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UK government launches fuel forecourt price API

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Re: UK government launches fuel forecourt price API

#141

Post by alexfoo »

Nursie wrote: post #128
ace32229 wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>the UK has never had this so people there either choose by brand or just convenience Disagree - drivers maintain a mental map of local stations and know roughly how expensive they are, and make a decision based on that. Obviously this API will help inform us better!

I never did in 25 years of driving in the UK. "Need petrol buy petrol, try to avoid doing that on the motorway". Maybe it's me that's weird. No, surely that can't be right... :)

> I never did in 25 years of driving in the UK. "Need petrol buy petrol, try to avoid doing that on the motorway".

Same here.

Sometimes even on the A413...

Re: UK government launches fuel forecourt price API

#142

Post by notahacker »

alexfoo wrote: post #81
notahacker wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

mostly such tools are useful when you go very close to a few petrol stations on your regular routes anyway. I can pretty much time topups for when the cheapest station locally is en-route to my destination A 7p per litre difference does sound like the difference between local station and motorway prices though, and they probably will have factored in that opportunity cost of time...

> A 7p per litre difference does sound like the difference between local station and motorway prices though, and they probably will have factored in that opportunity cost of time... Only 7p? Motorway services have shocking price markups, way more than 7p. Most people don't realise this or are just too lazy to find something that isn't quite as convenient. According to the live feed at https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advi…

tbf I was thinking more of the ones on junctions off A roads local to me which are more 137-9p

Ironically I had to do a small topup on the M4 today, and yeah, that was mad!

Re: UK government launches fuel forecourt price API

#143

Post by lofaszvanitt »

alexfoo wrote: post #86

Decisions about fuel purchases are often irrational, much like many food purchases or generic medicines. I know someone who avoids their local petrol station that is 10p/litre cheaper than most others nearby (within a mile or so) as they think the cheaper fuel must be lower quality. There are weird status things going on with purchases like this. Only the other day my father refused to buy some branded paracetamol be…

How do you know the fuel is the same quality. Did you actually make a hydrocarbon profile?

Re: UK government launches fuel forecourt price API

#144

Post by Nextgrid »

alexfoo wrote: post #140
theglenn88_ wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the topic of fuel, it's funny when people only put in £10 worth of fuel a time. You spend more in by fuel driving there more often. As well as wasting your own time.

I put in £3 worth of fuel the other day but that's because it was a rental car that I had to return with the same fuel level as at pickup and I'd only done ~30 miles with lots of stop/start. (I would have used a Zipcar/Zipvan but they've all gone now.) I would have tried to put in less but UK fuel pumps usually mandate a minimum of 2 litres which is not far off £3 at current prices.

> usually mandate a minimum of 2 litres

Out of curiosity how does that work (never been in a situation where I have to worry about minimal fuel purchases) - does the pump simply round up the price to the minimum when done, or did you actually have to dispense extra fuel, either into a jerrycan or donating it to someone else's car otherwise the pump would not actually finalize the transaction?

Re: UK government launches fuel forecourt price API

#145

Post by alexfoo »

lofaszvanitt wrote: post #143
alexfoo wrote: post #86

Decisions about fuel purchases are often irrational, much like many food purchases or generic medicines. I know someone who avoids their local petrol station that is 10p/litre cheaper than most others nearby (within a mile or so) as they think the cheaper fuel must be lower quality. There are weird status things going on with purchases like this. Only the other day my father refused to buy some branded paracetamol be…

How do you know the fuel is the same quality. Did you actually make a hydrocarbon profile?

You don't. And, for similar reasoning you don't know the more expensive fuel is "better" quality.

More importantly you know that pretty much any fuel being sold in a mainstream place in the UK is going to meet the minimum national standards which are perfectly fine for the vast majority of cars on the road.

Anyone that has a car that requires E5 rather than E10, or higher octane fuel may need to buy the associated "premium" fuels, but these are just not necessary for the vast majority of cars on the road. But we're not talking about the premium fuels here, we're talking about two garages selling pretty much the same thing for quite different prices and preying on some people's FUD.

Re: UK government launches fuel forecourt price API

#146

Post by alexfoo »

Nextgrid wrote: post #144
alexfoo wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I put in £3 worth of fuel the other day but that's because it was a rental car that I had to return with the same fuel level as at pickup and I'd only done ~30 miles with lots of stop/start. (I would have used a Zipcar/Zipvan but they've all gone now.) I would have tried to put in less but UK fuel pumps usually mandate a minimum of 2 litres which is not far off £3 at current prices.

> usually mandate a minimum of 2 litres Out of curiosity how does that work (never been in a situation where I have to worry about minimal fuel purchases) - does the pump simply round up the price to the minimum when done, or did you actually have to dispense extra fuel, either into a jerrycan or donating it to someone else's car otherwise the pump would not actually finalize the transaction?

It's mandated by a sticker saying so. I don't think it's ever enforced.

A google seems to show that it is because the pumps are not certified to be accurate below 2 litres (or 5 litres for higher flow rate pumps like the HGV diesel pumps) so anything below this is at your own risk.

Another way of thinking about it is you have no right to complain if you think you've been short fueled if you don't dispense the minimum stated.

Re: UK government launches fuel forecourt price API

#147

Post by theglenn88_ »

comprev wrote: post #137
theglenn88_ wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the topic of fuel, it's funny when people only put in £10 worth of fuel a time. You spend more in by fuel driving there more often. As well as wasting your own time.

Operating on such a tight budget is more common than you might think and they could have been hit with a surprise bill that's pushed them into debt.

Of course. I'm not talking about lack of money though here. We've all been on our last tenner until payday and need to go somewhere.

Some people seem to think that spending less at the pump means your saving money, but to save money you need to drive less. They religiously drive on £10-20 fuel stops.

My ex wife was convinced she spends less on fuel by putting less in a time, she even earnt more than me.

Re: UK government launches fuel forecourt price API

#148

Post by theglenn88_ »

alexfoo wrote: post #146
Nextgrid wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> usually mandate a minimum of 2 litres Out of curiosity how does that work (never been in a situation where I have to worry about minimal fuel purchases) - does the pump simply round up the price to the minimum when done, or did you actually have to dispense extra fuel, either into a jerrycan or donating it to someone else's car otherwise the pump would not actually finalize the transaction?

It's mandated by a sticker saying so. I don't think it's ever enforced. A google seems to show that it is because the pumps are not certified to be accurate below 2 litres (or 5 litres for higher flow rate pumps like the HGV diesel pumps) so anything below this is at your own risk. Another way of thinking about it is you have no right to complain if you think you've been short fueled if you don't dispense the minimum…

Exactly this, it's a legal requirement to show that under the weights and measures act I think.

Under that amount, you are likely paying much more per litre.

Re: UK government launches fuel forecourt price API

#149

Post by antonkochubey »

moomin wrote: post #84
alexfoo wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A 7p per litre difference does sound like the difference between local station and motorway prices though, and they probably will have factored in that opportunity cost of time... Only 7p? Motorway services have shocking price markups, way more than 7p. Most people don't realise this or are just too lazy to find something that isn't quite as convenient. According to the live feed at https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advi…

It’s not a matter of “quite as convenient”, it’s a matter of figuring where you are, find a nearby town, finding a petrol station in it and getting back to the motorway. This can take well over half an hour. Time that you really need to be spending getting to your destination because there’s a good chance your trip is going to take most of the day.

Someone for whom this takes over half an hour might be better off taking the train

Re: UK government launches fuel forecourt price API

#150

Post by gib444 »

alexfoo wrote: post #138
gib444 wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So no petrol is permitted to be higher quality (for the same octane rating)? ie you're asserting there is zero variance in quality? OP wrote lower quality, not low quality

By "lower quality" I did mean "low quality". It's the reverse of "this one is more expensive therefore it must be better" without any evidence at all that it is the case.

Yeah fair enough that's probably true

Companies are permitted to add additives etc but whether that meaningfully improves quality I'm not sure

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