Driving in winter conditions, including cold weather, snow, fog, and ice, can be risky, not only to you, but to your vehicle as well, because bad weather can drastically increase your fuel consumption.
During the winter, according to fuel economy tests, extremely short trips in an ordinary petrol car can greatly decrease mileage than in warmer weather conditions, and can even show a significant drop if trips are under 5 km.
Same can be said for hybrid cars, whose fuel economy can display poor mileage during the cold winter months, but why does fuel consumption increase in frigid temperatures?
Why is winter fuel economy lower?
Cold weather and winter driving might influence your car performance in a number of ways:
- - Battery performance suffers in cold weather and it is difficult for the alternator to keep your vehicle's battery charged. This affects hybrid vehicles as well.
- - It takes more time for the engine to reach its fuel efficient temperature than in warmer weather and this is especially valid for short trips, because fuel temperature is low for the entire duration of the trip.
- - Defrosters for windscreen, heating, and heated seats consume extra power.
- - Cold air is denser and increases aerodynamic drag on your vehicle.
- - Your car idles while warming up which decreases your vehicle’s fuel economy.
- - Cold engine oil and other fluids increases engine and transmission friction.
- - In severe winter weather, four-wheel drive and low driving speeds, necessary for safety reasons, also influence fuel economy.
What can I do to improve my fuel consumption in cold weather?
You might struggle to reduce winter weather effects on your fuel savings, but here are a few tips that could help you squeeze more mileage out of your tank:
- - Park your vehicle in a warmer place, ideally a garage, to increase the initial temperature of your engine and cabin.
- - Combine trips when possible so that you drive less often with a cold engine.
- - Don't idle your car to warm it up as the engine will warm up faster being driven.
- - Keep the use of seat warmers and defrosters to a minimum.
- - Check your tyre pressure on a regular basis.
- - Follow your manufacturer’s instructions when choosing oil for cold weather driving.
- - Remove accessories that increase wind resistance, and weight, like roof racks, while not in use.
