Since the dawn of time, motorists have been cooking up ways to save money on car costs. As manufacturers drive down the upfront price – the average cost is between £12,000 to £28,000 – there’s a focus on running expenses. Introducing hypermiling, a new way of making running costs cheaper than ever before. To many purists, the process will take away some of the love of driving. However, the fact that many of the techniques are proven to work means it’s time to get uber excited.

These are the reasons why you might want to consider changing your driving style in the future.

Change Gear, Change Budget

Maximising fuel-efficiency is becoming a significant part of driving with 19,353,062 of CO2 emissions having been released into the atmosphere in the UK alone. The good news is, hypermilers have the answer. By switching gears earlier, motorists can save as much as 15% of their fuel reserves. You need to do it before 2,500 revs in a petrol car, and 2,000 in a diesel car, or else you’ll miss the boat. Still, that’s a lot of revs, and a lot of money you can keep in your pocket rather than give it to the cashier at the petrol station.

Cars are heavy, and the extra weight leads to a considerable increase in fuel-inefficiency. The science says that removing 45kg from your car can save you as much as 1% on fuel, which doesn’t sound like a lot, yet it adds up in the long-term. For a BMW M5 CS, the total reduction is 115kg as BMW has already shed 70kg. As Beamer has shown, a couple of kilos is surprisingly easy to eliminate, from packing lighter to removing non-essentials under the bonnet. A car servicing expert will show you where you can do the latter by analysing the inner workings of the engine. Sometimes, swapping the suspension for a lighter product will do the trick.

Chicken Wing It

We’ve all been there, windows down, chicken winging it with your arm draped over the side of your motor. In summer, there’s nothing better. Still, turning on the air conditioning seems to beat showing off, and this is problematic since the air con unit severely impacts the eco-friendly nature of your car. Winding down the windows, however, doesn’t, not if you’re doing less than 40 mph as this is the threshold.

Lose Weight

The need for speed is hard to deny. Of course, it’s often illegal, not to mention impactful on your car’s fuel reserves. Hitting speeds of 85 mph uses 15% more petrol or diesel than if you were to cruise at the national speed limit. Not good for hypermiling. Okay, that means limiting the 370kw horsepower in your Audi e-Tron Sportback, and easing off as you reach the top speed of 130.5 mph.

However, every cloud has a silver lining. As you cruise along, fellow motorists can admire the incredible 4,901-4,902 mm L x 1,935 mm W x 1,615-1,616 mm H, which are part of the reason you spent almost £70,000 in the first place!

If you’re interested in combining driving with conservation, the answer is yes – you should be excited about hypermiling.