Petrol prices are at a high internationally, and they have been climbing for almost a decade. Driving your car gets more expensive every day (repairs and insurance are going up too but let’s not even go there), and petrol prices are a big part of the reason that fuel efficiency has become such a pressing concern for car manufacturers and shoppers.
Luckily, phones and tablets can deliver valuable information no matter where you are located. Apps are making it more possible for us to have information at our fingertips on how to save money on gasoline, and they can also educate about how to consume fuel at the slowest possible rate.
Apps for Finding The Least Expensive Petrol Stations
- GasBuddy – Helps you find gas stations located within a certain distance around you, and it can pinpoint the cheapest station in the radius. (Free on Android and iPhone.)
- Fuel Finder – Combines the information in GasBuddy with details about each of the actual gas stations including amenities and services offered. You can find out where the closest gas station with a car wash is if some arboreal creatures left a present on your windshield. You can determine if the station has a mechanic on the property, what the hours of the convenience store are and more. ($2.99 on iPhone.)
Apps For Fuel Economy
- Car Care – Calculates the fuel economy that you are getting from the type of gas that youíre using. Car Care also examines the performance of your vehicle and can suggest adjustments on how to make things more efficient. ($2.99 on iPhone.)
- MyMPG – Instead of focusing on major things that you can do differently in order to get efficiency out of your vehicle, MyMPG will analyze your habits and offer small changes that can be made– like speed adjustments and changes to acceleration. (Free on iPhone & Android.)
- GasHog – Provides insights into your fuel consumption and how much it is costing you as compared to what you should be spending. ($0.99 on iPhone)
Apps for Car Sharing
- Carticipate – Save much more money on your drive by finding people who are going to the same place and carpooling with them. Carticipate matches you with likeminded people for one time use or your daily commute. (Free on iPhone.)
Apps That Balance the Distance and Cost
- Bankrate Calculator – Itís more of a webpage then an app, but it can answer questions for you about whether itís worth it to drive across town to save money on gas. It asks you questions about price and distance, and then it calculates your actual savings. (Free on mobile web.)
Apps For Mapping and Traffic
- Route4Me – For days that consist of errands or several short drives, Route4Me takes all of your necessary stopping points and maps them out to give you the shortest distance between your destinations. Save gas by not driving out of your way to get to all of the places that you need to go. (Free on iPhone & Android.)
- Waze – Avoid speeding tickets and traffic jams by using Waze before you hit the road. Users login to alert others to nearby locations where tickets are being handed out, and they provide alerts about gridlock or accidents. (Free on iPhone & Android.)
- Trapster – Get alerts to potential speed traps as well as changing speed limits when youíre driving. (Available for iPhone and Android.)
Pocket Good Driving Decisions
These ten apps have shown that your smart phone is the key to saving money on the road. There is an app for just about every car-related task, and the money that you pocket could be enough to buy you a new phone when itís time to upgrade to the next, best device.