Fuel guides
Straight answers to common questions about fuel prices and how to pay less at the pump.
- E10 or E5: which petrol should you buy?What E10 and E5 are, which cars can use each, and why most drivers can save money with standard unleaded.
- Why is supermarket fuel usually cheaper?Why Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Costco forecourts tend to undercut other stations, and how much that saves on a tank.
- Is it worth driving further for cheaper fuel?The maths behind driving further for a cheaper price, with a worked example and a rule of thumb you can use at the pump.
- Why does diesel cost more than petrol?Why a litre of diesel costs more than a litre of petrol in the UK, and what that means if you're choosing a car.
- What makes up the price of a litre of petrol?Where your money goes when you buy a litre of fuel: fuel duty, VAT, the wholesale cost and the forecourt's margin.
- Why is fuel so expensive at motorway services?Why petrol and diesel cost more at motorway services, and how to plan a long trip so you fill up somewhere cheaper.
- How to use less fuel: practical tips that workPractical ways to get more miles from every tank, from tyre pressures and speed to weight, air con and planning your trips.
- Fuel Finder UK: the government fuel price scheme explainedWhat the government's Fuel Finder scheme is, how forecourt prices reach this site, and why a price can occasionally be out of date.
- Petrol prices on Google Maps: how to see them and what they showHow to see UK petrol and diesel prices in Google Maps and Waze, where the prices come from, and when a dedicated comparison site is more useful.
- When will petrol prices go down?What pushes UK petrol and diesel prices up and down, what has happened to prices in 2026, the fuel duty changes scheduled, and how to pay less in the meantime.
- How to compare petrol prices per litreHow to read pump prices, work out what a difference in pence per litre means on a fill-up, and use a fuel price checker to find the best deal near you.