We all know that gas prices have been rising lately and it’s getting more tedious to fill up the tank because of how much it costs. Even with the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the market, we’re still going to have to fill up eventually. Here are some tips on maximizing your vehicle’s fuel efficiency and making sure that you won’t have to fill up quite as often.

1. Don’t speed. Speeding really decreases your gas mileage with the acceleration and deceleration that it involves. For every five miles per hour over 50 you go, you’re paying the equivalent of 10¢ to 20¢ more per gallon of gas. That can add up to a lot!

2. Be a patient driver. When you drive more carefully, you save more gas! I know, it sounds crazy, but it’s true. Fast accelerations and braking a lot can lower your gas mileage by 15-30% on the highway and 10-40% in stop and go traffic.

3. If you have a roof rack, consider ditching it in favor of a rear-mounted cargo box. The former increase drag and decrease how aerodynamic your vehicle is, which decreases your fuel efficiency. With a cargo box on the back (or rear-mounted bike rack, whatever floats your goats) your efficiency isn’t hit nearly as hard.

4. Don’t idle by the curb. Turn your car off if you’re going to be stopping (except, of course, while you’re at a stoplight) because idling wastes about a quarter to a half a gallon of fuel per hour. That’s a lot!

5. Make sure your car isn’t weighed down by a lot of stuff. Cleaning out your vehicle every so often can increase your MPG by about 1%. Seriously.

6. Cruise control is your friend. Using cruise control eliminates accidental acceleration and braking that can happen when you’re driving on the highway and keeps you moving at a consistent rate of speed. Good stuff, right?

Try using these tips when you’re driving and you should see an increase in your MPG’s. If you don’t go from 25 MPG to 70… well, you’re not gonna. That’s just not realistic. But you might go from 25 to 27, which, hey! That’s pretty good.