How to Survive High Gas Prices
6/3/202641 min
As gas prices fluctuate and drivers look for ways to cut costs, on this week's episode we answer the questions drivers are asking most: Is premium fuel worth the extra cost? Does ethanol save money? Do Eco modes actually improve fuel economy? And should high fuel prices push you toward a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or EV? From choosing the right fuel and finding the best prices at the pump to understanding the long-term costs of different vehicle types, we separate fact from fiction and share practical strategies to help drivers spend less on fuel without sacrificing performance or reliability.
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SHOW NOTES
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00:00 Intro
00:15 Gas prices
00:51 Ethanol fuel blends
08:30 Premium vs. regular gas
17:04 Real ways to save at the pump
18:47 Hybrids, EVs, and PHEVs
29:08 Oil shortages, diesel, and alternative fuel
34:17 Eco mode and fuel-saving driving tips
37:06 The future of fuel efficiency and electrification
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Best deals on fuel-efficient cars & SUVs
Expert fuel-saving tips
10 tips to get the most out of a tank of gas
Most fuel-efficient SUVs
Cars with the best gas Mileage
Will a hybrid, PHEV, or EV save me money?
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/hybrids-evs/buying-guide/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL\_YT
Top Tier gas is worth the extra price
Find the best hybrids and EVs
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/hybrids-evs/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL\_YT
Most reliable used electric vehicles
10 best deals on electric vehicles
Popular EVs to avoid and what to get instead
Should you use synthetic oil in your car?
CR's real-world electric car range comparison
Tested: Does eco mode really save gas?
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsKeith Barry· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hey, welcome back. I'm Keith Barry.
Alex Knizek· Host0:12
I'm Alex Knizek.
Speaker 30:13
And I'm Jake Fisher.
Keith Barry· Host0:14
And this week, we're gonna talk about what everyone's been talking about automotively and, you know, just sort of in their own lives, gas prices.
Speaker 30:22
Mm-hmm.
Keith Barry· Host0:23
Um, so it's the end of May, uh, when we're filming this, and right now the Strait of Hormuz has been open, it's been closed, it's been open, it's been closed. Prices have gone crazy. We don't know what's happened, um, in, in the, you know, days since we've filmed this, but the word unprecedented gets used, like, on the news, like, every 10 minutes- Mm-hmm ... um, to describe something entirely different. So, um, you know, we headed to YouTube. We put a post. We asked folks out there, "What are, what do you wanna know about gas?"
Speaker 30:51
Mm-hmm.
Keith Barry· Host0:51
It's expensive. People wanna save money, and we got a ton of questions for us.
Speaker 30:56
Mm-hmm.
Keith Barry· Host0:57
So we're just gonna dive into them.
Speaker 30:59
Yeah.
Alex Knizek· Host0:59
Let's do it.
Keith Barry· Host1:00
Um, first up, we got a ton of questions about ethanol.
Speaker 31:03
Mm-hmm.
Keith Barry· Host1:03
And ethanol is something up... You know, we're located in, in Connecticut, in the northeast. We don't see, you know, gas pumps that have, you know, the, the E15 or the various, you know, some of the blends that are out there.
Speaker 31:15
Mm-hmm.
Keith Barry· Host1:15
But, um, it's a real important question, so we're just gonna throw it to our expert, Mike Crosson.
Speaker 31:19
Ethanol fuel is something you may have seen at your local filling station or heard about on the news recently, and here's what you should know. Ethanol is an alcohol-based fuel. It comes from sugarcane or corn,