How to get the cheapest petrol every time you need fuel

Getting petrol as cheap as I can has become a bit of an obsession for me. So here are some handy tips to help you get the cheapest fuel every time you fill up.

Compare fuel prices online to find your cheapest local petrol station

Your first port of call is to use a website called petrolprices.com.

Here you can search for petrol stations near you and filter by brand or fuel type.

By widening the search (up to a radius of 5 miles), you’ll get the cheapest fuel prices in your area. Now, it’s probably not worth your time to make a 10 mile round trip if your cheapest petrol station is 5 miles away. So always check that you’re not going too far out of your way just to get the cheapest price. Driving those extra miles could wipe out the savings you’ll make.

I filtered my local petrol stations to a 3 mile radius.

The cheapest station would cost me £44 to fill up with 40 litres of unleaded petrol.

The most expensive station would cost me £47.16.

That’s a saving of £3.16. Really? That doesn’t seem a massive saving.

But let’s say you fill up twice a month.

Over a year, you’d save over £75 in fuel costs.

The more often you need to refuel, the bigger the savings.

Remember though – time is freedom – so make sure it’s convenient to visit your cheapest local petrol station.

Stick to supermarkets for the cheapest petrol prices

If you can’t get online to check prices before you fill up the tank, assume that supermarkets are usually the cheapest places for petrol.

You might think that petrol from a branded station like Shell or BP would be better quality, but studies have shown barely any difference in quality between supermarket petrol and branded petrol.

Asda tends to have the cheapest petrol out of the big supermarkets. But there’s not much difference to be honest. And when it drops its petrol prices, the other supermarkets usually follow.

Check you have enough fuel for a long motorway journey

Motorway petrol stations are incredibly expensive. Why? Because what other choice do you have when you’re about to run out of petrol?

Service stations are charging you a premium on your petrol for your lack of organisation.

So if you’re setting off on a long motorway journey, make sure you fill up at your starting point to avoid an emergency refuel mid-journey.

Fail to plan ahead and you could pay 20p a litre more at a motorway service station.

Don’t be like my friend who was taking us on a road trip and was about to pull in at the motorway services to fill up the car.

I told him it’s so expensive and we’ll get it at a nearby supermarket.

A mile away was a Sainsbury’s – the petrol was 15p a litre cheaper than the motorway services.

He said he never looks at prices because he only ever buys a certain amount, not realising that the cheaper it is per litre, the further his money goes/longer the fuel lasts.

Take advantage of money-off fuel vouchers when you shop at the supermarket

At various times throughout the year, supermarkets offer between 5-10 pence off a litre of fuel when you spend a certain amount at that particular supermarket.

The minimum spend is usually £40-£50. So if you regularly spend this at a supermarket, it’s an easy saving on your petrol.

If you only do small shops, don’t go spending big just to get a voucher.

Think about the things you genuinely need and will use. Maybe stock up non-perishable items or things that are on offer.

Get reward points for getting petrol at the supermarket

Over a year this could net you a few extra quid or can be exchanged for more valuable rewards.

Make sure you’ve got the relevant app on your phone for ease of use at the petrol station.

Sainsbury’s Nectar

• Nectar card holders get 1 point per litre of fuel purchased at Sainsbury’s and Esso petrol stations.

• 1 nectar point is worth around half a penny. So around 200 points will get you £1 off your Sainsbury’s shop.

  
  

Also look out for:

• Bonus points - Sainsbury’s sometimes runs nectar promotions where you get extra points for free

• Vouchers at the checkout – you sometimes get coupons for your next purchase. This might be extra points when you buy fuel.

  
  

Morrisons More

• Morrisons More card holders get 5 points for every £1 spent on fuel.

• 5000 points gets you a £5 voucher to spend on your next shop. Effectively making 1 point = a measly 0.1p.

• Look out for promotions that can earn you bonus points.

Tesco Clubcard

• Tesco Clubcard holders get 1 point for every £2 spent on fuel at Tesco. You can also get 1 point for every £3 spent on fuel at an Esso petrol station with a Tesco Express shop.

• 1 Tesco Clubcard point is worth 1p. Every 50 points get you 50p worth of vouchers towards your next Tesco shop.

  
  

So when it comes to supermarket reward points on your fuel, Sainsbury’s and Tesco are pretty much neck and neck in terms of their value.

Unfortunately, Asda don’t currently offer points on fuel.

Costco fuel

If you're a Costco member, Costco filling stations typically have some of the cheapest fuel prices in the country. For members who do lots of miles, they say that the fuel savings can pay for the cost of a Costco membership over the year.

Use a cashback card for fuel payments

Not restricted to just fuel, cashback credit cards are a great way to earn a little back from your spending.

The top cashback debit card is from Chase UK and pays 1% cashback on everyday spending. From April 2025, the cashback rules are changing, but petrol and diesel will still qualify for the 1% cashback.

The top cashback credit card at the moment is the American Express Platinum Cashback Everyday Credit Card. There’s no annual fee and it gives you 5% cashback on purchases, up to £100 maximum cashback, for the first 3 months.

Remember - cashback credit cards are only worth using if you pay off the card in full every month.

Once you forget to pay it off, the interest on the card will far outweigh the cashback you’ve earned.

Summary

• Find your cheapest local petrol station online

• Avoid petrol at motorway service stations like the plague!

• Vouchers, reward points and cashback credit cards can all knock money off your fuel cos