![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0_GettyImages-2167823300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nExperts have identified changes to driver behaviour that could save motorists significant sums of money every year<\/p>\n
Research from DoneDeal showed searches for diesel models have dropped significantly (stock image)<\/p>\n
Searches for electric vehicles<\/a> have shot up by 125 per cent since the outbreak of the US-Iranian war, it\u2019s been revealed.<\/p>\n Research from DoneDeal showed searches for diesel models have dropped dramatically, by 19.5 per cent, over the same period. The number of hybrid models sought, meanwhile, increased by 42.9 per cent.<\/p>\n But as worry over the war in the Middle East continues<\/a>, DoneDeal says most don\u2019t need a new car<\/a>, and simple changes in driver behavior could save them up to \u20ac300 in fuel – based on somebody travelling 17,000km per year.<\/p>\n Boffins said smooth, progressive acceleration and anticipatory braking can reduce fuel consumption by up to 15 per cent in real-world driving.<\/p>\n They also stressed tyre pressure is consistently underestimated: running 10 per cent below the manufacturer\u2019s recommended level adds up to 4 per cent to annual fuel consumption \u2014 the equivalent of giving away a tank of petrol for free every year.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, roof racks and boot clutter are silent fuel thieves. A roof-top cargo box can reduce fuel economy by up to 25 per cent at motorway speeds.<\/p>\n They noted many Irish drivers carry golf clubs, tools and other heavy items year-round without considering the cumulative cost at current pump prices.<\/p>\n Researchers also advise planning journeys for quieter periods, avoiding peak-hour stop-start traffic and maintaining a steady motorway speed all have an outsized effect on consumption.<\/p>\n At \u20ac2.18 per litre, a 50-litre diesel tank now costs \u20ac109 to fill. Over a year, the difference between efficient and inefficient driving habits can reach up to \u20ac300.<\/p>\n Paddy Comyn from DoneDeal Cars said: \u201cIrish drivers are responding to the fuel crisis in two ways simultaneously \u2014 those who can change car are actively moving toward EVs and hybrids at a pace our platform data has rarely shown before.<\/p>\n \u201cBut for the majority still in combustion-engine cars, the message is that there is real money to be saved right now by altering our driving habits.<\/p>\n \u201cUp to \u20ac300 a year is not a marginal gain \u2014 at current prices, that is roughly three full tanks of diesel.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to see more of the stories you love from the Irish Mirror? Making us your preferred source on Google<\/a> means you\u2019ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Irish Mirror as a preferred source, simply click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Experts have identified changes to driver behaviour that could save motorists significant sums of money every year Research…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":401706,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,8855,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-401705","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-electric-cars","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/401706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}