Pretoria motorists can expect relief at the pumps with a fuel price cut from midnight tonight.
The stronger rand exchange rate against the US dollar and lower international oil prices are driving local fuel prices downward.
The Automobile Association (AA) says this is welcomed news as fuel prices have steadily increased since February.
AA spokesperson Eleanor Mavimbela says, “Based on the latest CEF (Central Energy Fund) data, petrol is now set to decrease by around R1.06/l for both 95 ULP and 93 ULP, diesel by around R1/l, and illuminating paraffin by around 80c/l.”
At the beginning of last month, petrol prices were hiked by 37c a litre – reaching levels last seen in October 2023. Diesel prices were cut to the lowest levels since February this year.
Here are five ways to ensure that you save fuel:
- Keep tires pumped up: Tires that are underinflated have a higher rolling resistance on the road. This means that with every kilometer traveled, your tires generate more friction and rolling resistance, and hence, will increase fuel consumption.
- Drive with AC: Driving with the windows down at speeds faster than 80km/h causes a lot of wind resistance and costs you a lot more fuel. Contrary to what you may think, in this situation, it’s simply more fuel-efficient to drive with the aircon on.
- Don’t go too fast or too slow: When cruising down a highway, your engine works hard to overcome wind resistance. You’ll burn up to 15% more fuel at 100 km/h and 25% more at 110 km/h. That might tempt you to drive slow, but if you drive slower than 50 km/h, your engine would drop to a lower gear, thus using up more fuel. In conclusion, a steady 50 – 90 km/h on the highway is best to achieve optimal fuel economy.
- Plan your rush hour route: Stop-start traffic puts a lot of pressure on your engine, thus burning more fuel. When possible, plan your commute to and from work carefully to help you avoid the worst of peak traffic.
- Don’t stay idle for long: If you are waiting for something or someone for more than three minutes, turn off your engine. You may not be moving but as long as your engine is on, it’s burning precious fuel.
Also read: Pretoria motorists warned not to stop under any circumstances
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
