Hope yet, despite petrol hike

It’s looking bleak for motorists as petrol prices are expected to increase this week.

Projections show that the fuel price may go up as much as 84 cents per litre on Wednesday 3 July. Currently, motorists are paying R12,16 per litre for 93 octane and R12,39 for 95 octane. This staggering increase is bound to leave consumers scraping together the last few cents to break even at the end of each month.

It is an alarming thought that a 45-litre tank of fuel will cost R595,35 as of Wednesday. And if you are unlucky enough to drive a 4×4 or bakkie with an average tank capacity of 85 litre, you will pay around R1 124,55 to fill it.

The reasons for the increase are put down to the decidedly weak rand to US dollar exchange rate.

This is an unfavourable addition to expenses for consumers who need to cater for the inevitable increase in power usage over the winter month of July.

When one thinks about what can be bought for R13,23, perspective is gained as to what and equivalent would be to a single litre of fuel – a pepper steak pie comes to mind.

Therefore one needs to ask the question of would you rather have a divine bit of pastry or a litre of liquid that will never be enough to get you anywhere worthwhile and inevitably leave you spluttering to an undignified halt in the middle of Ontdekkers Road in peak traffic.

To avoid this compromising situation, here are a few tips as to how to save fuel on a daily basis:
• Ensure your vehicle is serviced regularly.
• All four tyres should be inflated to the recommended pressure of 2,3bar.
• Instead of coasting in neutral, engage a higher gear and coast so that the gearbox maintains your forward momentum without the engine using any fuel maintaining idle speed.
• Turn the air-conditioning system off when not needed.
• Avoid fast and unnecessary acceleration.

This way you will have enough leftover cents to reward your efforts with a divine pastry.

If all else fails, buy a Vespa.