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Saving Money On Fuel

Beat the weekend petrol rush: Petrol prices see-saw, but each city has a different cycle when prices are lowest. Currently it's Friday for Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, while Wednesday is best for Perth. Always avoid weekends when it's most expensive. Stay on top of prices at the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) website, accc.gov.au

Want to look up the lowest daily petrol prices in major cities and receive the information by email or SMS? Then log on to motormouth.com.au

Drive smoothly: Aggressive driving is both expensive and dangerous. To conserve fuel, avoid rapid acceleration.
Drive and operate the accelerator as smoothly as possible. A relaxed driving style can save up to 40%.

Moderate your speed: To save fuel and arrive alive.
Driving at no more than 100km per hour compared to 110km per hour saves fuel.

Plan ahead: Combine multiple household tasks and chores into a single trip. Plan when you could walk, cycle or use public transport instead of taking the car.
Invest time in organising shared rides. Car Pool sites

Don't drive: Especially on short trips, it is important to ask 'is this necessary?'
Perhaps a bike would be more suitable for the journey, or you could get a lift with a friend.
Saving money on petrol requires a rethink of attitudes and values.

Do not let your tank empty: This forces you into the nearest petrol station and you cannot hold out for cheaper prices. A Motormouth spokeswoman said 'In Sydney for the past four weeks the cheapest prices have been on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It looks like they rise on a Friday'.
Tips On Filling The Fuel In Your Car

Use public transport: Wherever possible leave the car at home, especially to and from work, so you avoid sitting in peak hour traffic needlessly.

Keep your coupons: Supermarket chains offer coupons that give a discount of four cents per litre. Keep these in your car and use them. Woolworths also offer their Everyday Rewards card with tracks your discounts so you no longer need waste paper with the fuel voucher. Woolworths also offer an extra 4cents a litre off if you purchase $5 from the service station shop, look for the specials to increase the value of the discount.

Beware 4c off petrol: Don't get sucked into the 'four cents a litre off petrol' when buying at Woolworth's and Coles! Buy what is on special or what you need. Both these stores offer what are called "loss leaders" where they offer you a product at near or below cost but they make it up when you fill your trolley with your usual shopping. So check your junk mail for their catalogues or here for the links to ebsites before you shop. Catalogues are online up to 7 days before they start, so just do your homeowrk.

Lighten the load: Remove unnecessary items, including roof racks, from your vehicle to avoid excessive drag. If you have two vehicles, use the smallest vehicle that will do the job.

Service checks: Check tyre pressure and uneven tyre wear once a month. Do not over-adjust the brakes, this can cause drag. Low tyre pressures increase fuel consumption by 3%.

High octane fuel: Higher fuel prices mean higher octane fuel is becoming better value for money. Many modern cars get better mileage on premium so it may cost less money per kilometre. Test your car to find out which is cheapest.

Avoid idling: Modern cars do not need to 'warm up so avoid idling and switch off when you are parked, even if you are waiting for someone.

Minimise air conditioning: Park your vehicle in the shade where possible and buy a sun shield for your windscreen. Air conditioning increases fuel consumption by up to 11%.

Walking the kids to school: By waking up 15 minutes earlier in the mornings, we have time to walk the kids to school rather than drive. With the current rising petrol prices, we save about $10 each week. Walking to school gives me time to chat with the kids and have some very nice conversations and really learn about what is going on at school and in their social lives.

Searching for cheaper fuel: Don't drive out of your way to find a petrol station that will give you a discount, as it may cost you more to drive there than you will save.

Testing cheaper fuel: Be careful of el cheapo service stations. Some petrol stations dilute down their fuel so they can appear better value. So each time you try a new petrol station listen for new engine noises and record how many kilometres you were able to travel on the tank so you can compare it to other petrol stations.