Allstate thinks so. A recent blog posted on the insurance company’s blog, says the collective weight of your car is directly tied to how much gas it uses. So it would only make sense that the more you weigh, the more fuel you waste.
According to Forbes Magazine, Americans are wasting $1 billion in gasoline a year because of excess weight. But this also includes what you store in your car as well. The Department of Energy claims an extra 100 pounds lowers a vehicle’s mpg capacity by up to 2 percent. Allstate suggests the following:
“Make a commitment to thoroughly go through your car (passenger cab, glove box, trunk, everything) and eliminate anything that’s not necessary. It’s actually fairly easy to free your car of five or more pounds, and every pound counts, as that’s less weight your engine will have to propel. And less weight means less gas.”
With car manufacturers working to make the average car lighter and more fuel efficient, having extra weight seems to be counterproductive.