6 fuel saving tips when you drive your rental car

Here are 6 tips how to save money on fuel when you drive your rental car.

1. Choose the right rental car
When you book your car rental, reserve the smallest available model that suits your needs. Smaller cars are more fuel-efficient. It is very popular to rent economy cars, for example Ford Fiesta. It is easy and comfortable to drive on narrow roads and it also delivers good fuel economy. Its fuel efficiency is around 6l/100km. While an intermediate size rental car could consume 9l/100km. An SUV’s fuel efficiency is over 10l/100km.

2. Rent a car with a manual transmission
Cars with manual transmission are more fuel efficient and have more power than vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission. Hiring a car with manual transmission would help you to save money on fuel because you decide when you need to change gear.

3. Plan ahead
Plan your travel ahead while you are at home and plan your route too. There are many good route planner sites are available online, check them out. Buy a good map, but most of the rental cars come with free maps. You can hire your rental car with GPS navigation or you can bring your own. It helps you to navigate, it can save you time, money and headache.

4. Air conditioning or no air conditioning
If summers are not really hot, the country doesn’t really suffer from extreme temperatures, air conditioning is not a must. When you drive in the city at low speed, opening windows do not greatly increase your rental car’s aerodynamic drag, it means that your car will use less petrol than if you used your air conditioner. However at high speed, close windows and sun roofs, so your engine doesn’t have to work that hard and you may switch on the air conditioning if you really need it.

5. Turn off the lights
This tip might be a safety concern. Most rental cars have daylights enabled which are rather efficient. Every electrical equipment, which is powered from the alternator, will increase its load on the engine. When you use them, the engine burns more fuel. When you can do it safely, turn off the headlights. If you rental car has fog lights, do not turn it on unless the weather is foggy. Many drivers in Ireland use them for no reason, don’t follow their example, use it if it is only necessary.

6. Turn your rental car off
When you are on a driving holiday, you tend to stop frequently. You take a picture or you check your travel guide where the next Irish village is. Turn your car off when you know that you will not be moving for more than 1 minute.

These tips will help you to keep your driving vacation on a budget. If you want to save even more money, it is advisable to plan your holiday ahead and book your car online.

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