Motoring Discussion > Petrol/Diesel Price Gap	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Meldrew	Replies: 28

New Fri 28 Oct 11 14:00   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Meldrew

Twice in an hour I have driven past the same local retailer; Petrol £1.319 per litre and Diesel £1.409, a difference of 9p a litre. I am used to seeing a 4p or 5 p difference - what might be going on? The petrol is the area supermarket price but this was a Total. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 14:07   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Iffy

I've noticed the difference has increased recently, no idea why. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 14:10   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Dave_

6p difference here. Just put half a tank of Shell diesel in at 136.9p/l, unleaded was 130.9p/l. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 14:17   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Meldrew

Obviously the gap is increasing - I must get out more! Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 14:20   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - -

LPG gone back down to 66p per litre nearby....he tittered smugly..;) Another off main road site on way to work is 72p. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 14:51   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Slidingpillar

Don't know if it's the reason, but diesel always costs more in the winter. I'm told it's demand for home heating oil in the US. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 14:53   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Meldrew

Yes I follow that but the diesel price has stayed the same (local pump price) and the petrol is 4 p down. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 14:52   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - movilogo

Probably more people are now buying diesel. So they* are making a higher markup on diesel. * = govt., oil cos, shops etc. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 20:00   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - bathtub tom

>> 6p difference here. Just put half a tank of Shell diesel in at 136.9p/l, unleaded >> was 130.9p/l. London road Luton Dave? g.co/maps/j7tde A similar queue when I passed this afternoon. Looked like they had weights and measures there as well. I'd be very suspicious at that price. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 14:51   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - ....

They'll use the excuse of switch from summer to winter brew. You're now in competition with the ships, winter heating fuel etc... , the winter diesel has already been refined for the coming season and they are now refining the diesel for next summer. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 14:58   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Runfer D'Hills

Good job really. Be a right bummer for those who've spent all that money on winter tyres if their diesel froze... :-) Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 15:00   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - ....

Don't you just throw quarter of a tank of parafin or unleaded in to stop in freezing ? :-P Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 15:01   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Runfer D'Hills

Or light a fire under the car... Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 15:08   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - ....

I know someone who used to do that with a parafin lamp...*wanders off into the garden whistling* Last edited by: gmac on Fri 28 Oct 11 at 15:08 Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 15:12   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Runfer D'Hills

Come to think of it, my dad used to have a lttle paraffin heater which was flat and square, a bit like a half height biscuit tin. It was for shoving under the car on cold nights. Then again petrol pump attendants used to smoke in those days... Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 15:13   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - ....

Did your Dad's car have an oil leak from the head/block for that added will it won't it catch fire excitement ? Last edited by: gmac on Fri 28 Oct 11 at 15:14 Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 15:12   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Meldrew

HGV drivers stuck on Shap and other high roads used to light bonfires of newspapers under their fuel tanks to un-gel them! Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 15:24   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Zero

>> HGV drivers stuck on Shap and other high roads used to light bonfires of newspapers >> under their fuel tanks to un-gel them! Oily rags, Newspaper burns too quickly. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 17:10   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - madf

I have one of those little paraffin heaters.. never used it. The German troops in the first winter in Russia in 1941 were reduced to lighting PETROL fires under tanks and lorries to warm the engine oil. At -40C it was like grease.. Last edited by: madf on Fri 28 Oct 11 at 17:11 Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 17:23   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Pat

Been there, done that, and I don't ever want to do it again:) Pat Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 18:47   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - WillDeBeest

Invaded the Soviet Union? Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 18:58   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Runfer D'Hills

So c'mon then, someone who's good at sums ( or can be bothered ! ) My wife's petrol car gets averagely 41mpg. At the above price differential, what mpg would a diesel need to get to cost the same in fuel per mile? I'm going to guess 43mpg without checking. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 19:11   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - WillDeBeest

What matters is not the differential but the ratio. Divide the diesel price by the petrol price and multiply by the petrol distance per unit volume to get your break-even point. 139.9 / 133.9 x 41 = 42.8 So, contrary to how it may seem, diesel has an easier case to make as prices increase, provided the differential remains the same. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 19:50   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Runfer D'Hills

Not a bad guess though eh ? Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 19:53   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Meldrew

You should be Chancellor of the Exchequer HDB! Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 20:22   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - WillDeBeest

You're too kind, Melders, but I went to the wrong school. The chaps at the Bullingdon Club called me a bad egg and wouldn't let me in. (HDB was my grandad, by the way. Got a pair of his cufflinks somewhere with those initials on.) Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 20:45   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - Meldrew

You should be Chancellor of the Exchequer HDB! AND you WDB! I was giving edge to Humph as his work was an inspired guess and yours was an accurate calculation. Accuracy is not much use to a Chancellor! Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 22:03   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - WillDeBeest

Ah yes, ego ran away with me a bit there. Perhaps I should have been a career politician after all. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 28 Oct 11 22:59   Petrol/Diesel Price Gap - legacylad

I've recently stuck £30 worth of Shell V Power petrol into a N reg Clio. The girl child is studying abroad for 4 months so I thought I would give the Clio its fortnightly Italian tune up, rather than have it sorned for the duration. The old girl seems to enjoy its thrash for 50 odd miles at 70 (ahem) and clears the cobwebs. Think I paid £1.42, but cheaper to fill than my BM. Reply to this message | Report message