Brussels - European motorists could cut their fuel consumption by a third if they adopted a few eco-friendly driving habits, the European Union's executive said Tuesday as it launched a campaign on low-petrol driving.

"How can we reduce our consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions without having to invest in new technology? A few good habits will help save money, prolong the life of your engine and actively contribute to protecting our planet," a clip on the EU's YouTube site, EUTube, says.

According to the campaign, which is backed by the European Commission and the European Petroleum Industry Association, Europia, habits such as keeping your car's tyres at the correct pressure and using air conditioning less can cut fuel consumption by 10 per cent.

And simple driving techniques such as anticipating the flow of traffic ahead and keeping engine revolutions down can add further savings, the clip says.

"The name of the game when it comes to consuming less is to reach your cruising speed fairly quickly and then to use the highest gear possible," the clip advises.

In one practice run, a driver who used the techniques on a 10- kilometre drive cut his consumption from 7.3 litres per 100 kilometres to 4.96 litres per 100 kilometres.

Translated into a year's worth of driving 25,000 kilometres, that would equate to a saving of 875 euros (1,380 dollars), the clip says.

The EU is committed to significantly reducing its emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the gas most associated with global warming, by 2020. Reducing CO2 emissions from the booming transport industry is seen as being key to achieving that goal.

However, plans to force car manufacturers to make their products more environmentally friendly have run into strong opposition, leaving EU officials keen to find other ways of making cuts. (dpa)