Filling up: round to nearest litre or nearest pound

[dododo]

I've been wondering on this a while...

Fuel is always priced at decimals of a penny, i.e. 139.9p per litre, meaning that rounding must occur because I never have a 0.9p coin handy. The pessimist in me makes me think that this goes in the favour of the petrol station rather than the customer as rounding must occur.

So to avoid this, is it better to fill up to whole litre amounts or to amounts where all the .9's add up to a whole?

[kambites]

I suspect the more frequent trips to the petrol station due to not filling up would cost you rather more than the average 0.5p (that's about 4ml of petrol) that you'll save per fill.

[mini me]

Thanks a lot, how the hell am I going to get to sleep tonight now!

[Laurel Green]

I never bother; just fill her up, pay and, away I go.

[McSam]

kambites said:

I suspect the more frequent trips to the petrol station due to not filling up would cost you rather more than the average 0.5p (that's about 4ml of petrol) that you'll save per fill.

This.

Rounding can't be in favour of the station, it's rounding, if you should be charged £54.9949 then it'll be £54.99, if it measures £54.9950 then you'll be charged £55. Clearly half the timeiit'll round up and the other half down, over your driving career you've bought enough fuel to make a very stable average between rounding up and rounding down, so you've actually paid correctly much more accurately than the nearest penny per litre. See what I mean?

Not worth losing sleep over

[kambites]

I think it's a rash assumption that they round to the nearest penny rather than always rounding up.

[Big Rod]

Or like my BiL who drives a 20 mile round trip to save 4p on a litre of diesel.

[McSam]

You reckon? Given how tight regulation is on pump accuracy (and how harsh the penalties for being outside tolerance), and the above about it averaging out to the correct price over any reasonable number of fills, I always kinda assumed it would round 'properly' rather than up. The stations would have no argument at all against doing so, would they, except for 'we'd like to mildly overcharge in a way customers can't see'.

[CHN]

I still don't understand how in 2013 we still can't set how much we want to spend on fuel, put the pipe in and press go.

[Ved]

Depends if I've turned the lights on and off for an even or odd number of times.

[chrisw666]

CHN said:

I still don't understand how in 2013 we still can't set how much we want to spend on fuel, put the pipe in and press go.

You can at quite a few stations now.

[TooMany2cvs]

Big Rod said:

Or like my BiL who drives a 20 mile round trip to save 4p on a litre of diesel.

If we guesstimate 50mpg, giving a fuel cost of about 12.5p/mile, then so long as he puts more than 62.5 litres in, he's ahead. Assuming his time carries no value to him. Which, considering the kind of person who'd do that, is probably a fair bet...

Oh, and another vote here for "just fill the damn thing". It's not like you won't be using it sooner or later.

[A.J.M]

Always round up to full litre.

Local BP has a offer on for every litre you fill up with you get 5p off if you buy 2 products instore.

Since i run the Disco from fumes to brim, i can get 80 litres of diesel in easily. I get the 2 products for free and also save a small amount of cash.

[E65Ross]

TooMany2cvs said:

Big Rod said:

Or like my BiL who drives a 20 mile round trip to save 4p on a litre of diesel.

If we guesstimate 50mpg, giving a fuel cost of about 12.5p/mile, then so long as he puts more than 62.5 litres in, he's ahead. Assuming his time carries no value to him. Which, considering the kind of person who'd do that, is probably a fair bet...

Oh, and another vote here for "just fill the damn thing". It's not like you won't be using it sooner or later.

Plus wear on tyres, increased servicing etc.

Is it 20 miles round trip FURTHER than the other place though?

[FamilyDub]

I can't be arsed with faffing.

Get to quarter full. Fill. Repeat as necessary.

[oyster]

CHN said:

I still don't understand how in 2013 we still can't set how much we want to spend on fuel, put the pipe in and press go.

Eh? I have never failed to put the amount of fuel in that I originally wanted.

Or do you mean without having to pull the trigger on the nozzle? Is that really much of a hardship?

[BigGingerBob]

oyster said:

CHN said:

I still don't understand how in 2013 we still can't set how much we want to spend on fuel, put the pipe in and press go.

Eh? I have never failed to put the amount of fuel in that I originally wanted.

Or do you mean without having to pull the trigger on the nozzle? Is that really much of a hardship?

I think he means set the pump at £20 and fill it to there rather than ending up with £20.01.
They had this in Greece when I was there and it makes a lot of sense as a lot of peoplefill up on price rather than amount.

[Mr2Mike]

Insert nozzle. Pull trigger until tank is full. Pay for fuel.

It is not rocket science.

[Galileo]

Fule pumps are set and sealed by the Wieghts&measures people to "over dispense". Meaning even if the POS rounds down you will still have received more than you pay for.

Hope that helps. Sleep well.

[Big Rod]

E65Ross said:

TooMany2cvs said:

Big Rod said:

Or like my BiL who drives a 20 mile round trip to save 4p on a litre of diesel.

If we guesstimate 50mpg, giving a fuel cost of about 12.5p/mile, then so long as he puts more than 62.5 litres in, he's ahead. Assuming his time carries no value to him. Which, considering the kind of person who'd do that, is probably a fair bet...

Oh, and another vote here for "just fill the damn thing". It's not like you won't be using it sooner or later.

Plus wear on tyres, increased servicing etc.

Is it 20 miles round trip FURTHER than the other place though?

Well, in his defence, I'm only aware of it when he visits, (from 400 miles away), and is fuelling up to head home, but he drives a 4x4 which I don't think will get the 50 mpg that you're quoting and it takes him the thick end of an hour to get to the petrol station and back when there's one, (albeit a bit more expensive), a little over a mile up the road.

Just seems daft in my book and it's not because he's skint either.