Norauto technician Philippe Landre has advised motorists at a garage in Créteil that regular vehicle maintenance can significantly cut fuel consumption during rising petrol costs.
Speaking to journalist Julie Tomeï on the French news feature Bonjour ! Avec vous, Landre explained that taking proper care of a vehicle and booking regular servicing are among the most effective ways for drivers to lower their overall bill at the petrol pump.
Landre, who has worked in the motor trade for 35 years, stressed that drivers must check their tyre pressure periodically. He warned that driving on underinflated tyres automatically causes a vehicle to consume far more fuel.
Pierre-Olivier Marie, deputy editor-in-chief of automotive website Caradisiac.com, confirmed the warning during the broadcast, stating that 70 percent of cars on the road currently have underinflated tyres.
Marie noted that a tyre pressure drop of 25 percent, equivalent to half a bar of pressure, adds roughly half a litre of fuel consumption per full tank. He emphasized that checking tyre pressure is a free and simple procedure taking only a few minutes.
Créteil, located in the southeastern outskirts of Paris, is a major administrative and commercial centre in the Val-de-Marne department. Norauto, founded in France in 1970, is a prominent automotive service chain operating across Europe that specializes in vehicle inspection, maintenance, and parts fitting. Auto mechanics consistently advise checking tyre pressure at least once a month and prior to long journeys, as underinflated tyres increase rolling resistance, elevate fuel consumption, accelerate tread wear, and compromise vehicle handling and safety.
Driving style adjustments to lower fuel consumption
To cut fuel expenses further, Landre recommended that drivers adjust their habits behind the wheel. He noted that traveling at 130 km/h on motorways is a personal choice, but automatically consumes much more fuel than driving at 90 km/h simply to save a few minutes on a journey.
Elaborating on speed efficiency, Marie explained that reducing motorway speed from 130 km/h to 120 km/h yields fuel savings of around 15 percent, while adding only about four minutes of travel time per 100 kilometres driven.
Marie added that dropping driving speed further to 110 km/h on motorways allows motorists to save up to 25 percent in overall fuel consumption.
Standard speed limits on French motorways, known as autoroutes, are fixed at 130 km/h in dry conditions and reduced to 110 km/h during rain or inclement weather. Vehicle fuel efficiency drops at higher speeds due to aerodynamic drag, which increases quadratically with speed and forces the engine to burn substantially more fuel to maintain velocity. Caradisiac.com is a well-established French digital automotive portal that frequently conducts consumer testing on vehicle running costs and efficiency performance.
Requirements and costs for bioethanol conversion
Some motorists seeking longer term savings are turning to bioethanol conversion, though Landre cautioned that not every vehicle is eligible to have a bioethanol conversion box installed.
Landre outlined specific restrictions for fitting a conversion unit, stating that vehicles manufactured before 2001 cannot accept the system. Additionally, cars must have a low odometer reading, with a maximum limit of 150,000 kilometres, for technicians to carry out the installation.
The conversion box contains an electronic circuit board connected directly to the fuel injectors, modifying the volume of fuel injected to allow the engine to run on ethanol. Landre confirmed that converting to bioethanol does not prevent drivers from using standard petrol grades, including SP98, SP95-E10, and SP95, alongside ethanol.
Installation takes between two and four hours depending on the car, though Landre noted that some vehicles are far more complicated or inaccessible and may be turned away. Conversion units cost between 740 and 840 euros for basic vehicles, rising to between 1,500 and 1,700 euros for more complex models.
Bioethanol fuel, commercially designated as E85 in France, is a renewable biofuel produced primarily from domestic agricultural crops such as sugar beet, wheat, and corn. Because E85 benefits from a lower state fuel tax rate compared to conventional fossil fuels, it retails at a substantial discount per litre at French service stations. Standard French unleaded petrol grades include SP95, SP95-E10 containing up to 10 percent ethanol, and high-octane SP98, all of which remain fully compatible for flex-fuel vehicle operation.
