Have you ever looked down at your dashboard and wondered about a particular control? You’re not the only one. Modern vehicles have all kinds of features designed to improve the overall driving experience, such as Eco mode.
There are different versions of this feature depending on the vehicle’s make and model. But what exactly is Eco mode and how does it function? You might be wondering: “what does the eco button mean in a car?” Let’s take a deeper look at Eco mode in this article.
What is eco mode?
Many modern cars have an eco mode setting to improve the vehicle’s fuel economy. While it’s on, the engine reduces its power output, so it doesn’t work as hard, and the gas pedals become less responsive.
The reduction in power leads the car to accelerate more slowly. Benefits of eco mode include using less gas and creating fewer emissions. Eco mode works best when driving at a relaxed pace.
Many modern cars are meant to teach the driver the principles of economical driving. The system shows motorists how fuel consumption changes depending on their driving style and tells them what to do to reduce consumption.
In Eco mode, the operation of some energy-intensive car systems, such as air conditioning and steering system, changes. In addition, the operation of some control functions, including acceleration, gear shifting, deceleration, and others, changes as well.
In this mode, the driver is almost forced to drive the car smoothly, not to press the accelerator pedal sharply at the moment of driving in intermediate gears, use a high gear more often, try not to accelerate intensively, drive so that it is not necessary to brake sharply and frequently, and not to change speed when driving on hills.
What Does Eco Mode Do?
When activated, Eco mode typically instructs the engine computer to reduce throttle response and shift the transmission into higher gears faster to maximize fuel efficiency. As a result, acceleration will be slower and the transmission will be less responsive.
Some systems can improve your vehicle’s fuel economy by managing other operations, such as air conditioning, heating, and cruise control. Eco mode basically places a set of restrictions on your vehicle’s engine, transmission, and other functions for better fuel efficiency.
The exact way a vehicle reacts will vary depending on the vehicle. For some vehicles, activating eco mode can mean that your vehicle will need more throttle pedal input before the automatic transmission shifts to a lower and higher-revving gear.
If you’re driving in s a sports car with a turbo, enabling eco mode can introduce a lot of turbo lag. This is what happens in a turbocharged vehicle if it’s kept at a high gear with low engine revs.
If you’re driving a vehicle with a V6 or V8 engine, enabling eco mode might deactivate some cylinders. This is a feature found in some vehicles and it deactivates some engine cylinders to save fuel.
How Does Eco Mode Work?
The purpose of eco mode, or “economical mode,” is to improve your car’s fuel economy as you drive. You can switch eco mode on and off by simply pressing a button that you can find near the steering wheel.
Auto makers have built the eco mode feature into many modern-day models of fuel-operated and hybrid vehicles — electric cars don’t use the fuel-saving feature since they don’t run on gas.
Pro tip: Note that eco mode is different from EV mode that you may find in some hybrid cars. Eco mode still uses fuel, while EV mode won’t take any energy from the gas tank and will run solely on the electric car battery instead.
When the eco mode button is engaged, the car’s throttle becomes less reactive. When the throttle is less reactive, the engine doesn’t work as hard, and you can’t accelerate as quickly as you usally can.
Eco mode doesn’t make a car go slower overall, but it does slow down the acceleration. The best thing you can do is drive at a relaxed pace with eco mode on — having a heavy foot on the gas and brake pedals may cancel out the good that the eco mode setting is doing.
In addition to slowing the reaction time of accelerating, eco mode may lower the air conditioning output and dim interior lights.
When Should You Use Eco Mode?
You should use Eco Mode whenever you want to save fuel, of course! But since it affects your vehicle’s performance, you shouldn’t use Eco Mode anytime you anticipate you might need the extra performance.
This means on highways and other busy roads; you should consider keeping Eco Mode switched off. You might end up going to the gas station just a bit more, but you don’t want to be stuck not being able to accelerate like you need to, to avoid an accident.
Meanwhile, in cities, there’s not much of a drawback to driving in Eco Mode. You don’t need to accelerate quickly, and it’s a lot of stop and go traffic. It’s the perfect opportunity to try and improve your fuel economy without any tradeoff!
So, when should you use Eco Mode? Whenever you’re comfortable with your vehicle having a little less power.
Is It OK to Drive In Eco Mode ALL the Time?
Absolutely! While you might suffer from some reduced performance while you’re driving in Eco Mode, you can drive in Eco Mode all the time without having to worry. No engine damage, increased maintenance, or any other additional problems will occur.
The manufacturer specifically designed vehicles with Eco Mode to function perfectly fine with it enabled. All of the car electronics adjust according to the new engine and transmission outputs, so you don’t have to worry about anything misfiring and causing any damage.
In fact, unless you’re in a situation where you need that extra power and responsiveness, driving in Eco Mode all the time is the recommended way to drive!
Does Eco Mode Really Save Gas?
The short answer is yes, but this requires some elaboration. For Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, you will usually notice a pretty dramatic difference in range when switching Eco Mode on.
Driving behaviour can change this up to a point, but EV Eco Modes are taken pretty seriously by manufacturers. For cars that have only internal combustion engines, the results can vary quite a bit.
Drivers with a light foot might not notice much difference at all, since the Eco Mode is basically just making you drive like that anyway.
For more aggressive drivers, they will in theory notice a difference, but those who push the car even further in order to make up for Eco Mode settings probably won’t see much difference.
Highway driving with cruise control on is already a fuel-saving measure, so the difference there won’t be great. Similarly, stop-and-go city traffic is rough on fuel economy, and Eco Mode will help a bit, but only so much.
Across all internal combustion engine vehicles on the market, and all kinds of driving conditions, it averages out to about 5% in fuel savings. That isn’t a huge amount for one tank, but it certainly adds up to significant savings over the life of the vehicle.
Pros Of Eco Mode
So how effective is Eco mode in reducing carbon emissions and saving fuel? In fact, there is no exact data. Each manufacturer understands Eco in their own way.
For example, Ford claimed that following its driving recommendations, the 2012 Focus saves as much as 24% fuel in the said mode. Hyundai reported that Active Eco mode improved fuel economy by up to 7%.
Experienced motorists claim that Eco mode does indeed use less gasoline. Moreover, it optimizes the driving characteristics of your vehicle, promoting a more economical and environmentally friendly driving style. When you use this driving mode, you save fuel and take care of the environment.
Cons Of Eco Mode
Although Eco mode saves you some money due to decreased fuel consumption, it leads to additional wear and tear. Driving at low speeds and low rpm increases the intensity of engine, clutch, and gearbox wear.
Low-volume engines in particular suffer from this, as they have to strain hard and drag a heavy car when operating in Eco mode at low speeds.
The lower the speed at which the engine is running, the lower the volume of oil that passes through the entire engine system. In Eco mode, the engine does not receive enough lubrication.
Due to friction and high temperatures in conditions of oil starvation, the wear of engine components increases manifold. At the same time, almost all components of the cylinder-piston group are hit. The cost of replacing them can more than outweigh the savings on fuel.
The transmission also suffers. When driving in eco-mode, the automatic transmission, even at a low speed, switches from a higher gear to a lower one and back again.
Such sharp and frequent transitions additionally load the gearbox and all its components. In particular, not only automatic transmissions but also robotized transmissions suffer from such modes of operation.
When Should I Use Eco Mode?
There is rarely a wrong time to use Eco Mode. True, your vehicle might not be as quick in Eco Mode, but that’s not going to hurt anything.
The only times when it might not be best to use Eco Mode would be under conditions that a specific other mode would handle better.
For example, if your vehicle has a snow mode, that’s the one you should be using when it snows. Some vehicles have even more specific modes, for sand, mud, etc. These modes are very specifically dialed-in to these kinds of conditions, and it’s always safest to switch to the mode that best fits the conditions.
But under normal conditions, when there’s nothing to reduce traction, Eco Mode is there to help you and your fuel economy. The other time when you wouldn’t want it would be for a track day, or for any kind of spirited driving.
Your vehicle will have a sport or track mode for these situations, and these will give you the performance characteristics you need for these situations.
But for things like your daily commute in rush hour traffic, Eco Mode will help you save fuel by making small changes that are barely detectable in stop-and-go traffic.
When should I turn off eco mode?
Eco mode reduces a car’s response time, so it’s best to turn it off in situations where you may need to accelerate quickly. For example, automotive experts do not recommend using eco mode when you’re on a highway, merging into traffic, driving on difficult roads, or when the weather conditions are poor.
Another characteristic of eco mode is that it causes the car to change gears less often. For this reason, it’s best to avoid using eco mode in situations where the gears need to change regularly, such as driving uphill or accelerating quickly.
Many drivers also choose to switch off eco mode on sweltering days as air conditioning doesn’t run very efficiently while it’s on.
How do I turn off eco mode on my car?
Most cars have a basic button that you can press to turn eco mode on and off. Some vehicles may have an automatic eco mode feature that switches on at certain times. If your car uses this system, you can go into the vehicle’s settings to switch eco mode on or off.
Final Verdict on Eco Mode
Switching to Eco mode won’t automatically improve your vehicle’s fuel economy. You still have to practice conscientious driving to see any MPG gains. With gas prices now topping 5 dollars per gallon, Eco mode can surely help cut down on costs, even if it’s just a small improvement.