Does Turning Off Your Car’s AC Really Lower Fuel Consumption?

You’ve probably heard that turning off your car’s AC can decrease fuel consumption. It’s not wrong; turning off your car AC can affect your fuel consumption, especially in congested traffic. Turns out that this only applies to older cars with large engine capacities.

For newer cars with small or large engine capacity, turning off the cars’ AC does not affect fuel consumption at all. Such latest cars are already equipped with a feature to maximize fuel efficiency.

Meanwhile, for cars less than 10 years old, turning the AC on and off frequently can result in more fuel consumption. So, to better understand it, let’s dive into the full explanation below.

How Car ACs Work

A car’s AC component has two sensors: the outside air sensor and the inside cabin air sensor. When the AC is set at 18 °C, and the air outside the vehicle is extremely hot, the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) will always activate the compressor. Hence, the temperature in the cabin reaches that number.

In newer cars, the AC system is usually automatic, so there is no need to set the temperature because the ECU can read the ideal settings by comparing with the temperature outside the car.

However, it’s recommended to set the AC temperature to 25 °C for older cars without automatic temperature settings.

This temperature is considered ideal because it’s not too different from the temperature outside the car, where the average temperature in Indonesia is 30 °C.

Temperature differences that aren’t too big between the inside and outside of the car will reduce the compressor’s workload. When the temperature in the car approaches 25 °C, the system will stop the compressor from working. This can help save a lot of fuel.

On the flip side, in cars over 15 years old and with large engine capacities, turning off the AC can save fuel because they are not yet equipped with automatic AC technology that can reduce fuel consumption.

So, turning off the AC can actually lower the engine’s workload and save more fuel, although not too significantly.

Car AC Technology that Saves Fuel

Even so, there are still many questions about the technology applied to the latest cars that they can reduce fuel consumption even when using AC continuously. The answer is the variable valve timing technology, as seen in the VVT-i in Toyota, VTEC in Honda, and CVTC in Nissan.

This technology will control the engine valve openings to obtain a more even power distribution from low to high engine speed.

In addition to variable valve timing, throttle-by-wire technology helps fuel efficiency. This system eliminates the role of gas cables and replaces it with an electronically controlled system.

That way, throttle movement, or the exhaust brake, isn’t solely based on pressing the gas pedal but also on the need for air in the engine. Direct injection technology also helps with efficiency.

Thanks to the position of the injector in the combustion chamber, fuel atomization can become more optimized and minimize unburned fuel.

And so, that briefly explains car AC performance and fuel consumption. Now you understand that turning off your car’s AC too often won’t make a difference in making your fuel more efficient. You’d only be making the car cabin hotter.

It’s More Practical to Rent A Car at TRAC

If you want to be more practical when traveling with the latest car, you can rent a car at TRAC because every car in arsenal is well maintained and definitely safe and comfortable to use.

On top of that, there is a variety of cars ranging from the MPV, SUV, and LCGC, all the way to the premium cars that can be rented with or without a driver, especially since TRAC car rentals is also equipped with insurance and roadside assistance. So you don’t need to worry when there are problems on your homecoming trip.

You only need to contact the TRAC Customer Assistance Center (CAC) at 1500-009 to get help immediately.

Reserve a rental car right now via the TRAC website reservation page or through the TRACtoGo app. Download the app from the Play Store and App Store. Enjoy all the convenience of TRAC products by signing up for the membership program and verifying your membership.

For the latest information on TRAC services, offers, and holiday tips, don’t forget to follow TRAC’s social media accounts @trac_astra on Instagram, TRAC-Astra Rent a Car on Facebook, and @TRACastra on X.

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