MONEY saving expert Martin Lewis has revealed the top ways you can find the cheapest petrol – and there’s a useful free tool.
The tips come amid rocketing fuel prices at the pumps as well as well as soaring gas and electric bills in a cost of living crisis.
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Martin Lewis teamed up with the RAC to detail on his website how huge savings can be made.
Instead of driving around checking out which petrol station is the cheapest for the fuel you need, Brits have been advised to compare prices using a handy online free tool.
The money saving expert revealed to his Twitter followers a useful website that found the petrol stations offering the cheapest fuel near them.
Prices comparisons can be made via the website PetrolPrices.com.
Once you have registered your details, all you need to do is enter your postcode, how far you are willing to travel to get fuel and what sort of fuel you need.
The site then lists the cheapest filling stations in an area, covering around 8,500 forecourts across the UK in total.
If drivers want to be able to check prices while on the go they can also download the app.
Drivers are also advised to keep an eye out for any for short-lived fuel discount promos that pop up from time to time.
LOYALTY SCHEMES
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They should also take advantage of loyalty schemes, although does also sound a note of caution.
Many petrol stations, including the ones run by supermarkets, operate a loyalty scheme and its worth signing up to the ones you use the most, so you can get a little extra back from time to time.
While the benefits might be small they do add up.
If you fill up your car with £30 of petrol a week, this means over the course of a year, you’ll spend in the region of £1,500.
All those little extra benefits soon add up.
However, drivers have been warned don’t just pick a petrol station just because it has a loyalty scheme – it’s better to go for the one offering the cheapest fuel.
The difference is small compared to petrol price variance.
The advice comes amid skyrocketing fuel prices.
Just days ago, the Gulf station on Sloane Avenue in London’s affluent Chelsea was seen charging drivers £2.38 for unleaded on Thursday.
The South Kensington Gulf is believed to be the most expensive petrol station in the UK.
The current average petrol price in the UK is £1.82 per litre, with the cost to fill up an average family car reaching £100 on Wednesday.
RAC fuel spokesperson Simon Williams said a full tank could set drivers back an “unbelievable” £110 during the holiday season.
“The wholesale price of diesel is fast approaching 160p a litre which, when you add 7p retailer margin and 20% VAT, would take the pump price over the £2 mark,” he said.
“We strongly urge the Government to take drastic action to help soften the impact for drivers from these never-before-seen pump prices.”
Other filling up tips include:
- Always fill up at least 50 miles before your tank is dry – this gives you time to look around for the cheapest option
- Only use ‘better fuel’ if your car can cope – ‘high performance’ fuels make little difference to the performance of non-performance cars
- Filling up at night won’t be a big money saver – it’s a slight urban myth as the difference is minuscule – pennies at best.
- Don’t try to put more in after the clunk – don’t keep going after the petrol nozzle ‘clunks’. If you do, you’re overfilling.
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