You might be one of the millions of Americans buying their gas wrong. Here’ how to fix it.
Gasoline prices have soared with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the response of western nations to isolate the world’s biggest oil exporter.
Americans are spending more on gasoline than they were last week, last month and last year — a lot more.
Nationally, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline was $4.33 on Friday, according to AAA data. That’s up 11.4% over the last week, 19.7% over the last month and 34.8% over the last year.
For a new Ford F-150 with a gas tank that holds 26 gallons, the bill for a full tank runs $112.58 at the current national average.
For a Honda Civic, with a 12.4 gallon tank, it’s $57.99. If you drive a Porsche 911 with a 16.9 gallon tank, a fill up will cost you $83.67 based on the national average price of $4.95 for premium grade fuel.
With the U.S. economy beginning to reopen from the pandemic, the higher prices come at an especially bad time.
Inflation was already heating up before the war, and the higher energy expenses are only adding to the pain and worry of a potential recession.
Sure wages are up, but it doesn’t do much good if you’ve got to spend more to get to your job.
Ways to Conserve and Save on Gas
Still, there are ways to curb your gasoline use at least some.
Cutting your speed by 5 to 10 mph, can boost fuel economy by up to 14%, according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy. An added benefit is that lower speeds are connected to reduced injuries in crashes, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Using cruise control can also cut fuel consumption. In fact it can save as much as 15% to 30% at highway speeds, according to the DOE.
Other tips include combining errands into one trip and reducing the load in your vehicle. An extra 100 pounds in your car can cut efficiency by 1%, so next time he asks for a ride, tell you brother-in-law to take a walk.
Carrying stuff on top of your car is also a drag, in more ways than one. It can cost you up to 8% in city driving, 17% on the highway, and as much as 25% when driving between 65 mph and 75 mph.
Another Way to Save on Gas
In addition to working to cut your use of gasoline, there’s another way for lots of Americans to save at the pump.
Remember that poor Porsche driver? In California, home to some of the nation’s most expensive gasoline, a full tank will cost them $101.97 at Friday’s average price of $6.03 a gallon. They don’t have a choice about that. That’s because high performance engines require higher octane gas.
But you probably do have a choice.
In fact, an AAA study a few years ago found that American drivers wasted more than $2 billion a year pumping premium gas into their cars when the didn’t need it. The study found no improvement at all with the higher octane gas in cars rated for regular gas.
And yet 16.5 million U.S. drivers at the time of the study were making the mistake of pumping premium fuel that did them no good at all.
Just make sure you’re not one of them.
