The things that folks are looking for in new vehicles today are pretty much universal: something sturdy and reliable that can get you where you need to go and that gets good gas mileage. The last one is in bold because it’s one of the most important things to lots of shoppers. But say you’re happy with your current vehicle and don’t want to get a new one just yet… but kinda wish it got better MPGs. Well, thank goodness for you, there are some great tips in this blog to help increase them easily. Of course, you won’t go from getting 20 to getting 70, but these tips can help bump you up a few miles per gallon!

First of all, don’t speed. Speeding is not only bad for your gas mileage, but it’s illegal. The best way to combat both of the negatives (the speeding and also the MPG drain) is to use your cruise control when you’re on the highway. This eliminates accidental acceleration and deceleration that can mess with your fuel economy and make it harder for you to get those MPGs you want!

When coming to a stop, try to start braking earlier than you might usually. Long, slow brakes help conserve fuel and improve your fuel economy. It might seem like you’re holding up traffic, but everyone’s going to have to stop anyway, and you might as well save gas while you do it. A plus is that you might still be mid-brake when the light changes, and it takes less gas to accelerate from moving than it does to start from being stopped!

When you aren’t actively moving, don’t idle. Idling not only is bad for the environment due to the exhaust gases it creates, but idling for a few minutes uses more gas than it takes to start your car. When you idle for too long, you are actually wasting your gas, believe it or not.

If you’ve got a storage box or bike rack on top of your car, consider switching to something that is mounted in the rear. This won’t create as much drag and it’ll keep your vehicle aerodynamic, as it should be. The more aerodynamic your vehicle is, the better MPG’s you’ll get!

The last thing is to focus on driving safely and obey all speed limits. When you’re really concentrating on the road (and not on your music or passengers or similar) you drive more efficiently. Try it out! You’ll see how well it can work!