PetrolPrices.com

The big 4 in a petrol price war

Joe — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 11:18:56 +0000

The four leading UK supermarkets: Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys and Morrisons have all recently slashed their fuel prices by around 3p per litre in response to the recent 10% drop in crude oil prices. This drop came after the International Energy Agency decided to release 60 million barrels of crude oil from the emergency reserves. As well as the 3p drop in fuel prices, Sainsburys also offered an extra 10p off a litre of fuel if you spent £60 or more in any of their many stores; this deal was available from the 29.06.11 to 03.07.11. Although this deal has now expired, Tesco has hit back with its own mega-savings fuel promotion. Tesco is offering up to 15p off per litre of fuel if you spend over £50 in store and also buy Princes Tuna Chunks and a 30 pack Coca Cola. For each product you buy you will receive a 5p off per litre voucher. If you buy both products and spend £50 in store, you will get three 5p off vouchers; you can use up to three vouchers each time you fill up. For more information on this promotion you can visit the Tesco website. Obviously, the additional vouchers available from purchasing the Tuna and/or Coke would only be worth it if you actually wanted the products in question. Tuna is currently on offer at £4 per can but the coke is £10 for the 30 pack so it might be worth just going for 10p off each litre if you’re not a dedicated coke drinker.

Save £2.00 when you fill up your tank, today only!

Joe — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 02:24:06 +0000

Garages across the UK are set to hike the price of filling up a tank of fuel, already at record highs, by a further £2.00 per tank tomorrow. These New Year price rises as a result of the hike in VAT from 17.5% to 20% combined with a planned duty rise will see an extra 4p being added to prices per litre to motor fuel. Petrol and Diesel drivers will both be affected by the moves. Not only have we seen this massive one off hike in the tax on fuel but it has hit us all at a time when the price of oil has been on the rise too. Oil now seems to have settled above 90 USD per barrel compared to highs of 80 USD through most of 2010. As a PetrolPrices.com member as long as you are using our daily emails or our iPhone App you should be used to saving £2 per fill up anyway but we wanted to give you a heads up so that you can save on this planned rise. Please tell us how this is affecting you. Have you had to change your driving habits? Are you expecting 2011 to be worse than 2010 for running your car? Do you think we should use the tax from fuel to help better prepare our roads for snow?

How to halve your fuel costs

Joe — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 11:54:38 +0000

It’s hard to believe that average fuel prices today are around 30p more per litre than they were just five years ago. Prices at the pump are still pretty painful for most of us – even if you find the cheapest in your local area. So to help you make your car journeys even more affordable, we’d like to tell you about the first ever car-sharing week. Read on, because this could have a very dramatic impact on your fuel expenses…! Car-sharing simply means finding someone else who is travelling the same way as you, so that you can take turns driving. If you think about it, sharing with just one other person effectively means leaving your car at home one week in every two. (Just imagine what sharing with two or three people would do to the frequency of your garage visits!). The easiest and best way we know to find car-sharers is via the free website, www.liftshare.com. Nearly 400,000 people have already signed up, and there are literally tens of thousands of journeys available for sharing. Liftshare Week (4-8 October) aims to reach thousands more people so that they can discover the many benefits of car-sharing. Like these happy guys…! Hundreds of new members are signing up to liftshare every day. So what better time than liftshare Week to give it a try too? Register for free in just five minutes – and you could save you many thousands of pounds over the coming years.

Petrol hits an all time high of £1.20 next stop £1.50?

Joe — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:39:19 +0000

In July 2008 we saw petrol hit a massive 119.7p. Back then, one British Pound would buy you two US Dollars. Today we expect the average price of one litre of Unleaded to have hit £1.20 (if you round it to two decimal places it’s actually already happened but to be precise it was 119.96p yesterday) and today’s figures will be available tomorrow around 12pm. During the financial crisis the UK has fared a lot worse with our currency weakening so much that today you can only get one and a half US dollars for every pound. This more than any other factor has caused higher pump prices over the past few years. We have seen fuel duty rises too but the impact of the exchange rate has been the single largest cause of rising pump prices lately. The second biggest culprit is oil prices and things are looking set to get worse with them starting to rise again and with Brent Crude at around $86 a barrel an 18 month high. Because the exchange rate is so important, the biggest threat to the price we pay at the pumps in the short term is actually what the financial markets make of the election. If they are worried about a hung parliament or the plans to reduce the deficit then the UK could have its credit rating downgraded. Were this to happen and the UK to lose its coveted AAA credit rating, then the money we are borrowing as a country will be seen as higher risk and the value of the pound in our pockets could plummet to new lows. With the price of oil on the rise as well we could even see the prices at the pumps hitting a massive £1.50 this summer! So we wanted to ask our members how is this affecting your lives? Does it feel worse now compared to July 2008? Are you driving less? Are you getting used to higher prices? Have you lost your job because of rising prices? Please tell us your experiences below.

Save even more on fuel on National Lift Share Day

Joe — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:23:57 +0000

Unleaded is back at £1 a litre again for the first time since last October, and fuel tax will be going up again in September too. But thanks to liftshare there is another way of getting around by car for much less. Car-sharing is a great way to save hundreds of pounds a year, reduce your impact on the environment, and perhaps even make some new friends. Over 330,000 people have already joined the liftshare network and thousands of new members are signing up every month, so the odds are that you will be able to find at least one person to give it a try with. Tuesday 9 June is National Lift Share Day – an opportunity to give car-sharing a try, as many already have. liftshare is free – you just need to register, add your journey details and do a search for others travelling the same way. You can then either offer them a lift in exchange for a contribution to the fuel costs, or take turns driving and leave your car at home several days a week. They also have a great Tetris-esque game to play – warning, it’s addictive!

Petrol to hit £1 a litre again as oil prices rise

Thu, 28 May 2009 10:00:00 +0000

28th May 2009

(Aldershot, UK) The average price of unleaded petrol looks set to hit £1 a litre tomorrow (29.05.09) for the first time since October 2008, according to figures from PetrolPrices.com.

Unleaded has shot up 15.6% since the beginning of the year, when unleaded was 86.1 pence per litre. Unleaded is currently 99.8 pence per litre. The increase adds around £7.50 to the average 55 litre tank.

2014 stations out of 7032 (29%) are already selling unleaded at £1 per litre or above, a figure which is likely to rise as the increase in oil prices takes full effect at the pumps. (Please get in touch to find out how many stations are selling above £1 a litre in a particular area)

Rising oil prices and an increase in fuel tax have contributed to the increases at the pumps. Oil hit $39 a barrel in December 2008, its lowest point since late 2004. It’s now trading at around $60 a barrel. Fuel duty was increased by around 2 pence per litre on April 1 2009.

The average price of unleaded rocketed to 119.9 pence per litre in July 2008 as oil reached record highs of $147. Falling oil prices and price wars between petrol retailers both contributed to pump prices falling back.

Louise Doherty, spokesperson for PetrolPrices.com said: “The average price of both unleaded and diesel has been creeping up as oil prices have started to rise again, but there are still a large number of stations selling unleaded below £1 a litre. By shopping around online to find the cheapest fuel drivers can help increase the competition between retailers and therefore keep prices as low as possible.”

Notes to editors

Where possible, please link to PetrolPrices.com in online articles. The code is

Petrolprices.com is the only free fuel price comparison website with reliable data and regular updates. It allows consumers to search for the cheapest stations in their area, with potential savings of 20p a litre.

PetrolPrices.com is one of 100 money-saving websites from www.Fubra.com. Check out our house price sites – www.OurProperty.co.uk and www.HousePriceCrash.co.uk.

If you would like fuel price data, including local info, please contact us.

–

Louise Doherty

Spokesperson

PetrolPrices.com
e:
w: www.petrolprices.com
t: 01252 367208
m: 07525264999

Breakdown cover survey reveals 6.5 million motorists stranded in 2008

Joe — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:47:00 +0000

The summer is now fast approaching, and more of us are thinking about planning our holidays. Many people may be tightening their belts, and finding one of the great holiday deals to be had right here in the UK. But, have you budgeted for breakdown cover? A survey conducted by PetrolPrices.com out today, reveals that more than 6.5 million vehicles broke down in 2008. Of these breakdowns, the most common problem was the battery not starting. This was closely followed by tyre punctures. The figures were provided by The AA, RAC, ETA, BreakdownDirect and Europ Assitance. You might be tempted to skimp on breakdown cover and hope for the best, but with prices starting at as little as the cost of a meal for two, why risk it? Gemma, 24 from Hampshire thought she didn’t need it, until it happened to her. “I was on my way home after a great weekend but with less than 10 miles to go, I lost control of the car. I managed to pull into the hard shoulder and just sat, really shaken, for a few minutes. I phoned my step dad and he arranged a recovery van to tow my car to the nearest garage.” “It cost me more than £150 to be towed to a garage, plus the repairs. I bought breakdown cover the next day because I wouldn’t want to go through the experience again. I now know that next time I breakdown unexpectedly I’ll know what to do and it won’t cost me the earth.” PetrolPrices.com compare the leading breakdown cover providers in the UK, to help drivers find the most suitable breakdown cover – from basic roadside assistance to comprehensive cover including car hire, overnight accommodation costs, or even European breakdown cover. Have you ever broken down without breakdown cover? Are you planning a self drive holiday in the UK or Europe this summer? Or perhaps you think breakdown cover is a waste of money? Let us know your thoughts and experiences.

Unleaded up 5.5% in the last month

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:00:00 +0000

24th April 2009

(Aldershot, UK) The average price of unleaded in the UK has jumped 5.5% in the last month alone, putting an extra 5 pence per litre on pump prices, according to data from PetrolPrices.com.

The UK average price of unleaded rose from 90.7 pence to 95.7 pence per litre between March 23 and April 23 2009, whilst diesel rose 3.3 pence from 99.7 pence to 103 pence per litre over the same period.

The increase in the cost of unleaded has added around £2.75 to the average tank.

Pump prices are now the highest they have been in 2009. The last time prices were this high was November 2008.

Fuel duty increased on April 1, accounting for around 2 pence per litre of the increase. The cost of oil has also been rising, from around $38 a barrel in December 2008 (the lowest price since 2005) to around $50 a barrel today.

In addition to the duty rise of 2 pence per litre in December 2008 and April 2009 a further 4 increases were announced in the Budget 2009. The first is 2 pence per litre, to take effect from September 2009, and a further 1 pence per litre above indexation every April for the next 4 years.

September’s increase will bring the total duty on a litre of fuel to 56.19 pence per litre. The ‘VAT holiday’ is to last until the end of the year, so with 15% VAT on top this will take the total tax on a litre of fuel to around 68 pence – or 70% of the average cost.

A driver spending £25 a week on fuel currently spends around £1,300 a year at the pumps – £882.93 of which is tax. Another 2p rise would bring the average driver’s total spend on fuel tax to £911.76 a year.

Brendan McLoughlin, founder of PetrolPrices.com said: “Rising oil prices and the duty hike at the beginning of April have both contributed to this sharp increase. Pump prices are considerably lower than the record highs of last year, but by shopping around you can still save up to 15 pence per litre.”

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Notes to editors

Where possible, please link to PetrolPrices.com in online articles.

PetrolPrices.com is one of 100 money-saving websites from www.Fubra.com. Check out our house price sites – www.OurProperty.co.uk and www.HousePriceCrash.co.uk.

If you would like fuel price data, including local info, please contact us.

–

Louise Doherty

Spokesperson

PetrolPrices.com
e:
w: www.petrolprices.com
t: 01252 367208
m: 07525264999

Fuel duty up another 2p as tax duty revenues down

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:00:00 +0000

22nd April 2009

(Aldershot, UK) The chancellor Alistair Darling has confirmed that fuel duty will go up for a second time this year, to compensate for lower pump prices and a bigger drop in fuel consumption than expected.

Presenting the Budget 2009 Mr Darling said that fuel duty would rise by a further 2 pence per litre in September 2009, and then by 1p a litre above indexation each April for the next four years.

The full Budget report states:

“Fuel duties in 2008-09 were £0.4 billion below their 2008 Pre-Budget Report projection and were lower than in 2007-08. Since fuel duty is charged on a per litre basis, this reflects a reduction in the demand for fuel.”

The newly announced duty rises are in addition to the 1.84 pence per litre rise that came into force on April 1, and on top of the 2 pence per litre duty rise last December.

A driver spending £25 a week on fuel spends around £1,300 a year at the pumps – £882.93 of which is tax. Another 2p rise would bring the average driver’s total spend on fuel tax to £911.76 a year.

Along with tax hikes on alcohol and cigarettes, the government hopes the fuel duty hike will bring in the Treasury an extra £6 billion.

The chancellor appears to have ignored the pleas of motorists, not to mention the countless letters sent to MPs asking for fuel tax to be frozen.

More than 130,000 people have visited PetrolPrices.com/itsyourduty, the web pages of It’s Your Duty, PetrolPrices.com’s campaign against a fuel tax rise in the Budget. A further 53,000 people went on to visit WriteToThem.com from the campaign pages to write a letter to their MP about fuel tax.

Brendan McLoughlin, founder of PetrolPrices.com said: “A drop in fuel consumption is yet another indicator of how poorly the economy is doing – the chancellor should have used the Budget to announce fuel duty cuts which would be a great way stimulate it.”

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Notes to editors

Where possible, please link to PetrolPrices.com in online articles.

PetrolPrices.com is one of 100 money-saving websites from www.Fubra.com. Check out our house price sites – www.OurProperty.co.uk and www.HousePriceCrash.co.uk.

If you would like fuel price data, including local info, please contact us.

–

Louise Doherty

Spokesperson

PetrolPrices.com
e:
w: www.petrolprices.com
t: 01252 367208
m: 07525264999

Fuel tax up ANOTHER 2p in the Budget

Joe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 02:24:00 +0000

It’s confirmed – fuel tax is going up again. The chancellor Alistair Darling has said that fuel tax will go up for a second time this year, to compensate for lower pump prices and a bigger drop in fuel consumption than expected. Presenting the Budget 2009 Mr Darling said that fuel duty would rise by a further 2 pence per litre in September 2009, and then by 1p a litre above indexation each April for the next four years. The full Budget report states: “Fuel duties in 2008-09 were £0.4 billion below their 2008 Pre-Budget Report projection and were lower than in 2007-08. Since fuel duty is charged on a per litre basis, this reflects a reduction in the demand for fuel.” These newly announced duty rises are in addition to the 2 pence per litre rise that came into force on April 1, and on top of the 2p duty rise last December. September’s increase will bring the total duty on a litre of fuel to 56.19 pence per litre. The ‘VAT holiday’ is to last until the end of the year, so with 15% VAT on top this will take the total tax take on a litre of fuel to around 69 pence of the cost of an average litre of fuel. Along with tax hikes on alcohol and cigarettes, the government hopes the fuel duty hike will bring in the Treasury an extra £6 billion. A car scrappage scheme was also announced, giving drivers a £2000 cash incentive to trade in their old cars and buy new ones, although the details of this are yet to be confirmed. The chancellor appears to have ignored the pleas of motorists, not to mention the countless letters sent to MPs asking for fuel tax to be frozen. More than 130,000 people visited our campaign on fuel tax, It’s Your Duty, and more than 53,000 people went on to visit WriteToThem.com from the campaign pages to write a letter to their MP about fuel tax. Do you feel that the chancellor has ignored motorists in the Budget? How will another 2p duty hike affect you?