Use a cleaning agent
As your car gets older and sees more use, harmful emissions deposits can begin to build up in the engine and exhaust of your car. This can reduce your car’s efficiency, as well as increase your emissions. To resolve this, you can add a cleaning agent to your fuel or use premium fuel with these additives already in place, which may be the more expensive option.
Change your air filter
This is something that should be replaced more often, the more you drive, it can also differ based on the environment you tend to drive in. Once your air filter gets clogged, your engine’s airflow is reduced, meaning it’s operating optimally. On top of this, it makes it easier for deposits to build up, increasing your emissions and potentially damaging your vehicle.
Reduce engine idling time
This can be especially challenging if you live in an area with high levels of congestion, where you’re stuck in traffic for minutes or longer. However, if that’s the case, simply turn your engine off. According to the RAC, idling for even ten seconds wastes more fuel and causes more emissions than simply restarting your car.
Change your oil regularly
This is such a simple and yet easily forgotten maintenance task. Your engine oil is the fluid that lubricates, cleans and cools to prevent wear and damage to your car. If left unchanged, it can cause your car to run ineffectively, causing more emissions and eventually breakdown. Check the specific oil maintenance needs of your vehicle and make sure to use the correct grade of oil.
Reduce unnecessary car journeys
This may sound rather obvious, but a car left at home in your driveway is emitting nothing. If you have to use your car, carefully consider the journey to make sure you don’t need to make multiple trips. Or better yet, if walking or cycling is an option, choose that.
Also worth knowing:
- Edinburgh, not London, has the most congested roads in the UK: it has a congestion level of 35%, and its residents spend around 80 hours in traffic per year.
- Istanbul is officially the most congested city in the world, with a congestion level of 62%. Residents of the Turkish capital spend around 142 hours annually in traffic jams – the equivalent of nearly 6 whole days
- Italy is the country with the highest number of low emission zone schemes in the world, with a whopping 253 zones having implemented such schemes.
