Many Britons have not been using their cars of late, with the lockdown preventing unnecessary journeys. However, now drives to the beach and local parks are permitted – as long as social distancing guidelines are adhered to.
Petrol stations are open and implementing social distancing measures to ensure the safety of customers and staff.
Sainsbury’s petrol stations have implemented perspex screens, and many stations are asking customers to pay at the pump where possible.
Petrol and diesel prices often fluctuate, and in April 2012 reached record highs.
On April 13, 2012, diesel prices hit a record high of 147.93p per litre on average, while on April 17, 2012, unleaded prices hit a record high of 142.48p on average.
Read More: Classic car owners may be unable to top up by 2026
READ MORE
-
Fuel prices will remain below £1 per litre at Asda
How to find the cheapest petrol and diesel
The price you pay for petrol and diesel at the pumps is ruled by wholesale fuel prices, which in turn, are affected by:
- the global price of crude oil
- supply and demand for crude oil
- refinery production and capacity
- the pound to dollar exchange rate, as refined fuel is sold in US dollars per metric tonne
- distribution costs
- the margin fuel retailers decide to take
- fuel duty charged by the Government, currently 57.95p a litre
- VAT (20 percent) charged at the end of every forecourt fuel transaction
In order to find out the cheapest fuel prices near you, there is an easy method.
Go to website PetrolPrices.com and after registering, pop in your postcode and tell the site how far you are willing to travel for fuel – this can be up to 20 miles.
Then, the website will list the cheapest petrol stations in your area.
PetrolPrices.com reports it has the most up to date figures, which appears to show prices of between one and four days old.
DON’T MISS
EU row: How UK had to force bloc into banning ‘poisonous petrol’ [INSIGHT]
Google Maps: Man with gun caught by Street View in unbelievable photo [PICTURES]
Fuel prices cut below £1 per litre at Tesco and Asda [INSIGHT]
READ MORE
- These new petrol station gloves promise to fight germs
The site covers most of the 8,500ish petrol stations across the UK.
MoneyExpert.com found a quick check before filling up your car could save you a fair amount of money.
They found for a Durham postcode, the price of unleaded within a five-mile radius on Friday, May 22 ranged from 99.9p/litre to 128.9p/litre.
While the difference in price per litre may be pennies, in terms of percentage this is an increase of about 29 percent.
Advice from the RAC on saving money on petrol
1. Get to know the filling stations close to where you live and work – presuming there is some competition between retailers, which seem to be competitive on price?
Even taking a small detour to visit a cheap forecourt can save you as much as a few pence for every litre.
Over one tank this is noticeable: over 12 months’ motoring, this is a saving that could stretch into the hundreds.
And look beyond the supermarkets too – some independent retailers can be extremely cost-competitive.
2, Take advantage of supermarket price wars – it can save you a useful amount at the pumps.
The big grocery chains often vie for your custom by cutting headline prices.
You can discover the cheapest by keeping an eye on your local supermarket filling stations when you’re doing your shopping. Sometimes they’ll give out money off fuel vouchers at the till, too.
3. Supermarkets – as well as other fuel retailers – run loyalty card schemes, and while they might clog up your purse or wallet, they can come in handy in cutting fuel costs.
The more you fill up, the more points you’ll accrue – you can then exchange these for vouchers off your next fill-up.
4. Some credit card companies offer cashback for spending money at filling stations.
While it might not actually save you money at the pumps, it will offset higher petrol or diesel prices by putting something back in your account.
Just remember to pay off your account within the month or your savings will be cancelled out.
Source: Read Full Article