Petrol stations - Fuel tank filled up more than it can contain

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A fuel pump that is working properly and within legal limits is very accurate. They can dispense 0.5% less or 1% more than what is requested.

The size given for the fuel tank in the manual is only a guide – so the tank size will be about 50 litres – but there will usually be extra space to allow for the fuel to expand and space for the vapour. There will also be fuel in the pipes.

What this all means is that although your cars manual might say the tank is 50 litres that does not mean your car cannot take more than 50 litres.

Clearly if you normally max out at 50 litres and you visit a station and you have been about to put in 65 litres – that might indicate the fuel pump is not accurately measuring the amount of liquid that is being dispensed but that is not always the case.

You should know

Petrol pumps are checked for accuracy when they are installed and serviced
Trading Standards will also check the accuracy of pumps. If you experience issues, you should report the issue to your local Trading Standards. You can do this via resolver
All pricing should be clearly displayed to you before your purchase
If you experience any problems, raise them while you are still at the petrol station and take down the name of the person that you spoke with. If your problem is not resolved at the station, you can raise a complaint via resolver

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