We would start with asking the question 'are Birmingham drivers wasting money?' The information provided below is an excellent example of how some Birmingham drivers are being parted from their hard earned cash a little too easily and appear to be quite happy to pay excessive prices for petrol to fuel their vehicles.

Prior to decimalisation, petrol was sold per gallon; sometime following decimalisation petrol began to be sold in litres. In a town close to Birmingham, it has been observed that there are just five petrol stations, all lying within 1.22 km of each other, three of which are operating within a distance of 225 metres on the same stretch of road. Access to all five is relatively simple as they are all adjacent to linked major roads

Prices at the three stations in close proximity to each other are virtually the same, with two selling petrol at the same price and the third charging one penny per litre more. The two other stations, both selling the same brand of petrol, are charging some three or four pence a litre more.

With a gallon of petrol measuring 4.5 litres, that means the two expensive stations are, at three pence per litre more, charging an extra 13.5 new pence per gallon at the three pence extra per litre price. In pre decimalisation days that meant the station would be charging 32.4 old pennies per gallon more.

Now in pre decimalisation days, when the price was displayed per gallon, no one in their right mind would have considered spending such an extra over amount for a gallon of petrol, with the cost increasing as the gallons pumped into their tank. 

Now there are a growing number of drivers out there with no knowledge of gallons or pre decimalisation, however, bearing the above in mind there is a choice available, either waste your hard earned money unnecessarily or simply seek out the cheaper stations.

If you are a driver doing approximately 12,000 miles per year at an average of 35 miles per gallon or 7.77 miles per litre, you will be purchasing some 342.85 gallons or 1542.85 litres of petrol annually and if purchased from the expensive garages could cost you some £46.28 extra than if purchased from the cheaper garages.

In the current economic climate, we are all looking at ways and means to reduce weekly outgoings, why not add a saving in petrol to your list?

The way to reduce such price differentials is to stop using the garages charging the excess; they will quickly lower their price or simply go out of business. The town referred to is just one of many examples in the Birmingham area of the wide variation in petrol prices.

Having purchased the appropriate fuel for your vehicle there is a serious need to be economical with it.

The drivers, not the vehicles they drive, are the main culprits when it comes to fuel wastage. Below are a number of points for individual consideration.

One of the most important things to consider is are the vehicles tyres correctly inflated to the vehicle manufacturers recommended pressure and are the front wheels aligned correctly? Incorrectly aligned wheels and under inflated tyres create a higher rolling resistance and therefore, more energy input is required, i.e. more fuel to maintain the vehicles forward movement. If you think your car requires servicing or a fault repairing why not use one of our discount vouchers and save money on motoring with Activ Birmingham.

Remember also that tyre pressures increase or decrease with changes in temperature. As it becomes warmer, pressures will increase and as temperatures decrease so will tyre pressures. Due to such changes and to maximise fuel reduction wherever possible, tyre pressure checks need to be made more frequently.

It is also important to keep your vehicle well maintained. It needs regular servicing at the manufacturers recommended service intervals to make sure that it is running efficiently. It is also important that the service is carried out by a qualified technician who has all the necessary equipment for such checks at his disposal. Monitor also your vehicles fuel economy as a sudden change in fuel efficiency could mean that there may be a mechanical fault developing which needs attention by Birmingham car repairs.

Another important point to consider when looking for fuel improvement is your own driving style. Are your gear changes carried out smoothly? Do you anticipate traffic movement to avoid unnecessary and aggressive stops and starts? Are you driving your car in as higher gear and slow speed wherever possible to improve your fuel economy?  Do you accelerate when moving up a slope/hill? This will increase fuel usage dramatically. Do you accelerate slowly and stop naturally at the anticipated points, by taking advantage of the running friction of your vehicle? This will obviously improve your fuel efficiency. Do you avoid excess idling? Idling uses fuel unnecessary and gives you 0 mpg/litre.

Other important points to consider are the use of a roof rack – is it necessary or only used infrequently, if at all? Are you carrying unnecessary weight in your vehicle? A roof rack can reduce your mpg/litre, by as much as 5%. There is also a reduction to be made by simply removing items being carried in your boot. An extra 100lbs/45.5kgs can reduce your fuel efficiency by as much as 2%.

Are journeys really necessary or with better planning can weekly mileage be reduced? Can we ourselves benefit by walking to our destination point especially if it is local?

Are you an air conditioning fanatic? When it’s pleasant outside do you still insist on driving with your widows closed and the air conditioning on? This results in extra fuel being used to power the air conditioning. Open your windows and enjoy the fresh air.     

Also for your consideration, each vehicle reaches its optimum fuel level at different speeds; mpg/litre usually decreases quickly at speeds in excess of 60mph.

Whilst much of the aforementioned might be well known to many drivers, we really need to ask ourselves if we are really serious about saving fuel, reducing our annual motoring costs and doing our bit to conserve energy for future generations?. Only you can provide the answers to these questions. You could save money by shopping online rather than using local high street stores, check out our car accessories shopping in Birmingham pages.