A LITTLE-KNOWN tool can help you find the cheapest petrol near you in a matter of seconds – including supermarkets.
Drivers could save £226 a year when they fill up simply by plotting in their postcode to an online comparison site.
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Petrol supermarkets Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons were named and shamed yesterday for overcharging on prices by £900million last year.
Asda and Morrisons in particular “significantly increased” margins at the expense of customers battling the cost of living squeeze.
Meanwhile, motorway service stations charged around 20p more for petrol and 15p more for diesel compared to other fuel stations.
According to the government’s weekly fuel price watch the average petrol price this week is 143.40p/litre, while diesel is 145.52p per litre.
The price of unleaded petrol peaked at a record high of 191.53p in July 2022, and diesel is down from 199.07p that same month.
While, it might seem like the figures are good news, the cost of fuel is still over 30p more per litre on average compared to July 2020.
So you will want to be looking for ways to save money next time you’re out filling up.
Yesterday, the government promised a Pumpwatch scheme to help customers find the best deals, but in the meantime you can use the handy PetrolPrices.com website.
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It’ll show you the forecourts selling the cheapest petrol or diesel in your area.
You need to register with the site, enter your postcode and tell it how far you’re willing to travel for fuel (up to 20 miles) and what fuel type you’re after.
It’s worth noting, the prices don’t update everyday so they won’t always be completely accurate.
But they help give you a rough idea of where prices are at.
Do bear in mind though that you can only search the site five times in a day, but if you download the app you have unlimited searches.
As an example, we checked the site to find out where the cheapest fuel was in Croydon.
The prices we found were at petrol stations within a five-mile radius of the most central area.
We found that the cheapest forecourt for unleaded petrol was the Esso in Selsdon Park Road, where it was 141.9p – while one of the more expensive was Shell Sanderstead at 147.9p per litre.
For diesel, it was a Texaco station in Beckenham where it was 142.9p per litre, compared to 147.9p at a Shell in Western Road.
According to PetrolPrices.com petrol car drivers can save £226 a year, and diesel £158 by using its site.
Of course how much you’ll save or spend depends on how often you fill up which is dependent on how often you use the car, which may vary per household.
It’s also important to note that prices will vary based on your location and from week to week, that’s why it’s a good idea to always make sure you’re getting the best deal.
Petrolprices.com isn’t the only site offering this handy comparison tool.
Fleet News and Allstar also lets you to check petrol prices across the counties so you can see how your region compares to the UK average.
Comparison website Confused.com also has a petrol prices checker that lets registered users find petrol prices within a five, 10 or 25mile radius.
Meanwhile, are four easy ways to cut down your petrol bills by hundreds of pounds a year.
Plus, we round up six ways to make a tank of petrol last longer.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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