Table of Contents
- Filling your car’s fuel tank with the wrong fuel is easier than many imagine
- Men are more likely to consume fuel incorrectly than women, as is the under-25 age group.
Filling your car’s fuel tank with the wrong fuel can cause a lot of damage, and this mistake may be more common than you think.
Comparison site GoCompare found that one in five people have accidentally filled their vehicle’s tank with the wrong fuel at least once, with men more likely to have filled the tank incorrectly than women.
Misfueling occurs when the wrong fuel is pumped into a vehicle, for example, if gasoline is put into a diesel engine or vice versa.
About 24 percent of men have used fuel incorrectly, compared to just 17 percent of women.
Decisions, decisions: Putting the wrong fuel in your car is something everyone imagines they’ll never do, but research shows one in five motorists has done it at some point.
Depending on how much incorrect fuel you put in and whether you drive the car, the best case scenario is that you will need to empty the tank, which typically costs between £150 and £300.
Driving your car with the wrong fuel can cause damage and costs that could amount to thousands of dollars.
Younger drivers may also be at higher risk of misfuelling: one in four drivers aged 25 to 34 admit to making this mistake, making this age group the most likely to misfuel.
Meanwhile, wisdom seems to come with age, as only 14 percent of people aged 45 to 54 admitted to filling up with the wrong fuel, the lowest percentage of all age groups.
Does car insurance cover incorrect refueling?
Analysing 296 car insurance policies, GoCompare found that only 14 per cent include standard cover for costs if you accidentally fill up with the wrong fuel.
While 3 per cent offer fuel error cover as an optional extra, 83 per cent exclude cover altogether, meaning that for many, making a fuel mistake could damage their bank balance and their car.
But it’s worth checking your breakdown cover, as some policies will cover the cost of draining the tank.
Tom Banks, car insurance spokesman for GoCompare, said: ‘You might think you’d never be guilty of filling up incorrectly, but it could be an easier mistake to make than you think.
‘Our research shows that while incorrectly refuelling is a fairly common mistake, many insurance policies do not cover it as standard.
‘It’s therefore important to check the details of your car insurance to see the extent of your cover. With some policies, you can add mis-fuelling cover as an optional extra and, as repair bills for mis-fuelling are often extremely costly, this extra cover could be a worthwhile investment.’