British drivers are buying 15% less petrol at filling stations than they did in 2008 as the recession forces people to change their driving habits.
Drivers have been switching to diesel in order to save money but despite this big switch, forecourt sales of diesel fuel are also down.
In 2008, diesels took 43.5% of all new car sales. In 2011, the diesel market share to date has grown to 51.4%.
Despite this new car trend, sales of diesel fuel fell by 0.4% between 2008-2011.
The fall in fuel sales is increasing as the recession continues, too. In the first quarter of 2011 fuel sales were down 3.9%. However, in the second quarter, they fell by 6.6%.
Overall, compared to 2008, British drivers are buying 1.7bn fewer litres of fuel from filling stations. This is, says AA President Edmund King, equal to taking HALF the cars in the UK off the road for a whole month – and equals a cut in CO2 emissions of 3.95 million tonnes.
A combination of causes
The fall in fuel sales is due to several factors, King told MSN Cars: ‘A combination of driving less, more economically, and more fuel efficient cars’.
UK drivers are certainly driving less. Figures from the Department for Transport show that in 2010, overall car traffic fell by 2.1% compared to 2009. Overall motor vehicle traffic was down 1.6% compared to 2009.
It has actually been falling since 2007, when overall motor vehicle traffic hit a peak in the UK. The trend is expected to continue into 2011, too.
As for efficiency, Peugeot recently told us a diesel engine is 30% more fuel-efficient than a petrol one.
The trend to reduce fuel use is costing the British Treasury a lot of money: this year alone, the decline in overall fuel sales has cost the Treasury £1bn.
This is despite record fuel prices. Today, the price stands at £1.33 for a litre of petrol, compared to £1.16 last year.
In 2008, Britons paid an average of £1.09 for a litre of petrol.
