Does using cruise control save fuel?

In recent years, car users are no longer unfamiliar with the cruise control feature as it is gradually becoming a standard equipment on new car models from popular to high-end.

When a car is equipped with this feature, new drivers should learn and practice how to use it to help make driving better, especially when taking long trips away from the city.

So what does Cruise Control do?

In theory, the system would allow the driver to maintain vehicle speed without having to intervene on the accelerator pedal via a control module. Normally, this feature is only activated when the vehicle reaches a speed of 30 or 40 km/h or more.

Using cruise control reduces driver fatigue and increases comfort when driving long distances, while avoiding traffic violations related to speeding on highways.

Because the accelerator pedal is kept steady at all times, cruise control is advertised as being more fuel efficient than human control.

In reality, whether or not you save more fuel will depend on many factors. But it must be emphasized that the main task of Cruise Control is to keep the car running steadily at a specific speed chosen by the driver, not to control fuel.

If the vehicle is running on long stretches of flat road or with little traffic, using Cruise Control will help the driver focus on the road ahead better and maintaining a stable vehicle speed will also optimize fuel consumption.

But if you use this feature when driving on hilly, steep or uneven terrain, the system will have to increase throttle input to compensate for the reduced speed due to gravity. In that case, the car will be forced to consume more fuel.

Additionally, if you use cruise control in adverse weather conditions such as rain or wind, the fuel savings will be negligible compared to the costs you may incur if your vehicle is involved in an accident.

Therefore, drivers should use Cruise Control appropriately, at the right time and in the right place to maximize the advantages of this feature.