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As oil firms Shell and BP announce
‘better-than-expected’ first-quarter profits, the price of filling up at
the pump has soared by up to 39% since the crippling fuel protests of
September 2000. Yet continuing advances in vehicle design means that
some motorists have actually been able to reduce their costs. |
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‘DRIVING LIKE IT’S
1999!’
Research by Citroën shows that drivers
could be paying up to 27% less per mile for fuel, in real terms, than
they were eight years ago - despite the cost of unleaded petrol passing
the unprecedented £5-a-gallon mark across many parts of the UK.
With unleaded petrol at 108.1 pence per
litre2, it costs just 7.99 pence per mile to fuel a Citroën
C1 1.0i city car, whilst back in September 2000 a similar model (Citroën
Saxo 1.1i) would have cost an inflation-adjusted 10.94 pence3 per mile
in fuel.
And potential savings are not just
limited to smaller cars. Citroën’s C4 1.6HDi family hatchback boasts
62.8 mpg overall and costs 8.49 pence per mile to run. During the
September 2000 fuel protests, its predecessor - the Xsara – would have
cost 11.12 pence after inflationary adjustments.
“Whilst improved fuel efficiency and
advances in vehicle design have reduced the cost of filling up, in real
terms,” explains Marc Raven, spokesman for Citroën, “the economic
benefits of improved efficiency could soon be cancelled out altogether
if prices continue to rise at their current rate. Although our
commitment to reducing CO2 and harmful emissions will not be
lessened.” |
