Will I save petrol by driving with only parking lights vs driving with the headlights on?

Question

Many people drive dangerously by only having the parking lights on at night in an attempt to save petrol instead of having the main headlights on. Can someone prove/disprove headlights use up more petrol than parking lights please.

Answer 1

The answer above is wrong.........but you wont save really anything that you can measure.

When you use the headlights you are using the battery which in turn causes the alternator to work slightly harder which will put a small amount of strain on the engine but you wont be able to notice any difference.......

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question42...

Answer 2

head lights is not related with petrol

it is related with car's battery

Answer 3

ucantseeme is wrong...the alternator puts out 14+ volts at all times...using your 12 volt lites does not make engine work harder..neither does radio,windshield wipers,,,,

Answer 4

Yes, but only a microscopic amount, not worth the risk.

Why? Because everything you switch on draws current from the battery and the alternator works harder to keep up, making it more of an effort for the engine to turn it, hence using a tiny bit more fuel.

Answer 5

Of course you would save money by using sidelights as opposed to dip beam. You could do many  other things which would save your use of petrol before doing something as potentially dangerous.

Check your tyre pressures.

Anticipate hold ups ahead such as traffic lights.

Check your brakes do not bind,not as stupid as it sounds, I have just worked on a car today and the owner was blissfully unaware !

Do not take your car above 70 mph on the motorway. The extra speed really affects your fuel consumption.

When approaching a hold up, stay in the higher gears and dip the clutch in the last few yards instead of "going down the gears" as the driving instructor taught you !.

Answer 6

The short and simple answer is you will never notice any difference in petrol use even if you drove a million miles that way.