Four Myths About Mileage That Indian Actually Believe

• Published On: 1 July 2019
• 100 Views

Many car owners employ several techniques to get maximum mileage from their cars like speeding the car up and then killing off the engine while the destination is still at a substantial distance.

When it comes to savings, we Indians are second to none. From streets to five-star hotels, we save at every possible opportunity. The same reflects in our choice for cars as well and consequently mileage becomes the most important factors that Indians look for when buying a new car. This trend has now turned into an obsession and this is the reason why several manufacturers still sell underpowered cars. Many car owners employ several techniques to get maximum mileage from their cars like speeding the car up and then killing off the engine while the destination is still at a substantial distance. However, this craze has also led to several misconceptions regarding fuel efficiency in our country. Moreover, several drivers unknowingly perform actions that affect mileage negatively.  

Fuel efficiency is not affected by harsh acceleration

Harsh acceleration forces the engine to work more which in turn means increased fuel consumption. So, slamming your foot down the accelerator frequently results in a considerable drop in fuel efficiency of a vehicle. Many Indian drivers believe that accelerating the car hard won’t affect its mileage much but the case is actually quite the opposite.

Idling the engine doesn’t affect mileage

While many believe this, it isn’t true. An idling engine is also burning fuel even if the rate of fuel consumption is less than when the car is running. It is a fact that turning the engine off saves more fuel than keeping it on idle. However, this holds true only when the period is less than 15 seconds. Therefore, always turn off the engine of your vehicle if you have to stand at a spot for more than 15-20 seconds.

Filling at Any Bunk is cool!

A prevalent misconception among people is that fuel is the same everywhere. This, however, is not true. Even if the filling station company is the same, they are owned by different people at different places. Several of these pump owners are involved in malicious practices like adulteration in fuel and lower fuel dispensing than what is being displayed.  

Cruise control is Not Linked to Mileage

That is not the case. Rather, cruise control increases the mileage of a car. To let you know, cruise control allows you to maintain a constant speed and make long drives easier for the driver. What many might not know is that when a car is put in cruise control mode, the engine does not waste any fuel on unnecessary acceleration, which in turns results in better mileage.