Petrol news
19/10/2011
Drivers travelling longer distances to reach closest petrol station
Searching for the cheapest car insurance may help motorists save money which they might need to spend in fuel costs travelling to petrol stations.
Independent and national retail goods wholesaler Palmer and Harvey has found that despite the number of vehicles on British roads doubling since 1991, the quantity of petrol stations has decreased in the same time period from 21,000 to fewer than 9,000.
As a result many motorists, especially those in ‘fuel deserts' in the countryside where the nearest forecourt is miles away, are having to use up a lot of their fuel just to fill their tank with more.
The chairman of the RMI Independent Petrol Retailers Association stated, "The particular area of concern is the UK's important rural economies where consumers will have to drive substantially increased distances to fill-up if their local independent petrol retailer is forced out of business."
Whereas petrol stations used to be easy to reach and fuel was relatively cheap, now road users are finding that they have to spend more money using fuel on the journey to the petrol station as well as a greater amount buying fuel when they reach the forecourt.
In order to save money on fuel costs road users may wish to purchase a hybrid vehicle. Although the cost of insurance for cars with added fuel efficiency is generally still quite high across all insurance companies, many of these cars are road tax exempt and do not need to be filled up at a petrol station as often as other vehicles.
However, motorists who cannot afford to buy a new car can save money by finding the cheapest car insurance suited to their particular circumstances.