Check petrol prices before you buy and save €200
The gap in prices at the pumps is nothing short of a national disgrace.
It has stretched to almost 8c/litre (a little over €1.52 to €1.599) at garages virtually within walking distance of each other.
The Government and environmentalists are all telling us to cut back on emissions to save money.
You would do an awful lot of green driving to save yourself the equivalent of 8c/litre. To put that in old-fashioned measurements -- the difference amounts to 36c/gallon.
Most car fuel tanks take upwards of 40-45 litres (10 gallons). That means you can easily save €3.60 to €4 on each fill.
Or a minimum of €200 a year with really moderate mileage. And that is a minimum.
Larger cars have bigger fuel tanks and tend to be used for much greater mileage.
As such they have the potential to save a lot more money.
Simply by shopping for the lowest-priced fuel, it is possible to save €10 a week -- or €500 a year. But even at the minimum level the 8c/litre translates into serious money.
Expensive
For instance it could pay the extra road tax on the 'greener' cars now hit hardest since the Budget measures came in (concern for environment my foot) and pay your €100 household charge.
That is the sort of context in which the chasm in fuel prices should be put.
Fuel is hugely expensive now and there is no doubt we can save by shopping around.
Even if we can't get to the lowest price every time, we can still make significant savings by being aware of what garages in our areas are charging.
- Eddie Cunningham Motoring Editor
Originally published in
