What does the eco button in my car do?

Many new cars have a feature known as eco mode that allows drivers to increase their vehicle’s fuel efficiency. Eco mode is engaged by pressing the button labeled “eco” or “econ,” which is typically found on the car’s central panel among the controls for the air conditioning, heat and radio.

So, what exactly does eco mode do?

It varies somewhat between makes and models, but generally the principal action is to reduce the vehicle’s throttle response (i.e. stifle its acceleration). Often this translates into a stiffer feel in the pedal.

Note that the eco mode function is automatically disabled when the vehicle travels at high speeds so that the driver can make safe passing and merging maneuvers.

Additionally, eco mode can enable various other tweaks to a car’s operations to increase fuel economy, whether it’s dialing back the air conditioning, executing transmission upshifts sooner or shutting off the engine when the vehicle is stopped.

So, if you want to save money on gas and reduce your tailpipe emissions, know that if you have eco mode, you can do it with the press of a button.