Here’s How Using AC in Your Car Affects Your Vehicle’s Fuel Economy

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Just like a home AC unit, your car’s air conditioning unit will impact your gas usage and, thus, your fuel economy. If you are trying to manage your vehicle’s fuel consumption following the current fuel price, you must know exactly how having an AC affects your fuel economy.

How Much Fuel Does My Car AC Consume?

Like a home air conditioning unit, a car’s AC is a bunch of machines working together to cool you down. Since machines need power, they get that power from your car. So, if you’re driving a gas-powered vehicle, that AC unit will ultimately get power from your engine burning through some gas. 

According to the EPA, a car’s AC unit can use much fuel. However, it depends on a lot of factors. In the worst conditions, the EPA said that using the AC in your car can reduce your fuel economy by up to 25%. For a car that gets about 30 MPG, that’s equal to a loss of 7.5 MPG. An obvious solution may be to buy an EV. However, as the EPA notes, using the AC on an electric vehicle can hurt its fuel economy quite a bit.

How to Stay Cool Without AC

Car windows exist for a reason. Roll down the windows and let the breeze cool you and your car. With that being said, there’s a small problem with that advice. 

According to the EPA, rolling down the windows when driving on the highway will hurt your fuel economy, even when using the AC. This is because of how aerodynamics work.

As such, the EPA advises rolling down your windows at low speeds, while it may be better to bite the bullet and use the AC at highway speeds. However, that doesn’t mean drivers must use their AC at highway speeds. After all, there are other ways to stay cool without rolling down the windows.

One of the cheaper ways to stay cool when driving is by using windshield shades to block the sun from overheating your car’s interior. Other classic summer cooling techniques, like drinking cold water or sitting on a towel if your car has leather seats, will also cool you down.

Other Ways to Save Fuel in Your Car

While some may want to turn off the AC to save money, others may not have a choice. Other techniques are used other than not using the AC if you need to conserve fuel for whatever reason. For example, driving steadily below 50 MPH can dramatically improve your fuel economy, especially on highways. 

Other techniques are commonly used by folks who are called hypermilers. Hypermilers specialize in getting as much fuel economy out of their cars as possible, and their techniques work. 

For example, hypermilers will try to break as infrequently as possible. This is because it takes energy to slow the car down, so it will save fuel if your car is coasting for as long as possible. However, this method isn’t as easy to do in the city compared to highways.