FUEL FINDER
The most obvious way to make your pound coins go further where fuel purchase is concerned is by buying it as cheaply as possible in the first place. The easiest way to do this is by registering at www.petrolprices.com. It's a free website dedicated to finding low-cost fuel. Enter your postcode and the type of fuel you are after and, in return, it will tell you the most economical place to fill up locally. We found a four-pence per litre discrepancy in a five-mile radius of the Practical Caravan office. That doesn't sound a lot but in a 50-litre fill up, it would save you a couple of quid, and over the course of a year, it could break into three figures if you do a lot of driving. You could also research the cheapest fill-ups in the area you are heading to, to ensure you don't miss out on the best deal when touring.

PROMOTION SICKNESS
Many supermarkets run promotions where if you spend £50 on shopping, they'll give you money off at the pump. As they are often among the cheapest places to fill up anyway, this can be a big cost saving. If you are really cheeky and spend £100 in the shop, you could split the bill into two lots of £50 to get two lots of discount vouchers, which will give you two full tanks of cheaper petrol.

ECONOMY DRIVE
Before choosing your new car, visit www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk. It gives an estimate of the fuel costs for 12000 miles of driving in a new car. For example, the Audi A6 in this month's test is estimated to cost around £140 extra to run than the Volvo XC70. The RAC estimates the difference between a fuel-efficient and not-so-efficient car can be about £12 a week covering average mileage. For real savings, consider buying an LPG-powered car. Fuel costs are halved but they are more expensive to buy. Visit www.lpg-cars.co.uk for a selection of used models.

AIR APPARENT
Lower tyre pressure increases the drag on a car meaning you need more fuel, so check the pressures on car and caravan are correct every time you hit the road. The RAC estimates that soft tyres can use 2% more fuel.

WATCHFUL EYE
Be aware of your fuel consumption. To work out your MPG, you need to know the size of your vehicle's fuel tank. Fill the car with fuel and reset the trip counter. Next time you fill up, note how much fuel you put in and the mileage you've covered since the last fill up. To convert the volume of fuel in litres to UK gallons, multiply the number of litres by 0.22. To get your economy figure, divide the number of gallons by the number of miles covered to get the miles per gallon.

SMOOTH OPERATOR
Adhering to the speed limit when driving solo gives you great gains in fuel economy, but that is multiplied with a van in tow, which effectively works as an air-brake. Sticking around the speed limit is estimated to save 40 pence worth of fuel every 10 miles. Avoid sharp braking and accelerating as this wastes fuel. The RAC also recommends using cruise control if you have it, as it ensures smooth progress, which is good for economy.