Car Rental New York City and Gas Stations in NYC

It’s inevitable – when you decide to drive a New York car rental, you will most likely need to fill up on gas. Although many dread filling up at the pumps with the rising gas prices, there are things you can do to minimize the impact on your wallet. For instance, planning and routing your travels ahead of time can help avoid detours and driving around unnecessarily. It is also good to be knowledgeable about various places and ways to save on gas while in the city. Here is a brief guide to get you started before gassing up your New York car rental.

Types of Gas Stations in the United States

If you are not familiar with U.S. gas stations, you might not be sure what to look out for. There are essentially two types of gas stations to look for in New York – premium and discount.

Preuium gas stations such as Esso, Exxon, Shell, Mobil, BP and Texaco often charge higher prices, however they are easier to find as they are more widespread. Priemum gas stations also tend to be cleaner and more modern with fully automatic pay-at-the-pump facilities, which is a great luxury if you are in a hurry.

As your drive around New York in your car rental, you will come across many of the discount gas station chains such as Valero, Rotten Robbie, and USA Gasoline. While these may not be as prevalent throughout the city, the lower price may make it worth seeking out. Lower price gas stations can also found at some supermarkets such as Albertsons, Kroger, Safeway, and Vons or convenience stores (7-Eleven), mass merchandise stores like Wal-Mart and membership warehouse stores like Costco, Sam's Club, and BJ's.

A helpful tip to remember when filling up in New York is to make sure your paying the correct amount! Just remember the Times 10 rule: if gasoline is priced at $1.50 per gallon you should receive 10 gallons for $15.00, (just move the decimal one to the right). Another thing to keep in mind when filling up is that gas stations in New York allow customers to use self-service pumps after paying the attendants in the booth, which is in contrast to many other states.

Gas Saving Tips

As gas prices continue to climb most of us want to do what we can to try and save money on fuel. Here are some tips that can help you save during your New York car rental trip:

Avoid High Speeds: As your speed increases, your aerodynamic drag increases in an exponential fashion. Driving 62 mph verses 75 mph will reduce fuel consumption by about 15%.

Do Not Accelerate or Brake Hard: By anticipating the traffic and applying slow steady acceleration and braking in your New York car rental, fuel economy may increase by as much as 20%.

Use A/C Sparingly: When the air conditioner is on it puts extra load on the engine forcing more fuel to be used (by about 20%). The defrost position on most vehicles also uses the air conditioner

Keep Windows Closed: Windows open, especially at highway speeds, increase drag and result in decreased fuel economy of up to 10%.

Use Cruise Control: Maintaining a constant speed over long distances in your New York car rental will help save gas

Avoid Heavy Loads: Remove the sand bags from the trunk in the spring and pack lightly for long trips

Avoid Long Idles: If you anticipate being stopped for more than 1 minute, shut off the car. Restarting the car uses less fuel than letting it idle for this time

Check out the Brooklyn car rental All Car Rent a Car location at 8901 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209