How to Save Fuel During the Winter

gas pump with snow

The winter season complicates things for car owners. Whether it’s the snow and slippery streets or a frozen windshield, the cold is often inconvenient for car maintenance. Did you know that even statistics prove this? The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that a drop in temperature from 75 ° F to 45 ° F can increase fuel consumption in urban trips from 12% to 28%. That’s why it doesn't hurt to know how to save fuel in the winter to minimize fuel costs this season. This led us to compile a list of tips for saving on fuel.

Choose to Take Longer Trips

In essence, the car engine has to work harder in the winter, compared to the summer time, because of the drop in temperature. When the engine works harder, that means it’ll logically consume much more gasoline. That's why, for those wondering how to save gas in this situation, our advice is to, instead of going on multiple trips over a period of time, try to combine several short trips to a longer one with several stops.

Reduce Your Speed

Take a look at this interesting statistic: as you exceed a speed of 55 mph, your car consumes fuel less efficiently. That's why, if you really want to minimize your expenses, perhaps you could sacrifice a few extra minutes in transit to save a few dollars. If you make this a habit, you’ll also avoid law problems with fines for speeding.

Stop Using Seat Heaters

When it comes to conventional vehicles, although one of the best features of most newer cars is the option to use seat warmers, the truth of the matter is that using this feature is an easy way to use up more fuel unnecessarily. If you can put the comfort aside from using seat warmers in a car, you can contribute to saving fuel. Keep in mind that this rule only applies to conventional vehicles, not electric cars.

Monitor Your Tires’ Air Pressure

Have you ever wondered why the tire pressure light on the dashboard turns on sometimes when it's cold? It’s because the cold air decreases the tire’s air pressure sometimes to the point where a tire pressure refill is needed. In addition, when it comes to saving gasoline, a tire low on air pressure causes an increase in fuel consumption. So it’s better to keep an eye on your tires’ air pressure.

Reduce Idling Time

Much of the population falls into the common conception that a car should be turned on and idling before driving it, to warm up the engine. The truth is that, with most recent cars, this isn’t necessary, and it’s actually counterproductive to your fuel-efficiency efforts since you’re using up fuel unnecessarily. Similarly, if you are sitting inside the car for a while, you could also turn off the car for a little bit as long as it’s not extremely cold outside.

Plan Out Long Trips

If you go on road trip, planning the trip in advance could help you with fuel efficiency savings. For example, in one of our previous articles, we recommend some very useful mobile apps for drivers. Undoubtedly, to spend less gas, it’s better to take a route that lets you travel through a smaller distance, and using a GPS app such as Waze is very useful for planning a smart route. Also, to save a few cents when it's time to go to the pump, you could use an application like GasBuddy to find the gas station with the cheapest price around you.

Saving fuel during the winter isn’t complicated, it's just a matter of adopting new habits. Also, make sure you have a team of reliable people at your service, when driving your vehicle. Call an Infinity agent at 1-800-INFINITY or get an online quote today.

The materials available in the Knowledge Center are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact legal counsel to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Use of this website or any of the links contained within the website do not create representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.