The simple rule that could save drivers more than £160 on fuel every year

With rising cost of living, experts suggest that following a simple highway code rule could save drivers £160 on their fuel bills.

More households are looking for ways to save money on their energy bills as the cost of living rises due to increasing fuel prices amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the UK switching where it sources its oil and gas from.

And with petrol prices sky rocketing, drivers are being reminded that one of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to wasting fuel is leaving their motor running unnecessarily.

If you filled up your car with petrol or diesel lately, you'll have seen that fuel costs have jumped significantly, with the average price of petrol reaching £1.63 per litre. According fuel experts, it could possibly reach £2.50 per litre in the following weeks.

But making sure you avoid leaving your engine idling could be a seriously simple way to save big on fuel.

Duncan McClure Fisher, the founder and CEO of MotorEasy, tells WalesOnline, "One thing many people do that is entirely unnecessary is to leave their engine idling."

Duncan adds, "While this might seem very innocent, research has shown an idling engine can burn through 3-4p of fuel a minute.

"If you are doing 10 minutes of warming up, five days a week, and spending another 30 minutes per week stuck in traffic – that adds up to a very handy £166 a year that’s being wasted."

There are also other ways to reduce your annual fuel expenses, one of which is as simple as driving about with the boot full of useless stuff, which might be costing you a fortune.

Duncan also warned drivers about the dangers of leaving their cars idle. According to the Highway Code's Rule 123, "You must not leave a vehicle engine running unnecessarily while the vehicle is stationary on a public road."

The rule is enforced in line with Section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, with local authorities having the authority to issue fines of up to £80.