California Center for Sustainable Energy

The high cost of gasoline in California and our reliance on daily car travel means we can save money, reduce emissions and improve road conditions by taking steps towards fuel conservation and efficiency.

Easy Steps to Improve Your Gas Mileage

While Driving:

• Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town.
• Observe the speed limit. While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed, gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.21 per gallon for gas.
• Remove excess weight. Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2 percent. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.
• Avoid excessive idling. Idling gets zero miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.
• Use cruise control. Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.
• Use overdrive gears. When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.

Keep That Car in Shape:

• Keep tires properly inflated. You can improve your gas mileage by around 3 percent by keeping your tires properly inflated. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every 1-psi drop in pressure of all four tires.
• Forget about premium. Unless your owner's manual recommends it, there is no need to buy it. Premium gas sells for an average of 17 cents more per gallon than regular gas. Check your owner’s manual for what octane you should be using.
• Keep your engine properly tuned. Fixing a car that is out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve gas mileage by an average of 4.1 percent. If your car has a faulty oxygen sensor, your gas mileage may deteriorate by as much as 40 percent.
• Check and replace air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent.

Planning Your Trips:

• Combine errands into one trip. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm.
• Avoid rush hour. If you can stagger your work hours to avoid peak rush hours, you can avoid more of the "stop and go" traffic and consume less fuel. For information on the current road and traffic conditions, click here.
• Take the car with the higher fuel efficiency. If you own multiple vehicles, drive the one that gets the best gas mileage whenever possible.
• Carpool. Take turns driving to work or school by carpooling or joining a ride-share program. This can cut weekly fuel costs in half and save wear on your car. Cars with two or more passengers can take advantage of the special High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.
• Consider telecommuting. If your employer permits it, working at home cuts down on mileage.
• Take public transportation. Relax and enjoy the ride.

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What are the most fuel-efficient cars?

Fuel Economy Leaders: 2009 Model Year

Rank	Manufacturer/Model	MPG: city/highway
1	Toyota Prius (hybrid-electric)	48/45
2	Honda Civic Hybrid	40/45
3	Nissan Altima Hybrid	35/33
4	Ford Escape Hybrid FWD Mazda Tribute Hybrid 2WD Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD	34/31
5	Smart Fortwo Convertible Smart Fortwo Coupe	33/41
6	Toyota Camry Hybrid	33/34
7	Volkswagon Jetta (manual, diesel) Volkswagon Jetta Sportwagon (manual, diesel)	30/41
8	Volkswagon Jetta (automatic, diesel) Volkswagon Jetta Sportwagon (automatic, diesel)	29/40
9	Toyota Yaris (manual)	29/36
10	Toyota Yaris (automatic)	29/35

For more information on fuel efficient vehicles, go to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s green vehicle guide.

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Resources

Gasoline Price Information and Research
United States Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update (Energy Information Administration)
San Diego Cheap Gas Locator (Utilities Consumers’ Action Network)

Other Links
Green Car Guide (American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy)
Alternative fueling stations 
List of federal, state and local incentives for cleaner vehicles