hybrids provide about twice the fuel efficiency of a regular mid-sized gas vehicle, saving the average driver about $950 per year, along with 2.5 tons of CO2. There are also federal tax incentives now available for most models which make buying hybrid more attractive than ever.

If you follow all of our Gas Savings No-Brainers and buy a hybrid, we estimate that a typical American driver would save $1,300 dollars and 3.5 tons of CO2 a year. This would reduce your Total Environmental Impact by over 15%! Drive Green and start rolling in the dough!