Misfuelling Advice and Tips | Saga Car Insurance

Putting the wrong fuel in your car, often called misfuelling, is a mistake many drivers experience at some point. It can happen when routines change, when you’re driving a different vehicle, or when you’re distracted at the pump. Although it can feel worrying in the moment, misfuelling is usually fixable, especially if you act quickly.

Understanding what to do if you put the wrong fuel in your car can help reduce stress and limit potential damage. Having the right car insurance or breakdown cover in place may also help you resolve the situation more easily.

This guide explains why misfuelling happens, what steps to take if it does, and how misfuelling cover can help protect you from unexpected costs.

Top 3 reasons fuel mistakes happen

1. Distraction – Long day, being on autopilot, thinking about dinner… it doesn’t take much to grab the wrong pump

2. Different car – If you’ve borrowed or hired a car, make sure you know which fuel it takes

3. Unfamiliar garage – Some pumps don’t stick to the usual colour scheme, especially when there are multiple types of each fuel

If you do ever misfuel your car, hopefully you’ll notice while you’re actually doing it or as soon as you put the pump back into its slot. At that point you are safe, and it’s easy to sort out if you know what to do.

Once you’ve got any swearing out of your system, go into the petrol station and tell the attendant what’s happened. They’ve seen it all before and probably have a well-oiled plan of action. They might cone off your car to save you having to push it out of the way, have a dedicated call-out service or give you a number to phone.

What to do if it happens to you

Don’t start your car

Keep your key fob in your pocket and your fingers away from the start button. Some cars can even begin to prime the engine when the central locking’s opened, so leave everything as it is.

Check if you’re covered for misfuelling with your car insurance

Some car insurance companies have misfuelling cover as an optional extra.

Not covered? Call a fuel rescue service

As misfuelling is so common, there are now mobile engineers and mechanics who can come to your rescue and sort things out at the roadside, such as Fuelfixer. Put their number in your phone now, as you never know when you might need them.

What happens next?

Much like a breakdown recovery service, the fuel engineer will come and deal with things at the car – they won’t need to tow it away.

The wrong fuel is drained from your tank and the system will be flushed through, ready for it to be filled with the correct type of fuel and for you to get on your way.

If you’ve driven your car any distance, a drain and flush could still work. But the risk of more serious damage increases – and so do the repair costs.

How much does misfuel recovery cost?

It all depends on the company and if things can be put right at the petrol station. If things are more advanced and your car’s come to a halt once you’re driving, the costs start to mount. It could need towing and work done at a garage. And then there’s the cost of new parts.

Does Saga cover for misfuelling?

If you have a Saga Plus or Saga Select car policy, you’re in luck as it automatically comes as standard, so you just need to contact the Saga Claims Line, and we’ll get someone out to you.