There’s a trick that will help you save money at petrol stations (Image: Vincent Cole – Manchester Evening News)
Martin Lewis has told drivers how they can save a little bit on the cost of filling up with petrol and diesel thanks to a fuel pumps calibration trick that was thought to be an ‘urban myth’.
A handy tip during cold and like the freeze which has settled across the UK today, says drivers can make the cold work to their advantage at the pumps.
Money Saving Expert’s Martin has told drivers that there is a way to save on filling up by going to get petrol when it’s cold.
It’s all down to the way the fuel pumps are calibrated and it IS legit, even though many thought it to be an old wives’ tale.
Martin Lewis has told drivers the cheapest time of day to fill up (Image: ITV1)
Martin urged motorists looking to squeeze every penny from their petrol budget that they should fill up at night.
This is because it’s colder at night, and because fuel pumps are calibrated by volume, you get a tiny bit of extra fuel by filling up when it’s colder.
This tip would also work extremely well in the snowy and icy weather, like today, but only if it’s safe to travel to fill up where you are.
In Scotland, but in other areas, snow has given way to general cold and wet conditions.
Petroleum liquid expands when it’s warm, so you’ll get a tiny bit less in your tank if you fill up during hot weather, and a tiny bit more if you get petrol when it’s coldest, such as during freezing days like today.
Martin Lewis told his MSE website followers that although it does work, it is a pretty small amount of difference.
He said: “Talk of filling up at night getting you more is a slight urban myth, as the difference is minuscule pennies at best.
“Fuel pumps are calibrated by volume, so fill up at night when it’s colder and you get a tiny, tiny bit extra.”
So what about that other petrol urban myth: is supermarket petrol lower quality than branded petrol?
Up until recently, when supermarkets were accused of failing to pass on savings on fuel to customers, supermarket petrol stations were usually cheaper than branded forecourts like BP and Shell.
But a common belief was that supermarket petrol was ‘watered down’ and somehow inferior to the branded stuff.
According to experts, there is no difference in the quality between supermarket and branded filling stations because they all have to conform to the same British standard for fuel.
However, if you have a high performance car like a sports car, the ‘Super Unleaded’ fuels such as the premium brands from the likes of BP and Texaco CAN make a difference due to the higher octane rating. A higher rating means fuel can be compressed more without igniting, leading to better performance. Although it won’t hurt to put this high-end petrol in a rustbucket, you won’t notice any difference in performance unless you use it in a higher end car with a powerful engine.