If you’ve had it with the mostly ups, and the occasional downs of gas prices, and have decided to buy a vehicle that is more fuel-efficient, this handy summary of the Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency’s (OEE) guide on how to choose a fuel-efficient vehicle will aid you in buying a car that will help you save at the pump.
New or used?
As a general rule, newer vehicles tend to be more fuel-efficient than older models. So if a new car is in the cards for you, be sure to compare the fuel consumption ratings. These can be found on the EnerGuide labels. If you are unfamiliar with the EnerGuide label, it is usually stickered to the vehicle and shows the consumption ratings for city and highway driving and provides you with an estimate of that vehicle’s yearly fuel cost.
That being said, if you are in the market for a used car there are choices you can make that will save you money on gas in the long run.
Size matters
It likely comes as no surprise that in general the bigger the vehicle, the bigger the engine, the larger the fuel consumption. So if you don’t need the cargo room, towing capacity, or extra passenger space of a large Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), van or pickup avoid buying these larger vehicles to save on fuel.
But going with a smaller car or engine won’t always save you on fuel. If you don’t buy “enough vehicle” for your needs you’ll likely end up overworking the engine offsetting any fuel saving potential. For example, if you often tow heavy loads a small engine may in fact burn more fuel.
It all comes down to buying for your needs. Keep in mind that buying “too much vehicle” will guzzle fuel more than necessary to get the job done, but buying “too little” will overwork the engine so that the fuel savings potential is lost.
Manual or automatic: that is the question
A manual transmission with overdrive combined with a tachometer or shift indicator is generally more fuel efficient than an automatic. When used properly a manual transmission can save you five to 10 per cent in fuel compared to the automatic counterpart.
If you don’t know how to drive a manual, there are choices you can make with respect to your automatic transmission that will help you save. Choosing a:
4-speed overdrive transmission is 3 to 5 per cent more fuel-efficient than a 3-speed
5-speed automatic can improve fuel efficiency by another 3 per cent over a 4-speed
Front, rear, four or all-wheel drive?
If you have a choice between a two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, choose the two-wheel drive as this is generally the most fuel-efficient option. Of your two-wheel drive options (front-wheel or rear-wheel) there is no longer much of a difference when it comes to fuel-efficiency, although at one time front-wheel drive would have been the way to go.
As for four-wheel and all-wheel drive, while in certain driving conditions they provide better traction and braking, the weight of the additional parts to offer this option, along with the extra power required from the engine to operate them may increase fuel consumption by up to 10% over a two-wheel drive vehicle.
Weighing your options
Did you know that power seats add anywhere from 40 to 60 kilograms in weight to your vehicle? And air conditioning adds another 45? Options like these add to your vehicle’s weight and will affect your car’s fuel consumption. Now add in heated seats and you’ve not only got an option that adds weight to the vehicle, but also requires a fair bit of energy to operate (same goes for the air conditioning)—energy which is ultimately pulled from the engine which must now burn more fuel.
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