True, on roads, tracks...

True, on roads, tracks, frozen lakes and in remote deserts I often test cars whose tanks have been filled by the manufacturers. But I also spend time driving around in a wide variety of gas-guzzling and frugal models which run on fuel I"ve paid for. It"s impossible to estimate how much I"ve personally spent over the decades. But the last thing I"m prepared to do is beat myself up over the fact. And although it"s entirely up to you, my humble advice is that you shouldn"t feel bad either.

However, we"d all be daft if we didn"t at least review exactly how much fuel we"re consuming, what we pay and how we can reduce both. Why not start by imposing a non-negotiable rule on yourself that you will never brim your tank at expensive motorway service stations? Such places are for the occasional "get out of jail" gallon, nothing more.

And really try to get into the habit of topping up when you"re passing your favourite, relatively cheap forecourt (although don"t go too far out of your way). In my neck of the woods, I find that a Sainsbury"s outlet is consistently unbeatable, but don"t assume every supermarket site charges less than its traditional forecourt rivals. And learn to go a little easier on your pedals. It"s the oldest tip in the book, but remember it and consumption really can drop by 10 per cent with very little adverse effect on overall journey times.

Longer term, think bigger; do your research, take as many test drives as you can and make a firm commitment to turn your back on cars which rely on gasoline. Thoroughbred sports models for wealthy petrolheads are one thing. I don"t have a problem with these and can perfectly understand them. But frankly, I can"t believe there"s still demand for standard cars in unleaded or, worse still, super unleaded guise. Such vehicles are near-redundant, because they"re all available as perfectly acceptable diesels, offering savings of around 30 per cent in fuel consumption, expenditure and convenience.

Yes, pump prices and fuel taxes have been hiked massively in recent years, and that"s thoroughly depressing. But you can easily relieve this by reminding yourself that technology has improved at an even greater rate. Many diesel family cars are now able to do 40-50mpg in real world conditions, and nearer 60 if your right foot is disciplined.

If you don"t like digging deeper into your pockets to meet higher annual fuel bills, don"t do it. All you have to do is accept petrol - like the audio cassette and overtaking in Formula One - has had its day. The cleverest motorists are now dieselheads.