14 tips for reducing your car expenses

The faster a car is moving, the more air resistance it encounters. As a result, the engine needs to work harder (and burn more fuel) to maintain the car's speed. Generally speaking, every kilometre over 100 km/h increases gas consumption by 1%.

When your car is stopped, it takes a lot of power to get it up to the speed you want. That's why accelerating during city driving accounts for 60% of your gas consumption.² If you're going from one traffic light or stop to another, think about limiting how much you accelerate. Accelerating from 0 km/h to 50 km/h consumes 4 times as much gas as accelerating from 0 km/h to 25 km/h.

This is also why sudden dips and bursts can be expensive. If you continually increase and decrease your speed between 75 km/h and 85 km/h every 18 seconds, your fuel consumption can increase by more than 20%². When driving on rural roads or on the highway, where conditions permit, turn on the cruise control to keep moving at a steady pace.

When you drive in town, roll the windows down. This can reduce your fuel consumption by 20%³. On the highway, do the opposite. Having open windows on the highway makes your car less aerodynamic, which can lead to even more fuel consumption.⁴

Turn off the engine if you have to stop the car for more than a minute, except when you're in traffic. A car with a 2-litre engine consumes about 1.2 litres of fuel for every hour it idles.¹ In the winter, don't keep the car running just so you can have the heat on — you'll have plenty of time before your car's cabin temperature starts to drop. In the summer, park in the shade and open the windows as soon as you get in the car.

Several online trip planners now offer eco-friendly routing. They use artificial intelligence to estimate carbon emissions based on traffic, road incline and other variables, and then recommend the route that will lead to the lowest fuel consumption.⁵

If you forget to change the oil, clean a clogged air filter or replace a spark plug, the engine won't work properly and your car might guzzle up to 20% more fuel.⁶ Use the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil to reduce your fuel consumption by 1% to 2%.⁷

Is it absolutely essential to use your car? Whenever possible, use other methods of transportation such as walking, cycling and public transit. That way, you won't have to spend money on gas and you can protect your car from unnecessary wear-and-tear

The most eco-friendly choice is driving a vehicle twith the right size, engine power and features for your usual needs, not your occasional ones. Do you drive through the mountains and on poorly maintained roads often enough that you really need a vehicle with 4-wheel drive? Because, on average, this type of system increases your gas consumption by 1 L/100 km.⁹

Compare models by checking out automative review guides as well as the most recent edition of Natural Resources Canada's Fuel Consumption Guide. Depending on where you live and how often you travel, you may want a vehicle that is more fuel-efficient for city driving, highway driving or both. 

On average, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and all-electric vehicles cost 10% to 20% less per month than comparable gas-powered vehicles. And this is after taking into account the cost of the lease or loan on the vehicle.¹⁰ Once the vehicle has been paid off, the energy and maintenance savings are about 37% (for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) and 75% (for all-electric vehicles) compared with equivalent gas-powered vehicles.