Tips for Eco Driving for passenger cars

If you apply the guidelines for Eco Driving, you will drive more efficiently. You will easily safe 10% on petrol and a full tank will take you about a 100 kilometres further. Good for the environment and for your budget. On top of this, it is better for your car. And you will notice this difference; you will spend less money on maintenance and car damage. Not to mention it adds up to your safety since your ability to anticipate to the other road users will increase. In short; enough reason to apply the guidelines of Eco Driving!

Driving Style

Change up gears as soon as possible, between 2000 and 2500 rotations.
Try to keep a constant speed and a low rotational speed in the highest possible gear with a smoothly running engine.
Use fifth gear when driving 80 kilometres an hour and fourth gear when driving 50 kilometres an hour.
Look ahead and anticipate on the actions of the other road users as much as you can.
Keep your distance.
When it is obvious you need to slow down or you need to stop because of traffic lights, stop accelerating in time, do not declutch and let the car slow down on its own in the same gear.
Comply with the speed limits.
Turn off the engine when possible; it already pays if you stop for only one minute.
Avoid wasting energy by unnecessary use of electrical equipment such as air-conditioning and rear window heater.

Preperation for the ride

Carefully choose your route, leave on time and avoid the rush hours where possible.
Avoid unnecessary extra weight in the car.
Minimise air resistance: remove roof boxes, roof racks and bike racks when they are not being used.
Maintain the car as recommended; the car will stay in good condition and the car will not be needing more petrol when it gets older.

Tyres

Check the tyre pressure once every month.
Choose tyres that meet the demands of The New Tyre.
If you use winter tyres, make sure to change back to summer tyres in time.

Fuel saving accessories

Use fuel saving accessories if possible, such as rotational speed indicators, cruise control and on-board computer.
Change gears based on what your rotational speed indicator tells you.
The cruise control saves fuel and makes driving more comfortable.

Buying a car

Pay attention to the energy label when buying a car. For more information, check www.energielabel.nl
Choose clean and economical cars based on up-to-date information, for instance on: www.milieucentraal.nl
Have yourself informed on current governmental regulations (such as subsidies and tax measures), it could save you serious amounts of money.