1. Change gear early - As a general rule you should be changing gear at around 2,500rpm for a petrol engined car and 2,000rpm for a diesel. By following this tip you will save revving the engine too hard, reducing emissions and fuel consumption. However, you also want to ensure that you do not labour the engine by selecting a higher gear too early as this wastes fuel and increases engine strain.

2. Read the road - Obviously reading the road will help prevent accidents, but in terms of the environment by anticipating obstacles early you can avoid heavy braking, wasting momentum and therefore fuel. Similarly you should try and avoid unnecessarily sharp acceleration too.

3. Cut the air con -
This is an easy one to do as people often have their air con when it isn’t needed. By using your car's air conditioning only when it’s really required you can knock between one and three mpg off your fuel consumption, usefully reducing CO2 emissions too. Don’t cut it out altogether, though, as prolonged non-usage can eventually damage the compressor. Still on the subject of temperature, also check that the heated rear window switch is not on unnecessarily as it's quite a power consumer.

4. Get going quickly - Probably not difficult for those of us always in a rush, but by driving away as soon as possible after starting the engine from cold helps it warm up more quickly, reducing consumption, emissions and engine wear. However, don't rev the car excessively when it's cold either as that's bad for engine wear, not to mention consumption and emissions.

5. Don't ruin the aerodynamics - They can be very handy when traveling, but remember to remove roof-racks, bicycle racks and so on when they're not in use as they increase aerodynamic drag considerably, especially at speed, lifting CO2 emissions and knocking fuel consumption. Also increasing drag is driving with the car's windows and sunroof open, especially at speed, so try to avoid this when possible.

6. Avoid short journeys - If you can try to avoid doing trips of only a few miles as fuel consumption and emissions output heighten considerably during the warm-up period, and a petrol-engined car's catalytic convertor, which cleans the exhaust of nitrogen oxides, particulates and other pollutants, is less effective too.

7. Cruise moderately -
The next time you’re speeding down the motorway cut your speed. In fact, travelling at 65mph rather than 70mph can reduce consumption and emissions by as much as 25 percent. That’s got to be worth doing.

8. Don't get lost - By planning your journey ahead of time you’ll avoid going the long way round, getting lost and running into roadworks, all of which can increase your journey's emissions considerably. To help you why not invest in a satellite navigation system, which are becoming more affordable all the time.

9. Check your tyres - Tyres can be a big problem - for the environment and accidents. Running them under-inflated can increase fuel consumption and emissions by three percent, and under-inflated tyres can overheat at speed risking a blow-out.

10. Don't be an idler - If you're unfortunate enough to be stuck in a bad traffic jam this summer, switch the engine off for a while. It’ll help reduce CO2 output, save fuel, and you'll be cutting the output of other pollutants.

11. Remove unnecessary weight - Another easy one. Did you know that carrying 10 kilos worth of unnecessary ‘stuff’ around will have a real effect on your fuel consumption, especially in stop/start traffic - because you're repeatedly accelerating and decelerating a dead weight. So, give your car a good clear out and get rid of that rubbish that’s been building up and save money.

12. Don't coast in neutral -
Coasting in neutral could save you money with old cars fitted with carburettors, but modern fuel injection systems cut the fuel supply off altogether as you slow to a stop, saving a surprising amount, especially in stop/start driving. Additionally, coasting in neutral, or with the clutch depressed, is potentially dangerous too because you have no engine braking and you can't suddenly accelerate out of danger.