In the latest edition of the vanrental.co.uk newsletter, I took a look at the popular habit of ‘chasing the cheapest litre of diesel’.

What I mean, of course, is driving out of your way to save one or two pence per litre when filling up.

The problem with doing this — apart from wasting time — is that you often end up wasting money, too.

In the case of my personal van, a short wheelbase Ford Transit, I usually get around 36mpg, which equates to a fuel cost of 17.6p per mile, assuming that diesel is 140p per litre, as it is in my area.

This means that a diversion of six miles to fill up will cost me £1.05.

If the fuel I buy is 2p per litre cheaper than I would have paid, then I have to buy at least 52 litres before I save any money (52 x 2p = £1.04).

I’m sure you can see the problem – the cost of the fuel required to drive to a cheaper garage can easily be more than the money you save at the pumps. Plus you waste a load of time, probably on your way to or from work…

There is a better way!

What I’ve found, through long experience, is that finding the cheapest fuel may save me a few pence, but learning to drive with a lighter right foot will save me pounds.

At the start of this post, I said that my average fuel consumption was 36mpg — but I have seen it vary from 33mpg to 40mpg, depending on how I drive.

On long journeys, with a light right foot and keeping motorway speeds below 65mph, I can get 40mpg. If I hoon around like Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne, then unsurprisingly, fuel consumption drops dramatically!

The upshot is that a 10% improvement in fuel consumption is quite easily achievable for many drivers — which equates to a cost saving of 1.8p per mile, no diversions or wasted time necessary!