Four ways to ease petrol price pain


The cost of motoring has never been higher. The average price of petrol passed the landmark £5 a gallon last week - the equivalent of 109.9p a litre.

Kenan Sager

Green route: Kenan Sager saves £800 a year on fuel by sharing car journeys to work.

The price of unleaded petrol has risen 46% in the past 20 years.

Drivers now face an average yearly fuel bill of £2,677, according to comparison website uSwitch. But by following our four-point plan, motorists can limit the rise in their fuel bills.

Shop around

The price of fuel varies from pump to pump across Britain, but supermarkets tend to be among the cheapest places to fill up. The RAC says that with constantly changing forecourt prices, a good place to start is a comparison website such as, which offers free advice on all areas across Britain.

RAC spokesman Jon Day says: ' is the best of the bunch. The main problem behind these rises is that we pay more tax on our fuel than any other country in Europe - the huge profit being made by the oil companies is just a red herring.'

Day points out that if, for example, a litre of petrol cost 90p, 47.1p of this would be made up of tax duty and a further 13.4p in VAT. The charge by the oil company is only 23.2p while retailers involved in the transportation and provision take the balance of only 6.3p.


A four-wheel drive might impress on the school run, but its fuel consumption could dent your budget. Tracy North, a spokeswoman for uSwitch, says: 'The best tip is to leave the car at home and take a bike, bus or train - or simply walk. A quarter of all car journeys cover less than two miles - there are plenty of healthier options.'

Those who cannot live without a vehicle may be able to invest in a far more fuel-efficient option - and save a typical £165 a year on bills in the process. A motorist clocking up 12,000 miles a year can expect to spend £1,312 at the pumps with a relatively economical Ford Fiesta while doing the same mileage in a gas-guzzling Mercedes C Class would cost £3,068, according to uSwitch.

The days when diesel was automatically the cheapest option are long gone. While it may provide more miles per litre, diesel tends to be more expensive - it all depends on the type and size of vehicle.

>> Why you have to drive 43,000 in a diesel before it pays for itself
>> Why is diesel so expensive?

Share your car

The price of driving can be slashed by joining a car-sharing scheme. It not only saves money, but eases road congestion.

You can set up an informal arrangement with work colleagues or friends to share lifts between home and work.

Drivers can also join a scheme, such as that offered by social enterprise website, which has more than 200,000 members signed up across Britain looking to share journeys. Engineer-Kenan Sager, 24, shares the 37-mile trip from his home in Tottenham, north London, to his office in Royston, Hertfordshire, with a female work colleague who lives near him.

How to cut the cost of your car


Volvo XC60

'By sharing my 1.9 litre diesel Golf, I save £800 a year and 1.2 tons of carbon dioxide,' he says. 'The sharing adds no miles or inconvenience to the drive, but provides companionship and an extra pair of eyes on the road.'

Kenan found someone to share his driving through after being encouraged to use it by his employer, catalytic converter manufacturer Johnson Matthey.

Take it easy

Practise driving techniques that cut fuel consumption. The Institute of Advanced Motorists says drivers who travel at 56 mph use 25% less fuel than those who drive at 75 mph.

'Feathering' the throttle rather than putting the foot down also saves on costs. Plan your route carefully and try to drive at off-peak times - traffic jams are bad for your fuel bills as well as your blood pressure.

Ensure tyres are well inflated - about half of tyres on the road are underinflated, increasing fuel consumption.



For the latest information on the cheapest fuel prices in your area, the RAC recommends logging on to

Registration is free and enables users to find out the best pump price anywhere in the UK, helpful in planning long journeys.

Among the best prices last week for a litre of unleaded fuel were 104.9p at a Sainsbury's store in Edinburgh, 105.9p at an Asda supermarket in London and a Morrisons supermarket in Birmingham, and 106.9p at a Morrisons store in Cardiff.

4 ways to ease petrol pain and to find cheaper prices | Mail on Sunday

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