The new 10 Downing Street policy unit is considering ways of bringing down costs at the stations – which average 7.5p higher than elsewhere for petrol and 8p for diesel.

The scheme is the first major idea from the unit since Boris Johnson’s brother Jo was brought in as its new chief.

Options now being considered include introducing a rule that prices have to be visible on the motorway, rather than just when drivers reach the forecourt.

Highways Agency signs showing distances to the next service station could be adapted to feature their current fuel rates.

Another possibility is to copy the French system, where stations are also required to publish prices at their two nearest rivals.

A Number 10 source said: “There is nothing more frustrating than pulling off the motorway to find a sky high petrol or diesel price.

“Giving people more information whilst they are still on the motorway will mean a greater choice about where they fill up, and should help drive down prices.

“We have acted already on energy prices, to ensure people get put on the lowest tariff, and we will look at other areas to see what more we can do.”

An Office of Fair Trading report earlier this year found motorway fuel prices, which currently only have to show their own prices, were far higher than other outlets.

Providers will not be forced to slash their prices under the changes but ministers believe greater transparency would encourage more fairness.

www.forecourtfuelcards.co.uk can show you the best deals based on your individual requirements, from your estimated fuel spend to the size of your fleet.  

Asda was the first to announce the discount, which follows similar reductions towards the end of last month.

Sainsbury’s and Tesco followed suit, saying they would also slash 2p off their prices.

Welcoming the move, the president of roadside recovery group AA, Edmund King, said: “Once again the supermarkets have led the way on fuel price reductions.

He said that many people are cutting back on the number of car journeys they make because of the high cost of fuel.

“This reduction will go a little way towards helping families and businesses keep mobile,” he added.

Asda’s petrol trading director, Andy Peake, said his company was “leading the way” in reducing the price at the pump.

A Tesco spokesman said: “As Britain’s biggest petrol retailer with 490 forecourts, more motorists will make savings at the pumps at Tesco than at any other fuel retailer.”

And Sainsbury’s head of fuel, Richard Crampton, said: “With Christmas on the horizon, we know that this can be an expensive time of year so we’re delighted to announce that we will be lowering our petrol and diesel prices.”

In recent news, New tyres could save you £280 per company van!

Did you know we can save you a guaranteed further 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices all year when using one of our fuel cards?  

Visit www.forecourtfuelcards.co.uk  for more information.

Last year, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the long-established practice of setting insurance prices according to gender is illegal discrimination.

The Court’s decision forced members of the European Union to introduce a ban on gender-based pricing, and this ban will come into force on 21 December 2012.

Currently, women drivers typically pay less for car insurance than their male counterparts because they are statistically safer behind the wheel.

A report by HM Treasury states financial services providers should be allowed to make sensible decisions based on sound analysis of relevant risk factors.

What’s more, young women will feel the effects of this ruling the most – a 24 per cent rise in the cost of car insurance for 17 to 25-year-old females, according to government figures.

However, while the EU ruling is bad news for women, it’s good news for men’s prices, particularly young male drivers who can expect their premiums to fall.

In other news, Is your fleet fuel bill giving you nightmares?

Did you know we can save you a guaranteed 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices when using one of our fuel cards?  

Visit www.forecourtfuelcards.co.uk  for more information.

Business drivers are also taking measures to reduce costs, a separate ALD survey found.

In order to save fuel, over two-thirds were reducing speed and driving more smoothly. Half reported shopping around to find the cheapest deal and a fifth said they were cutting down on mileage.

ALD Automotive managing director Keith Allen said: “As the fuel price continues to rise, it has become increasingly important for fleet management suppliers to work in partnership with their customers and their drivers in helping deliver initiatives that can help deliver cost savings from improved fuel management.”

Fuel prices have surged in recent weeks, leaving many businesses reeling from the effects.

High prices may explain some of the decline in fuel as a benefit in kind, demonstrated in recent HMRC figures which showed the benefit to be in the sharpest decline.

In other news,  Is your fleet fuel bill giving you nightmares?

Did you know we can save you a guaranteed 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices when using one of our fuel cards?  

Visit www.forecourtfuelcards.co.uk  for more information.

Now that the Government are putting information on Whitehall spending and procurement contracts on the internet to increase transparency, Mr Halfon said the same should be done for fuel duty.

According to FairFuelUK, out of a petrol or diesel fill up of £85, nearly £50 goes straight to the Treasury as tax.

Kate Gibbs, a spokesperson for Road Haulage Association said, “This initiative will serve as a real wake up call to all users of road fuels; petrol or diesel.”

FairFuelUK was central to a campaign that successfully deferred a 3p fuel duty increase from August to January 2013. However, it is now hoping to squash the increase all together and claims if it were to go ahead, the tax take per fuel purchase would become 59.32 percent.

“Filling the tank, regardless of size, has always been costly. If the cost of the fuel duty and the VAT is clearly shown on the receipt, it will make users far more aware of just where their money is going,”

“The price of fuel has become a wide reaching political issue; it affects everyone. If this move for transparency goes ahead, fuel pricing has the potential to become a real vote winner, or indeed vote loser”, continued Gibbs.

This is a move that could benefit the economy in general and the road haulage sector in particular as customers will see that they are getting the best possible rate for the job.

Mr Halfon’s campaign is backed by FairFuelUK, which has gathered more than 15,000 signatures on a petition.

Earlier this year, Chancellor George Osborne delayed a planned 3p rise in fuel duty from August 1st to January 1st next year following campaigns against it.

In other news,  Is your fleet fuel bill giving you nightmares?

Achieve added control over your fuel purchases. www.forecourtfuelcards.co.uk will help you to manage your account and transactions for optimum efficiency and convenience

Our research shows that driving at 50 mph can use 25% less fuel than at 70mph; a reduction from 80 to 70mph can save 40p every 10 miles and driving at 90mph can use 60% more fuel than at 70mph.

But it is one thing preaching better, more fuel-efficient driving styles – getting drivers to follow this advice is quite another.
Incentives can be introduced to persuade staff to drive more efficiently or opt for more economic vehicles.

Keeping on top of where your fuel bill is being used can be a logistical nightmare at the best of times and regular driving tips just don’t get through to some drivers.

Offering encouragement and rewards can help reduce the overall fuel bill and a review of vehicle policy can provide savings.

Another way of taking control of your fleet fuel consumption is by using Fuelcards, a fuel card looks and works in a similar way to a credit card but with a few fundamental differences.
Firstly a fuelcard will save you money on each litre of fuel that you buy. It is also usually restricted to only allow the purchase of diesel / petrol, secondly, when it is used to make a purchase, both the vehicle registration and mileages are recorded against the respective transactions. Finally, your fuel card invoice also doubles up as a fuel management report, showing date / time / place of each sale, registration number, mileage of the vehicle collecting the fuel and of course how much was drawn. It will also then go on to separate the VAT element of all transactions for you.

Please check out this video for more information:

In other news,Saving Money on Diesel and Petrol

Did you know we can save you a guaranteed 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices when using one of our fuel cards? 

Visit www.forecourtfuelcards.co.uk  for more information

Admiral Motor Insurance surveyed more than 3000 drivers this summer as part of its annual Survey of Motorists, and the results, announced today, revealed the British public thinks that they are being ripped off by the government. A further 42 per cent saying they would consider protesting publically about the cost of fuel.

More than 70 per cent even agreed they believe the Government is trying to price motorists off the road with duty and VAT.

Oil companies also came under fire from the public as 41 per cent blamed them for the cost of their fuel, while 25 per cent went for world affairs out of their control, and 20 per cent for petrol retailers.

Sue Longthorn, Admiral managing director, said: “The cost of fuel is certainly having an impact on the motoring public as over half have reduced the amount of driving they do due to the cost of fuel while two fifths have had to cut back on essential spending in order to be able to afford fuel.

“I’m sure no one wants to see a repeat of the scenes in recent years of petrol stations running dry and enormous queues,” she added.

Achieve added control over your fuel purchases. www.forecourtfuelcards.co.uk will help you to manage your account and transactions for optimum efficiency and convenience.

Fuel duty was due to rise by 3p a litre in August. Hauliers and motoring associations had called on Osborne to cancel the hike in his budget earlier this year.

At the time the Chancellor insisted the hike would go ahead, so his U-turn on Tuesday is yet another plank of the Budget to be reversed. It follows policy reversals on the Pasty Tax and the Charity Tax.

The government says its series of freezes on fuel duty mean that petrol is 10p cheaper than it would have been if all the rises had been introduced.

The Treasury said the U-turn was triggered by the deteriorating economic situation and said senior ministers had been considering the move for some time.

They rejected claims that the move was in response to calls from Labour’s Ed Balls earlier on Tuesday, who said the £500m underspend at the Olympics should be chaneled into a petrol tax cut.

Speaking in the Commons shortly after the announcement Balls told MPs: “We’ve now had U-turns on pasties, churches, caravans, skips, and today a U-turn on fuel, which we welcome.

“It would be interesting to know at what point the decision was made and if the transport secretary was told,” Balls went on, calling on the chancellor to perform further U-turns on tax breaks for millionaires and the so-called Granny Tax.

Did you know we can save you a guaranteed 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices when using one of our fuel cards?  

Visit www.forecourtfuels.co.uk for more information.

Company Car in Action is back again with even more focus on keeping fleet decision makers up to date with a wide range of cost saving solutions, as well as the opportunity to test drive manufacturers models back to back in a unique test drive environment at the UK’s leading proving ground.

Fitting weeks of testing into two days, CCIA at Millbrook offers fleet decision makers the chance to put more than 250 vehicles through their paces in a real world environment, including electric cars and vans, hybrids. Whether looking at executive cars, 4x4s or LCVs, CCIA 2012 is set to be bigger and better than ever.

If you’re a fleet decision-maker or work for a leasing company, then apply for your complimentary place at the event by visiting www.companycarinaction.co.uk

Manufacturers that have already booked their attendance include:

Toyota and Lexus
Vauxhall Motors
SEAT UK
Citroen UK
Honda UK
Peugeot Motor Company
Fiat Group
Ford Motor Company
Renault UK
Hyundai Motor UK

In other news, How to make Fleet driving in strong winds safer.

Let www.forecourtfuels.co.uk show you the best deals based on your individual requirements, from your estimated fuel spend to the size of your fleet.