AILSA CHANG, HOST:
We already know that gas prices are high, but what can you do about it? For guidance on how to save at the pump we're joined now by Stephan Bisaha, NPR's personal finance reporter, and Camila Domonoske, NPR's resident car expert. Hey to both of you.
CAMILA DOMONOSKE, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
STEPHAN BISAHA, BYLINE: Hey.
CHANG: Hey. OK, Stephan, I want to start with you. What can drivers do to get the most miles per gallon out of their cars right now?
BISAHA: Two very important words - slow down.
CHANG: OK (laughter).
BISAHA: I reached out to Consumer Reports and AAA. They both agree on this. This is one of their biggest tips. Cars tend to have the best fuel efficiency around 50-ish miles per hour. Like, if you take a Honda CRV, this compact SUV, going from 55 to 75 miles per hour, you're losing about 5 miles per gallon. That might not sound like a ton, but over the course of the year, that could be well more than 400 bucks extra you're paying for your lead foot.
CHANG: All right. LA drivers make sure you're listening to Stephan right now.
(LAUGHTER)
BISAHA: Oh, Alabama drivers can take that same note, too. You know, and some other things anyone can do across the country to improve your mileage, regardless of speed, make sure your tires are filled properly. Underinflated tires are just inefficient. And speaking of efficiency, you should also take off any racks you got on top of your car when you're not using them, and also just clear out the trunk of anything heavy you have, like a donation box.
CHANG: Oh, OK. Good thought. Well, let's talk about a much bigger change than that. Like, what should people consider first, Camila, if these gas prices are making them think about switching to an electric vehicle?
DOMONOSKE: Yeah. Well, you know, it is typically cheaper overall to drive an EV, but when you're doing your math, you want to make sure to think about charging, maintenance and insurance.
CHANG: OK.
DOMONOSKE: So charging - the first question I always ask people is if they can charge at home. That's going to be easier and much cheaper than charging somewhere else. And at home, do you need to pay to install a dedicated EV charger? You might be able to get by with a standard outlet. The EPA has a home EV charger calculator, which is helpful for figuring that out. On maintenance, you'll generally save with an electric vehicle. Insurance, on the other hand, it might cost more, so you want to price it out, right?
CHANG: Right.
DOMONOSKE: And then there are those gas savings. Yale Climate Connections just published a map looking at this state by state. It varies. So in North Dakota, driving an EV is like paying less than a dollar per gallon. In California, it's like paying $2.70 per gallon - still cheaper than gasoline.
CHANG: Yeah.
DOMONOSKE: The nonprofit Coltura, which advocates against gasoline, has a calculator to help you estimate more precisely your savings. And I spoke with co-executive director Janelle London who says people who drive a lot could experience the biggest savings.
JANELLE LONDON: If your car sits in the driveway all the time, you're not going to benefit near as much from getting an electric car as someone who has to commute, say, 70 miles each way.
DOMONOSKE: And then, of course, there are those up-front costs. New EVs tend to cost, on average, several thousand dollars more than new gas cars. That price difference is a lot smaller for used EVs. And this year, a lot of leased EVs are hitting the market and driving used EV costs down even further.
CHANG: OK. So those are options. But what about getting around in other ways?
DOMONOSKE: Yeah. I mean, it's obviously going to be much cheaper if you can get around on public transit or a bicycle, right?
CHANG: Yeah.
DOMONOSKE: I spoke with one former driver in Houston, Jerick White (ph). Jerick White just bought his first e-bike, and saving on gasoline was one reason why.
JERICK WHITE: You'll save a lot of money, for sure. And it's very, very reliable if you, you know, stay in a neighborhood and you work close by.
DOMONOSKE: And that's an important point he's making, right? This is going to make more sense if you are taking short trips.
CHANG: Right.
DOMONOSKE: It's kind of the opposite of getting an EV, right? The less you drive, the more sense it'll make. White can run his errands close to home. He says if you can do that also, there's benefits besides saving on gas. Let me tell you he is very happy not to sit in Houston traffic anymore.
CHANG: Oh, I bet. Well, Camila, is Jerick's story part of some broader trend of people who are, like, opting out of cars altogether, you think?
DOMONOSKE: It's hard to get really good data on this. We do have some surveys from apps. There was a scooting/biking app called Veo, the walking app, WeWard. They both say that their users are telling them that they're using them more often because of higher gasoline prices. In terms of what the data shows for public transit, ridership actually dropped slightly over March.
Now, for EV consideration, we don't yet see a clear trend on purchases, but there is a lot of evidence that more people are considering electric vehicles right now. Searches and page views on car shopping sites are up noticeably for EV's since the price of gasoline started spiking. And you would expect to see interest go up before you see growth in sales.
CHANG: Well, Stephan, for people who are still driving, are they driving less because of everything that's going on?
BISAHA: Yeah. The short answer is no. I went to speak with some drivers at a gas stop in Leeds, Alabama, a bit outside of Birmingham. It was Sunday after church, and there were plenty of drivers all fueling up, like Julie (ph) and Vince Rossi (ph). A year ago, they sold their home to travel in their RV full time. They are definitely feeling those higher gas prices. In fact, they run the most expensive fuel right now - diesel. So their fuel budget has doubled.
JULIE ROSSI: We're not traveling as often. We try to stay at somewhere, you know, for a week at a time, and...
VINCE ROSSI: And lately, it's been, if it's not free, we don't want to do it. So we don't want to spend money someplace else because we got to save it for fuel.
BISAHA: You know, despite Julie saying they're traveling less often, their current road trip is pretty long. They're taking their RV outside of Arizona for the first time and are going all the way to Virginia to see the grandkids.
The other drivers I spoke to at the stop with more traditional cars and trucks, they also grumbled about gas prices but said they are not cutting back on travel. And there is data to back this up from Arity. That is an Allstate company that uses randomized data to track driving habits. And they said people are actually logging more miles since the war with Iran began.
CHANG: Well, obviously, Stephan, a lot of people are still driving, even though gas is expensive, because they have to drive, right?
BISAHA: Yeah. Some people don't have a choice. They - you know, they have to get to work. But Arity said there is something much more influential than gas prices, and that is the calendar. It is spring. It's road trip season. And it looks like a lot of Americans are going to keep on driving throughout the spring, $4 gas or not.
CHANG: That is NPR's Stephan Bisaha and Camila Domonoske. Thank you to both of you.
DOMONOSKE: Thanks for having us.
BISAHA: Thanks. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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