Monday 23rd May 2005

Asda starts pump price war

Rivals forced to follow suit.

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Asda starts pump price war

There's a price war going on at the supermarket pumps, and Asda blinked first. It has cut the price of unleaded by 2p a litre, resulting in Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons matching its move.

Asda's move follows a $10 per barrel cut in the price of crude oil, and the company announced the cut, saying that it wanted to pass on the savings. The others said they just wanted to remain competitive.

[zebedee]

shell is generally the cheapest I have seen recently - usually 83.9 but there is a slightly out of the way garage (Shell) that sells at 82.9

I remember the days when it was 50-odd p (and I'm only 28!)

[pakrat]

I remember when it was 50p a GALLON - and they cleaned your windscreen, checked your oil and pressed your trousers..ok not the last bit. We must have the most expensive fuel in the world, no doubt about it, the UK motorist is seen as the government's milch cow.

[xxplod]

Yep. Just got back from Mauritius where locals are most worried at petrol prices at 25 rupees or 50p a litre. Its amazing when you tell foreigners how much we pay for fuel. They look at you as if you've just grown another head!

[chrisx666]

In Poland the other day it was plz4.00 for a liter of unleaded. I got 5.3plz/£ exchange in the airport. Pretty expensive for the locals on a quarter of our salaries!!

[timmy30]

Pre Tax we have the cheapest petrol per litre in Western Europe.

Post Tax we have (almost) the most expensive.

The greatest trick the UK Gov have ever pulled is getting UK motorists to blame the oil companies for high petrol prices. It's tax.

Do you know those cheeky munkies at HM Treasury actually charge VAT on the tax component of the petrol price....... a tax on a tax.

Recently I noticed that Tesco have started giving a breakdown of the price of their petrol including the tax component. Good for them.

[zebedee]

so how much are asda selling their fuel for anyway?

[nickjm]

zebedee said:

so how much are asda selling their fuel for anyway?

I heard they are going as low as 76.9 for unleaded. I also heard that it was going to be 79.9 for both unleaded and diesel, but I can't see that happening.

[havoc]

Cheap fuel?!? Well I was in Dubai last month...pump prices looked pretty reasonable there!

[mutley]

That's ok for unleaded, what about those of us who use Diesel

[delboy0127]

I can remember selling 4 gallons for 17 shillings and 8 pence, The customer would get free upper cylinder lubricant, I would serve them and they would give me 18 shillings and be very happy to tell me to keep the 4d change. I have just retired after 32 years selling petrol sorry giving it away with regard to my own profit margin.

[x1m]

ASDA was 80.9 yesterday in Swindon for Unleaded.

[g0kyk]

Its about time they started reducing the price of diesel, it is cheaper than petrol in most other countries and used to be the same here. Diesel prices have an effect on commercial transport therefore nearly everything we have to buy. Oh I forgot that gives the Government another 17.5% Vat on top of the increased costs of the goods as well as the fuel. tax on tax on tax.

[nelly1]

LPG's pretty cheap.




'Till more people start using it, a la Diesel

[Vipers]

Headlines said "The others just want to remain competitive", cant the dumb heads see that if ASDA is selling at 2P cheper then the other supermarkets, then the other supermarkets wont sell much petrol, or does "remain competitive" mean something else to the bean counters.

All Tony has to do to please us is to drop about 10p a litre from the tax on petrol. This is more than off set by those bloody speed cameras anyway.........

[venom500]

If your sticking this stuff in your car then it,s either a company or shopping hack you don,t pay for maintainance."Super market Fuel" will and does knack your injectors/fuel system,it has NO special additives and thats why its CHEAP.
Not for me thanks!,it like my engine to make good power and run smoothly.

[zebedee]

well, hopefully it is working - local shell garage fallen by 2p to 81.9 - hope it continues...

[dcb]

venom500 said:

If your sticking this stuff in your car then it,s either a company or shopping hack you don,t pay for maintainance."Super market Fuel" will and does knack your injectors/fuel system,it has NO special additives and thats why its CHEAP. Not for me thanks!,it like my engine to make good power and run smoothly.

Fair enough - different cars are different.

Mine runs fine on supermarket petrol - in fact it can't get enough of it.

I would have thought that if there was a strong correlation between broken injectors and cheap fuel, then quite a few folks would have noticed by now.

Or is it just injectors in *some* cars ?

[zebedee]

I've often wondered this - whether there is actually any proof that they differ in any way whatsoever - independent tests and the like. Anyone know of any conclusive links?

[timmy30]

The detergents are quite important really, and they are lacking in the same quality and quantity in Supermarket fuels. On older/ lower power cars you may not notice much as the injectors get clogged, but in a diesel car for example you will probably notice the car runs rougher as deposits build up around the piezo injectors.

[xxplod]

This whole "supermarket petrol" is a myth. Specific fuels have different properties e.g. BP Ultimate or Optimax but the 95 RON stuff is all the same. Take a peak at a refinery. Tankers from all companies go in and are directed to any given bay to be filled. There is not one bay for Sainsburys, one for Total, one for BP etc.... it is all the same stuff.