I drive a manual-transmission 1997 Honda Civic DX. I consistently get around 38MPG. “But Matt,” you say, “you’re supposed to get around 38MPG anyway!” Hopefully you’ll notice that my car is listed at 39 highway mpg, and I barely touch the highway on my daily commute! That means I get 38mpg putt-putting around the city. The cool thing is, you can attain higher mpg averages just by driving like me! How do I do it? Allow me to enlighten you.

Drive a Manual Transmission
OK, this one’s a doozy. I know you probably don’t have a choice in this matter, but I consider this to be the most important factor in my fuel economy. Take my exact car model, and compare the automatic vs. manual miles per gallon. Just by driving a stick-shift I get an average of 6 more combined mpg! Of course, you have to drive your manual in a fuel-efficient way. That means religiously shifting at a lower RPM (I shift at 2000RPM). The Honda Civic manual also says to, “Drive in the lowest gear that allows smooth operation of the vehicle.” To me, that says, “As long as the car is not buckling and struggling, keep doing what you’re doing.” So don’t drive 20mph in fifth gear, but don’t do 20mph in first, either.

Follow the Speed Limit
Remember when the national speed limit used to be 55mph because it was the most fuel-efficient speed for most cars? Me neither, but it was. Basically, driving faster costs more money. Think that those extra 5mph over the speed limit you usually drive doesn’t matter? It does. This site has good fuel-saving tips, and it also says, “As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas.” Rationally, you’d only be arriving at your destination a minute or two earlier (depending on distance, of course). Is two minutes worth the extra money?

Constantly speeding/slowing down to pass people also uses more gas. Just sit in the right-hand lane and go the speed limit. Use cruise control if you have it. If there’s somebody slower in front of you, don’t be annoyed if you have to slow down; rationalize to yourself that you’re saving gas and money. You’d be surprised how many people are actually following speed limits these days!

Coast a Lot (More)
You’re driving, and you see a yellow light a little bit ahead of you. Lots of people just maintain their speed, then start braking pretty close to the now-red light. Why? You’re going to have to stop eventually anyway, and you won’t get anywhere faster if you race to the red light. Start coasting from further away than you usually would (pushing the clutch in and moving the stick to neutral will save you the trouble of keeping the clutch depressed if you drive a manual).

On a side note, I find it hilarious when people pass me as I coast to a red light. There’s just no rational explanation for that! It also wastes gas, so it’s a no-win situation.

Turn Off Your Car Instead of Idling
This one’s a little tricky. Apparently, if you’re going to be idling for more than 30 seconds (at a red light, in a drive thru, at a railroad crossing), it’ll save gas for you to turn your car off. The only problem with that is, it wears down your car’s starter and other internal components. To combat this, I only turn my car off when I approach a light that just turned red and I know it’ll take more than one minute for it to change green again. Around Huntsville, this is pretty much any major Memorial Parkway intersection. Drive-thrus, trains, banks, waiting for people, etc. all warrant turning your car off.

Also, as another minute way to save gas, I get completely settled in my car before I start it up. That means I take down my sun-shield, buckle-up, put on my glasses, and put my wallet on the dash (it’s uncomfortably bulky) before I actually turn the key. It’s one of those small gestures that compound over time.

That’s About It
Short of buying a motorcycle, hybrid, or bicycle, riding public transportation, walking, reducing driving frequency, and siphoning gas, these are the best ways to improve fuel efficiency. Next time you fill up, reset your trip meter and divide your total miles by the amount of gallons on your receipt from the next time you fill up. Hopefully that number will increase!