Filling Your Car to the Brim with Fuel Could Be Costing You a Lot Extra
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When i saw this headline i thought how can topping your car up to the maximum cost you more over the long run than filling with less fuel
Then as i read more of the article it all made complete sense
Firstly if you overfill , it will drain off from the cars overflow vent onto the floor
Another thing i didn't know about was that after the first click to say you are reaching your limit, some fuel pumps can suck back the excess and you still get charged for it
The third reason for not overfilling is overfilling can cause damage to the vapour recovery system and your engine
The fourth reason is the more fuel you have in your tank, the more weight you will be carrying around, and this increases your fuel consumption, if only slightly
I always fill mine to the max as i have a diesel with a DPF tank that injects a special mixture into the fuel to keep it clean for the environment when exiting the exhaust , and each time you remove the filler cap more DPF fluid is dispensed , emptying the fluid bag faster with each fill up , then you need to have a new bag installed , and it is not cheap
Now i will think twice about over filling despite using more dpf fluid
Also its interesting that some people try to round up fuel purchases to the nearest pound , going back to the days when everyone was paying with cash and didn't want to fish for coins to complete a purchase or have change rattling around in our pockets
This is another reason people squeeze more in that the car can take
Most people pay by card now, but we still maintain that old mentality
Of course if you own an EV you wont have the above concerns , but may have a lot of others, but that's another story
www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/24510482.can-reduce-petrol-bill-see-fuel-pump-trick/
I've never filled the tank, always half way, added weight means you burn more fuel
martinlufc5637 Yes , thats true M, but i believe very little extra, it's like the difference between carrying a spare steel wheel or not, or maybe a small passenger
I suppose you have to weigh up what you use going back to the fuel station to fill again earlier than if the tank was full
I use over half a tank a week for work so fill it weekly for that. When on holiday I rarely fill it
Jerseydrew Again i think swings and roundabouts J , but if it works best for you this way then it's the best thing to do
telmel I agree. I use it less during the holidays so don't need to fill it as much nor do I need to make sure I've enough to get to work or try and squeeze a petrol stop in the mornings
telmel No mate, I am thinking of leaving this site and you are the best one on here so I thought I would let you know.
EmmaWright762 That's a shame E, you are a very good contributor , really sorry to hear that
I probably fill my tank no more than 40% full and have never had a full tank of petrol ever. Maybe 60% as an absolute maximum.
BonzoBanana I think the only time people tended to fill the tank up was during a fuel shortage B , then it would be a full tank and a few containers in the boot 
telmel I must admit I don't typically rely on my car that much so don't get too paranoid about fuel costs or availability. I've had the car over 10 years from new and still haven't reached 20,000 miles yet in fact it will be going over 20,000 miles the next trip I make. I probably have about 35 miles left to reach that milestone. So less than 2,000 miles per year which is why I resent the way insurance and road tax is charged with no proper consideration for how much use the vehicle gets. Why should I pay the same road tax as someone who travels 30,000 miles a year, i.e. a rep or some role like that. I'm subsidising their use and yet we want to get people using cars less. Vehicles should be taxed by use and weight etc. This would also raise costs for companies like Amazon which would help restore more of the high street if online sales were made more expensive.
I am like you B, i do a limited mileage each year, in fact i get a reduction with my insurance because of this, so i would be happy with pay per the usage too. The problem is the government are not happy being fair to the motorist, they want blood, look what they are doing with Ev owners now, charging new taxes to make up for fossil fuel vehicles being forced off the road, by them !!
I never knew any of that! It just goes to show you are never too old to learn something new! Having said that- if I’m on my own I have to use pay at the pump and can only put as much petrol in for as long as I can stand up without leaning on both crutches so i have put some really odd amounts in lol.
My kids all in their 30’s try to get it spot on the £ if they can. I have explained that if you use a garage that gives you ‘points per litre’ and you have to aim for something aim for a perfect litre !
telmel and why do they still sell cars telling you how many miles you get to the gallon when we buy fuel by the litre !
suevernon1968 I think its just what we are used to S, i still think in mpg rather than litres, i have never bothered working out distances in litres
The only litres i am used to is with soft drinks, and still think in pints when drinking beer
This is very useful information thank you for sharing. Rarely fill completely up, more like half these days .
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