Choosing a vehicle with good fuel economy is a good start towards saving on fuel cost and improving the quality of our environment. The following tips can help you to decide on buying the most fuel-efficient vehicle that meets your needs.

Bigger vehicles with extra features consume more fuel. You would be incurring unnecessary costs if you do not fully utilize the features.

The general rule is to avoid "over-sizing" your vehicle. Larger vehicles tend to be heavier and face more drag force when travelling. This increases your fuel costs ultimately.

The fuel economy tends to decrease with larger engine capacity.  The greater the volume of the cylinders and the more cylinders the engine has, the greater its fuel consumption would be.

Generally, the fuel economy of vehicles will drop with time due to wear and tear. With advanced designs and newer engines, new models are likely to be more fuel-efficient than old models.

If you are considering buying a new vehicle, look out for the Fuel Economy Label introduced under the Fuel Economy Labelling Scheme for Passenger Vehicles. It provides you with comparative information on the fuel economy of the vehicle models you are considering.

You may wish to take a look at the fuel cost comparison table, which compares the possible difference in fuel costs between different models. The fuel economy calculator may also be useful in estimating fuel costs.

Most of the vehicles available are either front wheel drive or rear wheel drive. There is little difference between the two, in terms of fuel economy.

Four-wheel drive offers better traction, which is useful when moving on slippery or under off-road conditions. However, the weight and friction of the additional drive-train components lead to higher fuel consumption.

Automatic or Manual Transmission Vehicles with manual transmission are more fuel-efficient than automatic transmission ones, assuming the proper gear shifting technique is employed (refer to your car owner's manual for details). This difference in fuel economy tends to be greatest among smaller cars. Bigger vehicles tend to benefit less from a manual transmission in terms of fuel economy. As a general rule, the fuel economy of vehicles improves with the number of gears available.

Running on normal petrol, they do not require to be "plugged in" to an electrical outlet. Hybrid vehicles do not waste energy idling. Instead, the petrol engine shuts off when the vehicle comes to a stop such as at a road junction, to be started instantly by the electric motor when needed again.

As energy is recaptured rather than wasted, hybrid vehicles offer better fuel economy and lower emissions compared to normal vehicles of similar engine capacity and size.

There are many components in the bottom of a vehicle that will obstruct the airflow and increase drag force.  Spoilers in front of the wheels can encourage air to pass on either side of the vehicle and improve fuel economy.