Top 10 Ways To Increase Fuel Efficiency In Automatic Car
Key Highlights
- Learn to fetch maximum fuel economy from an automatic car
- Top tips and tricks explained in detail
- Save fuel expenses annually by using various methods
Buying an automatic car is a decision that customers make to reduce the everyday stress of driving and commuting inside the city. An automatic transmission surely helps reduce the effort needed to operate or drive a car. Additionally, there are plenty of used automatic cars in Dubai that are available at affordable prices. Hence, the majority of buyers end up purchasing automatic cars. However, a major con attached to automatic transmissions is their low fuel efficiency.
If you are also using an automatic car in Dubai and you are concerned about its low fuel efficiency, we have sorted it all for you. Read below our quick top 10 tips about increasing your automatic car’s mileage and saving money on your fuel expenses.
Also Read: Top 5 Used Sedan Cars in Dubai Under AED 60,000
1. Control Your Right Foot - Easy Acceleration and Deceleration
The primary tip of saving fuel in your automatic car is by using the accelerator pedal in a feather-light way. Do not hurry and accelerate suddenly your car. Always take time to analyze the surroundings and use a sedate input on the accelerator. A gradual acceleration means less consumption of fuel. Also, sedate acceleration will ensure that the gearshifts happen at the right RPM. Hence, the overall fuel economy will increase.
Similar to the accelerator, it is equally important to let go of the throttle on time. The quick deceleration will consume more fuel. Therefore, use your right foot in a manner that your car decelerates gradually, rather than coming to a quick stop abruptly. This can be learned by practicing and patience.
2. Learn To Coast
As equal as the acceleration and deceleration, it is important to learn coasting. It is a process of letting go of the throttle and letting the car glide before it comes to a stop. Imagine you are driving in the city and you see a red light far ahead of you. Now, rather than braking near the red light immediately, if you remove your right foot from the throttle and let the car glide for the remaining distance, it will increase fuel efficiency by a huge margin. This process is called coasting and it helps in an overall reduction of fuel consumption, consumption of brakes, and consumption of tyres as well. Learn to coast your car as much as possible.
3. Use Cruise Control - Driving at a Constant Speed
Using cruise control is another crucial way of increasing the fuel efficiency of your automatic car. A cruise control not only adds to the convenience of driving but it also helps the car’s engine to hold on a steady speed on the highway. A steady speed means steady RPM and hence better fuel economy. Moreover, the sudden throttle inputs are avoided by using cruise control, which transforms the highway driving experience into a comfortable one.
Just in case your automatic car does not have cruise control, you can try maintaining a steady speed for better fuel economy. For example, if you stick to 100 km/h on the highway, your automatic car will churn more fuel efficiency than being driven at varying speeds between 100-120 km/h.
4. Use Neutral or Turn Off the Engine When Stopped
Another bad driving habit many people follow is not using the neutral or keeping the engine on when the car stops. This is a common method of burning more fuel in your automatic car as being in gear will keep the transmission engaged and therefore the fuel economy gets impacted. If your car is stopped at a red light signal or any such scenario, make sure to either turn off the engine or at least shift into the neutral gear. This will reduce the pressure on your automatic transmission and engine, hence, saving more fuel.
Practice this method inside the city and you will easily notice a huge difference in your car’s fuel consumption. Additionally, if your car has an idle start/stop switch, do not turn it off. Let your car’s technology handle the fuel saving for you. The idle start/stop system switches off the engine whenever the car comes to a stop. As soon as you press the accelerator, it automatically switches the car on. This process is done without using the starter motor, therefore, saving fuel.
Also Read: Top 5 Used SUVs To Buy Under 60,000 AED In 2024
5. Use Your Automatic Transmission Wisely
Modern automatic transmissions have become very smart in adapting to each driver’s style. However, there are still ways to take advantage of these transmissions and save more fuel. You can manually take control of your gearbox and shift into higher gears at early RPMs. Most automatic transmissions are tuned to shift gears at fixed intervals. But, if your automatic transmission has a manual mode, you can change gears early for a better performance. Similarly, paddle shifters are provided in modern cars to manually shift gears. These can be used in different circumstances to change gears early and save fuel.
6. Learn to Control RPM
RPM or revolutions per minute, indicates the speed at which your engine is running. In simpler language, the higher the RPM more the fuel consumption. Hence, it is necessary to keep a check on the RPM. But, how? Well, RPM is directly proportional to your acceleration inputs. The automatic transmission is designed to shift gears at particular RPMs at particular speeds. If you push your throttle hard, the automatic transmission will stick to the higher RPM for better performance. Similarly, if you push the throttle light, the gearbox will upshift into higher gears at lower RPM; saving fuel.
A sedate driving habit will automatically develop if you learn to control the gear upshifts at lower RPM in your automatic car. Similarly, on the highway, if you can stick to a specific RPM, your car will return better mileage. The economical RPM limit is different for each car. In petrol automatic cars, an ideal RPM range is between 1,800 RPM to 2,300 RPM to upshift gears. In diesel automatic cars, the ideal RPM range to get good fuel economy is 1,500 RPM to 2,000 RPM.
7. Maintain Correct Tyre Pressure and Size
When speaking of the maintenance of your vehicle, it is very important to keep the tyre pressure in check. An under-inflated tyre will put more burden on your engine and transmission and hence your car will end up burning more fuel to move. Therefore, always stick to the factory-recommended tyre pressure on your car. Additionally, the tyre pressure needs to be checked weekly, so that the condition of tyres also remains in check. Moreover, the tyre pressure on the front and rear tyres are always different and in the case of increased load, the pressure values also change. You can refer to the user manual of your automatic car for the exact tyre pressure details and how to maintain it.
8. Top-Notch Maintenance
An unsaid rule to churn out the best fuel economy out of your automatic car is to keep it in top condition. Regular maintenance, timely servicing, and regular checkups will ensure that all the consumable fluids like the coolant, engine oil, brake oil, etc., are in good condition and right quantity. Also, if you keep your car serviced in a timely manner, engine wear and tear are reduced to a large extent. Hence, the friction produced inside the engine is less and it consumes less fuel to operate. Therefore, make sure to follow a regular maintenance record of your automatic car.
9. Travel Light - Reduce Unnecessary Weight
Are you in a habit of carrying unnecessary stuff inside your car every time? Well, you need to get rid of this unnecessary habit and the unnecessary stuff as well. Extra load inside the car means extra effort to move, hence, your car ends up burning extra fuel. While you might feel that how can a few items lying inside your boot impact your fuel efficiency; it is indeed true that your car will burn more fuel. So, take time and scan your car for any unnecessary stuff that is not required to be inside the car. Make your car light so that it can consume less fuel on the go.
A similar method to save fuel is by removing the extra loadings on the car. Stuff like aftermarket roof racks and bull bars on the front or rear can increase the aerodynamic drag as well as put more weight on the car’s engine. Remove any such aftermarket fittings to save more fuel on your car.
10. Using Air Conditioning Efficiently
A less-known fact about the AC of your car is that it consumes up to 25% more fuel as compared to driving without AC. However, the extremely hot weather in the UAE is not always suitable for driving without air conditioning. But, you can optimize the use of your car’s AC to get better fuel economy. The first step is to ensure optimum temperature. If you always use your AC on the coolest setting or temperature, your car will consume more fuel. But, if you keep the temperature settings somewhere in the range of 22-25 degrees (for auto AC), and in the middle of the circular dial (for manual AC), your car will consume less fuel.
Why? It is because when you optimize the temperature settings of your car’s AC, the engine gets an additional source of heat sink. This basically acts as an additional cooling option for your engine. Therefore, the overall efficiency of your car’s engine increases, which further increases the fuel efficiency. A flap is used to control the flow of hot air that flows through the cooling system to create an optimal temperature (set by you).
Lastly, if you can drive with the AC switched off, the car will automatically return good fuel economy. Inside the city, you can roll down the windows and save fuel. However, on the highway, if you roll down the windows at higher speeds, it will increase the aerodynamic drag on your car and therefore you will end up wasting more fuel.
Also Read: Car Maintenance Tips for Hot Weather in the UAE
Practice Patience and Save Fuel
If you use our tips to increase the fuel efficiency of your automatic car, you can easily save big numbers on your fuel expenses. Moreover, practicing patience will increase the life of your car as well as reduce the maintenance expenditures like tyre and brake pad replacements. Not to mention, you will become a safe driver by driving sedately and the overall comfort of your driving experience will also be enhanced. Share your thoughts below in the comments about our tips forof saving fuel in an automatic car.
Key Highlights
- Learn to fetch maximum fuel economy from an automatic car
- Top tips and tricks explained in detail
- Save fuel expenses annually by using various methods
Buying an automatic car is a decision that customers make to reduce the everyday stress of driving and commuting inside the city. An automatic transmission surely helps reduce the effort needed to operate or drive a car. Additionally, there are plenty of used automatic cars in Dubai that are available at affordable prices. Hence, the majority of buyers end up purchasing automatic cars. However, a major con attached to automatic transmissions is their low fuel efficiency.
If you are also using an automatic car in Dubai and you are concerned about its low fuel efficiency, we have sorted it all for you. Read below our quick top 10 tips about increasing your automatic car’s mileage and saving money on your fuel expenses.
Also Read: Top 5 Used Sedan Cars in Dubai Under AED 60,000
1. Control Your Right Foot - Easy Acceleration and Deceleration
The primary tip of saving fuel in your automatic car is by using the accelerator pedal in a feather-light way. Do not hurry and accelerate suddenly your car. Always take time to analyze the surroundings and use a sedate input on the accelerator. A gradual acceleration means less consumption of fuel. Also, sedate acceleration will ensure that the gearshifts happen at the right RPM. Hence, the overall fuel economy will increase.
Similar to the accelerator, it is equally important to let go of the throttle on time. The quick deceleration will consume more fuel. Therefore, use your right foot in a manner that your car decelerates gradually, rather than coming to a quick stop abruptly. This can be learned by practicing and patience.
2. Learn To Coast
As equal as the acceleration and deceleration, it is important to learn coasting. It is a process of letting go of the throttle and letting the car glide before it comes to a stop. Imagine you are driving in the city and you see a red light far ahead of you. Now, rather than braking near the red light immediately, if you remove your right foot from the throttle and let the car glide for the remaining distance, it will increase fuel efficiency by a huge margin. This process is called coasting and it helps in an overall reduction of fuel consumption, consumption of brakes, and consumption of tyres as well. Learn to coast your car as much as possible.
3. Use Cruise Control - Driving at a Constant Speed
Using cruise control is another crucial way of increasing the fuel efficiency of your automatic car. A cruise control not only adds to the convenience of driving but it also helps the car’s engine to hold on a steady speed on the highway. A steady speed means steady RPM and hence better fuel economy. Moreover, the sudden throttle inputs are avoided by using cruise control, which transforms the highway driving experience into a comfortable one.
Just in case your automatic car does not have cruise control, you can try maintaining a steady speed for better fuel economy. For example, if you stick to 100 km/h on the highway, your automatic car will churn more fuel efficiency than being driven at varying speeds between 100-120 km/h.
4. Use Neutral or Turn Off the Engine When Stopped
Another bad driving habit many people follow is not using the neutral or keeping the engine on when the car stops. This is a common method of burning more fuel in your automatic car as being in gear will keep the transmission engaged and therefore the fuel economy gets impacted. If your car is stopped at a red light signal or any such scenario, make sure to either turn off the engine or at least shift into the neutral gear. This will reduce the pressure on your automatic transmission and engine, hence, saving more fuel.
Practice this method inside the city and you will easily notice a huge difference in your car’s fuel consumption. Additionally, if your car has an idle start/stop switch, do not turn it off. Let your car’s technology handle the fuel saving for you. The idle start/stop system switches off the engine whenever the car comes to a stop. As soon as you press the accelerator, it automatically switches the car on. This process is done without using the starter motor, therefore, saving fuel.
Also Read: Top 5 Used SUVs To Buy Under 60,000 AED In 2024
5. Use Your Automatic Transmission Wisely
Modern automatic transmissions have become very smart in adapting to each driver’s style. However, there are still ways to take advantage of these transmissions and save more fuel. You can manually take control of your gearbox and shift into higher gears at early RPMs. Most automatic transmissions are tuned to shift gears at fixed intervals. But, if your automatic transmission has a manual mode, you can change gears early for a better performance. Similarly, paddle shifters are provided in modern cars to manually shift gears. These can be used in different circumstances to change gears early and save fuel.
6. Learn to Control RPM
RPM or revolutions per minute, indicates the speed at which your engine is running. In simpler language, the higher the RPM more the fuel consumption. Hence, it is necessary to keep a check on the RPM. But, how? Well, RPM is directly proportional to your acceleration inputs. The automatic transmission is designed to shift gears at particular RPMs at particular speeds. If you push your throttle hard, the automatic transmission will stick to the higher RPM for better performance. Similarly, if you push the throttle light, the gearbox will upshift into higher gears at lower RPM; saving fuel.
A sedate driving habit will automatically develop if you learn to control the gear upshifts at lower RPM in your automatic car. Similarly, on the highway, if you can stick to a specific RPM, your car will return better mileage. The economical RPM limit is different for each car. In petrol automatic cars, an ideal RPM range is between 1,800 RPM to 2,300 RPM to upshift gears. In diesel automatic cars, the ideal RPM range to get good fuel economy is 1,500 RPM to 2,000 RPM.
7. Maintain Correct Tyre Pressure and Size
When speaking of the maintenance of your vehicle, it is very important to keep the tyre pressure in check. An under-inflated tyre will put more burden on your engine and transmission and hence your car will end up burning more fuel to move. Therefore, always stick to the factory-recommended tyre pressure on your car. Additionally, the tyre pressure needs to be checked weekly, so that the condition of tyres also remains in check. Moreover, the tyre pressure on the front and rear tyres are always different and in the case of increased load, the pressure values also change. You can refer to the user manual of your automatic car for the exact tyre pressure details and how to maintain it.
8. Top-Notch Maintenance
An unsaid rule to churn out the best fuel economy out of your automatic car is to keep it in top condition. Regular maintenance, timely servicing, and regular checkups will ensure that all the consumable fluids like the coolant, engine oil, brake oil, etc., are in good condition and right quantity. Also, if you keep your car serviced in a timely manner, engine wear and tear are reduced to a large extent. Hence, the friction produced inside the engine is less and it consumes less fuel to operate. Therefore, make sure to follow a regular maintenance record of your automatic car.
9. Travel Light - Reduce Unnecessary Weight
Are you in a habit of carrying unnecessary stuff inside your car every time? Well, you need to get rid of this unnecessary habit and the unnecessary stuff as well. Extra load inside the car means extra effort to move, hence, your car ends up burning extra fuel. While you might feel that how can a few items lying inside your boot impact your fuel efficiency; it is indeed true that your car will burn more fuel. So, take time and scan your car for any unnecessary stuff that is not required to be inside the car. Make your car light so that it can consume less fuel on the go.
A similar method to save fuel is by removing the extra loadings on the car. Stuff like aftermarket roof racks and bull bars on the front or rear can increase the aerodynamic drag as well as put more weight on the car’s engine. Remove any such aftermarket fittings to save more fuel on your car.
10. Using Air Conditioning Efficiently
A less-known fact about the AC of your car is that it consumes up to 25% more fuel as compared to driving without AC. However, the extremely hot weather in the UAE is not always suitable for driving without air conditioning. But, you can optimize the use of your car’s AC to get better fuel economy. The first step is to ensure optimum temperature. If you always use your AC on the coolest setting or temperature, your car will consume more fuel. But, if you keep the temperature settings somewhere in the range of 22-25 degrees (for auto AC), and in the middle of the circular dial (for manual AC), your car will consume less fuel.
Why? It is because when you optimize the temperature settings of your car’s AC, the engine gets an additional source of heat sink. This basically acts as an additional cooling option for your engine. Therefore, the overall efficiency of your car’s engine increases, which further increases the fuel efficiency. A flap is used to control the flow of hot air that flows through the cooling system to create an optimal temperature (set by you).
Lastly, if you can drive with the AC switched off, the car will automatically return good fuel economy. Inside the city, you can roll down the windows and save fuel. However, on the highway, if you roll down the windows at higher speeds, it will increase the aerodynamic drag on your car and therefore you will end up wasting more fuel.
Also Read: Car Maintenance Tips for Hot Weather in the UAE
Practice Patience and Save Fuel
If you use our tips to increase the fuel efficiency of your automatic car, you can easily save big numbers on your fuel expenses. Moreover, practicing patience will increase the life of your car as well as reduce the maintenance expenditures like tyre and brake pad replacements. Not to mention, you will become a safe driver by driving sedately and the overall comfort of your driving experience will also be enhanced. Share your thoughts below in the comments about our tips forof saving fuel in an automatic car.
