Motorists are paying more than ever to fill up their cars as the price of a standard tank of petrol passed £100 for the first time yesterday.
A 55-litre tank of fuel now costs £100.27p, while the same volume of diesel is £103.43 - both record highs.
The soaring cost of driving is becoming a national crisis, according to the RAC.
How are rising fuel prices affecting you? Message mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
With fuel costs soaring, it makes sense to squeeze every last mile out of your tank.
Here are some of the best ways to drive down your fuel bills.
Find the cheapest petrol station
With prices so high, it makes sense to fill up at the cheapest petrol station you can.
Websites like petrolprices.com let you find the lowest-price fuel near you.
Petrol stations near motorways also tend to be the most expensive, so try to avoid filling up on these roads unless you have no choice.
Make your car more efficient
There are several tips to be more fuel efficient when driving.
A well-maintained car is up to 10% more efficient than one that has been allowed to fester in its old oil, so keeping your car serviced makes sense.
Heavier cars use more fuel, so take out all of the clutter from your car.
Under-inflated tyres are less efficient, make sure yours are topped up to the manufacturer's recommended levels.
Tyres when under-inflated by just 15psi can use 6% more fuel. However, the quick and simple task of checking your tyre pressure can help.
By making sure that your tyres are inflated you'll be able to get an additional 26 miles from a 60-litre tank of fuel.
Cars are more efficient when they are more aerodynamic - but things like roof racks can add drag. If you are not using one, fuel experts known as 'hypermilers' recommend removing them entirely.
Driving at between 50 and 60 miles an hour is generally the most petrol efficient way to get from point A to point B. It can save you up to 40% fuel on journeys (and given traffic in Britain, probably not cost you any time).
Obviously, obey the speed limit and don't drive too quickly if the road and conditions don't allow it.
Using air conditioning and heating minimally will also cut fuel consumption.
Change how you drive
Hypermiling is a cost-effective way of driving that maximises the amount of miles you do to the gallon - increasing the amount of time before you have to fill up.
Driving smoothly and not braking or accelerating too sharply - unless it's an emergency - is a great way to save on fuel.
Another trick is to keep an eye on the traffic flow in front of you to help read the road - and save on fuel costs.
By keeping your car moving and anticipating what is about to happen, you burn less petrol.
Award-winning hypermiler Kevin Brooker said: “Read the road ahead for traffic lights and roundabouts, so you always keep moving.
“If there’s a green light a fair distance off, there’s a high probability it will be red by the time you get to it.
“It’s all about pacing, so you get there when it’s green. With roundabouts, feed into them rather than stop.”
It’s also advisable to drive as slowly as you reasonably can. This is a cheaper way to drive, ensuring you are in as high a gear as possible without labouring the engine.
Be sure to change your motor up a gear earlier than you would normally so as to avoid going into high revs for too long.
On big busy roads like motorways, just go with the flow of traffic and don’t worry too much about overtaking people.
Take care when the car is cold
Another important piece of advice for autumn and winter is to make sure to drive slowly while your car is starting to warm up.
This is because cold engines tend to be less efficient, and if you drive fast right from the start you'll end up wasting fuel and putting pressure on the engine, which will wear it out much more easily.
However, don't let your engine idle. While the engines of older cars may have required drivers to leave it for a bit to warm up, modern cars have been created so they will run from the moment they’re started.
Look into fuel-efficient tyres
Tyres are thought to contribute to 20% of a car’s fuel consumption. So if you want reduce fuel consumption, try choosing tyres which have a lower rolling resistance.
Energy-efficient tyres will result in the driver getting a higher mileage out of their vehicle, which in turn can save up to 440 litres of fuel over the tyre’s lifetime.
