Fuel prices in Ireland have once again gone over the €2 per litre mark with many people feeling the pinch at the pumps.
Prices vary in different filling stations across Ireland but in many places diesel is now over €2.10 and petrol has hit over €2.20 a litre. This comes despite the Government bringing in measures to reduce costs in March, cutting excise duty by 20 cent on petrol and 15 cent on diesel.
CEO of Fuels for Ireland, Kevin McPartlan, said that because of the high fuel prices and the way tax is calculated, the Government is collecting 6 or 7 cent more tax per litre on fuel than they were this time last year.
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Speaking to Katie Hannon on RTE on Saturday morning, he urged the Government to take a look at the fuel taxes to reduce the financial burden on drivers.
But there are more immediate ways drivers can get the best value for money when they top up their cars.
How can we save money on fuel?
According to a British money-saving expert, Martin Lewis, the easiest way to save money on fuel is to find the cheapest filling station in your area.
He took to Twitter to share a website, petrolprices.com, where drivers can compare petrol and diesel prices to choose which forecourt to go to before leaving their house.
The website is only available in the UK but the Irish equivalent is www.pumps.ie which displays the price of petrol and diesel in different filling stations all over Ireland.
However, users are warned that the fuel prices displayed on the website are only 'indicative' as they are entered by the public and may not be accurate or up-to-date. To confirm the fuel price, users are told to call the petrol station directly to make sure the price is correct.
How much money would you save per top-up?
Diesel
According to pumps.ie the price of diesel in Dublin currently ranges from 201.9 a litre to 211.9 a litre - leaving a 10c gap in the price difference.
To fill a typical 55-litre family car with diesel at the cheaper price it would cost €111.05 and at the more expensive price it would cost €116.55.
- Conclusion: A saving of €5.50 can be made if you drive to the cheapest filling station every time you top up your tank with diesel.
Petrol
According to pumps.ie the price of petrol in Dublin currently ranges from 208.8 a litre to 222.9 a litre - leaving a 14c gap in the price difference.
To fill a typical 55-litre family car with petrol at the cheaper price it would cost €114.84 and at the more expensive price it would cost €122.60.
- Conclusion: A saving of €7.76 can be made if you drive to the cheapest filling station every time you top up your tank with petrol.
