Guide: Save fuel & plan your costs realistically
Here you’ll find practical tips to reduce fuel consumption, plan trips better and avoid common cost traps (e.g. roof box, speed, short trips). If you want to calculate right away: go to the fuel cost calculator.
Saving fuel: the biggest levers
- Reduce speed: At highway speeds, air resistance rises sharply — often the biggest lever.
- Drive smoothly: Less braking and accelerating saves fuel (and stress).
- Check tyre pressure: Low pressure = more rolling resistance.
- Remove extra weight: Unnecessary load + roof racks/roof box only when needed.
- Avoid short trips: Cold starts push your average consumption up a lot.
Quick tip: refuelling strategy
If you’re flexible: avoid filling up right on major highways. Compare prices and refuel in towns/suburbs when possible.
Quick tip: carpool
Cost and CO₂ per person drop a lot when you travel with 2–4 people (in the calculator: “People”).
Understanding consumption: why is it sometimes higher?
Common reasons
- Cold weather (more cold starts, heating/AC load, higher friction)
- City driving (stop-start traffic)
- Roof box/roof rack (more drag)
- Low tyre pressure
- Heavy load / towing
How to find your real consumption
- Track several full tanks
- Use an average, not a single trip
- Trip computer is OK — the fill-to-fill method is more accurate
- Think separately about “city” and “highway” driving
Cost formulas: quick estimates
Basics
- Litres = km × consumption ÷ 100
- Fuel cost = litres × price per litre
- Per person = total cost ÷ people
Mini example
450 km, 7.0 L/100 km → 31.5 L
At 1.85 €/L → 58.28 € fuel cost
Three people → 19.43 € per person (fuel only)
Road trip checklist (10 minutes that pay off)
- Check tyre pressure (cold)
- Check oil and washer fluid
- Only fit a roof box if you really need it
- Check route + alternatives (avoid traffic / tolls?)
- Check whether your route includes vignette requirements
- Enter a realistic consumption figure (not brochure)
- Use a current fuel price or a planning average
- Agree a fair cost split per person
- Emergency kit: warning triangle, hi-vis vest, first-aid kit
- Plan breaks (steady driving saves fuel)
Tolls & vignettes: quick explanation
Systems vary by country: distance-based tolls or vignettes (fixed fee). The calculator shows a rough estimate — for exact amounts, the route, class and local rules matter.
- Vignette: fixed price, often time-based
- Tolls: depend on route/section or distance
- Tip: plan vignettes early to avoid stress
CO₂: what do the numbers mean?
CO₂ is an approximation. CO₂ per person drops significantly when you share the ride.
- CO₂ increases with consumption and distance
- Carpooling reduces CO₂ per person
- Comparisons between car/train/plane are indicative only