The fuel price hike on Sept 3 came as a surprise to many Malaysians (RON95 petrol went up by 20 sen a litre, and RON97 rose 15 sen a litre two days later). Here are eight things you can do to keep your fuel costs down.
1.Keep your tyres inflated
Properly inflated tyres have less contact with the road, which helps reduce friction, and hence petrol consumption. That also helps preserve the integrity of your tyres, and give you a safer drive.
2.Swipe a credit card
Many banks offer fuel incentives. For example, CIMB’s Petronas MasterCard and Citibank’s Shell Gold Visa Credit Card offer up to 8% in fuel rebates. Loyalty programmes such as the Petronas Mesra Card, offer points for fuel redemption.
3.Drive smoothly
Instead of accelerating and braking harshly when driving, slow down before coming to a complete stop. With momentum driving, you will be saving petrol. And don’t rev your vehicle.
4.Eliminate excess weight
Unnecessary weight makes your engine work harder.
5.Consider carpooling
Say goodbye to lonely drives home. Enjoy the company of others and shave your petrol budget.
6.Avoid idling
If you’re waiting more than a minute, switch off the engine.
7.Avoid peak-hour driving
The higher the gear you drive in, the lower your engine speed (number of revolutions at which the crankshaft turns). A lower engine speed can improve fuel efficiency, so avoid peak-hour driving.
8.Give public transport a chance
Is your workplace close to an LRT station? Park and ride.
This article was first published in the October 2013 issue of Personal Money — a personal finance magazine published by The Edge Communications.
Written by Jonathan Gan of The Edge Malaysia
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