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These fuel saving tips might come in handy after yet another fuel price hike
3 October 2017
| Last updated on 19 January 2020
October seems to be bringing a lot of extra expenses for UAE residents with sin tax coming into effect and a four to six percent increase in the fuel prices depending on what fuel you usually use.
Gulf News reported on September 28th, 2017 that the per-litre prices will now be AED 2.12 for Super (98), AED 2.01 for Special (95) and AED 1.94 for E Plus (91). Diesel has also seen a price increase to AED 2.10.
In light of all these price hikes, this is how you can save fuel in the UAE and in turn, save money as well.
Look after your tyres
Make sure that your tyres are in a good condition and check your tyre pressure frequently. You can improve your fuel consumption up to 2% with inflated tyres.
Reduce weight
If your car is lighter, then your engine won’t have to work as hard so make sure to leave all the excess baggage at home before you leave.
Slow down
Speeding and accelerating hard only uses unnecessary fuel without really getting you to your destination any quicker. On top of this, speeding in the UAE will in any case get you a hefty fine so better to stick to the speed limit. It will help you with the next point as well.
Avoid braking unnecessarily
Every time you brake and then accelerate again you are wasting a lot of fuel. Anticipate what others are going to do on the road and compensate beforehand so that you don’t have to break unnecessarily.
Fill up early in the morning or late at night
Fuel compress and decompress as it cools down or heats up. Filling up when it is cooler means that you will get more bang for your buck.
Fill when your tank is half rather than a quarter full
The more empty your tank is, the more fuel your car will use. Filling up sooner rather than later will keep your car running economically and reduce your stress of possibly getting stuck without fuel. Try not to let your petrol tank get less than half a tank.
Gear up quickly if you’re driving a manual
Cars are more fuel efficient in higher gears so instead of revving your car very high and staying in one gear for a long time, rather flip through your gears as quickly as possible so that you can get to your top gear. Also be careful not to change gears too quickly as this will put unnecessary strain on your engine.
Don’t warm your car for too long
When you start your car in the mornings, or anytime for that matter, do try and keep in mind that we are living in Dubai with gorgeous 34 upwards degree Celsius days. To be really honest, you only need to warm your vehicle for about 30 seconds before you start wasting fuel.
Reduce your trips
Every time your car engine cools down, it uses a lot more fuel for the first couple of kilometres. Instead of doing five different outings in a day, rather plan your route to do one trip in which you run all your errands. This way you save fuel by driving your car while your engine is still relatively warm and save your valuable time.
Avoid rush hour
Yes, yes, we know. That is almost impossible in Dubai but as far as possible, try to avoid driving in rush hour. If you can, wait it out or leave before it starts. The continuous stop-and-go turns your engine into the car equivalent of a blood thirsty mosquito!
Use your cruise control
This isn’t as much about using your cruise control as what it is about maintaining your speed. You save much more fuel while maintaining a constant speed and using cruise control, the engine will automatically adjust itself for optimal performance when going up or down a hill.
Manage your temperature
Driving with your AC on full blast all the time might be really comfortable but it is also gobbling down your fuel. Turn down your windows during the winter if you are driving slowly, else turn the temperature up a bit and set your fan speed to maintain the temperature. You don’t need to be melting in the car, but at the same time you also don’t need to be freezing.
