We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
MSE News: Petrol prices - New road signs will compare service station costs

Former_MSE_Darryl
Posts: 210 Forumite
in Motoring
"Plans designed to reduce petrol prices at motorway service stations have been announced by the Government as part of a broader bid to cut driving costs for UK motorists..."
Read the full story:
Petrol prices: New road signs will compare service station costs

Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply. If you aren’t sure how it all works, read our New to Forum? Intro Guide.
Petrol prices: New road signs will compare service station costs

Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply. If you aren’t sure how it all works, read our New to Forum? Intro Guide.
0
Comments
-
I would welcome the introduction of the fuel prices to be displayed for motorway service stations.
They can add at least 5-10p onto the price for no reason, they probably have cheaper rates as town/city rents should be higher.
they just know they have a customer base that on the whole does not have time or local info of cheaper alternatives.
Be interesting to know how the prices will be updated though, will shell etc be forced to tell the transport authorities.0 -
Been doing this in France for donkeys years.............0
-
I would welcome the introduction of the fuel prices to be displayed for motorway service stations.
They can add at least 5-10p onto the price for no reason, they probably have cheaper rates as town/city rents should be higher.
It's not true, the cost of running them is massive. http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-1513534/They-run-a-near-monopoly-charge-a-fortune-but-cant-make-money.html0 -
Unlike the government which adds 55p odd per litre as extra tax as well as vat.0
-
In the almost 30 years I've been driving, I've put fuel in at a motorway service station just once and that was only because I had an issue with a car with a faulty fuel gauge. Incidentally, I live just two miles from the M1 and I use it everyday, the thought of filling up with fuel at any of the fuel stations along it doesn't even enter my head.
I cannot understand why people don't plan their journey before they go to take in fuel stations off of motorways if they really have to fill up. I always fill my tank before I leave home and I always manage to reach my destination on the same tank as I can achieve up to six hundred miles on a single tank which effectively allows me to drive almost anywhere in the UK without filling up at unbelieveably expensive motorway fuel stations. I wonder sometimes whether people genuinely have too much money and don't mind paying far more than they have to, I certainly wouldn't purposely pay anything up to 15 pence a litre more than I had to.
Clear motorway fuel pricing would be welcome, but so would a sign pointing people to the nearest cheapest fuel station off the motorway.0 -
There's plenty to be said for convenience too, if I've stopped for a break on the route to somewhere and need to top up (I get <300 miles/tank) I'll put in enough fuel to get me to my destination, and I can fill up there. Maybe it'll cost me an extra £1 or 2 but I could easily waste that much fuel trying to find a petrol station and return to the motorway. My running costs were about 20p/mile last time I looked, so potentially a 5 mile stretch from motorway exit to petrol station wipes out my savings and wastes time.
I wouldn't go to them by default, but they provide a useful service and I wouldn't demonise them either.0 -
I'd hazard a guess that most using the filling stations regularly are business users doing it at someone elses expense and don't give toss about the cost. These unnecessary signs (no doubt to be paid and run by the operator, who will add the costs to the fuel) are really half-thought out ideas that should never get out of a committee room. Incidentally it appears to be the fashion that all of this driving around looking for a penny off a litre is instantly squandered at the counter when people buy over-priced milk and bread and attempt to consume their own body weight in "discount" chocolate.0
-
Have they not just removed these (unused) signs from the motorways ?
Plan ahead, use Google maps and search for Asda / Tesco / Morrisons / Sainsburys near the motorway. My usual fill up when heading south is Tesco Carlisle and if I want a sandwich and drink or even a hot meal then I can get one at a fraction of the cost of the same in a service area0 -
There's plenty to be said for convenience too, if I've stopped for a break on the route to somewhere and need to top up (I get <300 miles/tank) I'll put in enough fuel to get me to my destination, and I can fill up there. Maybe it'll cost me an extra £1 or 2 but I could easily waste that much fuel trying to find a petrol station and return to the motorway. My running costs were about 20p/mile last time I looked, so potentially a 5 mile stretch from motorway exit to petrol station wipes out my savings and wastes time.
I wouldn't go to them by default, but they provide a useful service and I wouldn't demonise them either.
The last time I went down to the South West, I planned my journey in advance for a break finding a Tesco supermarket less than two miles off a junction where not only did I buy a snack for a lot less than any motorway service station would charge, but I also took the opportunity to fill up at 'normal' everyday prices. It certainly wasn't inconvenient to come off the motorway to do this.
Motorway service stations may well provide a useful service, but at a ridiculous premium. I'm afraid for me, they are just a toilet stop only.0 -
I never ever ever fill up on the motorway. There are supermarkets everywhere close to motorways with much cheaper fuel, for example on the M5 I use Asda at junction2, on the M6 Sainburys at junction 29.
This will do little to lower fuel costs on the motorway, especially as there are only 2 or 3 main firms like MOTO and Welcome Break who run the services.
It is just a cynical attempt by the current government to try to be seen to be doing something whilst actually achieving nothing.0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 348.2K Banking & Borrowing
- 252.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 452.3K Spending & Discounts
- 240.7K Work, Benefits & Business
- 617K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 175.6K Life & Family
- 253.9K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards