With rising gas prices, you may find the cost to fuel a car increasingly hurting your pocketbook. But you can use your smartphone to find savings via free mobile apps that let you do everything from comparing gas prices at local gas stations to anticipating traffic jams and how to keep your car operating at peak performance.

Route4Me
*iPhone
Avoid waiting in gas-guzzling traffic jams, you can use this app to map routes for your multiple stops that doesn't waste gas. The app will provide directions based on the shortest distance or also provide options to see alternative routes that avoid highways or even toll roads.

Gas Cubby
*iPhone
This mobile app will help analyze your fuel economy by you just plugging in a few numbers at each gas station, e.g. odometer reading, number of gallons pumped, and the price per gallon. When it detects your fuel economy lessening, it'll give you possible maintenance tips that may be affecting your gas mileage, such as checking the car's tire pressure. Also, on the app, you can note whether you're using highways or local roads for your travels to see how the choice can affect your gas mileage.

AAA TripTik
*iPhone (Droid app expected to be available by mid-May)
Scan local gas prices and then sort results by distance. The app tracks more than 130,000 gas stations, helping you find the best deal.

GasBuddy
*Droid, iPhone, Windows
The user-generated app relies on its 5 million users to post gas prices in the area and includes a time-stamp so you know how up-to-date the price is. GasBuddy also does a raffle each week for a $250 prepaid card for a gas station.

Source: “6 Apps Make it Easier to Find Lowest Gas Prices,” The Associated Press (April 25, 2011)