Shopping around for petrol could be a waste of time and money, says survey

Shopping around for cheaper petrol could be a waste of time and money, according to a price comparison website.

Gocompare reckons millions of drivers could be unwittingly wasting their time trying to find cheaper fuel.

In new research released today, based on a survey of 2,000 drivers, it found:

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- 3.5m motorists will drive up to 10 miles out of their way to save 5p a litre

- Another 2.5m motorists will drive 20 miles or more out of their way to save 5p a litre

- However, even in a Ford Focus 1.6, driving just 9 extra miles could cancel out any potential saving.

The website says confusion around 'mile per litre' fuel consumption could be to blame with only 13% of drivers knowing their car's mile per litre fuel consumption.

Other findings in the research are:

- UK drivers spend an average of £38.81 every time they refuel

- A 5p a litre saving on the average refuel figure could amount to just £1.40 in total on an average petrol top-up, and £1.34 for diesel.

Researchers estimated the maximum distances motorists could drive before cancelling out the benefit of a 5p per litre saving on petrol or diesel when refuelling with an average top-up.

For example, at current AA average fuel prices (137.9p per litre petrol and 144.8p per litre diesel) driving a petrol engine car with an average combined fuel efficiency of around 45 miles per gallon for more than an extra 10 miles cancels out the benefit of a 5p per litre saving on an average £38.81 top-up.

None of the figures take into account the additional time it takes and the extra wear and tear on a vehicle and its tyres, said Gocompare.