Petrol and diesel prices have soared to an all-time high in further misery for households during the cost of living crisis.
The price of petrol at UK forecourts hit 180.73p a litre, according to the RAC, as the cost of filling up a 55-litre family car neared £100 for the first time.
Some motorway forecourts are already selling petrol above £2 a litre - but the RAC has warned this is likely to be the price nationwide “by the summer”.
RAC fuel spokesperson Simon Williams said: “A full tank of unleaded has now shot up to £99.40, moving us ever closer to the milestone £100 petrol fill-up.”
He added: “With analysts predicting that oil will average $135 US dollars a barrel for the rest of this year, drivers need to brace themselves for average fuel prices rocketing to £2 a litre.
“[This] would mean a fill-up would rise to an unbelievable £110.”
Diesel has increased by almost 1.5p to yet another record high at 186.57p a litre.
While there isn’t much you can do about rising prices, there are some steps you can take to make your car more fuel efficient.
Are you worried about the price of filling up your vehicle? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
Keep your car light
The lighter your car, the less fuel it will use. It’s all to do with how much effort is needed for your vehicle to accelerate.
The easiest way to declutter your car is to empty the boot, clean out any rubbish and remove roof racks.
Keep your tyres inflated
Checking your tyre pressure is an important part of owning any vehicle - but it can also improve your fuel consumption too.
If your tyre pressure is too low, your wheels will be dragging on the ground and you’ll use more gas.
Overinflated tyres are also bad for fuel efficiency.
Don’t speed
Being heavy on the accelerator is one of the biggest guzzlers of fuel - so go gently when you need to speed up.
You should always try to drive in the highest possible gear for your vehicle while keeping within the speed limit to achieve the best miles per gallon.
Use cruise control on motorways
It’s a good idea to keep a constant and similar speed when you’re on a long, flat road - so for example, a motorway.
But if you’re on a bumpy road with lots of turns, you could end up using more fuel if you leave cruise control on.
This is because your car is slower to react to changes on the road.
Switch off the AC
Switching on the air conditioning can increase fuel consumption, as this uses more energy.
The only exception is if you’re driving at higher speeds, when it is better to use the AC and keep your windows up.
For lower speed, roll your windows down and keep the air conditioning off.
