DRIVERS have been warned about a mistake at the petrol pumps that could mean they are spending more than they need to.
The costly error was revealed by a car expert on social media and has been viewed thousands of times.
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It comes as fuel prices have dropped to 174.79p and diesel went down to 185.40p.
But relatively speaking prices still remain high and the cost of living crisis is stretching household budgets.
So finding ways to spend less on your fuel has never been more important.
Abigayle is an auto expert who runs Tik Tok channel Shetalkscars, where she offers up her tips for buying cars, saving on fuel and more.
In one of her recent videos, she revealed her top tips for cutting fuel costs.
And one of the tips might seem baffling. She says not to fill up your tank to the brim.
In the video she says: “Fuel is really heavy.
“70 litres of diesel weighs about 57 kilos. That’s a lot of weight.”
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Luke Bosdet, the AA’s fuel price spokesman, said any added weight to your car would make your car heavier and therefore use up more petrol.
So not filling up your tank to the top could see you cut back on costs.
“Carrying unnecessary weight will make the car work harder and consume more fuel,” he said.
Abigayle offers up four other tips to reduce fuel consumption on the Tik Tok video:
Declutter your car
You might think having clothes and other bits lying around in your car wouldn’t cost you on fuel.
But again, adding any weight to your car is going to make your car work harder.
Abigayle says: “Anything that you don’t need, just get rid of it.
“More weight in the car, more fuel consumption.”
Luke added: “It’s like carrying golf clubs or football kit in the car.
“Maybe you’re only using stuff once a week, and you leave it in there for convenience.
“But if you were to take it out and put it in the garage, you might be able to save on fuel.”
Pump your tyres up
Just as cycling along the road on a bike with deflated tyres will see you slow up, the same will happen in a car.
This is because your tyres will create more drag on the road and you’ll use more energy travelling.
Abigayle says: “For every 10% that your tyres are underinflated, you’re using 3% more fuel.”
And Luke said checking your tyre pressure every fortnight not only reduces your fuel use, but makes it safer to drive.
“You improve the road holding, so the tyres will grip more on the road. And they’re less likely to suffer a failure.”
No harsh braking
Driving smoothly, accelerating gently, reading the road ahead and avoiding braking unnecessarily will help you reduce your fuel consumption.
“Every time you brake, you’re actually wasting fuel,” Abigayle says.
Luke said one tip was to leave more distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you, so you’re not constantly having to brake and accelerate, which uses up more fuel.
He added: “Also, when you start off from a junction or with a traffic light, you use less fuel if you drive smoothly and work your way up through the gears.”
Don’t go so fast
Reducing how fast you’re going can limit the amount of fuel you use up.
The AA estimate driving at 60mph on a 70mph road could reduce your petrol consumption by up to 15%.
So sometimes sticking in the left hand lane is the best advice.
“A heavy foot means you are going to be consuming [fuel] faster,” Abigayle says.
“Planning your journey is better, and setting off ahead of time means you don’t feel the need to have to drive a bit faster.”
Luke added: “If you stick to the speed limit on roads, you will substantially reduce your fuel consumption.
“But also driving within the speed limit means you’ll probably have a smoother drive, which in itself will save you fuel.”
What other ways can I save on petrol?
On top of Abiygayle’s tips, there are other ways to cut back on your fuel costs.
Avoiding using premium fuel is one obvious tip.
Premium fuels have a higher octane rating than other fuels sold at the pumps.
But unless you’ve got a high-performance car, you most likely don’t need it.
So in most cases, opting for premium fuel doesn’t have any additional benefits and can add an extra 15p per litre to your bill.
Switching off your fuel guzzling air con is another thing you can do.
Ramping up your air con can increase fuel consumption by 10%, so roll your windows down instead.
Where can I find the cheapest fuel prices?
Even though prices have dropped a bit recently, it’s always worth seeing if you can get your fuel for cheaper.
If you don’t want to head out and try and find the cheapest petrol station, there are websites where you can find out where the least expensive forecourts are near you.
Fleet News and Allstar let you check petrol price across the counties, so you can see how your region compares.
The PetrolPrices app and website lets you check prices from more than 8,000 forecourts near you .
And comparison website Confused.com also has a petrol prices checker where registered users can find petrol prices within a five, 10 or 25mile radius.
