First, the price of electricity went up. The price of petrol and diesel has recently risen to record levels.
It is not at all unusual to see petrol and diesel prices well into the 20s. Traditionally, it has been much cheaper to drive an electric car. It still is. But the sharp rise in electricity prices means that it is no longer as attractive as before to drive an electric car.
– This makes it more expensive to drive a car, regardless of whether it runs on petrol, diesel or electricity. It is of course particularly noticeable if you use the car a lot and have significant mileage, says Broom’s car expert Benny Christensen.
Keep a steady pace
But fortunately, there is quite a lot you can do to cut costs, at least if you have not cared much about saving driving before.
– Cutting out car use, or reducing it significantly, is difficult for many who need a car to make everyday life go up, says Jan Harry Svendsen who is an adviser in NAF.
He points out that there are some steps you can take to make sure you get as far as possible per liter of fuel – or kilowatt hours of electricity.
In short, an economical driving style is largely about keeping a steady speed, a good distance to the driver and driving smoothly so that you can plan to a greater extent, says Svendsen.
You can save a lot of money – if you take the chance
– One of the most important things you can do to save fuel is to drive smoothly and avoid rapid acceleration and hard braking as much as possible. Photo: Mats Stordal
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Roof rack and ski box
For example, if you see that the traffic light turns red, you can save a lot on adjusting the speed so that you do not have to stop. Sometimes it is enough to release the gas and let the car roll. For every kilometer per hour you do not have to accelerate, you save fuel and there is a lot to save regardless of what fuel your car is running on.
– A nice side effect of all this is that you arrive more rested and that traffic safety increases because you plan your driving to a greater extent and get a better overview of the traffic picture, says Svendsen.
It is not just the driving style that determines the car’s consumption. Technical condition, load and objects that increase air resistance also help to determine consumption.
– Take all loose objects that you do not need to take with you on the everyday journey out of the car. Many people drive around with everything in the trunk and it increases the car’s weight and thus consumption. We also recommend that you remove the roof rack and ski boxes if you want to get as far as possible, says Svendsen.
Delivered the car to the workshop – was tested at 238 km / h
– Many people drive with a roof box all year round, even when it is not in use. It costs extra.
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Air pressure is important
It is also important that the car is in good technical condition. For cars with an internal combustion engine, this means that you make sure that the air filter is clean and not overgrown with dirt and grime.
– At the same time, we advise that you check the air pressure in the tires. Make sure it is correct. By driving around with too low a tire pressure, you not only risk damaging the car’s tires and making the driving characteristics worse, you also get a higher consumption because the rolling resistance increases, says Svendsen.
Check discount agreements
One last tip is to turn off energy consumers you do not need. On electric cars, it can also be a lot to save on reducing the temperature inside the car by a few degrees and rather use the heated seats and steering wheel heating if your car has it.
A common piece of advice is to refill where the cheapest fuel is, but it is not always as easy to find alternatives to the petrol station or to the charging station on the corner.
Svendsen in NAF advises Norwegian motorists to take a review of the various discount agreements that exist – and use them.
READ MORE: These electric cars use the least electricity
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