Your gas tank is home to a delicate ecosystem that you need to nurture, no matter how far you drive or what type of gas you use. This means never topping it off – an important responsibility that a lot of people ignore. Why is this important? A number of reasons, most of which amount to saving money and breaking a habit that I am sure a lot of us have. Check out why you shouldn’t top up the tank, no matter how tempting it might be to get to that perfect round dollar amount.

Reason number one is that part of your ecosystem is the evaporative system, and topping off can overwhelm that system. This is because of built up pressure due to the fuel expanding when heated by the movement of your vehicle (or the environment). Topping off your tank is basically the same as overfilling it, and when there’s nowhere for the excess to go, it heads to the evaporative system. The evaporative system then dies on you, which is an expensive repair.

Reason number two is just simple money-wasting. Modern gas stations have pumps that can sense when you have overfilled your tank, or tried to do so anyway. The pump, when it senses you’re trying to go too far, just sends the gas right back up the line and into the station’s tank… but of course, you’re still getting charged for that fuel. It’s a waste, plain and simple.

If you’re trying to save money, which I think it’s safe to say we all are, think about breaking the topping-up-habit. Leave yourself a note on the inside of your gas cap cover, a reminder on your phone, or just use the power of memory! You got this, friend!