5 Simple Driving Tips to Save Petrol When Driving on Singapore Roads
For many drivers in Singapore, petrol expenses make up a significant portion of their overall running costs. As a nation with some of the highest fuel prices in the world, every litre truly makes a difference.
The good news? You don’t need to install any special equipment for your engine or buy a more fuel efficient car to start saving. By adopting five simple, actionable driving tips, you can improve your fuel economy and put substantial money back into your pocket over the course of a year.
Driving Tip #1 for Better Fuel Efficiency: Be Gentle on the Pedals
The biggest reason for poor fuel efficiency in city traffic is aggressive driving. A car’s engine is like a marathon runner: it's most efficient when maintaining a steady pace, not when performing short, intense sprints. To be gentler on the pedals, follow these tips:
• Avoid Hard Acceleration and Braking: Hard acceleration causes your engine to consume a massive, immediate surge of petrol, and hard braking wastes all the energy you just spent, turning it into useless heat and brake dust.
• Anticipate Traffic: Look ahead, not just at the car in front of you. By anticipating traffic lights changing or congestion forming, you can ease off the accelerator and coast to a stop rather than braking suddenly. This smooth, anticipatory driving reduces stress on you and your engine, making you the most efficient driver on the road.
Driving Tip #2 for Better Fuel Efficiency: Maintain a Steady Speed on Expressways
When you hit the straight roads of the CTE or PIE, your focus should be on consistency. Your engine is engineered to run most efficiently at a constant RPM (revolutions per minute).
• Utilise Cruise Control: If your car is equipped with cruise control, use it. It is far more precise than your foot and will maintain a steady speed with maximum efficiency.
• Minimise Overtaking: While sometimes necessary, think twice before accelerating to overtake. The burst of power required to perform the manoeuvre will result in a measurable increase in fuel consumption.
Driving Tip #3 for Better Fuel Efficiency: Adjust Your Air Conditioning
A car’s air-conditioning compressor is powered by the engine, which can increase fuel consumption if it's working extra hard to maintain a cold temperature. For drivers in Singapore, turning off the air-conditioning in Singapore’s hot and humid climate is not exactly a realistic option. That said, you can still improve your fuel economy by changing a few settings:
• Recirculate, Recirculate, Recirculate: Once your cabin is cool, hit the “recirculate” button. This stops the system from continuously pulling in hot, humid air from outside and cooling the air already inside the cabin, which is a much easier and less taxing job for the compressor.
• Find Your Comfort Zone: Setting the temperature to a comfortable 20-22°C is far less taxing on the engine than running it at the absolute coldest setting (often 18°C). A small change in temperature can lead to noticeable fuel savings.
Driving Tip #4 for Better Fuel Efficiency: Check Your Tyre Pressure Every Month
This is perhaps the easiest and most overlooked tip. Under-inflated tyres increase what’s known as "rolling resistance." Essentially, the engine has to work much harder to push your car forward, similar to trying to cycle with a soft tyre. This extra effort directly translates to higher fuel consumption.
• Find the Right Pressure: Don't guess. The manufacturer's recommended tyre pressure is usually printed on a sticker inside the driver’s side door jamb or in the owner's manual.
• Check and Top Up Regularly: Make it a habit to check your tyres once a month. You can do this quickly and often for free at any petrol station.
Driving Tip #5 for Better Fuel Efficiency: Lighten the Load
This comes down to simple physics: the heavier your car, the more fuel it needs to move. Especially for big SUVs, it’s easy for the boot to become a storage locker.
• Conduct a Boot Audit: Do a quick audit of your boot and remove any heavy, non-essential items you’ve been carrying around. Are you still driving around with a golf bag from last month’s outing? Do you have an old toolkit, a stroller or unused sports equipment permanently stored in the back?
Save More Fuel by Driving Smarter
Adopting these five small habits can collectively lead to significant savings over the course of a year, helping to offset the high fuel prices in Singapore. The best part? These tips are great for reducing fuel consumption whether you are driving a full petrol or hybrid car, or an electric vehicle.
While good fuel efficient driving habits are great, the vehicle you drive can turn great savings into exceptional savings. Hyundai models are engineered from the ground up to be fuel efficient cars Singapore drivers can rely on. Explore our range of hybrid cars in Singapore to find the ideal sedan or SUV for your needs.
