Business drivers worst offenders for misfuelling, AA data reveals

According to AA data from November 2017, sixty per cent of the AA’s Fuel Assist service call-outs came from the AA’s business customers, who put the wrong fuel in company-owned vehicles, compared to 41 per cent of consumers. Major factors included being under stress or in an unfamiliar location.

Approximately 133,000 people fill their car with the wrong fuel each year, according to the AA. A quarter of these drivers attribute their mistake to being preoccupied, 13 per cent on driving a new car that used a different fuel, 12 per cent on driving a partner’s vehicle, 11 per cent on using a hire car, nine per cent on filling up at an unfamiliar petrol station, and seven per cent on distraction while fuelling.

These factors are especially applicable to drivers of company-owned or operational vehicles, who may be rushing between appointments to deliver goods or to secure business sales, and to those using a pool car, for whom the fuel type of the loan vehicle may differ from their own. Business drivers tend to cover longer distances than the general motorist and are more likely to use a wide range of filling stations across unfamiliar driving routes.

Misfuelling can prove a costly mistake for drivers. West Midlands Police recently disclosed nearly 300 incidents of misfuelling in 2017, costing more than £53,000 in repairs. The AA’s own data also shows that a refuelling mishap occurs once every three minutes across the UK’s petrol pumps, with the error costing drivers between £500 and £3,000.

“Misfuelling can potentially costs businesses thousands of pounds in repair costs, not to mention time in lost revenue while drivers wait for their vehicle to be fixed,” said Donald MacSporran, director, manufacturer services at the AA.

“In the event of a misfuelling incident, drivers should call the AA as soon as they realise their mistake,” MacSporran concludes. “Don’t start your car – you may damage the engine.”