I was surprised to read that there are over 150,000 cases every year of motorists filling their vehicles with the wrong fuel, in 95% of cases putting petrol into a diesel engined vehicle.
How the other 5% manage to put diesel in a petrol car is a mystery as the unleaded tank neck is narrower than the diesel nozzle, but obviously it is not impossible.
Apparently even the Metropolitan Police are guilty of misfuelling, spending around £280,000 to repair vehicles that have been filled incorrectly over the last four years!
The cost of repairs varies from around £300 to drain the fuel, assuming that the vehicle has not been started, up to around £5,000 in cases where the vehicle has been driven and suffered serious damage to the engine.
A bigger surprise to me is the fact that nearly a third of motor insurances policies do not include cover against misfuelling incidents. The British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) has urged motorists to consult their insurance company to ensure that their policy does cover the risk.
Monday and Friday are the days when drivers are warned to be at their most vigilant, when they are preoccupied with thoughts of the weekend or week ahead.
If you do accidentally misfuel your vehicle do not start the vehicle and call the breakdown company immediately, as even with adequate cover an insurer may refuse to pay out when a motorist knowingly drives a vehicle with the wrong fuel.
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