Fuel costs continue to go through the roof, with no end in sight. You’ve probably seen countless ads for high tech fuel savers, but most of these end up being gimmicks or rip-offs. But there is one gadget that really does save you fuel–and lots of it. What is it? Your GPS Navigation System. Saving you fuel is one of its best yet unsung benefits of your GPS. With fuel prices at record highs, before you know it your GPS investment will pay for itself in fuel savings alone. Read on for seven ways that a GPS Navigation System can improve your fuel economy (and save you time and stress).

1. A GPS is programmed to show you the fastest, shortest and most efficient route to a destination, therefore reducing miles and fuel use.

2. A GPS can make planning a trip and determining the best route much easier. Higher-end units, such as the Garmin nuvi 700 series, include a multi-destination routing feature, which will find the optimal route among several stops. Realtors, delivery professionals and others whose work involves significant amounts of driving can save a lot of time and gas money by planning their route with the help of a GPS.

3. Regardless of the gas efficiency of your car, your mileage can fall to zero miles a gallon when you are stuck in traffic. More and more top-rated GPS models are now providing users with live traffic updates, alerting them to upcoming traffic, showing traffic problems on the GPS’s map and suggesting alternative routes to bypass traffic problems. Some even provide weather updates, helping you stay ahead of inclement weather conditions.

4. For many, getting from A to B is the easy part. Finding a store, restaurant or gas station along the way is what usually gets drivers lost.

How many times have you found yourself driving for miles down a dark road only to find that the Taco Bell or Exxon station promised by the highway sign is nowhere to be found? An in-car GPS Navigation Systems is loaded with thousands of points of interest (POIs), allowing you to find food, rest stops, etc. near your location, along your route or around your destination. This convenient feature prevents you from having to search in unfamiliar places and wasting precious fuel in the process.

5. The ecoRoute software available from Garmin can help you find the most fuel-efficient route to a destination.

The software’s “Less Fuel” option will show the route that requires the least amount of fuel. An added bonus is ecoRoute’s ability to track your fuel usage for each trip, making it easy to log your traveled distance and fuel consumption for reimbursement purposes.

6. Driving from service station to service station in an attempt to find the best-priced gasoline–we’ve all done it. Many don’t realize that the penny or two per gallon that they saved is likely to be cancelled out by the extra gas used while shopping gas prices.

The good news is that more and more companies are now connecting their GPS units to online networks, allowing them to obtain and show you current gas prices. Using online services such as MSN Direct to gather this information, high-end GPS Navigation Systems from Garmin and other manufacturers can show you the current gas prices instantly and guide you turn-by-turn to your preferred service station.

7. Lastly, the obvious: Each mile spent driving around while you’re lost means a mile of wasted gas (not to mention time and stress).

Armed with an in-car GPS Navigation System, you may not know where you are but you’ll never be lost.

Leslie G. Williams has authored hundreds of articles about the latest consumer electronics in our lives. She is a frequent contributor to Rated4Stars.com, providing consumer GPS reviews, ratings and advice about GPS navigation systems, including a comprehensive GPS Buying Guide. Rated4Stars features only the best GPS systems, rated 4 stars or higher.

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