How to Save Money on Petrol
It seems as if petrol prices just keep on rising (they’ll have to stop sometime, right?) and the AA has warned that the cost of filling up a family car will reach £100 before long.
Prices are hitting new records, for both diesel and petrol, increasing by £18 for a full tank in the last two years alone. These figures are putting pressure on Chancellor George Osborne to cut fuel duty, but Edmund King, president of the AA, says the Treasury shows no sign of giving in:
“This new record for petrol and diesel just confirms what every family and business knows – fuel prices are hurting them badly and there seems no stopping them. We have asked the Chancellor to do what he can to protect the UK economy from fuel market volatility and record high prices which are stemming growth. There is no more give in family and business budgets despite them cutting back on fuel purchase and other spending so they can get to work and go about their business. Britain cannot get back on its feet if fuel prices hold drivers and business to ransom every time market sentiment takes hold.”
According to the Daily Mail, the UK is “the fuel tax capital of Europe”, paying 60% in duty and VAT for our fuel. Prices are driven up by the wholesale cost of oil, instability in the Middle East and aggressive speculation in the market, and we should expect increases of up to 3p by this summer, making average prices 140.43p per litre.
Right now, it’s diesel owners who are suffering most, with the price-per-tank averaging at over £100, rising by over £20 since 2010.
So how do we save money on our petrol? There are a few different ways, from the time and place you buy your fuel, to adapting your driving style. Here are some tips to help you pinch the pennies at the pump:
- Buy your fuel from urban petrol stations rather than rural – the average price of diesel in the countryside is up to 4p more expensive.
- Fill up your car in the morning, when it’s colder. Fuel is denser in cold conditions, giving you more for your buck.
- Turn off all extraneous appliances in your car, including the radio, air con, heated seats etc. All these things drain your car’s fuel more than you think.
- Keep windows shut – open windows create drag, which makes your car work harder and burn more fuel.
- Don’t coast. It’s actually more fuel-efficient to come to a gentle stop in a low gear.
- Don’t cover the clutch – a bad driving habit anyway, but it also drains fuel while you’re driving.
- Keep your tyres well-inflated – over or under-inflated tyres cause your fuel-efficiency to decrease.
- Check your tyre tread depth – similarly, worn down tyres give you a less smooth ride, making your entire vehicle work harder and guzzle the gas.
- Find out which petrol station has the best price and avoid the others. It may take a slightly longer journey to fill up, but it’ll be worth it in the long run.
- Make the most of deals, points and discounts – many supermarkets offer some good deals if you buy petrol from their affiliated stations.
- Cut out short journeys – walk, cycle or take the bus instead!
- Car pool. If you live near a colleague (or several), share each other’s cars to get to and from work. Find enough people willing to participate and you could get away with just one commute per week!
- Go electric! If you only use your car for local journeys, why not switch to electric, or make the most of your city’s car-sharing programme, if it has one?