What you can do

The Make Cars Green campaign aims to help reduce the impact of cars on the environment and help drivers think green before they drive.

We encourage drivers to click on and read the 10 points below, and help make the roads greener for us all.

When purchasing a car you should always take into consideration environmental performance.

• Buy an appropriate sized car for your needs.
• A more efficient, greener car will cost less to run.
• The Federal Government’s Green Vehicle Guide can provide you with an easy-to-understand star rating system that evaluates the environmental performance of new car models.

A well-planned journey will allow you to get to your destination in the quickest and easiest way, saving on unnecessary fuel emissions.

• Consider that ten minutes of unnecessary driving in a one-hour trip results in a 14 per cent decrease in fuel efficiency.
• For short journeys see if it is possible to cycle, use public transport or walk.
• Fitting a Global Positioning System (GPS) in your car can allow you to know in advance the easiest route to a set destination. (Available to purchase in the RAC Shop).

Plan your journey  using the RAC online journey planner

A well-inflated tyre decreases the rolling resistance and thereby increases efficiency.

• Driving on tyres with air pressures 50kPA (0.5kg/cm²) lower than they should be decreases fuel efficiency by 2 per cent in urban areas and 4 per cent in suburban areas.
• Check tyre pressure at least every two weeks.
• A correctly inflated tyre increases the grip on the road and therefore is not only a greener, but a safer tyre.

Extra weight increases the consumption of fuel as does increased air resistance.

• Driving with 100kg of unnecessary onboard weight leads to a significant decrease in fuel efficiency of around 6 per cent on a medium class car.
• Check for unnecessary items in the boot of the car, such as luggage or overly large goods.
• Modern cars are built with aerodynamics in mind, a ski carrier on top of a car can increase consumption by 20 per cent.

Modern cars no longer need to be warmed up before starting off, only in extremely cold conditions.

• Gentle driving may be required after starting the engine while it warms up; this style of driving will also increase fuel efficiency.
• Leave your foot off the accelerator when starting. Modern cars constructed with a fuel injection engine no longer require the accelerator to be pushed when starting up. Doing so will only confuse the on-board systems and increase fuel consumption.

Avoid setting AC to cold, as AC uses a lot of power from the car.

• When the outdoor temperature is 25°C, AC decreases fuel efficiency by 12 per cent.
• When it is safe to do so, opening the windows in town driving is more efficient than using AC. However, the opposite is true when driving at high speed due to air resistance.
• Other in car devices, such as high-powered sound systems, also increase consumption.

Gentle driving uses less fuel, is safer and will allow you and your passengers to reach your destination in more comfort.

• Start off gently (20km/h in 5 seconds, for an 11% increase in fuel economy) and avoid abrupt, heavy accelerations while driving.
• Avoid tailgating as it causes unnecessary acceleration/deceleration which costs 2 per cent and 6 per cent less fuel efficiency respectively in urban and suburban areas. Leave a 2-3 second headway to the vehicle in front. 
• Use the highest gears possible in any given situation.

Using the natural braking power of engines saves on fuel economy.

• Releasing the accelerator when recognising the need to slow down stops the fuel supply leading to a 2 per cent increase in fuel efficiency.
• Engine braking also has the added bonus of reducing wear and tear on the brakes.

When you are not using the engine of the car it is still using fuel.

• Idling for more than a minute uses more fuel than is needed to restart the engine.
• Ten minutes of engine idling (in neutral, with the AC off) wastes 130cc of fuel.

CO2 production as a result of transport is often unavoidable. If you do drive you can still contribute to CO2 reduction by offsetting emissions.

• Calculate and offset your emissions by purchasing carbon credits to compensate for the greenhouse gases from your travel through an accredited provider.