You might be shocked to see how many different types of fuel there seem to be when you pull into any filling station, whether domestic or international.

The time of only having the option of buying petrol or diesel at the pump is long gone. There are now a variety of fuels available, and you must decide which one is best for your car.

The option is no longer as clear-cut with the various engine types now available, the rising cost of fuel, and the shift toward electric vehicles.

At Diesel Logic, you can explore beyond the traditional choices of petrol or diesel at the pump, as there is now a diverse range of fuels available for you to consider, ensuring you choose the best option for your car.

When selecting a car, it is essential to consider the engine type and the available fuel. While some oil companies only provide a single kind of fuel, others, like Speedy Fuels, offer a variety of options.

In the UK, the following fuels are the most frequently used in engines and motor vehicles:

Petrol

With tens of millions of petrol-powered vehicles on the country’s roads, petrol is the most popular type of vehicle fuel in the UK. It’s one of the earliest fuels ever used in automobiles.

Crude oil, used to make petrol, is extracted from underground oil fields. Then, it is refined using heat and pressures to give this oil the explosive qualities required to ignite in an engine.

It is fascinating how petrol is produced and delivered to your neighbourhood gas station. Fuel vapours are produced when crude oil is heated and rises to the tank’s top. The vapours are then collected, temporarily stored, and prepared for transport.

The benefits of petrol

At the gas pumps, petrol is affordable, and many engines, from minor to powerful, may use it. Compared to diesel, it is more environmentally friendly.

The drawbacks of petrol

In cars, petrol engines frequently perform less efficiently over long distances than diesel ones. 

Some petrol engines have limited power, less highway torque, and a shorter lifespan than most diesel engines. 

Types of petrol

Unleaded petrol comes in several varieties. All differ in terms of their Research Octane Number (RON) and contain up to 5% bio-ethanol content; in this way, only the E10 is different because it includes up to 10%.

In Great Britain, the E1O is the preferred grade of petrol and has a RON of 95 or 97/98. E10 is unleaded petrol that contains 10% ethanol and 90% standard unleaded petrol.

There is also Premium Unleaded, which has a RON of 95. Premium Unleaded is simply the regular unleaded petrol sold throughout Europe and is compatible with practically all petrol engines.

Super Unleaded is the highest-octane fuel that is generally accessible and necessary for some high-performance vehicles. It has a RON of 97/98.

The engine performance increases, and fuel consumption decreases with increasing RON numbers.

Diesel

Diesel fuel is often more efficient than petrol since it has 10% more energy per gallon. Diesel fuel is safer than petrol since its vapours do not ignite or explode as quickly as petrol vapours do.

Diesel fuel comes in different varieties and has many benefits when used in vehicles. Diesel fuel is evaluated by its cetane number, which describes how easily it will ignite and how quickly it will burn; in the same way, petrol is classified by its octane.

Types of diesel fuel

Standard diesel fuel

We have two main types of standard diesel fuel, sometimes known as diesel oil: 1-D and 2-D. Most diesel vehicles utilise petrol with a grade of 40 -55 cetane. However, the greater the cetane number, the more likely the fuel will be volatile.

Since 2-D is the only type that all diesel automakers recommend for everyday driving, you won’t need to worry about which to use. It also offers better fuel economy and is less variable than 1-D.

At lower temperatures, 1-D is more effective than 2-D because it flows more easily. The two types of oil can be combined, and most gas stations provide diesel fuel customised for the local climate.

Biofuel

An alternate fuel source to traditional fossil fuels is biofuel. Currently, biofuel is added to petrol and diesel to make them more ecologically friendly and efficient. 

As automakers begin creating vehicles that only use biofuel, there are plans to make it more widely available. Biofuel is created by processing living material, specifically biomass, into a fuel that may be used to power a vehicle.

Another diesel substitute for fossil fuels that use vegetable oil is hydrogenation-derived renewable diesel or HDRD. HDRD relies on converting the oil’s triglycerides rather than employing the fatty acid methyl esters as biodiesel.

The result is an even cleaner fuel source with improved oxidation stability. Additionally, HDRD promotes less injector deposit development and excellent low-temperature operability.

Electricity

Since a plug-in rechargeable battery powers the motor, fossil fuel is not at all necessary for electric cars.

You can always charge your vehicle in your residence, there are numerous plug-in locations in supermarkets, retail parks, and highway fuel stops throughout the United Kingdom.

Many people are now exploring this option due to the recent national fuel shortage.

Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) 

Butane and propane make up LPG. It is accessible at several UK gas stations and is both cheaper and cleaner to purchase than petrol.

Most petrol engines may be specially modified to run on LPG, and modifications are generally affordable.

Wrapping Up

One can pick from a range of fuel types for use. However, this is often determined by the type of engine or vehicle for which it is intended.