1. Keep your car well serviced and check the oil level regularly. Correctly maintained cars can operate more efficiently and help reduce CO2 emissions.
2. Check your tyre pressure every month. Under-inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by up to 4%*.
3. Remove unnecessary weight from your boot or back seats. The heavier the car, the harder the engine has to work and the more fuel it consumes.
4. Close your windows, especially at higher speeds and remove empty roof racks. This will reduce wind resistance and can lower your fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10%**.
5. Use air conditioning only when necessary. Unnecessary use increases fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 5%**.
6. Start driving soon after starting the engine and turn off the engine when stationary for more than one minute. Modern engines enable you to just get in and go, thus reducing fuel consumption.
7. Drive at reasonable speeds and above all, drive smoothly. Every time you accelerate or brake suddenly, your engine uses more fuel and produces more CO2.
8. When accelerating, change up gears as early as possible. Higher gears are more economical in terms of fuel consumption**.
9. Try to anticipate traffic flow. Look at the traffic as far ahead as possible in order to avoid unnecessary stopping and starting within the flow of traffic.
10. Consider car sharing for work or leisure. You will help reduce congestion and fuel consumption.
* International Energy Agency
** European Commission