5 Ways to Save Money on Gasoline in Georgia

Smart shopping for car insurance is one good way to save on your family’s transportation costs, but it’s not the only way. 

Fortunately, the price of gasoline has gone down from its recent high. Still, with the average cost bouncing around like it’s in a popcorn machine, down-South drivers are still paying plenty for fuel. 

Want to save as much as possible? Then adopt some or all of these 5 easy strategies, and you could end up paying a lot less for gas this year. 

1. Combining Trips Cuts Down on Gas Usage for Georgians 

If you have a family, your vehicles could be coasting up and down your driveway most of the day. One or both partners might have a daily commute, and then you’ve got kids to take to and from daycare, school, after-school events, and social engagements. After that, there’s the grocery store, the post office, family entertainment… 

It all adds up to almost daily stops at your friendly neighborhood service station. Nevertheless, by planning your day the night before, you might be able to combine trips and save gas money. Can you drop your child off at soccer practice, then do your weekly supermarket shopping before after-practice pickup? 

Also keep in mind that combined trips that result in less total mileage can also save on tires and brakes, which could mean fewer trips to your service station’s repair bays. It’s not always possible, but the more you can consolidate those trips, the more money you’ll save. 

2. Georgia Drivers Can Boost Gas Mileage at Slower Speeds 

Driving too fast or too slow burns gasoline inefficiently. If you’re driving too slowly, you’ve got your engine running for longer. If you’re going too fast, you’ll guzzle more gas per mile. 

Studies show that the ideal speed is between about 40 and 60 miles an hour. That fact is mostly going to impact your highway driving practices. In-city driving is fuel inefficiency that you can’t easily control. You can’t usually drive as fast as 40 mph, and even if the speed markers allowed it, you’ll run into enough red lights, stop signs, and stop-and-go traffic to keep you pumping the brake and lowering your average speed. 

This is why city driving gets you lower mileage rates than highway driving. However, if you commute for work or travel extensively on business, you’ll frequently hit highway speed. Keep it in that cost-efficient range, and you’re likely to save money. As an added bonus, you might also avoid speeding tickets and higher car insurance rates. 

3. Find the Least Expensive Gas in Atlanta 

There are at least two potentially costly ways of buying gasoline: going to the station that’s closest to you and driving around town looking for the best deals on price. 

Fortunately, there’s a better way. You’ll find numerous free apps on the market for locating the nearest station with the best prices in real-time. Some of the best-known apps include GasBuddy, Waze, WEX Connect, and Gas Guru. There are many others too. Simply Google “gasoline price apps,” and read the details of each. 

With an app on your phone, you can find good price deals on gasoline even when you’re outside of familiar areas or on the interstate and considering when to make a stop. 

Also, check in with the AAA website to find the real-time average rates in your state. You can use that as a comparison point to see if you’re paying too much on a daily basis. 

4. Do You Know When to Shop for Gas ? 

You know the advice about never going grocery shopping on an empty stomach? The point here is that you’ll overbuy and give little attention to price when you need food most. 

It works in much the same way when you make a fuel stop and you have a very hungry gas tank. If you go gas shopping long after the fuel warning light has come on, you’ll stop at the nearest gas station no matter what it charges. This is especially true when you’re on the open road and don’t know when you’ll find another station after the one you’re looking at now. 

It’s a better strategy to think about refueling when you still have around a quarter of a tank left. Then you have plenty of time to go price shopping without any sense of desperation. Combine this advice with the previous tip of getting a gas price app on your phone, and you’ll always be a smart fuel buyer. 

5. Consider Fuel Efficiency When Buying Your Next Car in GA 

That lightning-quick sports car or the big-as-a-bus pickup truck sure look good on the dealer’s lot, but what do they cost in the way of fuel consumption? There’s no better strategy to save on gas than buying the right vehicle in the first place. 

Keep in mind, as a starting point, that certain new vehicles from Honda, Toyota and Hyundai get average mileage of well into the 40s. If the vehicle you’re considering has fuel efficiency in the 20s or even lower, take a deep breath and think it out. You still might consider it worth the purchase, but know that it will cost you more since you’ll have to make more frequent trips to the gas pumps. 

Is it time to consider an electric vehicle, or EV? Crunch the numbers and see if the time is right. A used vehicle can be a smart buy, but at the gas pump … it can go either way. Some are great, but others have even more inefficient mileage than new cars. 

While you’re doing all this smart pre-purchase research, you might also call your car insurance agent. Your agent can tell you how much you’ll pay for your coverage on the make and model you’re considering. This is just one more smart way of saving on your transportation costs.