Cheap Fuel Or The More Expensive Shell/esso Etc Fuel?

[Michael Purvis]

my 1 year old fiesta seems a bit more thirsty for fuel compared to my 11 year old clio,that was a 1.15ltr and my fiesta is a 1.25ltr and thought it still would be more fuel efficiant than my old car even tho its slightly bigger and got more horses under the bonnet,anyhow i buy my fuel from morrisons just coz its on average 2p a litre cheaper but is it worth getting fuel like shells fuel save etc as they always say theres is better quality and more fuel efficiant,even though i know one petrol company got done for over exaggerating their fuel efficiency claims

[btmaldon]

This is a well debated subject. I did find that I was getting 5mpg less using Asda Petrol for around 6 months when compared with the likes of Esso. However things have recently changed and I am now getting similar returns. They may have changed supplier.

During that 6 months our SportKA started having problems and developed a missfire that was giving us numerous error codes. It may be worth filling up on occasions with the branded stuff to see if this makes any difference.

[NorthSussex]

As a light foot driver I can't detect any difference between MPG using Supermarket fuel and branded fuel. Mondeo 2ltr petrol 31 MPG, Focus 1.8 ltr petrol 37MPG mainly using Supermarket petrol, (no motorway mainly short local journeys), that's not far off manufactures claims, you may get different results if you have a heavy foot.

[Stoney871]

Supermarkets buy fuel from whoever is the cheapest so the quality will vary.

If you use supermarket fuel all the time I recommend filling with big brand fuel once in a while.

TBH, running around looking for the cheapest fuel wastes more money than you'll save on the fuel.

Cheapest in my area tends to be Asds and that's a 15 mile round trip- just to save 0.2p per litre, not worth the effort at all.

[.Ryan]

Always used Morrisons standard stuff, as others have said once in a while, filling up with the expensive stuff would be a good idea :) Filled up at the start of the month and banged some Redex in too :)

[Michael Purvis]

cheers for the replies,i work at morrisons so its easier for me to get petrol there but on the way home i pass a total (strangely far more expensve then everyone else) and an esso which is only a penny more expensive,ford recommend bp but cant even find one in my area,but the redex idea was in my mind to use aswel,even though i have not got a clue how to put it in coz my car has that stupid anti petrol thingy on so i dont accidently fill it with diesel

[NorthSussex]

To add Redex; You should have a small funnel hidden away somewhere in the car for filling from a can, have a look in the spare wheel area or Ford can supply for under £5, don't try to put it in without the funnel or it will end up all over your feet. <_< .

[Fastfordman]

I always put branded fuel in easy/shell/total depending on where I am passing as the quality is always the same, as stoney says supermarket fuel varies each time. I tend to get 2-3mpg less on supermarket fuel and when I do 400miles a week that makes a difference.

[jeebowhite]

I prefer supermarket fuel to be used as little as possible, I use Shell for almost all tanks and driving on average 300 miles per week, lets me get around 450 - 500 miles out of a tank (if done sensibly) If I cant get to Shell (lets say there tanker is there and station is closed) then I will use Sainsbury's as a sub use of BP on the odd tank, which means I can get almost identical mileage out of it, less about 10 - 30 miles, but when used recurringly, it drops my MPG like a stone...

[Stoney871]

Trying to remember which garages a few years back caused problems with duff fuel affecting cars?

Anyway, fuel suppliers seem very random with additives and quality, surely there is supposed to be a minimum standard the fuel must meet.

I really can't be arsed with chasing fuel that is 1p cheaper than another site when the extra miles driven to get it cancels out any possible savings.

I also really really can't get excited about fuel economy and mpg calculations/fuel economy etc.

I use as much fuel as it takes to get from A to B and back again as often as necessary and when I need fuel I fill up- end of.

What happened to driving for the pure enjoyment of it rather than worrying about the costs? Just get behind the wheel and crack on, hang the economy.

[GSM]

I don't notice any difference whatsoever between Shell fuel (I won't go ANYWHERE near the BP which is directly across the road from the Shell and has the cheek to always be 2p/L more expensive) and ASDA fuel - which are the two cheapest branded and supermarket fuels available in my area respectively. Both garages are within a mile of my house and I pass them both on a regular basis, so it's not a big deal to go for the cheaper fuel instead of the branded stuff.

For the general health of the car, however, I do use Shell fuel maybe once every 4 fills - and if I'm particularly tight on cash, then I'll make that fill less than my usual fill.

At the moment ASDA are at 128.7p/L for petrol and shell are at 129.7p/L, so now is around the time when I'd start putting in the branded stuff a bit more often - and then when the prices diverge, I'll go back to doing to it once every 4 fills or so, with the Shell fill being less than I usually fill.

I find it's a good compromise - but as I say, I can't tell the difference, and neither can my trip computer.

[btmaldon]

Like I said earlier, the Asda fuel in my area appears to be OK at the moment. Ive just been running around locally and am averaging 42 mpg with the stuff, but am taking it easy. A little while ago it was giving me appalling returns when compared to the branded stuff. Unfortunately Asda is the only fuel provider in my town.

[jordan_macgregor]

Trying to remember which garages a few years back caused problems with duff fuel affecting cars?

Anyway, fuel suppliers seem very random with additives and quality, surely there is supposed to be a minimum standard the fuel must meet.

I really can't be arsed with chasing fuel that is 1p cheaper than another site when the extra miles driven to get it cancels out any possible savings.

I also really really can't get excited about fuel economy and mpg calculations/fuel economy etc.

I use as much fuel as it takes to get from A to B and back again as often as necessary and when I need fuel I fill up- end of.

What happened to driving for the pure enjoyment of it rather than worrying about the costs? Just get behind the wheel and crack on, hang the economy.

True that...only thing is i notice i get more miles to a tank using branded fuels, i usually fill up at Shell. What affects the distance shown on the trip computer apat from how much fuel is in the tank?!

[NorthSussex]

True that...only thing is i notice i get more miles to a tank using branded fuels, i usually fill up at Shell. What affects the distance shown on the trip computer apat from how much fuel is in the tank?!

Your driving style previous to filling up, it assumes you will drive in the same way, if you don't then the miles left in the tank will re-adjust up or down.

[DaveD]

I dont think its a good idea to put Redex into a petrol car with a Cat Converter unless you want it to fail. Buying branded fuel usually they have the chemicals in to keep your fuel system clean (I know Shell does) and efficient. Supermarkets buy their fuel where they can get it cheap so who knows what you are buying.

[jeebowhite]

I disagree with David, but not by much! I find that sometimes your MPG can be dropping heavily, in which case a few tanks of Redex can and most often do make a difference, that will last. But regular usage is pointless and more likely to damage your car. I see one or two tanks of fuel + redex being nothing worse than a really cack tank of fuel from the cheapest supermarket out there...