Driving further for cheap fuel could be costing you money

Some of us will happily drive a bit further to fill up at a cheaper petrol station in a bid to save money, but have you ever considered whether it actually saves you money?

Price comparison website Money Supermarket decided to find out and the results are surprising. On average 43 per cent of motorists will go out of they way to save one pence per litre to their detriment.

The findings reveal we waste an average of £11 for petrol and £16 for diesel per month in doing so, equalling a total of £528 million a month between us.

Luckily the way to know how far extra you can drive is simple to remember. For every penny saved, you should travel no further than 2 miles, according to the figures. Two pence saved means a maximum of four miles, so two miles each way. You get the picture.

Beyond that you are eating into the savings just driving there, defeating the purpose. It is, therefore, worth seeing how ‘close’ the cheapest petrol station really is using a satnav or Google Maps.

The study did admit, however, that travelling to save 5p on a litre would save you £2.32 every time you fill up a 50-litre tank, which over the course of a year would make a noticeable difference if you fill up weekly.

Other tips include finding a petrol station just off the motorway to avoid service station rip-off pricing, using supermarkets as they are usually the cheapest and researching into a fuel efficient car when upgrading.

Websites like PetrolPrices.com can also be beneficial, while some cars can even tell you the price of a fuel station within the infotainment system to make life even easier.

Money Supermarket consumer expert Dan Plant offered more tips: “Avoiding heavy braking, harsh acceleration or excessive speeding can reduce the amount of fuel you use significantly. Keeping your vehicle road worthy is also important.”

“Check your tyres to make sure they are at the right pressure, and ensure your car is serviced regularly as dirty filters and oil can have a negative effect on fuel consumption,” he added.

Check out our 10 tips for saving fuel if you want to be especially frugal.