Poor Fuel Economy: Why Your Car Uses More Gas and How to Fix It
When your car starts gulping fuel like it’s on a road trip with no gas stations, you’re dealing with poor fuel economy, a drop in how far your car travels per gallon of fuel. It’s not always about driving style or rising prices—more often, it’s something simple inside your engine that’s gone wrong. Many drivers assume they need a new engine or a tune-up, but the real culprits are often things you can check yourself: worn spark plugs, a dirty air filter, or even dragging brakes.
Spark plug replacement, a routine maintenance task that restores ignition efficiency is one of the most common fixes. If your plugs are old or fouled, your engine doesn’t burn fuel cleanly. That means less power, more emissions, and higher bills at the pump. Same goes for a bad air filter, a component that blocks dirt but lets air into the engine. When it’s clogged, your engine struggles to breathe. It compensates by using more fuel, even if you’re just idling at a stoplight. And don’t overlook your brakes. Worn pads or sticking calipers create drag, forcing your engine to work harder just to keep moving. That’s not just a safety issue—it’s a fuel drain.
These problems don’t show up as warning lights. They sneak in slowly. Your car feels slower. You’re filling up more often. You start blaming the weather or traffic. But the truth is, your car is telling you something’s off—if you know what to look for. The posts below cover exactly that: how to spot worn spark plugs before they wreck your mileage, how a dirty air filter kills efficiency, why brake pads dragging can cost you 10% on fuel, and what else might be silently eating your gas. No fluff. No guesswork. Just real fixes from real UK drivers who’ve been there.
