10 top tips to save money on fuel in Spain

Petrol prices in Spain are once again approaching an all-time high

1. Use fuel with the properties recommended by the car manufacturer (and not higher). For example, using unleaded 98 in a car that can take 95 is akin to throwing money away, since the premium petrol won’t result in better performance.
2. Find a cheap petrol station. Follow this link for the cheapest petrol and fuel in Murcia in February 2022
3. Reduce weight and roll up windows. Do not carry bike racks, roof boxes or other heavy equipment if you don’t need them. In addition to seriously impairing aerodynamics, these items can increase fuel consumption by more than 20%. Driving with the windows down also increases consumption; it’s more economical to use the air conditioning.
4. Check tyre pressure. Driving with less pressure in the wheels than recommended by the manufacturer increases consumption and within a year, or after 20,000 kilometres, the average extra cost will be somewhere between 80 and 100 euros. For safety reasons, the wear of tyres should also be checked regularly.
5. Ditch the “miracle products”. Magnets, additives and other miracle products do not work. If it were as easy to reduce the consumption of a car as putting a magnet in the engine, manufacturers would install it as standard.
6. Turn off the vehicle's engine during prolonged stops, such as in a traffic jam. A car sitting in neutral consumes between 0.5 and 1 litre of fuel per hour.
7. Drive smoothly, avoiding sudden jerks and accelerations. For the lowest consumption, drive without rushing through the gears, keeping the engine at low revolutions and avoiding sudden acceleration. Use the throttle smoothly and resist the urge to overuse the pedal. Whenever possible, take your foot off the accelerator; the less you step on the accelerator, the less the vehicle will consume.
8. Watch the speed limits. In addition to not being caught by the radars and saving you money on possible fines, you will reduce the consumption of the car.
9. Consider buying an ecological car. Electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles all come with much lower fuel costs.
10. Choose a car with a maximum power according to what you are going to need. A high-power vehicle, in addition to increasing the purchase price of the car, increases fuel consumption.