AS petrol prices continue to sky rocket, UK drivers are looking for tips and tricks to save their hard-earned cash wherever they can.
An answer to your petrol prayers is hiding in plain sight, and it could save you a whopping £200 per year.
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One popular TikTok user, Megan’s Bubble, revealed the magic button found in the majority of new cars: the automatic start button.
Megan said: “If you have a button that looks like this in your car this is your automatic start-stop button.
“It’s going to automatically shut down your vehicle when it is stationary for a long time, like when you’re sitting at a stop light or maybe through the Starbucks drive-thru.
Megan revealed the button helps save fuel as you drive and even reduces emissions.
According to research from the Institute of the Motor Industry, stop-start technology resulted in a 15% improvement in fuel economy.
This saving may seem small, but it would certainly add up over the lifecycle of your car.
There’s a catch, however: the effectiveness of the button depends on your style of driving.
If you use your vehicle for longer journeys where you don’t stop often, the button won’t make much of a difference.
If you live in a more urban area where you stop often at lights and intersections, the button will switch off the engine if you’re idling for a long period of time.
The engine restarts when the clutch is engaged, the brake is released or the accelerator is pressed down – making it easy to start driving again after the traffic light turns green.
The technology is made possible by another car feature which can sense when the car stops or is out of gear.
If the feature senses the vehicle stops, it cuts fuel supply and the connection to the engine is stopped.
This is great news for city goers, as the feature helps lower emissions and improves air quality in urban areas.
And it’s wonderful news for UK drivers, who are predicted to spend nearly £1300 on petrol in 2023.
Car experts confirmed this: start-stop buttons in cars can help save customers up to 15% on fuel.
If you have a car with the magic button, this means you could save up an extra £200 per year in pocket cash.
A study from the Polytechnic University of Madrid measured the C02 emissions of two four-wheel drive vehicles.
A reduction of more than 20% was recorded for the car equipped with the stop-start system.
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