Fuel prices are a serious concern for many van owners who run their businesses from their trusty vehicles and do a lot of travelling up and down the country. So knowing how to cut those fuel prices could be crucial.
For the first time here in the UK we have seen the cost of filling the average van surpass the £100 mark! The current average per litre of petrol sits at £1.89, with diesel at almost 10p higher, at £1.98.
With us currently being in a cost-of-living crisis for many other business essentials as well as this, it’s important for us to be able to reduce our spending wherever we can, and trying to pull back on our fuel costs is a great place to start.
Shop Around & Avoid Motorway Fuel Stations
The price of fuel can vary from fuel station to fuel station and from city to city.
Supermarkets tend to offer the best price on petrol and diesel in comparison to oil-company owned petrol stations. So filling up when you go to do your supermarket shop will generally help to cut costs, and this method also means you are not driving out of your way to go to a petrol station, as it’s already somewhere you were heading to!
The motorways are nearly always the priciest places to fill up, so be sure to avoid these! The convenience of being able to fill up on the motorway when drivers will be desperate for fuel, with no other choice, which in turn you will pay a premium for!
Declutter the Back of Your Van
It may seem crazy, but clearing your van of any unnecessary clutter sitting in it or even an unused roof rack on top of it can help you to reduce your fuel costs.
By reducing the weight of your vehicle, you become more fuel efficient as your van will be able to use less fuel to power itself to carry the weight of the van, as it requires less effort to accelerate.
This is especially important when it comes to vans, as you’ll more than likely have a lot of heavy equipment and tools in the back. So although it may not be possible a lot of the time, clearing out the back for any longer journeys will certainly help your fuel consumption.
Keep Your Tyres Inflated
Tyre pressure is another factor that contributes to your fuel consumption that you may not have considered.
The lower the tyre pressure in your van, the increase on the drag, meaning you will need more fuel to power the car to move. Checking your tyre pressure regularly is the best way to monitor this, and most petrol stations have the facility to check and fill your tyres, so you can tie it in with when you fill up!
Be mindful to not over-inflate them though, as this will also cause you to use more fuel!
Take Advantage of Loyalty Schemes
Many of our supermarkets and petrol stations will offer loyalty schemes to try and prevent us from shopping elsewhere for fuel, as they want to keep us as their regular customers – especially for any commercial customers.
By signing up to a loyalty scheme you may make money back per litre you put in, or be able to access discounts that aren’t available to regular customers. It’s important to avoid only using one petrol station just for the loyalty points as if you see fuel at a lower price at another station, you should always take advantage of that price over points!
Know When To Upgrade Your Van
Last but not least, knowing when to sell your van and upgrade to a newer model is also important.
Generally speaking, older vans with older engines can decrease in their fuel consumption and efficiency. It’s important that you know when it’s time to upgrade your van, and should seek a free van valuation to see how much you could get for it.