Best place to fill up my car?

Jlawson118

Where to buy fuel from is something that's never really crossed my mind before I got my first car a few days ago, and since I've got it, I keep being asked where I'm going to fill it up when it needs it..

My grandad has always used Morrisons and I know my driving instructor did too, and my step-dad uses Asda a lot. But then I was reading posts yesterday of people saying that supermarket petrol isn't very good and that it comes from the same factories but it's watered down a lot, and my next door neighbour said he once filled his car up at Morrisons and it didn't really agree with his car..

I'm just wondering where is best?

neilmcl

Just fill up wherever's cheapest, it's not going to make any difference to you as a new driver.

BeenThroughItAll

Jlawson118 wrote: »

Where to buy fuel from is something that's never really crossed my mind before I got my first car a few days ago, and since I've got it, I keep being asked where I'm going to fill it up when it needs it..

My grandad has always used Morrisons and I know my driving instructor did too, and my step-dad uses Asda a lot. But then I was reading posts yesterday of people saying that supermarket petrol isn't very good and that it comes from the same factories but it's watered down a lot, and my next door neighbour said he once filled his car up at Morrisons and it didn't really agree with his car..

I'm just wondering where is best?

In 22 years and approaching a million miles in/on numerous different cars, vans, motorhomes, mopeds and motorcycles I have never worried about where I put fuel in. Generally, I'll go where I know it's cheapest (usually Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda) in my area, but if I need to I'll fill up anywhere else.


None of those vehicles have ever suffered as a result of using any particular fuel.


NO road fuel in the UK is 'watered down'. It DOES all come from the same storage facilities (I have numerous customers in the industry). It DOES all come from the same limited number of refineries in raw form. The only differences in branded fuel are in the additive packs added on loading at the distribution terminals.


Lots of people will tell you their car runs better/goes further/goes faster on a particular fuel, but the simple fact is that all road fuel meets the same minimum standards, and with only exceptional circumstances where individual stations' or tankers' supplies are contaminated, your car will be just fine on any of them.

AdrianC

The reality...
Across the country, there are a tiny handful of refineries, which send fuel via pipeline to a small number of regional distribution depots. They store the fuel in ginormous tanks, which are then used to fill tankers supplying all brands of petrol station. Each brand adds a small amount of brand-specific additive to the base fuel at that point, before delivering the fuel to their branded stations.

All fuel has to conform to international technical standards.

Sosumi

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

In 22 years and approaching a million miles in/on numerous different cars, vans, motorhomes, mopeds and motorcycles I have never worried about where I put fuel in.

As one who’s been driving for over 50 years, I’m probably a bit old-fashioned about this but I’ve always put it in the tank.

BeenThroughItAll

Sosumi wrote: »

As one who’s been driving for over 50 years, I’m probably a bit old-fashioned about this but I’ve always put it in the tank.

Nice one. :-)

Feral_Moon

I rarely use supermarket fuel. I get more mpg at my local garage (rural) which is only 1-2p a litre more than the supermarket 20 miles away. On the odd occasion I've needed to fill up in town I've got 20 miles per £10 less usage.

I'm currently paying 111.99 whereas nearest major supermarket is 109.99

Sosumi

AdrianC wrote: »

The reality...
Across the country, there are a tiny handful of refineries, which send fuel via pipeline to a small number of regional distribution depots. They store the fuel in ginormous tanks, which are then used to fill tankers supplying all brands of petrol station. Each brand adds a small amount of brand-specific additive to the base fuel at that point, before delivering the fuel to their branded stations.

All fuel has to conform to international technical standards.

But it’s that additive that makes the difference.

A bit like what people add to a glass of cola; some add Bacardi, some add whisky, some add brandy and some add nothing. The end result and the difference between them is most definitely noticeable.

BeenThroughItAll

Yet when you actually look at the blending instruction and additive injection instructions at the terminal, the quantities are so tiny (as low as 250ml/10000L of some brands' package), it really is extremely difficult to reconcile the massive differences people claim to experience with the chemistry involved.

It really is analogous to homeopathic fuel.

Sosumi

It always amuses me how many people so picky about where they buy fuel in Britain head straight to the supermarket to buy it in France.

facade

I always keep the receipts.

1) If I could be bothered, I could calculate exactly how many mpg I get, and how much it costs to run my car.

2) If the fuel is contaminated, I can prove I bought it so Tescos will have to pay for repairs. (I know they film and NPR every customer, but I bet those records would be mysteriously erased when they have to shell out £500 a car to drain the fuel, replace it and replace the oxygen sensors like last time when they put diesel additives in the petrol.....)