Martin Lewis reveals cheapest time of day for drivers to fill cars

As the cost of living crisis continues, millions of Britons are looking for ways to pinch pennies wherever they can.

Money Saving Expert (MSE) Martin Lewis has offered an abundance of top tips to help those struggling to make ends meet, from bank account warnings to cost-saving hacks for bills.

And the financial journalist is back with another piece of advice to help save money – and this one’s for the motorists.

Lewis has told drivers that they can save money on their fuel bills by filling up their vehicles at a certain time of the day.

The urban myth has always been that if you fill your car up at night, you will spend less money on petrol and diesel.

But is this true? As it turns out, yes – but there’s a catch.

According to MSE, drivers may get a ‘tiny, tiny bit’ more petrol if they go to the pumps at night time.

This is because temperatures drop colder at night, resulting in fuel pumps being calibrated by volume. Because of this, you can get a small amount of extra fuel by filling up when it’s colder.

However, it only saves ‘pennies, at best’ according to MSE, which offers other pieces of advice for cutting costs.

They said to fill up your car when you have 50 miles left in the tank so you have enough time to hunt for the best deal, rather than finding the first one you see when you’re running on the last dregs of fuel.

You should only use ‘better fuel’ if your car can cope, with MSE explaining: ‘Many petrol stations sell “high performance” fuels, yet there’s little or no performance difference for most non-performance cars.

‘So only fill up with the super-fuels if you have a sports car or you’ve been specifically advised that your car will actually use the petrol correctly.’

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