We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Car website. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookies at any time
The start point for the best source of fleet information |
The best way to make people change their behaviour is through their pocket. Something that is reinforced by the latest fuel figures which show that last year retail fuel volumes fell in conjunction with rising pump prices.
Fuel makes up more than a quarter of the total cost of running a vehicle so it's not a cost to be ignored. Stories of rising fuel prices were, and continue to be, all over the press, and economic conditions mean that times are tough.
This combination makes it no surprise that fuel purchasing patterns are changing, especially when you also consider that new vehicles are delivering better fuel efficiency than ever before.
Between 2010 and 2011, total retail motor fuel purchased was down 1.2% which equates to a decrease of 400 million litres. Interestingly, this was driven by petrol as volumes fell by nearly 5% compared to diesel, which was up nearly 3%.
In total, around 35 billion litres of fuel were purchased throughout the year with petrol making up 52.8% and diesel 47.2%.
For most drivers it remains a major cost and one that must be managed. The practise of driving less or purchasing a newer, more efficient vehicle is of course a good way of doing this but it just isn't practical for everyone.
If you drive decent distances it is important to plan your journey to reduce mileage but many drivers are doing this already.
If this is the case, the best option is to purchase fuel at the lowest price with the cost-per-litre at the different forecourt brands often varying by several pence.
Identifying the forecourts that deliver the cheapest prices (often the supermarkets but not always) can significantly reduce your annual fuel costs. So be aware of the varying prices and plan them into your normal journeys to ensure that your fuel spend goes as far as it possibly can.
It will be interesting to see what next year's fuel figures show, but with current prices at a record high, the UK currently in recession and new vehicles delivering better mpg performance, it wouldn't surprise me if this downward trend continues.
Follow BusinessCar on TWITTER.
BusinessCar magazine ©2019
Business Car Magazine © 2020 | Business Car is part of NS Media Group.
