Misfuelling costs British motorists over £800million per year in repair bills and a further £100million+
Over 150,000 cars are filled with the wrong fuel every year – or over 400 cars a day – according to research from the AA. As well as hefty repair costs, drivers face additional expense in terms of the lost time and stress involved in organising everything from fixing the vehicle, to car hire cover, insurance refunds and re-organising personal arrangements.
Vehicle repair costs depend on the extent of the damage – from up to £300 for a basic fuel drain, up to £7,000 for clearing and re-installing the fuel tank, pumps and filters, and £12,000 or more where parts need replacing.
Now Carrentals.co.uk, which has seen an increase in UK rentals due to drivers putting the wrong fuel in their own cars over the last two years, has looked at the hidden costs incurred by misfuelling.
Average Cost Breakdown of Misfuelling -
• Typical estimate of cost of repair - £5,350 – (costs range from around £300 for a fuel drain, to over £12,000 if the car is driven causing serious damage)
• Time to organise/manage repair, eg organising garage, chasing up insurance company, checking on progress - £218.38 (based on an average hourly wage of £13.37 – source: Office for National Statistics - and approximately 16 hours and 20 minutes to organise repair)
• Re-organise/
• Time and effort involved in changing personal arrangements - £40.11 (based on three hours)
• Organise car hire for typical two weeks – approx £250 (based on Compact category car in London)
• Sundries, eg phone calls to garage and insurance company, wasted fuel etc – estimated at approximately £60.
• Insurance premium increase – average of 10% increase a year (source – British Insurance Premium Index). Current average cost of comprehensive insurance £629.04 (source – AA Index). A 10% increase would take it to £691.95
“Misfuelling is more common than many people think, but it only takes a momentary lapse in concentration and the damage is done” says Carrentals.co.uk Marketing Director Gareth Robinson. “Some people realise their error on the forecourt, but believe that it would be better to break down after leaving rather than face up to the embarrassment of what they have done. However, even just starting the engine can turn hundreds of pounds of damage into thousands.”
The most common misfuelling incidents occur with petrol being pumped into diesel-powered cars, as the narrow petrol nozzle can easily fit into a diesel vehicle. Over half of the vehicles in Europe are now diesel powered, with this figure expected to increase further – adding to the potential for misfuelling.
In terms of insurance, many companies do not cover motorists for misfuelling. A British Insurance Brokers' Association (Biba) survey of major UK insurers found that only 22 per cent of comprehensive insurance policies made explicit reference to misfuelling, while forty per cent of insurers said they would not accept this sort of claim.
“With many households now having more than one vehicle – and often both petrol and diesel cars - it can be hard to keep track of which car is being used, particularly as people have increasingly busy lives,” added Robinson. “Misfuelling is a costly mistake in terms of time, effort and money, so the best advice is to always double check at the pump before you begin fuelling”.
