Burning fuel: how to reduce - easily - your car budget

What a week folks! If you've been fueling up for the past few days, you've probably rolled your eyes as you paid the bill shown on the pump dial. It's simple: with average prices of €1.68 for the SP95 and €1.62 for diesel, we are reaching unprecedented levels, higher than those posted at the start of the yellow vests crisis.

And the difference, compared to autumn 2021 when prices had already risen sharply, is that the public authorities can no longer draw the €100 energy check then created to calm the discontent.

One solution today would be to lower the VAT from 20 to 5.5%, but that would be horribly expensive for the country's finances. "Ten euro cents less per litre, on a full 50-litre tank, is five euros less but 5 billion in lost tax revenue for the State", summed up the Minister of economy Bruno Le Maire. In other words, the energy check mentioned above is a one-shot rifle, and Bercy no longer has any leverage to offer the French today.

Another track, that of aid which would be reserved for those of us who need their car to go to work, and on which the public authorities are working when we publish this article.

While waiting for a miracle process developed at Bercy, it is above all up to the motorist to find solutions to reduce the bill for his travels. The good news is that they exist and remain rather simple to implement.

Driving slower: up to 14% savings possible

The first thing to do for anyone who wants to reduce their fuel budget is simple: drive less, and optimize their organization in order to reduce their number of trips. But that's not always possible, of course. Especially in rural areas where alternatives hardly exist in terms of public transport.

Hence the interest of this other method for those who cannot modify their routes: simply drive more slowly.

As Caradisiac was able to demonstrate in a recent test with a small Fiat 500 1.2 petrol, a vehicle that is already low on fuel, consumption drops by 12% if you drive at 70 km/h instead of 80 on the secondary network. And on the highway, you will save 14% by driving at 110 instead of 130 km/h.

Results obtained without any recourse to any eco-driving technique, and which demonstrate that it is sometimes good to recall certain facts. So certainly, you will lose between a few seconds and a few minutes on a given trip, but will have the satisfaction of significantly softening the note, especially if you are driving a gasoline car.

Have your car checked-up: up to 5% savings possible, or even more

How about taking a few minutes to examine your car? First factor of overconsumption: under-inflated tires. The manufacturer Bridgestone published a study a few years ago according to which 78% of Europeans were driving with tires lacking in pressure, which leads to overconsumption.

Michelin, which has some expertise on the issue, recalls for its part that 0.5% underpressure leads to 2.4% over-consumption. An average value, which of course increases according to the engine and the size of the vehicle in question.

By taking a few minutes to re-inflate your tires, you will also limit the risk of blowouts, to the benefit of your safety, and avoid premature wear that harms your wallet.

In the same spirit, be sure to limit the use of the air conditioning as much as possible (it's winter anyway), to rid your trunk of everything that is unnecessary and heavy, and finally to dismantle those pesky roof bars that you had so much trouble installing when you left on vacation! By themselves, they can increase consumption by 5%.

Give you a new car (!)

What if, to reduce your car budget, you got rid once and for all of your model repaired 578 times and who can't take it anymore? The manufacturers offer rather attractive rental offers on their entry-level models, which will not require any expense other than that of insurance and fuel during the 3 or 4 years of the contract.

I am watching my Mom write down a Recipe from the internet, if she didn't shout at me in the morning I would've tau… https://t.co/pwo1SNMEzt

— Jafta.🐐 Sat Apr 18 08:13:30 +0000 2020

We think for example of the Dacia Sandero, a real star of the French market (and not only), accessible from) from 120 € per month. This represents an investment of €5,880 to have a "fresh" car over a period of 49 months, during which time you will have been able to cover 50,000 km.

Who says better ? Well still Dacia, with the 100% electric Spring, still on a rental formula over 49 months (40,000 km). There, it will only cost you 90 € monthly after a contribution of 2,500 which could be covered by a possible conversion premium resulting from the trade-in of your old car. It will be the end of the oil budget…as long as you have a home charging solution of course.

We could also mention the Citroën C3, more versatile in use with its 83 hp petrol engine, which is offered for 168 € per month without contribution.

Manufacturers are multiplying offers of this type, which represent the overwhelming majority of new car financing today. Peace of mind, to which is added the pleasant prospect of knowing your monthly car budget in advance, deserves consideration.

Failing that, take an interest in the occasion. Today there are very frugal Toyota hybrids, reputed to be indestructible, but also many Renault Zoé, at very attractive prices.

Opting for alternative fuels: savings of up to 50% possible

The rise in the price of “conventional” fuels is increasing interest in alternative products, first and foremost the good old Liquefied Petroleum Gas. Displayed at €0.91 per liter on average, and easy to find because it is widely distributed in France, LPG saw a marked resurgence last year.

Some 46,000 new "gas-powered" cars were registered in 2021, a figure which reflects an increase of 180% compared to 2020. And among these 46,000, we find 75% of Dacia, an illustration of the fact that the Romanian manufacturer remains the smart-buy champion.

The other solution is to opt for a car converted to E85, the name of this fuel mixing 65 to 85% ethanol, alcohol of agricultural origin, with unleaded. This is billed at €0.70, and is distributed in more than 2,600 stations across France (i.e. approximately 1 out of 4). Some 360,000 tonnes of this product were distributed in 2021, 32.7% more than the previous year.

If Ford is the champion of E85 among manufacturers, with a range that includes 6 specifically adapted cars, it is also possible to install a box allowing your own car to digest this product.

Without going into painful technical considerations, remember that the lower calorific value of E85 requires more injections into the engine for it to operate optimally. It will cost you 600 to 1,300 € to install a box, a figure that varies depending on the complexity of the engine considered.

Note that clever little guys run their car on E85 without splitting a casing (yes, it works!), which professionals strongly advise against: "The vehicle without adequate modifications will then be very badly adjusted, the fault warning light engine to alert you to a serious anomaly will risk lighting up on the meter, it will start with difficulty and consume excessively”, warns Alexis Landrieu, Managing Director of Biomotors, interviewed by Caradisiac. “Given that by mixing petrol and E85 you do not benefit from all of the savings that it is nevertheless possible to make at the pump thanks to an approved unit, the overconsumption caused by not modifying the vehicle therefore makes the savings non-existent! Without counting in the long term, the costs of a possible breakage of your engine! »

With a price half that of a liter of unleaded, it is true that the investment can be profitable from the first year of use.

Change insurance: up to 50% savings possible

The fuel crisis is also an opportunity to look at other figures imposed on the automobile budget, and in particular its insurance contract. As the years go by, we all tend to “fall asleep” on it, resulting in a bonus that always has an unfortunate tendency to be overweight without any unfortunate incident being able to justify it.

There is only one solution in this case: prospect with different companies - including his own - by presenting himself as a new client. You could then take advantage of the very advantageous conditions that the companies reserve for their conquests, and significantly lower the amount of the annual premium. This is how your servant, presenting himself anonymously to his own company, was offered a few months ago a rate 52% lower than iso-contract!

One thing to do, therefore: consult online price comparators, starting with lesferets with whom Caradisiac has developed a regularly updated price barometer, which allows you to see in which price bracket you are based on your profile. You will notice significant differences from one company to another with equal guarantees, which will encourage you to see if the grass is greener elsewhere.