Cost-cutting tips in the light of soaring petrol prices

The soaring price of petrol across the UK is exerting acute financial pressure on the long-suffering British driver. Debra Williams, managing director of Confused.com, suggests some ways in which consumers can help to alleviate their monetary woes, by saving money on petrol:

1. Remove unnecessary junk from your boot cars are increasingly becoming extensions of people's homes, with books and golf clubs often unnecessarily residing in boots. Extra weight in cars makes them less aerodynamic, in turn forcing them to guzzle more petrol. Removing unnecessary items could help drivers to save money on petrol.

2. Remove redundant roof-racks: Roof-racks also increase the heaviness of cars, in turn impacting on fuel efficiency.

3. Ensure that your tyres are correctly inflated: to give you an idea of the impact that this has on fuel consumption, a recent US Government report found that 1.2billion galleons of fuel is squandered annually, as a result of under-inflated tyres. Over-inflated tyres can be dangerous, so it is important to find the optimum pressure and check this regularly.

4. Avoid using air conditioning: air conditioners' compressors increase the load on the engine, in turn increasing fuel consumption. Opening the windows is a better option, although this can also increase drag.

5. Plan your route: this can enable you to avoid rush-hour and extremely traffic prone roads, so that you can maintain a constant cruising speed. Knowing exactly where you are going also cuts out petrol-squandering dawdling.

6. Drive less erratically: There is no need to rev at traffic lights - this only unnecessarily burns fuel, as well as increasing C02 emissions.

7. Source cheaper petrol: taking advantage of cards, such as Morrisons' Miles, which are linked to grocery shopping, is another savvy way of cutting costs. Checking online for the cheapest petrol in your region can also help drivers to save money.