REVEALED: The best supermarket to go to if you REALLY want to save money on fuel
SUPERMARKETS now sell more than half the petrol and diesel bought in the UK.
Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons all sell their own fuel at superstores.
But do you actually save any money buying your fuel at the supermarket compared to filling up at Shell, Esso or any other 'normal' petrol station?
You might be surprised to learn that the petrol you buy at the supermarkets is NOT the same as the fuel you would buy from other garages.
In fact, as many petrol heads will tell you, the difference in quality is so great some would rather pay extra than EVER put supermarket fuel in their tanks. But are they right?
In a word, no. All UK fuel must meet British and European standards - EN228 for unleaded and for diesel EN590.
You might be surprised to learn that the petrol you buy at the supermarkets is NOT the same as the fuel you would buy from other garages.
Fuel companies do often add a cocktail of additives to boost performance, but this is really where the difference starts and ends.
For this minimal privilege, you will pay a hefty premium. And fuel, at its basic level, is generally the same in terms of performance whereever you buy it.
So the most important thing you need to know IS where you can find the best deal. For the latest fuel prices in your area check out mySupermarket.co.uk
YES...BUT WHICH SUPERMARKET SHOULD I BUY MY FUEL FROM?
Tesco
Tesco have launched a new scheme which they claim is an industry first: Tesco Clubcard Fuel Save. This links your shopping spend in store directly to the pumps by giving customers 2p off a litre of fuel for every £50 spent in store. So a family spending £300 get a whopping 12p off, per litre, per month.
Asda
Asda do like to shout about low low prices. They've launched their Fuel Price Checker which is on the front of their clever mobile app, This will automatically display details of your nearest Asda store wherever you are in the country and show you the most recent fuel prices. But it doesn't give you any money off.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's really don’t like gimmicks and they don’t currently have anything special to say about their fuel prices. But, of course as with all things Sainsbury's you can collect Nectar points when you spend in store or at the pumps, collect 1 Nectar point for every 1 litre of fuel purchased at Sainsbury’s.
Morrisons
The Morrisons Fuel Saver scheme works by families using gift cards bought in Morrisons to pay for purchases on the high street. Customers pick up the cards during their weekly shop, they receive a voucher which gives them money off fuel: 1p-a-litre for every £10 they spend when they next fill up, They then use their gift cards like cash to pay for their shopping on the high street
THE VERDICT:
Asda and Sainsbury's simply don't do much to incentivise you to buy fuel at their forecourts.
Morrisons will give you a very chunky discount, but you need a PhD in Applied Retail Marketing just to understand how the Morrison's Fuel Saver scheme actually works.
The clear winner is TESCO.
They have the best thought-out and simplest reward scheme by far.
It offers meaningful savings, especially when combined with their consistently competitive fuel prices.
