Fuel Price Hikes: How to Get More For Your Money
Fuel prices in the UK have gone through the roof in recent times. According to GoCompare, the average driver can expect to pay around £300 more per year to fuel their car than in 2021.
A number of factors have contributed to this increase in fuel prices, including slow production times, Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine and the introduction of E10 petrol as standard.
In this article we’ll look at the reasons for these price rises in more depth and we’ll also discuss what you can do to try and minimise these price increases.
WHY HAVE FUEL PRICES INCREASED?
One of the main reasons fuel prices have increased is due to an increase in demand coupled with slow production times in response to this increase.
The RAC’s fuel spokesman Simon Williams states: “Having taken production down when demand fell due to the pandemic, the oil producers are now struggling to get production back up to the required levels to meet demand.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused further uncertainty in global markets. Russia is the third largest producer of oil in the world and is responsible for 10% of the global output. The war with their neighbours will no doubt affect oil supply and sanctions will affect this even more.
In addition to the instability of the global markets, the UK made E10 petrol the new standard in September 2021. E10 contains up to double the amount of ethanol as its predecessor E5. The lower efficiency of E10 petrol compared to E5 means drivers are having to fill up more often than previously, leading to even more demand.
WHAT IS E10 PETROL?
E10 is a biofuel that is made up of 90% regular unleaded petrol and 10% ethanol. Ethanol is made from materials such as low-grade grains, waste wood and sugar. This new greener fuel is now the standard in the UK. The government is aiming to cut CO2 emissions by 750,000 tonnes per year with the introduction of E10.
WHY DOES E10 PETROL PROVIDE POORER FUEL ECONOMY?
E10 petrol contains up to 10% ethanol and ethanol burns quicker than standard petrol meaning E10 is consumed quicker.
In a study by What Car? Magazine, E10 petrol was tested on a variety of different engines. They tested E10 against pure unleaded using a Dacia Sandero, Hyundai i30, Toyota Prius+++ and a Mini Paceman. The results were startling with the Dacia Sandero seeing an 11.5% drop in economy when using E10. The i30’s economy also dropped by 9.8%.
This means that since the shift to E10 petrol drivers in the UK are using more of the new fuel, costing them considerably more each year.
HOW TO GET BETTER EFFICIENCY FROM E10 PETROL
STA-BIL 360 Protection was designed to protect against the harmful effects of ethanol and improve engine performance.
It cleans the entire fuel system of engines with PEA additives for improved power and fuel efficiency. By preserving the fuel system and engine it will burn fuel more completely and efficiently. The fuel system tends to use fuel more efficiently when it’s being well taken care of.
The formula strips away carbon build-up, gum, and varnish from the engine’s combustion chamber and injectors. Regular treatment will restore performance and revitalise the power of your engine.
In addition, STA-BIL 360 Protection guards against corrosion and all the harmful affects of ethanol.
We recommend using STA-BIL 360 Protection at every fill up to improve fuel economy and provide all-round protection against ethanol.
THE BOTTOM LINE
If we take a 60 Litre fuel tank for example, 90ml of STA-BIL 360 Protection would need to be used at fill up. If using a 946ml bottle of the product costing £19.99, one dose would work out at £1.90 and you would have 10.5 doses in total.
We think £1.90 extra at every fill up provides great value when it will improve your fuel economy, increase engine power and protect your engine from all the dangers of ethanol. STA-BIL 360 Protection will also ward off costly bills in the future caused by ethanol damage.