Major update to Google Maps saves you cash by helping you cut down on fuel costs

GOOGLE Maps is helping people slash their fuel usage as the cost of living crisis bites.

Google yesterday announced that it is expanding its digital navigation tool’s eco-friendly routing option to Europe.

The feature, which rolled out in the U.S. and Canada last year, shows drivers routes that consume less energy.

That means taking them will burn through less petrol or diesel if you’re in a gas-guzzling vehicle, or less power if you drive an electric.

That could prove handy to those of us trying to tighten our purse strings as petrol prices in the U.K. hit record highs.

Eco-friendly routes are shown alongside the fastest routes calculated by Google Maps, giving the choice of one or the other.

They are identifiable on the app as routes marked with a leaf label.

Google said that starting Wednesday, the new routing option is rolling out to users in “nearly 40” European countries.

They include the U.K. and Ireland as well as France, Poland and Spain.

Eco-routing has been given an upgrade, too, allowing users to pick what type of fuel their car runs on.

It means that Maps can find the most fuel-efficient route for your type of vehicle and provide more accurate estimates on how much energy you’ll save.

For instance, drivers with diesel-powered cars will be routed along high-speed freeways, where their engines will be most efficient.

Those in EVs, on the other hand, will be sent down surface streets where they can take better advantage of regenerative braking.

The system is built using data from the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and European Environment Agency.

That’s combined with Google Maps driving trends and fed into an algorithm to churn out the most efficient routes.

Google stressed that it will still show the fastest route available to drivers if they’d prefer.

To adjust settings for eco-friendly routes, users can tap on their profile picture on Google Maps.

Next, head to Settings > Navigation Settings, then scroll down to Route Options.

Users can tap on the “Prefer fuel-efficient routes” option to turn on or turn off fuel-efficient routing.

Google claimed that rolling out eco-friendly routes in the U.S. and Canada has saved carbon emissions equivalent to 100,000 cars.

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