Eight great ways to save money on gas

Here are eight top tips to save on gas:

1. Change your car. How many miles to the gallon does your current car do? Make fuel efficiency one of your prime factors when searching for a new vehicle. It's also possible to have your car modified to make fuel consumption on your current car lower, and, with the government keen for us all to save energy you might even get credits against your tax bill for doing so. Ask your accountant about these schemes.
2. Share your ride with a friend. If you're driving alone you've got spare passenger capacity that could help cut your bills. Sharing a ride to work with a colleague can help you both save money on fuel. Ask around at your place of work and search the Internet for local car pooling schemes.
3. Take the bus. Some people love to drive, but not many of us look forward to the rush hour commute every day, so consider using public transport. You might even be able to get through some paperwork and at least when other drivers are honking their horns at your ride it's not your responsibility.
4. Compare prices. Gas prices can vary a great deal and finding the best deals in your neighborhood (you don't want to have to drive miles using up fuel as you do to find the cheapest deal) can save you money. There are a number of Internet sites which compare gas prices and you should be able to find the best deal from your home office.
5. Take care of your tires. Tires can make a great deal of difference to fuel consumption: make sure your tires are inflated to the pressure recommended by the manufacturer. High resistance tires are less fuel efficient too. Having your air filter cleaned can cut gas bills too.
6. Show loyalty. The gas station business is big on competition and if a station can persuade you to keep coming back with a discount or loyalty club then they will. Check the details of your credit card agreement too, some offer cash back when you buy gas from particular vendors.
7. Get your grades right. Do you really need premium gasoline? It's worth finding out because many cars will run with no problems at all on cheaper grades of fuel. Your car's manual should let you know and if it doesn't your dealer or mechanic should know.
8. Drive at your best. Acceleration is the big gas burner, so try and gain speed slowly and drive as smoothly as possible. Watch your speed too, getting there in a hurry is burning money in a hurry. If you're stationary don't let the engine idle, just turn it off.

Fuel prices don't show any signs of falling and many people are concerned about global warming and fuel security; government will tax motorists further to get consumption down because they know that raising prices works.