AS SURE as the sun will rise again tomorrow, petrol prices won't ever see the £3 gallon again.

So the economy-minded motorist has two avenues to explore: seek out the most fuel-efficient cars, and learn to drive more efficiently to save money and the environment.

This month see the arrival of a car which its makers, Vauxhall, insist is the most economical petrol car in its class the Corsa ECO (pictured alongside) is said to return 57mpg overall.

Of course, choosing to drive such a car is not the end of the motorist's search for economy. How we drive also plays a major part.

Modern technology has made great strides in reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, but handling the car correctly is also one of the biggest factors in saving fuel.

Martin Holzhofer, the man in charge of the ECO model programme, says: "Everyone who puts even a few of these important hints into practice will reap the benefit in hard cash next time the car is filled up.

"By making sure their cars are well looked after and by adopting a suitable driving style, it's easy to squeeze the greatest mileage out of every drop of petrol."

Regular routine maintenance of the car is essential, and it is also important to check the tyre pressure. Low pressure causes increased rolling resistance and costs more money in both fuel and tyre wear.

You can even inflate the tyres slightly above the recommended level to achieve better economy.

Another tip is not to carry unnecessary weight in the boot. And don't leave the roof rack on when you don't need it everything that worsens the car's dynamics also cause it to consume more fuel.

Turning off electrical accessories like air conditioning or additional lights also saves fuel.

On the move, maintain steady speeds. Unnecessary accelerating or braking wastes fuel.

Acceleration tactics can also save money. It's better to press the accelerator pedal down further in a higher gear than run the engine up to high revs.

Shift up to top gear as soon as you can. Keep revs down to between 2,000-3,000 rpm, and drive in fifth gear from around 30mph.

Using only 75 per cent of the vehicle's top speed is also useful. It can save up to 50 per cent in fuel costs with only a negligible loss of time.

In winter, don't warm up the engine while standing still. Drive off immediately and let it warm up while driving within a medium rpm range.

The engine burns fuel even when idling, so if you stop for more than a minute, switch off the engine.

With automatic transmission, unnecessary gear-changes and using a 'sports' option also increases consumption.

The engine operates most frugally in the 'D' gear.