What will reduce fuel consumption? What UK drivers are doing to remain efficient

Does air conditioning use fuel?

The simple answer is yes, air conditioning is one of the most widely recognised features known to impact fuel and EV efficiency negatively.

This doesn’t stop UK drivers using it, however, as our survey found that over a quarter (28%) of drivers always have their air conditioning on. Surprising considering the UK only has 3-4 months of what would be considered warm months per year. Maybe some of us just run hot!

Both electric and combustion engine vehicles are impacted by consistent use of air conditioning, with research suggesting a typical EV with a 60 kWh battery can have its range reduced by around 5 - 10 miles per hour of use, equating to roughly 3 - 5% of the vehicle’s total battery capacity.

Whilst combustion engine vehicles (petrol and diesel) can see an increase in fuel consumption by between 8% and 10%, with systems typically using an additional 0.2 to 0.4 litres of fuel per hour while driving.

There is a time and a place for aircon though, as when driving on the motorway at high speeds, having the window open can also have a negative effect on efficiency due to aerodynamic drag. So knowing when and where to use the aircon versus having an open window is all situation dependent.

Do heated seats use fuel? Yes, but they may be the smarter choice

Heated seats in your petrol vehicle will use fuel, and they will also consume battery power from your EV, having a negative impact on range.

It should be said however, heated seats are generally considered far more efficient than heating an entire vehicle cabin. So used instead of cabin heating, heated seats could actually be the more efficient choice.

Our survey revealed that 57% of drivers use heated seats, with 15% saying they always drive with them activated.

If you’re driving an EV, you can typically expect your heated seats to consume around 50–100 watts on a low setting and 100–200 watts on higher settings, which is not a huge amount. By comparison, cabin heating systems can require several thousand watts to warm the full interior space.

Because of this, many EV manufacturers actively encourage drivers to use seat and steering wheel heaters instead of cabin heat where possible during the winter months. Think of it as the equivalent of putting on an individual storage heater to heat one room of the house rather than putting on the whole central heating system.

Even in petrol and diesel vehicles, heated seats are relatively modest in energy consumption, usually drawing around 40–70 watts per seat.

So, it’s nuanced then. While heated seats still use power, they may actually represent one of the few “comfort” habits that aligns reasonably well with efficient driving, if used as an alternative to full cabin heating, especially in colder weather.

The rise of the heated steering wheel

Once considered a luxury, heated steering wheels have quietly become mainstream now.

It’s no surprise then that our survey found that more than a third of drivers (34%) said they regularly drive with a heated steering wheel turned on.

Similar to heated seats, these systems are relatively energy efficient. In EVs, heated steering wheels generally consume between 30 and 60 watts, while petrol vehicles use around 50 watts.

Again, compared to full cabin heating, the drain is minimal, so if you are able to get by with a combination of a heated steering wheel and heated seats rather than full cabin heat, you could be on to a winner. We could even consider this as “smart efficiency”.

Aggressive driving remains one of the biggest fuel wasters

Rapid acceleration and heavy braking are some of the biggest contributors to unnecessary fuel consumption. In fact, studies have repeatedly shown that aggressive driving can reduce fuel economy by between 15 - 30% at motorway speeds and up to 40% in stop-start traffic.

So why did nearly half of drivers (44%) in our survey say they frequently accelerate harshly or brake aggressively despite considering themselves economical motorists? It seems this isn’t common knowledge after all.

The reason aggressive driving has such a negative impact on consumption is all about momentum. Every time a vehicle accelerates sharply, it demands more energy from the engine or battery. Harsh braking then wastes much of that energy moments later.

The survey results prove that there is a bit more work needed in educating UK drivers around the impact that their own driving style has on efficiency. The good news? This is probably the  easiest thing to remedy, the power is literally within our own hands… and feet.

Listen to your car - high revs, low gears, another hidden efficiency killer

Driving in low gears with high revs is a hidden efficiency killer in combustion engine cars, although 46% of drivers admitted they often do it.

The UK’s Vehicle Certification Agency advises motorists to “change up at low revs” and notes that lower-rev gear changes are “almost always more efficient.”

Driving in low gears with high revs causes the engine to work harder and burn more fuel, not to mention it increases wear on the engine over time. It really is a lose-lose.

One easy way to understand if you are driving in too low a gear is to listen to the noises coming from your car. Whining, humming, or high-pitched noises could all be indicators that you need to change up.

Avoid idling car engine fines and be more efficient

Since September 2025, UK drivers can actually be fined up to £40 as it pertains to rule 123 of the Highway Code, which states, “You MUST NOT leave a parked vehicle unattended with the engine running or leave a vehicle engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road”.

However, aside from car engine idling causing harm to the environment and being punishable, it’s also not very economical.

With that being said, seven in ten drivers (70%) admitted they leave their engine idling in traffic, with 15% saying they always do this while driving.

This is likely down to a lack of understanding, as for quite some time it was considered that restarting your engine used more fuel than leaving it running. But studies have found that idling for more than around 10 - 30 seconds generally consumes more fuel than restarting the engine.

This wasted fuel can quickly add up too, with estimates showing that most cars burn between 0.5 and 1 litre of fuel per hour when idling.

The Vehicle Certification Agency explicitly states that idling wastes fuel and increases CO2 emissions, recommending drivers switch off engines during longer stops where safe and practical to.

Many local authorities have actually started to crack down on idling near schools and urban areas, and TFL also has an anti-idling campaign aimed at raising awareness and improving air quality around schools.

Nearly a quarter of UK drivers have underinflated tyres

Maintaining every element of your car is key to being safe on the road and can also have implications when it comes to efficiency. This extends to making sure that all your tyres are inflated to the correct pressure.

We found that more than nearly a quarter of drivers (22%) admitted they drive with underinflated tyres. This can have a surprisingly significant effect on fuel economy.

When tyres are under-inflated, there will be a greater rolling resistance, meaning the engine must work harder to keep the vehicle moving.

Low tyre pressure could increase fuel consumption by anywhere between 3% and 10%, depending on severity and driving conditions.

The wider implications of under-inflated tyres don’t just stop with fuel efficiency. They can increase tyre wear, reduce handling performance, and compromise braking distances too, essentially it can be very dangerous.

Men are more confident than women when it comes to assessing their driving habits

It's hard to discuss issues of driving without mentioning the gender divide.

Our study found that male drivers were slightly more likely to consider themselves efficient drivers than female motorists (96% vs 93% of female drivers).

However, they were also more likely to admit to engaging in all of the inefficient habits identified in the research, from harsh acceleration and idling to overusing heating and air conditioning.

This contradiction reinforces longstanding research around confidence bias in driving behaviour, where men often rate their driving ability more highly despite engaging in riskier or less economical driving practices.

Efficient driving matters now more than ever

At a time when fuel prices are hitting all-time highs and EV range anxiety continues to influence buying decisions, efficient driving habits arguably matter more than ever.

Being aware of what you can do as a driver to be more efficient is the first step to saving money and being safer on the roads. Knowledge is key.

Trying some simple changes could make a huge difference, such as smoother acceleration, reduced idling, maintaining tyre pressure, moderating air conditioning use and shifting gears earlier, a little really can go a long way.

As the UK transitions further towards electric mobility, understanding the hidden energy drains inside vehicles may become just as important as understanding what powers them.