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Low carbon travel

Efficient driving

Benefits

  • reduce fuel consumption
  • lower carbon emissions
  • lower risk of vehicle wear and tear

Efficient driving is a driving style that reduces fuel bills, cuts carbon emissions and lowers accident rates. It is about becoming a better driver, rather than sacrificing the performance or enjoyment of driving. For electric vehicles (EVs), efficient driving also brings greater vehicle range.

Save on fuel, reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality by following our driving tips and thinking about your vehicle choice. Driving efficiently also has safety benefits due to its strong focus on better anticipation.

Additional techniques for electric vehicles

Driving an electric vehicle (EV) efficiently also requires making the most of regenerative, or regen, braking, which recharges the batteries when you slow down or drive downhill. To do this, use the higher levels of regen once you’re comfortable to do so. This, combined with good anticipation of the road ahead, will mean you do most of your slowing down through regen.

You should also remember that heating an EV takes energy and depletes the battery, so use heating wisely. Most EVs have heated seats and often heated steering wheels. By using these features you’ll probably find you can turn the cabin temperature down, which brings a net saving in energy.

Further resources

We have produced 24 model-specific introductory videos for electric vehicles and three efficient driving case studies.

Last updated: 1 March 2022