Gas prices in the US have not been kind in the last couple of years, and if you are a millennial or young adult trying to make every dollar count, you’ve probably already crunched the numbers on what your commute is costing you, or maybe you’ve switched to a rewards credit card for gas, or you’ve started to do errands all at once. Smart moves, but there’s a surprisingly simple fix that most drivers totally miss. One that’s been sitting right on top of their car the whole time.If you’ve got a roof rack or roof box you’re not using, taking it off could improve your car’s fuel efficiency by up to 12%. Yes, really. Remember that crossbar setup you put on for one camping weekend last fall? It has been bleeding your gas budget ever since.The science is pretty clear on thisA study, Fuel consumption impacts of auto roof racks, found that roof racks are responsible for roughly 100 million gallons of excess gasoline consumption by the U.S. light-duty vehicle fleet. That’s not a rounding error; that’s a national-scale fuel problem strapped to the roofs of everyday commuters.At the individual vehicle level, the same study found fuel consumption penalties of 0-25% for passenger cars, depending on rack configuration and driving speed. An empty rack on the highway still costs you about 1% in fuel economy. Load it up with gear, and that number can reach 25% at 70 mph.A study published in the SAE International Journal of Passenger Cars found that adding a rooftop cargo box to a Toyota Corolla increased fuel consumption by 8.8% in city driving cycles and by a staggering 20.8% in highway cycles. Even an SUV, a Ford Explorer, in the same study, had a 6.2% highway penalty. Smaller, lighter cars always get hit harder.
Researchers found that removing empty racks is a more effective fuel-saving strategy than buying aerodynamic ones. Image Credits: Google Gemini
Why your roof rack is basically a fuel taxThe villain is aerodynamic drag. Anything you put on top of the car will disrupt the airflow that the car was designed to cut through. The faster you go, the worse it is. Your engine has to work harder to fight that resistance.That’s why highway driving takes the biggest efficiency hit. If you spend a lot of time driving on the freeway, whether it’s your daily commute or frequent road trips, an unused roof rack is quietly working against you the whole time. Even city driving isn’t entirely free of the drag penalty.The other thing you might want to know is weight. Every additional 100 pounds of cargo you are hauling reduces fuel economy by about 1%. Compact and mid-size cars are the go-to choice for many younger drivers, and they are hit harder by excess weight than larger vehicles. That roof box you left loaded with old camping gear isn’t just heavy on your roof, it’s heavy on your efficiency, too.While you’re at it, check your trunk tooOnce you’ve dealt with the thing on the roof, it’s worth checking out what’s been living in your trunk. A gym bag you never take in, a bag of returns you keep forgetting to drop off, a spare set of tools from a move two years ago, it all adds up. One of the easiest ways to shed a few unwanted pounds from your car is to get rid of junk in your trunk.The bigger picture for a generation that cares about both money and milesFuel efficiency isn’t a luxury for millennials and young adults struggling with student loans, high rent and fluctuating gas prices. It’s a financial strategy. The good news: one of the most impactful adjustments you can make costs you nothing, just ten minutes or so in your driveway.Remove the rack. Keep it in the garage until you’re ready for it. Your car may not say thank you, but your gas bill will notice.
