What is Eco-Driving? It’s Fuel Efficiency and More

Eco-driving, sometimes called green driving, is energy- and fuel-efficient driving that actively reduces the amount of carbon emissions you produce while driving. Beyond just the environmental impact of being more conscious about your driving, the benefits of eco-driving are:

• Saving money
• Safer driving
• Extending the life of your vehicle and its components

Let's be honest — driving a gas-powered vehicle isn't an eco-friendly activity. Combustion engines burn fossil fuels and produce carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. Hybrids and electric vehicles are changing that equation, but the majority of vehicles on the road today still run on gasoline. If you're one of those drivers, eco-driving won't eliminate your environmental footprint, but it can meaningfully reduce it while saving you money and keeping your car in better shape.

What follows are key aspects of eco-driving and some of the best tires for fuel efficiency.

Related: Eco-Friendly Tires: Are They Worth It? 

Key Parts of Eco-Driving

The goal of eco-driving is to use less fuel while on the road, which directly translates to a lower amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Eco-driving saves fuel costs and puts less strain on your vehicle, plus it's better on the environment.

Smooth Acceleration and Braking

Vehicle brakes wear down over time, through the friction of your brake pad against your wheel rotor. Braking hard puts more strain on the vehicle — and your wallet because you'll have to replace brake pads more often. 

Smooth acceleration and gentle braking extend the lives of your vehicle's components, and offer the bonus of fuel efficiency. There are situations when quick movement is inevitable, but if you stay mindful of your surroundings, maintain safe braking distance between vehicles ahead of you, and avoid sudden accelerations, you'll lessen the impact on the environment and your expenses. Learn more about preserving your brakes!

When it’s time to go, gradually accelerate rather than flooring it. Gradually speeding up uses much less fuel and makes it easier to slow or brake if there’s an unexpected slowdown ahead. 

Anticipating Traffic

Heavy traffic is terrible for fuel efficiency. The stop-and-go of traffic means more use of fuel (acceleration uses more fuel than cruising at a consistent speed) over shorter distances. Driving in traffic is frustrating, and it's bad for your car. So what can you do? 

When possible, anticipate when heavy traffic occurs in your area to plan your day around high-volume times. Leaving earlier or later can help you avoid bumper-to-bumper situations that are bad for your MPG. 

If you do find yourself stuck in traffic, don’t hurry to accelerate to close the gap between you and the driver in front of you. This saves no time, increases your own frustration, and wastes fuel. There’s no rush in traffic, so slowly accelerating and braking is the best way to maximize your fuel efficiency. 

Reduce Idling

When your car is idling, it's still using fuel to keep the engine running. It’s not using much, but if you’re waiting to pick up food or groceries, sitting in a parking lot, or waiting for a passenger, turn off your vehicle. Vehicle idling can use up to 0.5 gallons per hour, depending on the vehicle, and you’re not even moving! Besides this, it increases engine wear without actual miles being put on your car. 

Drive on Fuel-Efficient Tires

A fuel-efficient tire has low rolling resistance, meaning that the tire has less drag on the road as you drive. This means less fuel needed to get the car moving, and better fuel economy over the lifetime of the tire. The difference won’t be dramatic, but fuel-efficient tires are recommended for drivers who want a smooth, comfortable driving experience with a little MPG bonus.

Maintaining Constant Speeds

For those long drives, maintaining constant speeds uses less gas than speeding up and slowing down. Cruise control is your best friend here, as the car will automatically make micro adjustments to your acceleration based on the set speed.

The only caveat here is that cruise control is most effective on flat roads. If driving up and down a hilly area, cruise control will use more gas in an attempt to keep your speed constant. In these situations, it's best to instead pay attention to your vehicle’s RPMs so you don't work the engine too hard speeding up and slowing down. Instead, move with the terrain and the rest of the traffic around you.

Stay Up on Vehicle Maintenance

A well-maintained vehicle can get you from A to B safely and efficiently. If your engine air filter is dirty or your oil needs changing, extra strain is going to be put on the mechanics and internal components of your car. 

In a separate post, we cover simple vehicle maintenance you can do yourself at home. Other maintenance, like changing your oil, is best left to the professionals unless you have experience (and a garage). 

If there is a mechanical failure in your car, not only is it more expensive to repair or replace parts of your car than maintain them, but it can also be dangerous while driving. Sudden mechanical failures put you and others at risk, so be conscious of service timelines and lifespans for components of your vehicle. 

Benefits of Eco Friendly Driving

The benefits of eco friendly driving are clear, benefiting both drivers and the world around them. The three primary benefits of ecological driving are:

1. Environmental

The environmental impact of eco-friendly driving is significant, as lower fuel consumption means lower carbon emissions. Additionally, there’s an environmental cost to manufacturing, so extending the life of your tires, brake pads, engine components and vehicle overall will benefit the environment. 

2. Financial

Environmentally friendly driving directly leads to financial benefits. Less fuel means better miles per gallon and less money spent on gas. Additionally, putting less strain on your vehicle means less chance of needing unexpected repairs.

3. Safety

Our tips on gradually braking and accelerating aren’t only fuel efficient, they’re also just a safer way to drive. Anticipating the movements of the vehicles and traffic around you means you won’t be caught unaware during sudden slowdowns. Proper vehicle maintenance also reduces the chances of sudden mechanical failures while on the road, which can be very dangerous. 

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