I think it is the Government that is doing the rip-off - about 75p of that is going to the Government

Nothing to do with the government - both BP and Tesco pay the same fuel duty. VAT will vary slightly depending on the pump price which is set by the retailer - the price is nothing to do with government.

The reason for the difference is more likely due to Tesco price being an incentive (possibly breakeven not a loss) to get people into the store. Generally folk spend much more on groceries than fuel!!

Visiting oil refineries for work and I see fuel tankers for various brands pull up, even rival oil companies. What differs is the additives that they add.

Even the supermarkets price fuel to make profit now. They were initially loss-leaders due to the investments in new forecourts and the number of rival garages, but as these rivals have diminished substantially over the last few decades, they are freer to raise their prices to levels where they make decent profits.

I have been filling up with Esso recently as it's nearer than other stations on my out bound journeys. I do use supermarkets when appropriate, but I avoid Asda, as my MPG never seems as high with their fuel.

When we’re all driving electric cars-all the petrol stations will be closed anyway won’t they or will they be converted into 50 vehicle charging points with lavish coffee bars serving ludicrously priced capachinos ?

Interesting thought. Motorway and some other main road petrol stations may morph into fast charger points where speed and convenience counts, and space is already available.

In urban areas I suspect the typical small forecourt with 4-8 pumps will close for good to be replaced by a block of flats.

Most urban charging points will be in locations where there are other ways to part consumers from their cash while they wait for a charge - retail parks, major retailers, shopping malls, possibly gyms, cinema, sporting venues etc.

A few years ago, a lot of very clever people with lots of money were buying up some of the worst land in the UK - stuff that is next to both a motorway and a substation. They will soon be constructing rapid charging stations on them.

I’ll stay in the Premier Inn just off the M40 at Banbury maybe a couple of times a year.

Stayed there a few times and in its previous incarnation as a Holiday Inn Express. It seems very more expensive now that it has changed brands and I can usually find lower cost hotels a few miles away.

Edited by Marlin1 on 28/05/2025 at 17:27