Petrol drivers are facing charges of up to 17p per mile in January - but there are three things you can do to keep the costs down. The average price per litre is currently 134.06p for unleaded and 142.96p for diesel at forecourts across the UK, according to the latest RAC fuel price figures. However, the price of petrol fell to 134.97p per litre at the start of November - a 0.58p drop from 135.55p at the start of October.
Now, at the start of January, the price is almost another 1p lower. According to motoring and insurance website NimbleFins, the average fuel economy of UK petrol cars is 36mpg, which means that, based on the current price per litre, it costs around 17p per mile to run a petrol car, excluding other costs such as maintenance.
To keep your costs down, George’s Car Media has shared his top three tips to help you get the most out of the petrol in your tank.
In a TikTok video, he advises drivers to fill their tanks with 99 fuel — referring to premium petrol with a 99 RON (Research Octane Number). However, he says most people will be “fine with 95”, which is the standard and most commonly used fuel in the UK.
He added: “When I would go out on my driving lessons with my granny, she would always say, ‘George, you’re accelerating up to that T-junction and then braking, which is a big loss of momentum.’”
Responding to this, the police officer in his video said: “Granny is right. It’s all about observation, anticipation and planning. If you’re looking far enough ahead, you can anticipate what’s going on.
“If it looks like those lights are about to change, then using your throttle rather than your brakes to adjust your speed will help you save fuel because you’re driving more smoothly.”
Finally, the police officer urges drivers to check their tyre pressure, saying it can impact the amount of fuel you use on the road. He simply said: “Get them up to the right tyre pressure, as that will save you miles per gallon.”
Commenting on the video, one user said: “Shell is best — will take Tesco Optimum or Esso Supreme if there’s no Shell nearby.” Another user added: “BP or Shell 98/99 for me. I’ve never bought supermarket fuel and never would.”
A third user said: “Don’t use 95 — it caused massive carbon build-up on my 2.0 TS intake manifold and clogged my runner position sensor.” One more user added: “Acceleration sense is unfortunately a lost art.”
