This trick (although very obvious) seems to be rarely used.
Where I live, the average price of gas is $3.29 per gallon, but I’m allowed to get it for $3.01 (even though the cheaper station is $3.17). That’s $0.28 savings per gallon over the average. And, I pay a lot less than even the most diligent shoppers.
1) Lowering your price per gallon by $0.28
Here’s what I do:
1) Go to Gasbuddy.com. Find the cheapest station. This allows me to save approximately $0.12/gallon on average.
2) Get a credit card or a debit card with cash back rewards. Even my debit card (from Wells Fargo) allows me to charge it as “credit” and get cash back for all purchases (you’ll have to ask your banking representative to see if this would be an option for you). My American Express credit card gives me 5% cash back on all gas purchases. This gives me the extra $0.16 per gallon savings.
My total savings from just this simple trick is $0.28 per gallon.
2) Driving smart to use less gas
Carpool — This is well-known, but it works. With two people, you essentially cut your cost in half.
Drafting — I had a friend in high school that claimed he could turn off his Volkswagen Bug while drafting behind a semi-truck. He said his car would continue to just cruise the same speed as the truck in front of him because his car was so light and drafting caused a “suction” to keep his car moving. I cannot vouch and say drafting works this well, but it does help according to the popular TV show, Mythbusters. However, if done too closely to another vehicle, you will drive unsafely and likely not save much. Constant acceleration and deceleration causes a loss in gas mileage.
Car maintenance — Proper upkeep helps a lot. Here’s a few things: replace your air-filter, engine tuneups, proper air pressure in tires, etc.
Drive in an intelligent manner — Constant acceleration and deceleration hurts gas mileage significantly. This has been proven been. Also, driving at 55 mph rather than 65 mph can improve your fuel economy by two miles per gallon (reported by Bankrate).
There you have it. These are proven ways to cut your cost of driving. If you have any other ideas that work for you, comment below.