Fuel for thought

“Excuse me, is there a problem?”

Uh-oh, I’ve been caught out. I’m stood at the petrol station, pumping diesel into my Astra with one hand and snapping a photograph of the Texaco sign - and prices - on my iphone with the other.

Flustered I spin round, dribble fuel onto the concrete forecourt and drop my car keys into the puddle.

Two women are approaching me, both wearing Texaco branded fleeces and quizzical expressions.

“No, there’s no problem,” I try to smile while at the same time fumbling with my fuel cap and shuffling to bend and reach my soggy keys without giving them an eyeful (why did I choose today of all days to wear a short skirt?).

“We thought you were taking photos of the sign with the prices,” one of the ladies, who has straight brown hair and an authoritative tone, tells me.

“Well I was, but there’s no problem.”

I take a deep breath, tug my skirt hem down (bit like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted) and explain my resolution to avoid the supermarkets this year, which of course also means finding somewhere other than Tesco or Morrisons to fill up my car.

The women brighten considerably and the one who challenged me introduces herself as Carol, the manager.

I’ve come to the petrol station in Hasland, just round the corner from my house, which is run by Texaco.

The prices are higher than what I normally pay at the supermarkets - 141.9 for diesel compared to 137.9 at Morrisons in Chesterfield.

Clearly Texaco is a huge global brand (not unlike Tesco) so filling up here doesn’t sit comfortably with the ethos of looking for small independent places to shop. But when it comes to petrol there’s a monopoly by the big brands and supermarkets so it’s not necessarily easy to find an alternative.

I have reasoned that at least filling up at the Texaco in Hasland keeps some of my money within the district where I live, helping to pay the wages of local people. It also has a Post Office on site - quite a rarity these days and something I’d like to keep.

Although it’s a couple of pence more expensive, let’s be honest, how much difference does that really make? I usually pay somewhere between £57-£60 to fill my tank up, depending on how close to my petrol warning light I am, and my Texaco fuel stop was no exception - around £58. And it’s several miles closer to my house than any other petrol station so I would probably spend however many pennies I save on the price of fuel on driving to any of the alternatives.

Carol, who is on her way out for a break with her colleague, is keen to give me another reason to shun supermarket fuel.

“You’ll get more miles to the gallon if you use good quality fuel,” she says. “Some of the cheaper places put additives in their fuel which aren’t as good for your engine or won’t get you as far.”

I smile politely, wondering how much wackier this interaction is going to get.

“I didn’t believe it at first either,” says Carol’s colleague, seeing the look of doubt on my face. “But it’s true, your car really will go further. I’ve been working here for 15 years now and I always fill up my own car here.”

I thank them and drive away, promising to look into it further, and a bit of online research does indeed suggest that there may be something in this.

Now I’m no chemist, or mechanic, but it would seem that fuel comes in different grades which is how the quality is determined. And although it all comes from the same refinery, individual suppliers are able to add their own blend of additives to their fuel - both petrol and diesel - before selling it at the pumps.

All fuel has to meet British Standard, but some are designed to give more miles per gallon or better engine performance, and of course you can buy premium fuel at most filling stations alongside the regular stuff.

Unfortunately at this point opinions fly off in all directions, with some people saying that it’s total rubbish and doesn’t make any difference where you buy your petrol or diesel, while others swear they get better fuel economy or a “smoother feel” when choosing a more expensive fuel from one of the big brand names rather than filling up at a supermarket.

Had I known this a week ago I would have filled up at a supermarket and clocked my mileage before starting this challenge. Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing?

But I do know what I normally expect to get out of my car, in terms of how far I can get (how many trips to and from work, the stables etc) between fill-ups. So I will use this highly un-technical method and see if I can spot any difference now we’re running on Texaco juice.

Carol has promised to read this blog, so perhaps she can add a comment and explain it in much better detail that I can.

And if anyone else has any tips on the best places to buy fuel - taking into account the drive to shop locally, independently and ethically, I’d love to hear them....