I have a further 10 tips to economise on motoring, but not all of them are for everyone:
1. Don't carry around any dead weight; empty the boot of all that detritus if you don't need it for the journey. Do not keep roof racks or roof-boxes on when they're not needed, and don't fly flags from your radio aerial! It all adds to the wind resistance.
2. Drive around a 10-year-old car (no depreciation), get it serviced once a year in an independent garage, and change the oil every 5000 miles (£25 or so in Kwik-Fit and similar outlets).
3. As you're driving around a 10-year-old car, you won't be paying as much insurance, and you won't need a hefty excess, or no-claims protection. If you can find a good, low-mileage, 15-year-old car with full service history, you'll be even better off, as you'll be able to insure it as a classic car (cheaper still). Contrary to what people think, keeping old cars on the road is a lot greener than scrapping them for newer ones, even if the newer models are marginally more economic. This is because during the car's lifetime, the most significant impact on the environment is when it's being manufactured. One car saved from the scrapheap means one less new car manufactured.
4. If you're a business owner and need a prestige car, consider a low-mileage, classic Mercedes or similar, in place of that brand new BMW. Over the year, it may cost you more in gas, but a lot less in depreciation, which may balance the books, depending on your mileage.
5. When it comes to buying consumables, shop around, and barter. Nearly all the quick-fit-type outlets want your business, so find the best deal, and then ask for a discount. (AA, RAC, Armed Forces, WI, Tesco clubcard points, try them all. I do. National Tyres does Tesco points, by the way). If you are driving a performance car, don't skimp on tyres, though. You must ensure that your new tyres are rated for your particular model.
6. Choose a diesel with a Bosch fuel pump. In the summer months, you'll be able to run it on used vegetable oil, appropriately filtered, without any modification, but DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST, as some diesels are not suitable. A starting point is www.elsbett.de If that website says you need a single-tank conversion, then personally I would just go ahead and use the veg oil anyway, up to a 50-50 mix of veg to normal diesel (their conversions cost about £700). Most Mercedes and VW/Audis pre-2000 are suitable, plus many Japanese models.
7. Check your tyres regularly, as under-inflated tyres really do affect fuel consumption. My father's old Volvo 360 was particularly bad for this.
8. Do not drive faster than is necessary. I do not believe the most efficient speed for most cars is 56 mph. For most family 5-gear saloons it's more like 40, but driving everywhere at this speed with other motorists behind you is not encouraged, as it causes frustration, and is against the spirit of the Highway Code, if not the actual rules.
9. If you regularly commute along the same route, there are strategies you can use which will significantly increase your fuel economy, provided it's not along a stop-start busy urban environment with clogged-up traffic.
My commute is an 8-mile drive along rural roads from home to work. I would say this is ideal, as I can drive at the best compromise between economy and convenience. If you know you will have to stop or slow down for a junction or corner, step off the gas, and step on the clutch, and COAST the last 300 yards or so. There was a time, when cars did not have syncromesh on every gear, and brakes were cable-operated, that driving experts advised against this. Some still do, but you would be in very good company if you did coast - Stirling Moss advocates it, and so do I. I absolutely am in control of my vehicle when I coast, and I defy anyone to try to prove otherwise. DO NOT switch off your engine - you will have impaired braking and very much heavier steering in most cars. Just let the engine tick over, and coast to the point where you have to stop/turn/give way. Look for markers, a bush or letter-box, where you can try to coast from.
The idea is to arrive at the chosen point at a speed where you can easily brake if you have to, but can simply pull out of the junction without braking at all, traffic permitting. If you arrived too fast, try a marker further back the next time. Most people are surprised just how far they can coast from 50 mph. Again, if there's traffic behind you, take them into consideration, and don't cause unnecessary frustration. It is perfectly possible for me to get safely from my work to my home without using the brakes at all, except to pull up outside my house. Do not coast down steep hills, that is asking for trouble. As a rule of thumb, if you have to brake to keep within the speed limit, you don't need to coast.
10. The biggest user of gas is not the accelerator, it's the brake. Having used a considerable amount of gas to accelerate to your chosen speed, you don't want to waste it all by stomping needlessly on the brake. Drive at as constant a speed as you can. Keep your distance from the car in front, who may be on the brakes every few seconds because he's too close to the car in front of him. This will allow you to iron out his greater speed changes to yours.
Some of these strategies require you to know your route, and to look and think ahead much more than normal driving. If you have a passenger in the car who wants to chat to you, just remember that it'll probably cost you fuel, as you won't be concentrating on driving smoothly and checking out the markers/road ahead. Just as an example on the savings possible, I bought an 1800cc petrol-engined VW Passat estate from a chap who told me he rarely achieved more than 32MPG. By using the above strategies, I regularly, and easily surpassed 42MPG. That's an increase in fuel economy of 33 per cent!
Over an average year's driving of 12,000 miles, that's a saving of 100 gallons, or at today's prices, £550. It's worth a try, isn't it?