Petrol Price Saver

Capitalizing on downward swings in petrol price is simple - but only if you refuel smarter

Petrol companies paint the picture that petrol price is both logical and cheap, but the reality appears quite different

This post is about petrol price and how to drive so you can re-fuel more often when petrol prices are comparatively low, thereby saving money.

Petrol price fluctuations

Petrol price fluctuations at the service station are inevitable and unpredictable – but there is a very simple driving and refueling strategy that will allow you to save whenever the petrol price drops. It’s an easy, no-compromise way for any driver to cut the cost of motoring.

Variations in the petrol price happen without warning – and without apparently being based on underlying economic forces. One day petrol price is up; the next petrol price is down – without rime or reason. Often petrol price varies wildly throughout the day.

Petrol price reality check

One thing’s for sure, however, if your fuel light has just gone on, you’re stuck with whatever petrol price pertains right this moment. It’s either that or you could boycot the high prevailing petrol price ... until your car grinds to a halt in peak-hour traffic and everyone around you starts giving you death stares.

Petrol price saver

The cure to manic-depressive petrol price syndrome is dead simple – start looking for a refill when your petrol gauge reads about half full. In an average car, this will mean you’ll still have about 300km worth of mobility left in the petrol tank. This effectively constitutes ‘breathing space’ during which you can monitor the petrol price simply by glancing at the petrol stations you drive past. If you notice a downward blip in the petrol price, that’s a clear indication you should stop now and refuel because the petrol price is comparatively low.

Employing this technique means you stop being a passive victim of prevailing petrol prices, playing a kind of ‘snakes & ladders’ game with no recourse to those times when petrol price does the 'death adder' bit every time your fuel light goes on. This method means you can drive with one eye on the petrol price from about the half full mark on your petrol gauge, so you’ll bypass many of the petrol price snakes while ascending a few of the petrol price ladders on the board. For a change.

Petrol price & human nature

Nobody enjoys buying petrol. We only do it because the car's going to stop if we don't.

Manic-depressive swings in petrol price are commonplace, but if you want to capitalize on cheap petrol prices more often you have to get over some basic human psychology: get over the fact that you hate buying petrol. Don't make like most drivers and put it off until it can’t be put off any longer. It’s just like going to the dentist. Fuel light on, sucking on vapour … car set to conk out imminently – that’s when most people buy petrol. If you do that, there’s no option but to pay the prevailing petrol price.

If you buy petrol like that, there's simply no way you can wait a few days for a downward swing in the price.