Nightmare fuel: 1 in 5 admit to filling up their car with the wrong fuel
And 86% of car insurance policies WON’T cover the costs of misfuelling
Filling up your car with the wrong fuel can cause a huge amount of damage - and new research from Go.Compare car insurance has found that this costly mistake might be more common than you think.
The research found that 1 in 5 people (20%) have accidentally filled up their vehicle with the wrong fuel at least once, with men more likely to top up the tank incorrectly than women - nearly 1 in 4 men (24%) have misfuelled, compared to only 17% of women.*
Younger drivers may also be more at risk of misfuelling, with 1 in 4 of those aged 25-34 admitting they’ve made this mistake - making this age group the most likely to misfuel. Meanwhile, wisdom does seem to come with age, as only 14% of 45-54-year-olds admitted they had topped up their tanks with the wrong fuel, the lowest of any age group.
Misfuelling occurs when the wrong fuel is pumped into a vehicle, for instance, if you put petrol into a diesel engine or vice versa. As well as causing significant damage to the car’s engine, you could face costly repairs if you misfuel - potentially stretching into the thousands.
Analysing 296 car insurance policies, Go.Compare found that only 14% include cover as standard for the costs if you accidentally misfuel.** While 3% do offer misfuelling cover as an optional extra, 83% exclude the cover altogether - meaning that for many, making a mistake with your fuel could do damage to your bank balance as well as your car.
Tom Banks, Go.Compare car insurance spokesperson, said: “You might think you’d never be guilty of misfuelling - but it could be an easier mistake to make than you think. If you’ve recently changed cars, are borrowing someone else’s vehicle, or simply have a lot on your mind when you’re at the petrol station, you could quickly find yourself staring down the barrel of a costly repair bill.
“If you do accidentally fill up with the wrong fuel, it’s important to remember not to turn your key in the ignition or try to drive away - if you engage fuel to your car’s engine, you can potentially cause thousands of pounds worth of damage. So, stop in your tracks and call for assistance away from the forecourt. Provided you haven’t started the engine, you may be able to fix the problem by draining and cleaning the tank of the wrong fuel.
“Our research shows that although misfuelling is quite a common mistake, many insurance policies don’t cover it as standard. So, it’s important to check your car insurance details to see the extent of your cover. With some policies, you can add misfuelling cover as an optional extra, and with the repair bills for misfuelling often being extremely costly, this extra cover could be a worthwhile investment.”
For more information about misfuelling and the cover available, visit: http://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/misfuelling-cover/.
Contact Information
Rosie Johns
Notes to editors
Notes to editors
*These findings are from a study released by Sago between June XX to XX, among a random selection of 2,129 GB adults ages 18+, of which 1,724 own or rent a car, van or motorbike. The results were weighted by age, gender, region, and ethnicity to match the population, according to Census data. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals when compared to the data tables are due to rounding. Excerpts from this release of findings should be properly attributed, with interpretation subject to clarification or correction.
**Analysis of 296 comprehensive car insurance policies on Defaqto, 4th July 2024.
For further information please contact:
Lynsey Walden – lynsey.walden@gocompare.com
Kath Chadwick – Kathryn.chadwick@gocompare.com
Or you can call 02920 020360.
Keep up-to-date with GoCompare on Twitter; @Go.Compare
Notes to editors
About Go.Compare
Go.Compare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
It does not charge people to use its services and does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. Go.Compare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. It is this approach to comparing products that secured the company an invitation to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) in 2008, and it is still the only comparison site to be a member of this organisation.
Go.Compare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest and works with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
Go.Compare is part of Future Plc and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
More information can be found here www.gocompare.com or here https://www.futureplc.com/brands/.