The average price of fuel has dropped over the past few months. Despite this, petrol still costs 26p a litre more and diesel 40p a litre more than last year. Nevertheless, you can still find ways to save money by filling up at the right place and by saving on fuel where possible.
In this article, we’ll provide you with tips on how to find more inexpensive fuel and save money.
Is motorway fuel more expensive?
It’s no secret that the highest fuel prices in the UK tend to be found at motorway service stations. Due to the convenience of these service stations, to an extent, operators can captivate their audience.
Driving around in an unfamiliar area searching for a fuel station isn’t ideal, but if you use a Sat Nav you should be able to search for the nearest fuel station with lower prices than the motorway service stations.
When going on a long motorway journey, it’s best to fill up close to home before you set off, and drive in a fuel-efficient manner to get the most mileage. This includes driving as smoothly as possible, gently using your accelerator and brakes, and changing to a high gear as early as possible.
Is supermarket fuel less expensive?
Generally, supermarkets tend to sell petrol and diesel at lower prices than at dedicated fuel stations. All fuel sold in the UK must conform to a certain standard, so despite the misconceptions about supermarket fuel, the quality is not less than the fuel sold at dedicated stations. The main difference between the fuel sold at different sources is the blend of additives mixed. These are typically detergents which will help clean the engine and lubricants to reduce wear. However, supermarket fuel does contain some of these.
In this current economic climate where everyone is feeling the squeeze of high prices, it’s important to save where possible, so searching for inexpensive fuel nearby will help you save money.
Taxation and problems in the post-pandemic fuel supply chain are out of everyone’s control, but there are measures we can take to maximise the number of miles we can get from each tank of fuel.
Fuel prices fluctuate on a daily basis and they vary between each station and area. For this reason, it may be worth keeping an eye on the prices at the stations within your area to see which has the lowest rates. Therefore, if you avoid filling up at a motorway service station, and search for the supermarket with the lowest-priced fuel, you could save some extra money.
How to find low-priced fuel in your area
Fuel prices vary across the UK, but in some regions, such as Northern Ireland, it tends to be a bit more inexpensive than other areas such as London and the South East.
Within your local area, you may notice that you pay more in built-up areas with a high number of customers than in more rural or suburban fuel stations. There are services which can help you identify the least expensive supplier in your area by giving you real-time prices. Whereas some sites will only give you the average petrol and diesel prices in your area, they don’t specify the exact location of the station.
Receive further savings
With the increase in energy bills, grocery prices and the general cost of living, saving the pennies when and where possible is important. This is why many people choose to opt to fill up their car at the inexpensive fuel station nearby. Therefore, comparing fuel prices and filling up at a local station rather than on the motorway, might be the more affordable option for fuel.
Why not further your savings with a business fuel card? A fuel card enables you to receive further savings when filling up at a supermarket fuel station, which is important in today’s economical climate. fuelGenie has many long-term partnerships with supermarkets that offer great value fuel when they make a purchase with our fuel cards, as you get to save money.
Want to save money on your business’ fuel costs? Apply today for your new fuel card to start saving.
