Supermarket or top brand fuel?

[daginge]

Hi ABers
I was informed recently that paying for cheap supermarket diesel is less economic than paying for more expensive top brand fuel as you get poorer fuel economy from the cheap fuel hence, you need to fuel up more often. Does anyone have any hard facts on this, or just their own ideas?
TIA

[cazzz1975]

I have not noticed a difference at all, maybe its a ploy to stop people using supermarket forecourts?

[factor-fiction]

I've never seen fuel being delivered to a supermarket- does it come in an unmarked tanker or the tanker branded? I can't see any reason why they'd want to make it of lower quality

[daginge]

Could be just a bit of scaremongering to make folks buy expensive juice but, a guy at work reckons he and his wife have seen a 10% increase in economy since buying top brand fuel and equates it directly to the fact that there are no additives in supermarket fuel which makes it cheaper to produce?????

[cazzz1975]

dont they all leave from the same fuel refinery in differently marked tankers?

it would seem costly to have lots of seperate refining vats of various qualities of petrol

[factor-fiction]

For the last 12 months our local Shell garage has been 1p cheaper than all the local supermarkets (or perhaps I should ay the supermarkets have been dearer).
At last this weekend supermarkets are having a pretend price 'war' and are now slightly cheaper.

[cazzz1975]

you need to go by the octane rating, essentially the same rating is the same fuel whatever forecourt you are in.

[jomifl]

The reason supermarket fuel is cheaper is that it is of poorer quality, you get what you pay for. It is less economical and your engine wears out quicker. But it is your choice.

[JonnyBoy12]

Are you sure about that, jomifl? I would have thought it would have all been the same all coming from the same refinery. Food is just as good from there, but it a lot cheaper, so would have thought fuel would be the same too.

There seems to be 2 schools of thought on this matter; has anyone here got any hard facts?

[factor-fiction]

I have never seen evidence of that, jomifl. Why would TESCO be more willing to sell poor quality fuel than the local high street petrol station?

[alexanderd]

I used to work in an oil refinery and believe me there is no difference between supermarket fuel and any other. It all comes from the same refineries, Shell, BP etc dont have there own

[ladybirder]

Possibly because they sell it for less? My understanding is that it's the additives that are put in at the end of the process that makes the difference. Certain additives produce cleaner fuel etc. Honest John in the DT more or less says what you say in your 21.36 post daginge and advises using good quality petrol.

[Everhelpful]

Alexanderd is 100% right,no difference.

[cazzz1975]

maybe people feel better about paying more for fuel? a bit like designer clothing, it costs a fortune meaning it must be the very best?

[Maydup]

Just like many supermarket products which are the same as the branded ones but with their own label, fuel is no different and al comes form the same place.

Its nothing more than scaremongering by the big names to pretnet that their fuel is in any way more superior.

[factor-fiction]

I don't think we'll get a definitive answer on this

[ladybirder]

You get what you pays for cazz.

[jomifl]

It is a myth that Tesco products are good value, Waitrose sell many items of better quality at a lower price. If you can't tell the difference then it doesn't matter. The basic motor fuel may be from the same tank, (they do have more than one tank in a refinery) but I was told by a friend who used to deliver fuel by coaster that additives were put in at the point of delivery, however this was a long time ago. I guess I just don't trust tesco.

[jomifl]

I was once told that cheap fuel come from eastern european countries.

[JonnyBoy12]

There is no such thing as cheap fuel; there may be cheaper fuel, but not cheap fuel any more.

[cazzz1975]

I dont blame independent forecourts for scare mongering, the supermarkets must have killed their buisiness.