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The cost of petrol and diesel at the pumps has reached record levels in the last couple of weeks due to a combination of a weak pound, recent tax rises and the increasing cost of oil.
But don't despair, money expert Martin Lewis knows some simple steps you can take to reduce the cost of motoring, and we've been putting them to the test.
You can also download our cutting petrol costs factsheet.
Susan Owens lives in an idyllic Kent village, but with limited public transport links, she relies on her car. Particularly so, because her 17 year-old son has learning difficulties, her 71 year-old father needs to be taken to regular medical appointments and her 8 year-old daughter needs ferrying to and from school and after-school activities.
Martin monitored Susan's driving for five days, during which she travelled 245 miles, at a cost of around £36 in petrol. She achieved 37 miles per gallon on average which equates to roughly 15 pence per mile.
Next, Martin, along with Tim Shallcross from the Institute of Advanced Motorists, studied her driving technique and the state of her car. They found that Susan was carrying around a lot of stuff in the boot and on the rear seat of her Ford Focus. To demonstrate, the effect this extra weight was having on her fuel consumption, Martin emptied the contents of her car onto a set of scales. It turned out Susan was driving
around with an unnecessary 32 kilograms of junk.
As well as checking that her tyres are properly inflated and turning off her air conditioning, Martin arranged for Susan to have a special driving lesson. Tim Shallcross demonstrated that by driving more smoothly, and braking less often, her fuel efficiency would improve dramatically.
Finally, Susan was left to drive for another five days on her own, to see if using Martin's
advice, she could go further for less. So what were the results?
Before:
Distance travelled: 245 miles
Average Miles per gallon: 37mpg
Cost per mile: 15p
Estimated cost per year before: £1978.84
After
Distance travelled: 265 miles
Average Miles per gallon: 43mpg
Cost per mile: 13p
Estimated cost per year after: £1713.22
Estimated annual saving: £273.52
(All costs based on petrol price of 120.9p per litre)
Petrol cost saving challenge
The cost of petrol and diesel at the pumps has reached record levels in the last couple of weeks due to a combination of a weak pound, recent tax rises and the increasing cost of oil.
But don't despair, money expert Martin Lewis knows some simple steps you can take to reduce the cost of motoring, and we've been putting them to the test.
You can also download our cutting petrol costs factsheet.
Susan Owens lives in an idyllic Kent village, but with limited public transport links, she relies on her car. Particularly so, because her 17 year-old son has learning difficulties, her 71 year-old father needs to be taken to regular medical appointments and her 8 year-old daughter needs ferrying to and from school and after-school activities.
Martin monitored Susan's driving for five days, during which she travelled 245 miles, at a cost of around £36 in petrol. She achieved 37 miles per gallon on average which equates to roughly 15 pence per mile.
Next, Martin, along with Tim Shallcross from the Institute of Advanced Motorists, studied her driving technique and the state of her car. They found that Susan was carrying around a lot of stuff in the boot and on the rear seat of her Ford Focus. To demonstrate, the effect this extra weight was having on her fuel consumption, Martin emptied the contents of her car onto a set of scales. It turned out Susan was driving
around with an unnecessary 32 kilograms of junk.
As well as checking that her tyres are properly inflated and turning off her air conditioning, Martin arranged for Susan to have a special driving lesson. Tim Shallcross demonstrated that by driving more smoothly, and braking less often, her fuel efficiency would improve dramatically.
Finally, Susan was left to drive for another five days on her own, to see if using Martin's
advice, she could go further for less. So what were the results?
Before:
Distance travelled: 245 miles
Average Miles per gallon: 37mpg
Cost per mile: 15p
Estimated cost per year before: £1978.84
After
Distance travelled: 265 miles
Average Miles per gallon: 43mpg
Cost per mile: 13p
Estimated cost per year after: £1713.22
Estimated annual saving: £273.52
(All costs based on petrol price of 120.9p per litre)
Petrol cost saving challenge