During our everyday travels, there are many things that affect the amount of petrol or diesel our cars use.
This includes everything from the size of the engine and shape of the vehicle’s body, to the distance of the trip and the driving style.
According to Suzuki, these nine factors are what influences a vehicle’s fuel efficiency the most.
Engine size
All else equal, larger engines use more fuel than smaller ones, so a big V6 SUV will burn through much more diesel than a small three-cylinder crossover.
Vehicle size
The bigger the physical dimensions of a vehicle, the heavier it becomes, and the more fuel it will need to move around.
The cargo that it carries, be it passengers, bags of groceries, or a new piece of furniture you just couldn’t pass up, adds to the weight and therefore also consumption.
Aerodynamics
In addition to size, the shape of a vehicle influences its aerodynamics, in other words, how efficiently it slices through the air.
While aerodynamics always affects fuel used, where it plays the biggest role is when you’re driving long distances.
Less slippery vehicles like minivans and big SUVs experience the most wind resistance, which acts as additional friction and forces the engine to work harder to achieve the same speed, expending more fuel in the process.
Maintenance
Maintaining a car is critical for using as little fuel as possible.
If upkeep is neglected, not only the engine but all the mechanical components will run less efficiently, resulting in unnecessary fuel usage.
Oil
Motor oil lubricates the engine to reduce friction during operation.
The better lubricated the motor, the smoother it runs, the less propellant it needs to do its job, so it pays to ensure that the liquid levels are above their minimum mark on a regular basis.
Turbos
Turbochargers artificially pump more air and fuel into an engine’s combustion chambers, compared to naturally-aspirated motors that rely on ambient air pressure to trigger combustion.
As such, a turbocharger can be affixed to a smaller engine to achieve the same power levels as a larger block while consuming less fuel.
Distance
The shorter the trips you take, the harder it is to keep fuel consumption low.
This is because the engine works best when it’s warmed up and quick commutes don’t allow it enough time to do so, making it guzzle more petrol.
Driving style
Probably the most obvious one, your driving style has a huge impact on efficiency.
Bad driving habits, such as excessive accelerating and braking, as well as speeding, add to the friction your car experiences out on the road and negatively impacts fuel usage.
Tyre pressure
A lesser form of maintenance, which should really be a habit for all car owners, is to ensure that the car’s tyres are inflated to their recommended pressures. The correct reading can usually be found either in the owner’s manual or inside the driver’s door jamb.
Worn-out or incorrectly-inflated tyres will pull the vehicle out of alignment, thus causing additional friction that hampers momentum and directly influences fuel spend.
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