THINK LIKE A RACING DRIVER (Kind of)
Now we’re not talking about driving fast or how to take over other drivers … leave that on the race track. But instead, we mean the skill of eking out the most possible miles per gallon. If you’re able to maximise corner speed, you aren’t then wasting fuel on acceleration, or indeed deceleration. As we all know, braking is merely the conversion of useful speed into useless heat which wear down those brake pads. Also being a smooth driver can get you all sorts of benefits… including better fuel economy.
DON'T IDLE
This may be common sense to most of you but we thought we should highlight this just in case! Letting your car idle is perhaps the best way to waste fuel and wear out your engine faster. Most modern cars now will have an idle timer that will cut the engine once it recognises that the car is standing still, which is for fuel saving. To put it into perspective… one hour of engine idling is equivalent to between 25 and 60 miles on your odometer.
STOP WARMING UP THE CAR
Now gone are the days of needing to warm up carburettors or the engine oil for the engine to even make it off the drive. Now modern engines are stable and safe enough to get going even on the coldest of days. This point kind of refers to the previous point but try and reduce the time that the engine is idle before you set off on your morning commute. Engines don’t warm up well when idle… the best thing is to do is get going as soon as possible.
PLAN AHEAD
Fail to plan, be prepared to fuel up more often.
A bit of forethought and planning will work wonders while on your drive and before it. So coast up to intersections instead of braking, look up traffic before setting off and take quieter routes, use highways and main roads without traffic lights if possible, and travel outside of peak travel times if you can.
GO ELECTRIC
Using a car that uses neither petrol nor diesel is probably (and most obviously) the best way to save fuel.
Whether you want to take advantage of low tax rates, help your business move towards becoming Net-Zero by 2030, or just want to move away from petrol/diesel-powered cars, AMF has options for you to make the switch to an EV vehicle easier than ever before.
Electric vehicles have seen accelerating demand over the past couple of years. Recent supply issues of petrol and diesel at pumps in the UK caused a spike in interest in plug-in vehicles. In a survey of 1,186 car buyers, 23% said the fuel shortage in 2021 has made them more likely to consider an electric or hybrid vehicle as their next car.
Switching to an electric car can also bring significant tax benefits for businesses. Given that over a quarter of the UK’s total carbon emissions are due to petrol- and diesel-powered transport, the government announced the beneficial tax rate for the next three years allowing people and businesses to plan. The electric car tax on the benefit in kind rate will increase to 1% in 2021/2022 and 2% in 2022/2023.
Many business owners are unaware that you can finance an electric vehicle as a business vehicle and this is not just limited to vans or other commercial use vehicles. The release of sought after models from manufacturers like Porsche, whose flagship Taycan has become the go-to for business owners. An electric vehicle can take your business one step closer to becoming Net Zero, we’ve seen clients change fleets of business cars and commercial vehicles to electric in recent times.
It is important to remember that each person's situation is different but here at Approved, we are dedicated to finding you the best possible financing option. If you’re interested in EV vehicles and would like to further discuss your motor finance options then please contact one of our experienced finance brokers on 01908 429888 or email us at info@approved-finance.co.uk.
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