- Gas prices have soared over $1 per gallon in the past month.
- Simple changes can help to improve your fuel efficiency.
- Drivers can also take advantage of little-known discounts.
The national average price of a gallon of gasoline is hovering around the $4 mark, which is roughly 35% more than it was a month ago. That's a dramatic increase in a short time, and it has drivers looking for ways to save a buck.
While that's easier said than done, there are a few simple ways to save at the pump. Some of these are minor changes, while others are using discounts you might have overlooked.
Fill Up Your Tires And Slow Down
On the vehicle side of things, drivers should ensure their tires are properly inflated. This is super easy, and underinflated tires could quietly be costing you.
According to the Department of Energy, testing by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory found that a Toyota Corolla with tires inflated to 75% of their recommended pressure saw a 2-3% decline in fuel economy. When they dropped the pressure to 50% of the recommended number, fuel economy dropped 5–10%.
Another simple fix is to change how you drive. While hypermiling is likely too extreme for most people, accelerating slowly and not speeding can help improve your fuel efficiency. It's also a good time to remove unused items from your vehicle, as weight is the enemy.
Plan Ahead, But Maybe Skip The Apps
A little planning can go a long way and reduce the number of trips you take. Instead of going to the hardware and grocery store on separate days, you can combine trips and eliminate an unnecessary excursion.
Drivers can also shop around for the best gas prices before even leaving their home. GasBuddy is one extremely popular way to do this, but you might want to skip the app and use their website instead.
While it's not as convenient, lawsuits have claimed insurance companies – including Allstate – paid developers millions of dollars to integrate their software development kit into apps. This reportedly enabled them to harvest a ton of information, including "geolocation data, accelerometer data, magnetometer data, and gyroscopic data, which monitors details such as the phone's altitude, longitude, latitude, bearing, GPS time, speed, and accuracy."
This reportedly cost customers in the long run as Allstate allegedly used the information when people requested an insurance quote or had to renew their coverage. This ranged from denying or dropping coverage to justifying higher insurance premiums. Among the apps named in a lawsuit were GasBuddy, Fuel Rewards, and SiriusXM.
Amazon Prime And Walmart+ Gas Discounts
Article continues at Car Scoops
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Simple steps like proper tire inflation and slower driving can improve fuel efficiency by up to 10%.
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Higher gas costs strain household budgets and force consumers to seek immediate money-saving strategies.
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Amazon Prime and Walmart+ memberships offer gas discounts that many subscribers don't realize they have.