Has your car been guzzling gas lately? With gas prices constantly fluctuating and road trips being abundant this summer, here are some tips to improve your fuel efficiency.

Check your car’s tire pressure. Invest in a digital air pressure gauge to check tire pressure once a month. This can help to increase your car’s fuel efficiency by ensuring that the tires are even and full.

Park in the shade. Parking in a shaded area or garage will allow you to avoid evaporation of gasoline, among other liquids, in the car. This will also keep the car a little cooler inside on those hot summer days.

Use the right gas. Be sure to check the driver’s manual make certain what type of gas your car needs. No one wants to pay extra money for a different type of gas than what the car needs; furthermore, the more expensive gas will not improve the vehicle’s efficiency. It’s also essential to stop inserting gasoline when the pump signals that the tank is full.

Use the right oil. If the American Petroleum Institute’s label on the oil indicates that it is “energy conserving”, it will decrease the friction in the car’s engine and, in turn, improve fuel efficiency. The grade of motor oil that the manufacturer suggests using can increase a car’s mileage by one to two percent.

Consistently check maintenance. Keeping up to date on maintenance can save a driver a great deal of money. This can reduce the risk of certain things breaking or going wrong within the vehicle. Continuing to keep the engine tuned could increase gas mileage by almost four percent. It’s also crucial to replace dirty and/or damaged air filters.

AutoPacific announced its 17th annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA) to identify the most satisfying cars on the market and help educate consumers before they buy.

Owner satisfaction is objectively measured by AutoPacific’s VSA with 51 vehicle attributes ranging from interior comfort and convenience to fuel economy and performance. These awards are based on the results of responses from over 52,000 new vehicle owners.

2013’s most satisfying brands include: Cadillac, Top Premium Brand and Buick, Top Popular Brand. The Cadillac SRX Luxury Crossover SUV is the vehicle registering highest overall satisfaction. The Lexus LS460 is the car with the highest overall satisfaction score.

These awards are meant to make the decision process easier for vehicle buyers as they search different brands and models. 2013 resulted in 294 models and 33 brands from which consumers can search for a vehicle.

Top performers for 2013 are:

Highest Satisfaction Premium Brand: Cadillac

Highest Satisfaction Popular Brand: Buick

PASSENGER CARS:

Luxury Car: Lexus LS460

Aspirational Luxury Car: Hyundai Genesis

Luxury Mid-Size Car: Lexus ES

Large Car: Toyota Avalon

Mid-Size Car: Kia Optima

Premium Compact Car: Acura ILX

Compact Car: Nissan Sentra

Economy Car: Chevrolet Sonic

Sports Car: Chevrolet Corvette

Sporty Car: Hyundai Veloster/Dodge Challenger

Hybrid Car/EV: Toyota Avalon Hybrid

LIGHT TRUCKS:

Heavy Duty Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado HD 

Light Duty Pickup: Ford F-150

Luxury/Large SUV: Infiniti QX56

Mid-Size SUV: Jeep Grand Cherokee

Luxury Crossover SUV: Cadillac SRX

Large Crossover SUV: Ford Flex

Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV: Toyota Highlander

Mid-Size Crossover SUV: Masda CX-5

Compact Crossover SUV: Kia Sportage

Minivan: Chrysler Town & Country

Hybrid/EV Crossover SUV: Lexus RX450h

Car insurance premiums are one of the biggest expenses for car drivers, especially those younger in age. Risk factors that are evaluated by insurers are now more favorable to drivers that want to reduce their premiums.

Here are some tips that can help reduce your car insurance premiums:

Go Telematic
Many individuals probably haven’t heard of this technology that is described as a ‘black box’ which records everything your car does. Specifically, the black box records when your car is used, for how long, how you accelerate/brake, and what roads you drive on. GPS and motion sensors collaborate in this technology to monitor factors relating to how you drive such as: your driving style, if you regularly speed, and it you drive at times associated with accidents. This information is transferred to the driver’s insurer through the mobile phone network.

How does this technology help reduce insurance premiums? This device has the ability to save the best young drivers 50-70% of their policies, however, the average for most is 12.5%. On the other hand, bad drivers may observe an increase in their premiums.

In Car Cameras
Several insurers are testing in car cameras to monitor bad driving and while this may be invasive, it could result in an average of a 15% discount. This method is one of the simplest ways to save money on premiums.

Take an Advanced Driving Test
Advanced driving tests can be critical in order for young drivers to receive a reasonably priced insurance policy. For example, the intermediate level of BTEC can reduce premiums by about 10%. Furthermore, the Pass Plus driving test may result n a discount of 5-7%. Although these are fairly low discounts, many young drivers will take what they can with today’s insurance prices.

Opt for a Smaller Car
One of the best ways to reduce the costs of insurance is to buy a car with a less powerful engine. The recent gender equality changes make this an even more pressing issue when referring to insurance costs.