Start with the journeys you make every week

Nobody is suggesting you sell the family car and buy a tandem. But the trips you repeat week after week, the school run, the supermarket shop, the Saturday morning circuit of clubs and matches, are where the most useful savings hide. A car engine is at its least efficient for the first mile or two, while it is still warming up. That means a cold five-minute dash to the shops can use considerably more fuel per mile than the same distance covered on a warm engine halfway through a longer trip.

The practical upshot is simple: fewer, better-planned journeys beat lots of short, separate ones. This is good news for your fuel bill, your tyres and your temper, and it is the single biggest thing most households can do without changing cars.

Combine errands into one sensible loop

Think of your week's errands as a puzzle to be solved in as few cold starts as possible.

• Batch your trips. One Saturday morning outing that covers the recycling centre, the supermarket and the shoe shop uses far less fuel than three separate journeys on three separate days.
• Plan the order. Do the furthest stop first or last, whichever keeps you off the busiest roads, and let the engine reach its efficient temperature before you start stopping and starting again.
• Park once and walk. In a town centre, parking in one spot and covering several shops on foot is usually quicker than circling for a space outside each one.
• Keep a running list. A note on the fridge or a shared list on your phone avoids the classic mid-week "I just need one thing from the shop" run.
• Car share where it fits. If two families on your street both drive to the same club on a Tuesday, alternating weeks halves the trips for both of you.

Look after the car and it will use less fuel

Basic maintenance is unglamorous but it pays. A well-sorted car can use noticeably less fuel than a neglected one doing the same journeys.

• Check tyre pressures every month and before any long journey, when the tyres are cold. Under-inflated tyres increase rolling resistance, burn extra fuel and wear out faster. The correct pressures are on a sticker inside the driver's door pillar or in the handbook, and they often differ between front and rear, and between normal and fully loaded.
• Take the roof bars and roof box off when you are not using them. At motorway speeds, a roof load can add a surprisingly large amount to fuel consumption. The same goes for bike racks.
• Empty the boot. Every 50kg of unnecessary weight costs a little fuel on every mile. Golf clubs, wellington boots and a box of old paperbacks add up over a year.
• Keep up with servicing. A clean air filter, the right grade of oil and correctly gapped spark plugs all help the engine run efficiently.
• Use air conditioning thoughtfully. It can add a noticeable amount to fuel use at low speeds. Around town, open a window; on the motorway, closed windows and air conditioning usually win because of the drag.
• Don't idle. Modern engines do not need warming up on the driveway. If you are going to be stationary for more than a minute, switch off. Idling outside school gates is a particular bugbear, and it is bad for the lungs of everyone standing nearby.

Drive smoothly and read the road ahead

Eco-driving is not about crawling along at 40mph everywhere. It is about wasting less of the energy you have already paid for.

• Accelerate briskly, then ease off. Get up to speed reasonably promptly and then hold a steady throttle rather than surging and braking.
• Change up early. In a petrol car, aim to change up at around 2,000 rpm; in a diesel, nearer 1,500 to 2,000. Driving in a higher gear at a steady speed uses less fuel.
• Look further ahead. Anticipate traffic lights, roundabouts and the brake lights three cars in front. Easing off the accelerator early and letting the car slow naturally saves fuel and brakes.
• Keep a steady speed. On a long motorway run, dropping from 70mph to 60mph can cut fuel use significantly, and cruise control helps on clear stretches.
• Coast to a stop rather than braking hard. In an electric or hybrid car, smooth driving and gentle braking let the regenerative system recover more energy and extend your range.

Leave the car at home for short trips

A large share of UK car journeys are under two miles, and these are exactly the trips where the car is least efficient and most likely to be stuck in traffic. In town, walking or cycling is often quicker door to door once you have factored in parking.

• Walk the school run if you can manage it, even part of the way. A "park and stride" spot a few streets away keeps you dry and cuts the queue at the gate.
• Try an e-bike. It flattens hills, lets you arrive without needing a shower and can carry a decent load of shopping in panniers.
• Consider a cargo bike for the weekly shop or the school bag run if your routes are reasonably flat and traffic-calmed.
• Use the bus or train for regular trips where the service is decent. A family railcard or a local season ticket can make it cheaper than you expect.

Turn it into something the whole street does

Individual habits matter, but they stick better when they are shared. A informal rota of parents taking turns on the school run, a neighbourly arrangement for the Saturday football lift, or a street group where people offer spare seats for the same journey, all cut emissions and build a bit of goodwill at the same time. Start with one journey you all make anyway, sort out the practicalities, and see how it goes. The savings in fuel, money and morning stress tend to speak for themselves.