CompareGuru | Compare Insurance Quotes OnlineCompare Insurance, Car Insurance Quotes, Funeral Cover Quotes, Life Insurance Quotes, MotorVAPS Quotes, Budget Insurance, Insurance Quotes, CompareGuru, South Africa.
Car and Household
Commercial Insurance
Funeral
Medical
Pet Insurance
Wills
Car Insurance
Cover your vehicle
More Information
Get Quote
Home Insurance
Cover your home and everything in it
More Information
Get Quote
Commercial Vehicle Insurance
Protect vehicles and drivers used in the day-to-day operation of your business against risks like financial loss, damage or personal injury.
More Information
Get Quote
Commercial Insurance
Provide cover against common risks and disruptions to business operations, such as theft, damage to property, employee / client injury and much more.
More Information
Get Quote
Directors and Officers Liability
Safeguard your business and key players from financial loss with the right policy.
More Information
Get Quote
Errors and Omissions Liability
Covers your business and employees against claims of negligence, poor workmanship, and more.
More Information
Get Quote
Funeral
Protect your family financially and cover funeral expenses
More Information
Get Quote
Gap Cover
Cover yourself for unexpected medical costs
More Information
Get Quote
Health Insurance
Protect your family with affordable basic medical cover
More Information
Get Quote
Pet Insurance
Protect the whole family including your fur babies.
More Information
Get Quote
Apply For A Will
Get a Will drafted and cover the costs of dying.
More Information
Start Application
Menu
Home
About Us
Life Insurance Quote
Car Insurance Quote
Funeral Insurance Quote
Gap Cover Quote
Health Insurance Quote
Pet Insurance Quote
Extended Warranty Quote
Pre-Owned Warranty Quote
Scratch and Dent Quote
Tyre And Rim Quote
Apply For a Will
News Room
Meet The Team
Careers
Providers
Insurance
Car Insurance
Building Insurance
Household Contents Insurance
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
Serious Illness Insurance
All Risk Insurance
Funeral Insurance
Gap Cover
Health Insurance
MotorVAPS Cover
Commercial Insurance
Commercial Vehicle Insurance
Directors and Officers Liability Insurance
Errors and Omissions Liability Insurance
Money
Support
Contact Us
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy
Disclosures
Client Letter
POPI Act
CIM Policy
Complaint Escalation
TCF Form

News Room

June Fuel Price Hike: How To Save Fuel

That's right, folks, the price of fuel is going up again. With the new Carbon Tax in full swing, and the South African economy nosediving, it's going to get tougher and tougher at the pumps. With these tips and tricks, you can save some petrol.

Largely thanks to the addition of the new carbon tax, with a little help from a floundering economy, the price of petrol and diesel will increase by 9c per litre and 33c per litre, respectively. Illuminating paraffin, likewise, will increase by 8c per litre.

This is what you can expect to pay at the pumps this June:

Petrol 95: R16.76 per litre;

Petrol 93: R16.57 per litre;

Diesel (wholesale): R15.21 per litre;

According to Dawie Roodt, Chief Economist at the Efficient Group, consumers will have to brace themselves for difficult times ahead, with all main economic indicators showing that the situation in South Africa is going to become a lot more difficult before we even begin to glimpse a light at the end of the tunnel.

In this article we'll take a look at how to get the absolute most out of your fuel, and hopefully save enough money to survive the month. Some of our tips may seem rather obvious, such as avoiding traffic. Anybody who has ever lived in a city knows that sometimes it’s just better to wait it out. Fighting your way through congestion isn’t just bad for your wallet or your car, but it wreaks havoc on your sanity too. 

Take a coffee break, grab a bite to eat and take it easy. Essentially, that’s the whole secret to saving fuel. 

Taking it easy. 

Here's our comprehensive list of tips and tricks to help you save on petrol.   

While You're Here: Tax Will Be The Death Of South African Consumers

What You Can Do To Save On Fuel

Some of us still drive older cars, which just aren’t as fuel efficient as the latest models. Technology has really benefited motorists in this regard, but South Africans, in general, are known to hang on to their beloved vehicles for a really long time. We drive it until the wheels come off. 

For those people still running vehicles from the 90s or early 2000s, here are a couple of things that you can do to save money.

  • Combine your trips. Unnecessary trips back and forth burn through your petrol. Plot out all of your trips and errands and map out the best possible round trip to get it all done in one go. Certain apps, such as Waze, FNB's nav>> Car, ParkMe or DashDroid can also make your life easier, by informing you of traffic conditions or allowing you to map the optimum route.
  • Close your windows. This may sound petty, but open windows add drag to the vehicle. This resistance adds up to higher fuel usage. Aircons aren’t really your friend either.
  • Change gears properly. Many drivers have a bad habit of snapping between gears. The trick is to change into the right gear, at the right time, and smoothly. Your car will thank you for it.
  • Use the highways. Unless you live in Cape Town, where the highways are a constant stop-go nightmare, this is often the most efficient route. Any congested road with plenty of stops or traffic lights is going to consume more fuel. An open highway, in an ideal world, allows you to maintain a consistent speed.
  • Brake properly. Avoid hard braking and exuberant acceleration. This isn’t a Vin Diesel movie. Aggressive driving wastes fuel and also wears out your brakes.
  • Driving fast, in general, consumes more fuel. Optimal cruising speed is anywhere between 80 and 90km/h.
  • Try to drive at the lowest speed in the highest gear that the road and traffic conditions will allow. It’s important to do this without labouring the engine, but will consume less fuel. 

Optimise Your Ride

Sometimes, all your car needs is a little bit of TLC.

  • Service your vehicle. Maintaining your car and regularly changing things such as the petrol filter, air filter and oil filter will improve performance and efficiency. Low coolant levels, dirty oil and worn spark plugs are also terrible for efficiency.
  • Check your tyres. Make sure that your tyres are at the correct pressure and that your wheel alignment is accurate. Bad alignment causes more friction. To overcome this, more power is required and therefore more fuel.
  • Reduce your car's weight. Remove anything unnecessary which may be weighing the car down, as this also requires greater power to move.

While You're Here: CAR DIY Part 1 – Save Your Money

Newer Tech, Better Efficiency

Many of the newer cars, particularly hybrids, offer way better fuel efficiency than older cars. This isn’t always the case though – and a newer car isn’t necessary. City dwellers, for instance, would do far better by just buying a cheaper, smaller vehicle. 

Many modern features do make our lives easier though, such as start-stop technology, which is essentially an environmentally friendly, fuel-saving on-off system. Drivers of older cars may be familiar with this trick – switching your car off when standing still and idling for a long while. Many motorists also put their car into neutral when waiting at a red traffic light, which reduces load on the engine.

The best way to drive, really, is to avoid the stop-and-start situations entirely. Try to flow with the traffic and maintain momentum as far as possible. Time your approaches to inclines or red lights in order to catch them green and keep on going. 

Some Tips For The Road

Remember, the economy is tough - it may even be very possible that South Africa will face another recession this year. This ain’t no charity and you’re not running a taxi. If you need to ferry friends or family up and down, there’s no shame in expecting fuel money in return. It’s the least they can do for taking up your time and resources. 

On that note, carpooling has always been a great way to save up on petrol bills – with everybody contributing a fair share. Not only is this more efficient and better for traffic conditions, but it’s also safer. Hijackers don’t normally try their luck on a car packed full of people, it’s just not worth the hassle.  

The Economy Is Tough - All The More Reason To Protect Your Most Valued Assets. Compare With The Guru, Quick, Safe and Easy, And You Could Save Up To 30% On Your Monthly Premiums!

CompareGuru knows what's good - you'll never need another insurance comparison tool again!

Sign up to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest tax-related shenanigans and news on fuel prices.

CompareGuru has you covered.