The ultimate guide to saving fuel for drivers and fleets
How to save fuel, by Stephen Buckley, Senior Fuel Analyst, Fleetmaxx Solutions (Burnley)
Fuel prices keep rising — and for businesses running vehicles every day, every penny counts. If you’re wondering how to save fuel, this is the ultimate guide from Fleetmaxx Solutions, your trusted partner for fuel cards, fleet management, and cost reduction.
As a Senior Fuel Analyst, I’ve spent years studying how fleets consume, waste, and ultimately save fuel. The good news is: saving fuel isn’t about driving slower or cutting corners — it’s about making smarter choices.
Whether you manage one van or a national fleet, here’s how to save fuel through better driving habits, proper maintenance, and smarter fleet management.
1. How to save fuel through regular maintenance
When it comes to saving fuel, your first step is always vehicle maintenance.
A poorly maintained engine works harder, burns more fuel, and costs more to run.
✅ Check your tyres – Under-inflated tyres can cut fuel efficiency by 3 % or more. Always use manufacturer-recommended pressures, especially when carrying heavy loads.
✅ Service your vehicle – Fresh oil, clean filters, and correct fluid levels reduce friction and improve performance.
✅ Monitor your fleet – Use Fleetloc8 Telematics to track fuel efficiency, service schedules, and driver behaviour in real time.
✅ Stay compliant – The CheckedSafe Driver Walk-Around App ensures every vehicle is roadworthy, compliant, and running efficiently. It lets drivers complete digital safety checks quickly, identify faults early, and prevent costly downtime — keeping your fleet safe, compliant, and fuel-efficient.
Maintaining your vehicles properly is the simplest, most effective way to save fuel — and it pays off every mile.
Learn more about our compliance tools and the CheckedSafe App
2. Drive efficiently — your right foot controls your fuel bill
If you want to save fuel when driving, smoothness is key.
Harsh acceleration, late braking, and high revs all waste energy and increase fuel costs.
✅ Accelerate gently – Ease onto the throttle and shift to higher gears early (around 2,000 rpm for diesels).
✅ Keep your speed steady – Fluctuating speed wastes fuel and adds wear to your vehicle.
✅ Anticipate traffic – The less you stop, the less you spend. Look well ahead and plan your braking early to maintain momentum.
Our Fleetloc8 telematics software helps monitor driver behaviour, highlighting speeding, harsh braking, and over-revving — all of which impact fuel efficiency. With clear insights and coaching data, you can help your team drive more smoothly, safely, and economically across every route.
In our Burnley data centre, we’ve seen fleets improve fuel economy by up to 15 % simply by refining throttle control, gear habits, and braking patterns.
So if you’re looking for a quick way to save fuel fast, start with your right foot — and let Fleetloc8 help guide it.
3. Anticipate the road ahead to maintain momentum
Every time you brake hard or stop completely, you burn extra fuel getting going again. Learning to “read the road” helps you save fuel naturally.
Look ahead for traffic lights, slow vehicles, and gradients. Ease off early, and use your car’s momentum to carry you further.
Driving smoothly can improve real-world mpg by 10–20 %, especially for urban delivery routes.
4. Use cruise control correctly to save fuel on motorways
Cruise control can help you save fuel — but only when used wisely.
On flat motorways, it maintains a steady speed efficiently.
However, on hills it can over-compensate and accelerate unnecessarily.
For best results:
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Use cruise control on flat, open roads.
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Switch it off when climbing or descending hills.
Motorways are often the most fuel-efficient roads — steady speeds, top gear, and minimal braking mean maximum miles per litre.
5. Reduce drag and weight — simple ways to save fuel
One of the easiest answers to how to save fuel lies outside the engine: cut unnecessary weight and drag.
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Remove roof racks, boxes, and flags when not in use — they can increase drag by 20–40 % at motorway speeds.
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Close windows on high-speed journeys.
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Empty your boot or van of heavy tools and materials you don’t need.
Every extra 50 kg increases fuel use by about 2 %, so it really adds up across a fleet.
6. How to save fuel by using less air conditioning
Yes, air conditioning uses fuel. It draws power from the engine — so switch it off when not needed.
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Use your A/C sparingly and only for cooling or demisting.
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Park in shaded areas to keep your cabin cool naturally.
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Dress appropriately for the temperature rather than relying on heating or cooling.
Saving energy from your climate system helps you save fuel every time you drive.
7. Plan routes and combine trips
Cold engines are inefficient engines. Making multiple short trips wastes fuel, even when the total mileage is the same.
If you can combine errands into one longer journey, your engine stays warm and efficient — helping you save fuel with every mile.
Our Fleetloc8 Telematics system and My Transport Planner pay-as-you-go route optimisation tool make this easier than ever.
My Transport Planner is designed to help you plan smarter journeys, reduce empty running, and cut unnecessary mileage. It can save your organisation up to 30 % off vehicle running costs — all from just 99p per vehicle per day.
Meanwhile, Fleetloc8 monitors live route efficiency, idling, and driver performance in real time, so you can identify where time and fuel are being lost.
Together, these intelligent planning tools optimise your fleet’s daily operations to save fuel, save time, and save money.
Businesses using route optimisation typically report 30% lower vehicle running costs, with savings from reduced mileage, wear, emissions, and administration.
8. Choose quality fuel and track your spending
If you’re serious about how to save fuel and money, consider where and what you’re refuelling with.
Through Fleetmaxx fuel cards, you can access:
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Thousands of + UK sites across Shell, Esso, Texaco, Keyfuels, fuelGenie & UK Fuels networks
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Huge number of HGV stations and 195 motorway/truckstop sites
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Fixed weekly diesel pricing that can save up to 10p per litre
You’ll also access premium-grade fuels and licensed AdBlue®, keeping engines cleaner and more efficient — ideal for long-term fuel savings.
9. Measure performance — data helps you save fuel smarter
Understanding how your fleet consumes fuel is essential.
With Fleetloc8 Telematics and our AutoMate fuel card dashboard you can track:
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Fuel spend per vehicle
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Idling time
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Harsh acceleration or braking
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Real mpg vs expected mpg
Businesses that monitor these insights typically save 15–25 % on fuel within months.
When you know the numbers, you can act on them.
10. Sustainable fuel solutions — the future of saving fuel
Saving fuel isn’t just about using less diesel — it’s about using cleaner, more efficient alternatives.
Fleetmaxx supports businesses adopting HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) and Shell Renewable Diesel, both offering up to 90 % lower lifecycle CO₂ emissions than standard diesel*.
Switching to renewable options helps you save fuel, cut emissions, and future-proof your fleet.
*Based on Shell lifecycle CO₂e methodology vs fossil diesel.
Real-world results: how to save fuel by changing habits
| Fuel-saving action | Typical saving |
|---|---|
| Smooth acceleration & braking | 10–15 % |
| Maintaining steady speed | 6–10 % |
| Correct tyre pressure | 3–5 % |
| Removing roof drag | 2–4 % |
| Combining trips | 2–3 % |
Together, these simple changes can save up to 25 % on fuel* — before you even factor in cheaper prices through Fleetmaxx Solutions.
*Figures from the RAC
Final word from Stephen Buckley
When people ask me “how can I save fuel?”, my answer is always:
Measure it, manage it, and make small changes that stick.
At Fleetmaxx Solutions, we combine real-time data, telematics, compliance tools like CheckedSafe, route optimisation with My Transport Planner, and fixed-price fuel cards to help UK businesses save fuel, reduce costs, and run cleaner fleets — with no hidden extras and no automatic price hikes.
If you’d like to see how much you could save on fuel, let’s run the numbers together. Call our team of expert on 01367 704 910 or use our contact form.
