Did you know you can go green without buying an electric vehicle (EV)? While it may not feel like much, even the smallest of changes to your current car can help decrease pollution. Plus, it doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money.
5 Eco-friendly Tips to Help Reduce Vehicle Pollution
Green cars are a hot commodity but can come with a hefty price tag, especially if they’re brand new. While there are affordable used EVs out there, now may not be the right time to finance a new vehicle if you’re tight on money or you’re looking to improve your credit.
If that's the case, how do you go about being greener? With tips from idrivesafely.com, here are five ways you can be more eco-friendly without having to purchase an EV:
- Replace air filters – You should keep up with regular maintenance, including replacing air filters – which you can do yourself and avoid a trip to the mechanic. Dirty air filters results in your car taking in and releasing more harmful particles into the atmosphere. Plus, switching out air filters routinely can help you improve fuel economy by as much as 10 percent.
- Switch motor oil – If you can change your oil at home, this is a no brainer. Consider switching from regular motor oil to synthetic motor oil to help the atmosphere. Synthetic motor oil lasts longer because it isn’t petroleum–based, which means there aren’t as many harmful chemicals being released. Instead, synthetic oil uses energy-conserving compounds. You can purchase a five-quart container of synthetic oil from your local Walmart, Home Depot, or auto parts or hardware store for around $20.
- Clean your vehicle – Believe it or not, the less trash and items you have sitting in your car, the better it performs. The heavier your vehicle gets due to unnecessary items, the more gas it needs to run, thus creating more pollutants. So, keep the inside of your car as clean and light as possible.
- Slow down – If you have a habit of driving over the speed limit, you’re producing more harmful pollutants than necessary. The best advice is to make sure you drive at or slightly under the speed limit in order to keep pollutant levels down.
- Limit idling – According to the California Energy Commission, a vehicle idles anywhere from five to 10 minutes a day, on average, and idling for two minutes uses the same amount of gas as driving one mile. The type of car you drive also affects the levels of emissions produced when idling. For example, large trucks and vehicles with diesel engines generally produce higher emission levels when idling. So, unless you have a car that has an automatic stop/start system, be aware of your idling habits.
While going greener won’t save the planet overnight, you can take small steps toward improving air quality – starting with your vehicle.
The Bottom Line
If you’re looking to finance a new or used car, Auto Credit Express wants to help even if your credit is less than perfect. Our service can match you with a local dealership, and it's free and doesn't put you under any obligation. We are teamed up with a nationwide network of special finance dealers that have the lenders available to help people in almost all types of credit situations – including bad credit and no credit. Fill out our online auto loan request form today, and we’ll get to work finding a dealership for you.