BP pays for refuelling damage

BP is offering compensation potentially worth thousands of pounds to motorists who have been confused by the colour of its pumps and filled their car with the wrong type of fuel.

Latest News

• MG gives local workers 15% discount
• Citroen launches recall website
• New Audi A3 vs Merc A-Class, Volvo V40
• Renault Alpine concept car leaked

BP is offering compensation potentially worth thousands of pounds to motorists who have been confused by the colour of its pumps and filled their car with the wrong type of fuel.

The company introduced a new range of improved Ultimate fuels last October and used a light blue colour on unleaded pumps to differentiate it from standard-quality petrol.

It says it has now recognised that many drivers confused these with darker blue diesel nozzles. The company says it will reimburse any motorists who can prove they misfuelled at a BP station because of the colour-coding problems and damaged their cars.

Bills could be as little as £30 for draining the tank on a small car that was not driven, and up to £4000 on larger models that had run on the wrong type of fuel.

BP says a receipt is the easiest way to show that you have been confused, but will also check its own records against motorists’ bank statements to trace an instance of misfuelling.

What Car?’s editor, David Motton, said: ‘It’s a great shame for all concerned that the confusion had to arise in the first place, but very good news that BP is willing to ensure that motorists aren’t left out of pocket as a result.’

While BP in the UK has now marked up Ultimate petrol nozzles with a green more familiar to motorists in this country, it says light blue will continue in other markets across Europe, where drivers are already used to it being used on unleaded pumps.

• Don’t drive away if you realise you’ve filled with the wrong type of fuel. Always check the pump you’re about to use, particularly on the Continent where colours and names vary. Black usually indicates a diesel pump, as do the words gaz, gas or oil.
  
  Around 120,000 motorists use the wrong type of fuel each year, according to the AA.