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In this scorching summer season, as soon as you sit inside the car, the first thing your hand goes to is the AC button. But do you know how directly this luxury of keeping the cabin cool impacts your pocket? Actually, the air conditioner of the car is directly connected to the engine of the vehicle. Its compressor runs entirely on the mechanical power of the engine. This is why as soon as you turn on the AC, there is additional mechanical load on the engine and it has to work harder. To cope with this extra pressure, the engine burns more fuel, which quickly increases fuel consumption—especially if you’re driving in bumper-to-bumper city traffic. What is the additional fuel consumption under normal circumstances? According to practical data and research from the automobile industry, a car’s AC consumes approximately 0.2 to 0.4 liters of additional fuel per hour in normal weather and balanced driving conditions. However, this is not a fixed parameter as it completely depends on the engine capacity of your vehicle, the extreme heat outside and the temperature settings of the AC. If the sun is blazing outside, the compressor has to continuously run at full capacity to cool the cabin, which can further increase the fuel consumption. Small Car vs SUV: The Big Math of Cabin Size The size of your vehicle directly determines how much reams of fuel the AC will suck: Small hatchback cars: They have a smaller cabin area, so the compressor has to use less energy to cool them. These cars usually consume about 0.2 liters of extra fuel per hour when running AC. Larger and heavier SUVs: Due to the larger cabin space and more powerful (heavy capacity) compressor, the additional fuel consumption in SUVs can easily reach up to 0.8 liters per hour with the AC on. Direct hit on long journeys and mileage: If you use AC continuously during daily journey or long drive, then its effect is clearly visible on the overall mileage of the car. Experts’ assessment: Keeping the AC on continuously during a long journey can increase the total fuel consumption by 8 to 10 percent. Let’s understand this with a simple example—if your car gives a great mileage of 20 kmpl on the highway without AC, the same figure will come down to around 18 kmpl with AC on. Running AC in a parked car: The biggest loss deal. Many drivers have this habit that while waiting for someone or parking the car, they keep the engine on and enjoy the AC comfortably. From the fuel saving point of view, this is considered the most serious and biggest mistake. When the car is stationary at one place, the engine is continuously burning fuel without covering any distance. In such a situation, you have to suffer huge loss of fuel per minute and the mileage you get in return is completely zero. The biggest myth of the highway: Opening the windows is not always beneficial. Generally people think that while traveling at high speed on the highway, switching off the AC and opening the windows will save petrol or diesel. But according to the laws of Aerodynamics, this is not completely true. Strong air resistance (Drag): When a car runs at a high speed of 80 km per hour or more, air enters the car through open windows and creates a strong resistance (opposite pressure). Double load on the engine: To overcome this tight air pressure and move forward, the engine has to apply more power than usual. In such a situation, driving with the windows closed and the AC running proves to be more economical and fuel-saving than driving with the windows open at high speed. Proper and timely servicing will save your hard-earned money. If you do not get regular maintenance of your car’s AC system done, then there is increased friction and pressure on the parts of the compressor, due to which it starts drawing more fuel. Auto experts strongly advise: Get the car’s cabin air filter changed from time to time or keep it clean so that the air flow remains correct. Get the refrigerant gas (cooling gas) pressure of the AC checked regularly. A well-maintained cooling system not only cools the cabin down within minutes, but also maintains your car’s mileage by putting minimal load on the engine.