Why are petrol prices so high?

westv

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82135429#Comment_82135429

I just choose the most convenient at the time I fill up.

HumbleHuman

I always try to fill up on the way somewhere.
Closest to me in Chester is 177.9 today, but on the run over to my mate's
in St Helens the cheapest is 164.9 in Widnes. The worst on that route is 189.9, so can save a few quid.
The screenshot is from a free website I made, and loads of websites do this kind of thing now.

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82134730#Comment_82134730

That just refers to anonymous 'analysts' rather than experts as such, and sounds very much like a loose rule of thumb rather than a reliable correlation - immediately above that comment is "The price of petrol and diesel is also heavily influenced by demand and refining capacity" too, so those are more variables to factor in…

Aretnap

Now we have Labour who last time in power, increased it at every budget.

And what have they done at every budget since they returned to power? That's right, frozen it. Is there anything else that hasn't happened but that you want to be angry about anyway?

In all seriousness, if a Labour government with a massive majority doesn't have the balls to end the fuel duty freeze at the very beginning of a parliament (always the best time to do unpopular things as everyone will have forgotten them by the next election) then it's a fairly safe to assume that fuel duty will never increase again. It will become an irrelevance over the next decade anyway as internal combustion vehicles disappear from the roads at an ever faster rate. How to tax electric cars properly will become a much more pressing issue.

Aretnap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82135429#Comment_82135429

I'm sure there must be a good economics paper to be gotten out of those Fuel Finder websites as a case study in the Law of One Price, or is failure.

Aretnap

Go on then, I'll bite. Who dosn't have the choice to use the cheapest petrol station in their area? Given that the whole point of having a car is that you can, y'know, use it to drive to places?

Barkin

Go on then, I'll bite. Who dosn't have the choice to use the cheapest petrol station in their area?

Back when I was working, I drove a company vehicle and fuelled it using a company provided Esso fuel card.

The "choice" was either to use it at Esso places, or find somewhere cheaper and pay out of my own pocket…

sheramber

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82136776#Comment_82136776

When you live in the far north of Scotland and the only fuel station is in the nearest town 17 miles away.

Next nearest is 40 miles away.

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82137221#Comment_82137221

In that scenario, where there's only one petrol station within 40 miles, it must be the cheapest in the area (while also being the most expensive!).

Herzlos

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82136776#Comment_82136776

You can get into deep into the maths of trying to figure out if it's worth detouring for fuel though. Is it worth the time / fuel / tyre wear / to go a few miles off route to save a few pennies per litre on fuel?

It's different if you use the cheapest one you're already going to pass, though.