Fuel costs are same as in ’80s – shouldn’t we be happy?

Sorry – the vast vast vast majority ever compare any price with what it was 30 years ago – they only compare what it was a week or a year ago. (I did a simple study comparing 1970s prices to 1930s and found many prices had not risen that much different from inflation – though the perception of consumers was the opposite) – The reason for the study was because of a heated discussion with my fifth form students.

Before Suez petrol was around 1/11d a gallon (under 10p) – after Suez it effectively doubled to around 20p or 4.5 p a litre – to me it was a ripoff – because my income didn’t increase to compensate.instantly.

As far as I’m concerned – it could be good only because battery driven cars should be cheaper to produce due to economies of scale. At the moment the only reason I won’t buy an electric car is the expense at three times the cost of an ICE car

Our Guardian cartoon today is about your really eye-opening research! Thanks.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/cartoon/2011/apr/01/ripped-off-britons-transport-troubles

David, the fuel spend figures are based on Which? fuel economy test results, not official (manufacturer) figures.

The point you raise is a good one though – official figures are often difficult to achieve, and the EU test does not include a motorway element.

Over the past 15 or so years my fuel cost per mile remained pretty consistent at about 9-10p per mile until the latest price increases, thanks to two upgrades to more efficient (although not necessarily more comfortable ! ) cars. That is a real world comparison, hills and weather conditions included. On a longer time-scale, I remember paying £1 for 4 gallons when I was earning £8 a week, so in relation to my current pension, fuel is more affordable now. However I did have a bit of career progression in between !
What I do find disturbing is that most of today’s really efficient cars have such poor 0-62 acceleration that I would be wary of driving one down a slip onto a busy main road. Only the relatively expensive hybrids (or the LEAF?) aren’t such a compromise.

Sorry to carp but isn’t it a bit of a contradiction to compare with inflation adjusted prices? After all fuel is part of the shopping basket whose cost has increased over the decades! Surely a more relevant comparison would be with the average earnings index. Given that until recently average earnings have normally outstripped RPI I guess this would bear out your results even more strongly – but at least it would be on a more valid basis.

Despite car fuel economy improvements, when compared to the mid-sixties when I first started buying petrol it still works out slightly cheaper today. I paid 25p a gallon and a good salary was £1000 p.a or £20 per week. Therefore a gallon was one eightieth of gross weekly wage. Today the average wage appears to be £500 per week and unleaded is £1.30 per litre or £5.85 per gallon, one eightieth of £500 is £6.25. So if you also take in the better mpg we are all better off. Hooray.

To someone who has stayed in the same job for the last 20 years yes perhaps petrol does seem astronomically high. But for those who progress and moved on to higher earning jobs as their experience increases, will not notice the difference too much as their wages have increased more than inflation.

Basically it’s all relative. Yes it seems crazy at the moment, but we have more disposable income than ever.
I chose to use the train this weekend over a long journey as the petrol cost for a full tank is now more than the train fare. But I have a 2l turbo engine and so it’s never going to be that economical, but I would rather have that power when I need it, rather than having a dangerous eco box which cannot accelerate away from danger.

Good acceleration is as good at preventing accidents as having good brakes.

It probably is cheaper to run a car today as you don’t have to keep taking it back to the garage for repairs as often as you did in the 60s and 70s when you had Red Robbo at British Leyland along with “Monday morning” and “Friday afternoon” cars rolling off the production line with so many faults. I don’t know about European cars nowadays but with Japanese ones, the only time you have to open the bonnet is to top up your screen wash. You send it to the garage once a year for it’s MOT and service and so long as you pour fuel into the tank, it will start every day and take you where you want to go to with no hassle.

I suppose we have to take it on the chin as far as increases in fuel tax are concerned, as they have now virtually outlawed smoking therefore, have killed the taxpaying goose that laid the golden egg.

It’s an interesting point. What has changed for the worse in recent years is the price of spares. Even a low tech vacuum pump for my Nissan is priced at £500 plus VAT and a cam gear £77.60 +VAT. Parts tend to last well, but these prices are utterly unrealistic and are a total rip-off. Fortunately I got a used one for £132, which is about the right price for a new one! Breakers are learning how to charge too, most wanted around £250 for this item.

simply taking average MPG per car model is an incomplete picture. What about the cost of the the new car, and servicing, which is increasingly expensive, and out of the hands of the home mechanic.

What about someone who cannot afford a replacement car. Public transport? In this area a bus is increasingly becoming an extinct species. Only recently, the main route Southampton – Lyndhurst – Lymington reduced from every 30 minutes to hourly.

Agree with Tim re spares

While clearing out some unused junk I discovered a Reader’s Digest metric converter/motorists converter. It covers a range of 25 to 50 pence per litre, which is not a lot of use these days.

Interestingly, it also converts mpg to miles per £, and the mpg range is from 15 to 50 mpg. Thankfully, many modern cars will average more than 50 mpg, and hopefully fuel economy will continue to rise.