Want to know how you can find the cheapest fuel in your area at the click of a button? Or how you could potentially slash 30% off your petrol bill? Read on...
Soaring petrol prices have taken up more than a few column inches lately.
With oil prices spurting over $130 a barrel last month, prices at the pumps soon followed suit.
So, if you and your car have been hit by the recent increases, here are five measures you can take to help reduce your petrol bill...
1. Hunt Down Cheap Petrol
A handy web tool for locating cheap petrol is petrolprices.com; a simple to use, free website dedicated to finding cheap fuel in your area.
The site lists nearly 10,000 petrol stations up and down the country, with prices updated regularly.
You will need to register your details to gain access to the service. But after that, all you need to do is enter your postcode, state how far you're willing to travel, and the site will list a range of cheap petrol stations in your area for unleaded, diesel, and even LPG fuel.
A quick test of the site found some marked price variations. For example, in my own area, the difference in price for a litre of unleaded petrol was 114.9p for the cheapest and 120.9p for the most expensive fuel. And as we all know, these small savings can soon add up.
2. Make Filling Up Pay You
As well as saving money directly on your petrol costs, it might also make sense to get a credit card which rewards you for filling up. For example, Shell's MasterCard gives you a mighty 3% cashback on all Shell fuel purchases, together with 1% on all other purchases.
It's worth noting that the ‘cashback' can only be redeemed on future Shell purchases, so you'll have to be a loyal Shell customer to make it really pay off.
Alternatively, ASDA offers 2p off every litre of fuel when you pay with an ASDA credit card at their stations, helping you combine your weekly food shop with a trip to the petrol pumps.
However, if you don't want to be restricted to buying your petrol from a specific chain, why not give yourself more freedom by paying with a cashback credit card instead?
For example, the American Express Platinum credit card currently offers 5% cashback on all purchases (up to £4,000 spend) for the first three months, and up to 1.5% cashback thereafter.
Alternatively, Capital One's Platinum Cashback MasterCard offers 4% cashback for the first 3 months (up to a £1,500 monthly spend), together with 1% cashback thereafter.
3. Lighten The Load
One common sense tip which could potentially cut hundreds off your bill is to remove unnecessary items from your car.
Taking off a roof rack you don't need, or unloading a few surplus items from your boot could make a world of difference, as according to insurance provider Swiftcover, a 100kg load reduces mileage by up to five miles per gallon.
In addition, the RAC advises drivers to ensure your tyres are pumped to the correct level, as driving with soft tyres can add a further 2% to your fuel bill.
However, if like me, you don't know your tread from your traction, Kwik-Fit offers some handy tips on how to look after your wheels, such as the importance of inflating them to the correct pressure and how to maintain them on a day to day basis.
You can even check the correct pressure for your own car simply by inputting your registration number on the website.
4. Be An Optimal Driver
Nobody likes a backseat driver telling you how to run your car. However, by making your driving a little smoother, you could knock a substantial amount off your petrol costs. In fact, according to the RAC, simple measures such as avoiding sharp braking and accelerating could shave as much as 30% off your bill.
In addition, according to Swiftcover, driving like a boy racer could end up costing you more than you bargained for. The insurer says that 55 - 65mph is typically the most fuel efficient speed for driving. Any faster, and fuel consumption increases.
Limiting your air conditioning use is another measure you can take to help save money. Now I'm not suggesting you should swelter in your car to save a few pennies, but bear in mind that depending on the car you drive, turning off the air conditioning when not absolutely necessary cuts around 8% off your fuel bill.
5. Ditch Your Car!
If you're willing to go one step further, you could slash your fuel bill by 100% by ditching your car completely!
Admittedly, for most car owners this is simply not an option, but next time think about whether you actually need your car for those short journeys before simply hopping in.
And, if you only really need a car for those essential trips, why not think about going halfway and joining a car club or sharing scheme in your area?
Car clubs let you hire brand new or recent models, parked in reserved spaces near where you work or live, while car sharing schemes involve one person driving their own car, with other passengers chipping-in towards the running costs.
Both options often require quite a bit of research to find a scheme which suits you, and won't be suitable for everyone. However, according to research by the AA, getting rid of your car altogether and joining a car club could save you more than £2000 a year.
So, the petrol price surge doesn't look like it will be letting-up anytime soon, and for most of us, there's little we can do to avoid paying astronomical prices. However, hopefully these tips will assist in easing the price rises and, with any luck, also help cut the cost of your next journey...
Drive Down Your Car Costs / Drive A Brand New Car For Less
