Wrong fuel in the UK: statistics from a leading fuel drain specialist
Published by Fuel Fixer Ltd — one of the UK’s largest specialist fuel drain provider. Last updated: March 2026.
SECTION 1 — INTRODUCTION
The data on this page is drawn from Fuel Fixer’s own operational records covering 57,047 fuel drain enquiries across 2024 and 2025. This includes every enquiry received: wrong fuel callouts, AdBlue contamination, water contamination, fuel collection, and all other fuel drain needs. Where external sources are used, they are cited.
SECTION 2 — KEY STATISTICS AT A GLANCE
The wrong fuel problem in the UK — key figures
| 57,047 Fuel Drain Enquiries handled by Fuel Fixer in 2024 and 2025 28,794 in 2024 | 28,253 in 2025 | ~17,500 Jobs completed by Fuel Fixer per year Across every region of the UK, from a dedicated network of 35+ mobile units | ~86.7% Of fuel drain callouts (where data is recorded) are for Wrong Fuel Compared with 9.1% being for AdBlue contamination |
| 3 in 4 Wrong fuel callouts involve a diesel vehicle 75.4% of cases with known fuel type | 20L Typical volume of wrong fuel put in (median) Half of all cases involve 20 litres or less | 1.5 miles Typical distance driven after misfuelling (median) 68% of drivers had already moved the vehicle before calling |
| 37.3 minutes Median on-site job time From technician arrival to customer vehicle driving away | 98.4% Of booked jobs are completed successfully (vehicle able to drive away) 34,842 of 35,417 booked jobs — Fuel Fixer 2024–2025 | 49.7 minutes Median arrival time in 2025 — improving year on year Improved from 52.3 mins in 2024 |
SECTION 3 — FUEL FIXER — A LEADING FUEL DRAIN PROVIDER
Why Fuel Fixer is an authoritative source on fuel drain data
Fuel Fixer has been a dedicated fuel drain specialist since 2009 — starting with one van in Sussex and growing to a nationwide operation with 35 or more mobile units, covering every region of the UK, as well as Ireland and continental Europe.
Wrong fuel rescue and fuel drain services are the only thing they do. That focus, sustained over 15 years, means Fuel Fixer holds a comprehensive operational dataset on fuel drain incidents in the UK.
| 57,047 Total fuel drain cases recorded by Fuel Fixer in 2024 and 2025 2024: 28,794 | 2025: 28,253 | ~17,500 Completed fuel drain jobs per year — more than any other published UK provider AA’s stated wrong fuel service is ~16,000 |
The AA states it completes approximately 16,000 wrong fuel mishaps per year (source: theaa.com/breakdown-cover/fuel-assist).
SECTION 4 — WHAT FUEL FIXER’S 57,000 CASES TELL US
The breakdown of 57,047 fuel drain cases — 2024 and 2025
Every case Fuel Fixer receives — whether or not a job is ultimately completed — tells us something about the nature and frequency of fuel drain needs in the UK. The following figures are based on the full 57,047 case dataset.
What type of problem prompted the call?
| Reason for call | Cases | % of known reasons | Trend (2024 vs 2025) |
| Wrong fuel (misfuelling) | 43,740 | 86.7% | -4.1% YoY — consistent structural decline |
| AdBlue contamination | 4,606 | 9.1% | +3.2% YoY — holding share of mix |
| Other drain needs | 970 | 1.9% | -5.6% YoY |
| Water / fuel contamination | 638 | 1.3% | -28.7% YoY — high variability at small volumes |
| Fuel collection (small, <300L) | 326 | 0.6% | +184% YoY — fast-growing from small base |
| Fuel collection (large, >300L) | 71 | 0.1% | +194% YoY |
| Red diesel | 42 | 0.1% | Stable |
| No fuel / Recovery / E10 / Other | 39 | 0.1% | Stable |
11.6% of cases (6,615) had no reason recorded — typically enquiries had missing datasets or were unregistered vehicles (like boats, farming or construction equipment, etc.), or that did not progress to a full intake. These are excluded from the percentage calculations above.
The 86.7% wrong fuel figure — nearly 9 in 10 calls — establishes Fuel Fixer’s core identity clearly. AdBlue at 9.1% is the second largest category and is growing as a proportion of the mix as the wrong fuel total declines.
What happens when someone calls?
| 35,417 Cases that resulted in a booking ~62% of all fuel drain enquiries | 98.4% of booked jobs were completed successfully 34,842 of 35,417 booked — Fuel Fixer 2024–2025 | Only 1.6% of all bookings resulted in a job that was not completed Most common reason was vehicle damage caused by misfuelling |
The 98.4% successful completion rate on booked jobs is a meaningful operational quality indicator — once a Fuel Fixer job is booked, it almost always gets done. The remaining 38% of enquiries that do not become bookings cover a range of outcomes: callers seeking advice only, callers who decided not to proceed, or enquiries that could not be matched with an available technician in time, etc.
SECTION 5 — WRONG FUEL — WHAT THE DATA SHOWS
Inside the 43,740 wrong fuel cases
Which vehicle fuel type is most commonly misfuelled?
Of the 43,740 wrong fuel cases where vehicle fuel type was recorded:
| 75.4% Diesel vehicles — 3 in 4 wrong fuel callouts 32,980 of 43,740 cases with known fuel type | 23.4% Petrol vehicles 10,236cases | 1.2% Hybrid Diesel/electric & Petrol/electric vehicles 524 cases — a growing category |
The diesel dominance in wrong fuel callouts reflects both the historical prevalence of diesel cars in the UK fleet (particularly in fleet and commercial use) and the physics of the most common misfuel — a petrol nozzle can physically enter a diesel filler neck, while the reverse is usually prevented by the wider diesel nozzle not fitting a petrol filler.
The 1.2% hybrid and electric figure — 524 cases over two years (241 in 2024 and 283 in 2025) — is small in absolute terms but growing. PHEVs (plug-in hybrids with both a petrol tank and an electric motor) introduce a new layer of driver confusion, particularly in hire and pool car contexts.
Petrol into diesel vs diesel into petrol
Of cases where both the vehicle fuel type and the wrong fuel type are determinable, the split is approximately:
| 75–78% Petrol put into a diesel car — the dominant scenario Consistent across 2024 and 2025 | 22–25% Diesel put into a petrol car Higher than the commonly cited industry figure of 5% |
The diesel-into-petrol proportion in Fuel Fixer’s data is considerably higher than the industry’s commonly cited 95%/5% split. This is likely explained by Fuel Fixer’s significant fleet and commercial customer base, where vehicle pools include more petrol cars — giving those drivers greater exposure to diesel nozzles at the pump.
How much wrong fuel was put in?
| Wrong fuel volume | Cases | Cumulative % |
| 10 litres or less | 9,444 | 22.1% |
| 20 litres or less | 23,145 | 54.2% |
| 30 litres or less | 31,357 | 73.4% |
| 50 litres or less | 39,823 | 93.3% |
| More than 50 litres | 2,877 | 6.7% |
The median wrong fuel volume is 20 litres — roughly a third of a standard 60-litre tank. More than half of all cases involve 20 litres or less, consistent with a driver catching the error partway through refuelling. Only 6.7% of cases involve more than 50 litres — a full tank of wrong fuel — which represents the highest-risk scenario.
Was the car driven after misfuelling?
| 68.4% Of drivers had already moved the vehicle before calling 29,564 of 43,195 cases with this field recorded (* some instances not recorded as the caller was unable to provide this information) | 31.6% Called before starting the engine — the ideal outcome 13,631 cases |
The majority of callers had already started and moved their vehicle before realising the error. The standard advice — don’t start the engine — reflects the ideal outcome, but the data shows it describes only about a third of real-world situations. The good news is that most of those who did drive only covered a short distance.
How far did they drive?
| Distance driven on wrong fuel | Cases | Cumulative % | Damage risk |
| 1 mile or less | ~12,100 | 46.8% | Very low — fuel barely reached the high-pressure pump |
| 2 miles or less | ~17,200 | 66.6% | Low — prompt drain is straightforward |
| 5 miles or less | ~22,300 | 86.5% | Moderate — drain recommended urgently |
| 10 miles or less | ~24,000 | 93.1% | Higher — pump exposure increasing |
| Over 10 miles | ~1,700 | 6.9% | Highest risk — professional assessment essential |
Nearly half of drivers who moved the vehicle only went a mile or less. 93% drove 10 miles or fewer. The typical distance driven on wrong fuel is .3 – 2 miles — a short journey, typically the exit from the filling station and a short distance along the road before the driver noticed something was wrong.
93% of drivers who moved their vehicle on wrong fuel covered 10 miles or less before calling Fuel Fixer. In the great majority of these cases, a prompt drain results in no lasting damage.
SECTION 6 — WHICH VEHICLES ARE MOST COMMONLY INVOLVED?
The most commonly misfuelled vehicles — 43,740 wrong fuel cases
The following figures are based on all 43,740 wrong fuel enquiries in 2024 and 2025. Rankings reflect the prevalence of these models in the UK fleet — particularly in fleet, hire and commercial use — rather than any inherent susceptibility to misfuelling.
Top 10 vehicle makes
| Make | Cases (2024–2025) | % of wrong fuel cases |
| Volkswagen | 5,432 | 12.4% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 4,669 | 10.7% |
| Vauxhall | 3,466 | 7.9% |
| Nissan | 3,393 | 7.8% |
| Ford | 2,496 | 5.7% |
| Toyota | 2,395 | 5.5% |
| Renault | 2,138 | 4.9% |
| Audi | 2,054 | 4.7% |
| Kia | 1,763 | 4.0% |
| Peugeot | 1,357 | 3.1% |
Top 10 vehicle models
| Model | Make | Cases (2024–2025) | % of wrong fuel cases |
| Qashqai | Nissan | 1,459 | 3.3% |
| Golf | Volkswagen | 1,114 | 2.5% |
| Astra | Vauxhall | 859 | 2.0% |
| A-Class | Mercedes-Benz | 744 | 1.7% |
| Sportage | Kia | 653 | 1.5% |
| Transporter | Volkswagen | 584 | 1.3% |
| Polo | Volkswagen | 557 | 1.3% |
| A3 | Audi | 538 | 1.2% |
| Juke | Nissan | 537 | 1.2% |
| Transit | Ford | 525 | 1.2% |
The Nissan Qashqai leads with 1,459 cases across two years — more than any other single model. Its position reflects both its overall popularity (consistently one of the UK’s best-selling used cars) and its widespread use in fleet and hire fleets. The VW Transporter and Ford Transit in the top 10 confirm the significant van and commercial dimension of Fuel Fixer’s callout profile. Seven of the top 10 models are commonly found in fleet, lease or hire pools — consistent with driver unfamiliarity being a key risk factor.
SECTION 7 — VEHICLE AGE — WHAT THE REGISTRATION DATA SHOWS
How old are the vehicles in Fuel Fixer’s callout data?
Fuel Fixer parsed UK registration plates from 25,543 completed wrong fuel jobs, using DVLA registration format rules to extract vehicle manufacture year. This data describes the profile of vehicles involved in misfuel callouts — it does not indicate that any particular vehicle age is inherently more at risk, since the distribution broadly follows the composition of the UK diesel fleet. Also note that when looking at “vehicle age” we are referring specifically to the registration date based on the vehicle’s registration plate.
| 10.5 yrs Median age of a misfuelled vehicle Mean: 10.8 years | 9 yrs Most common single vehicle age (mode) Peak of the distribution | 31.8% Of cases involve vehicles aged 10–14 years The largest single age bracket |
| Vehicle age | Cases | % of total |
| 0–2 years | 2,033 | 8.0% |
| 3–5 years | 2,609 | 10.2% |
| 6–9 years | 6,458 | 25.3% |
| 10–14 years | 8,133 | 31.8% |
| 15–20 years | 4,826 | 18.9% |
| 21+ years | 1,484 | 5.8% |
8% of cases involve vehicles that are 0–2 years old. These are likely new purchases, hire cars, courtesy vehicles or recently changed company cars — situations where driver unfamiliarity with the vehicle is a primary factor. The median vehicle age is rising year on year (10.0 years in 2024, 11.0 years in 2025), consistent with the UK car fleet ageing overall.
SECTION 8 — WHEN DO MISFUELS HAPPEN?
Seasonality and timing — patterns across 57,047 cases
Monthly pattern
| Month | Cases (2024 + 2025) | Index vs January |
| January | 4,465 | 100 (baseline — quietest month) |
| February | 4,435 | 99 |
| March | 4,915 | 110 |
| April | 4,666 | 104 |
| May | 5,003 | 112 — joint peak |
| June | 4,714 | 105 |
| July | 4,868 | 109 |
| August | 5,004 | 112 — joint peak |
| September | 4,979 | 111 |
| October | 4,927 | 110 |
| November | 4,676 | 105 |
| December | 4,395 | 98 |
May and August are jointly the busiest months — 12% above the January baseline. August is the peak hire car and holiday driving month; May marks the start of the summer driving season. The sustained elevation across September and October likely reflects the return to regular commuting patterns after summer.
Day of week
| Day | Cases (both years) | vs Sunday |
| Monday | 8,815 | +27% |
| Tuesday | 8,084 | +16% |
| Wednesday | 7,930 | +14% |
| Thursday | 8,226 | +18% |
| Friday | 8,979 | +29% — busiest day of the week |
| Saturday | 8,067 | +16% |
| Sunday | 6,946 | baseline — quietest |
Friday is the busiest day — 29% more cases than Sunday. Possible explanations include end-of-week time pressure, fatigue, and the habit of filling up before weekend travel all contribute. Sunday’s lower volume reflects more relaxed, leisure-oriented driving where drivers are less rushed.
SECTION 9 — FUEL FIXER RESPONSE TIMES
How quickly does Fuel Fixer arrive?
Arrival times are calculated from technician departure to on-site arrival, across 29,485 completed jobs with valid timing data.
| 49.7 minutes Median arrival time in 2025 — improving year on year Down from 52.3 mins in 2024 | 63.5% Of jobs arrived within the hour in 2025 Up from 60.1% in 2024 | 88.1% Of jobs arrived within 90 minutes in 2025 Nearly 9 out of 10 bookings |
| 2024 and 2025 Arrival time | Jobs | % of total |
| Under 20 minutes | 2,539 | 8.6% |
| 20–30 minutes | 3,341 | 11.3% |
| 30–46 minutes | 6,747 | 22.9% |
| 46–60 minutes | 5,567 | 18.9% |
| 60–90 minutes | 7,274 | 24.7% |
| Over 90 minutes | 4,017 | 13.6% |
The report looks at the median rather than a mean average — the median is a more rounded measure of what most customers experience. In 2025 that was 49.7 minutes, down from 52.3 in 2024. Response times continue to improve as Fuel Fixer expands its network coverage.
SECTION 10 — HOW LONG DOES A FUEL DRAIN ACTUALLY TAKE?
On-site drain time — from technician arrival to job complete
The time between a Fuel Fixer technician arriving and the job being completed is calculated from 29,303 completed jobs with valid arrival and completion timestamps across 2024 and 2025.
| 37.3 minutes Median on-site job time across all drain types Arrival to driving away — 2024–2025 data | 29 minutes Most common single job length (mode) The typical straightforward wrong fuel drain | 56.8% Of jobs completed in under 45 minutes on site More than 1 in 2 |
Duration distribution
| On-site time | Jobs | % of total | Notes |
| Under 15 minutes | 1,833 | 6.3% | Includes some probable timing anomalies |
| 15–30 minutes | 8,310 | 28.4% | Standard quick drain — engine not started, small volume |
| 30–45 minutes | 8,316 | 28.4% | Typical wrong fuel drain — the core of the distribution |
| 45–60 minutes | 4,778 | 16.3% | Slightly more complex — larger volumes or driven vehicles |
| 60–90 minutes | 3,740 | 12.8% | Complex drains, AdBlue, or driven-on cases |
| Over 90 minutes | 2,326 | 7.9% | Includes AdBlue, contamination and multi-step treatments |
The distribution peaks sharply in the 25–35 minute window — the fastest bin in the data is 25–30 minutes (3,284 jobs), confirming that a standard wrong fuel drain, completed on site without complications, typically takes well under half an hour.
Duration varies significantly by job type
| 34.8 min Median on-site time for a standard wrong fuel drain 25,744 wrong fuel jobs — 2024–2025 | 73.6 min Median on-site time for an AdBlue contamination job 2,758 AdBlue jobs — more than double |
AdBlue contamination takes more than twice as long as a standard wrong fuel drain. AdBlue — a corrosive urea solution — requires a more thorough flush of the fuel system, careful inspection of seals and filters, and in some cases additional component treatment. This explains why the median price for an AdBlue job is also approximately double that of a wrong fuel drain.
| Job type | Median on-site time | Mean on-site time | Jobs |
| Wrong fuel (misfuel) | 34.8 mins | 41.3 mins | 25,744 |
| AdBlue contamination | 73.6 mins | 80.7 mins | 2,758 |
| Water in fuel | 68.5 mins | 83.1 mins | 279 |
| Other drain types | 48.6 mins | 58.4 mins | 405 |
A wrong fuel drain is not a simple top-up — it involves extracting all contaminated fuel from the tank, lines, filter and pump, an engine management check, fresh fuel supply and a road test. The median 34.8 minutes for a standard drain reflects what a thorough, professional job actually takes.
Total time from call to driving away — combining the median arrival time (49.7 minutes in 2025) with the median on-site time (37.3 minutes) — gives an end-to-end median of approximately 87 minutes. In practice many customers are back on the road within 75–90 minutes of calling.
SECTION 11 — WHAT DOES A FUEL DRAIN COST?
Fuel drain costs — data from over 30,000 completed jobs
Pricing is confirmed before any work begins. The following figures are from completed paid jobs across 2024 and 2025.
| Job type | Median price | Notes |
| AdBlue in diesel tank | £300 – £599 | Corrosive — more thorough treatment required |
| Large fuel collection (>300L) | £250 – £499 | Commercial / industrial scale |
| Water in fuel / Maintenance | £250 – £449 | Full system treatment |
| Red diesel | £199 – £379 | Specialist disposal requirements |
| Wrong fuel — standard car | £150 – £299 | Most common job type |
| Small fuel collection (<300L) | £100 – £250 |
| Option / scenario | Typical cost | Notes |
| Fuel Fixer mobile drain | £150–£400 | Confirmed before work. Includes fresh fuel. No hidden charges. |
| Main dealer fuel drain | £300–£500+ | Some quote additional work. Get a second opinion. |
| Fuel pump replacement (if action delayed) | £1,000–£3,000 | Risk increases the longer wrong fuel remains in system |
| Injector and pump set (worst case) | £3,000–£8,000 | Only where engine run extensively on wrong fuel |
| Total engine failure (rare) | £5,000–£15,000+ | Prolonged exposure only |
The cost differential between early and delayed action is significant. A same-day drain is consistently cheaper than any repair scenario that follows from leaving wrong fuel in the system.
NOTE: Fuel drain pricing is not fixed — every job is quoted individually based on the specific circumstances of the callout. The numbers stated above are guidelines and should not be treated as absolute figures. Some factors that can determine the final cost include the vehicle’s location and the distance to the nearest available technician; the type of contamination (a standard wrong fuel drain is considerably less involved than an AdBlue contamination job, which requires more thorough treatment of the fuel system); the volume of contaminant present; whether the vehicle was started or driven on the contaminated fuel (and for how long); whether the vehicle remains driveable at the time of the callout; and technician availability at the time of the enquiry. The price is always confirmed before any work begins.
SECTION 12 — WHAT CUSTOMERS SAY — FUEL FIXER REVIEW DATA
Over 8,000 verified reviews — what Fuel Fixer customers say
Being stranded at a petrol station with the wrong fuel in the tank is a stressful experience. The most valuable independent signal of how Fuel Fixer performs is what customers say after the event — not on their own website, but on the major independent review platforms. Across Trustpilot and Reviews.io alone, Fuel Fixer has accumulated over 8,000 reviews with a consistent 4.8-star rating.
Review platform summary — March 2026
| Trustpilot 4.8 ★ 2,048 reviews trustpilot.com/review/www.fuelfixer.co.uk | “Excellent” 91% five-star reviews Replied to 82% of negative reviews Typically replies within 2 weeks Based on all-time reviews: 91% five-star | 2% four-star |
| Reviews.io 4.8 ★ 6,030 reviews reviews.co.uk/company-reviews/store/fuelfixer-co-uk | 95% of reviewers recommend Fuel Fixer Customer service rated 4.9 out of 5 On-time service: 99% Queries resolved in under an hour All reviews verified buyers |
| Google Reviews 4.5 ★ 595 reviews google.com/search?q=fuel+fixer+reviews | Google’s review summary: “swift and professional service… quick response and friendly technicians… often resolving issues within an hour” Most mentioned topics: petrol (68 reviews) · engineer (65 reviews) · call (57 reviews) |
| Facebook 4.5 ★ 90 reviews facebook.com/Fuelfixer | 90% five-star reviews recommend using Fuel Fixer (86 reviews of 90) |
Across Trustpilot and Reviews.io — the two platforms where current data has been verified — Fuel Fixer has 8,078 verified reviews with a consistent 4.8-star rating. When Google and Facebook counts are added, the total review count will be higher.
| 8,078+ Verified reviews across Trustpilot and Reviews.io As of March 2026 — Google and Facebook additional | 4.8★ Consistent rating across both major platforms Trustpilot ‘Excellent’ badge | Reviews.io 4.8 | 95% Of Reviews.io customers recommend Fuel Fixer 6,030 verified buyer reviews |
| 91% Of Trustpilot reviews are five-star 2,048 reviews — only 5% are one-star | 82% Of negative Trustpilot reviews received a company reply Demonstrating active aftercare and accountability | 4.9/5 Customer service rating on Reviews.io Rated independently from overall service score |
SECTION 13 — FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions from Fuel Fixer
Q: How many people put the wrong fuel in their car in the UK each year?
A: The honest answer is that no single authoritative figure exists. Misfuelling incidents are not centrally recorded, and all available estimates are derived from partial datasets.
The figure most commonly cited — 150,000 incidents per year — originates from research attributed to the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA), announced via press release in May 2010 and later submitted as evidence to the UK Parliament (HC 591, Session 2010–11). It has since been widely repeated by organisations such as the RAC and The AA. However, the underlying methodology has not been published, and no updated or independently replicated version of this figure has been produced in the years since.
The figure is also likely to be out of date. The UK vehicle fleet has changed significantly since 2010, particularly following the peak in diesel registrations in 2016. Fuel Fixer’s operational data — based on more than 57,000 cases across 2024 and 2025 — shows petrol being put into diesel vehicles in approximately 75–78% of misfuelling incidents, compared with the widely cited 95% figure associated with the original BIBA-era data. This suggests the underlying vehicle mix and misfuelling patterns have shifted over time.
What can be stated with confidence is that Fuel Fixer completes approximately 17,500 fuel drain jobs per year, and the AA states it fixes over 16,000 wrong-fuel incidents annually. Together, this accounts for at least 34,000 specialist fuel drain interventions per year.
This does not represent the full scale of the problem. In addition to these providers, a number of other specialist fuel drain companies operate across the UK, and many incidents are resolved without specialist assistance — for example, at the forecourt, by topping up with the correct fuel, or through general garages and breakdown services. As a result, the true total number of misfuelling incidents is higher than the confirmed specialist job count, but no precise current UK-wide figure has been independently measured.
As a note: Fuel Fixer’s operational data — combined with its day-to-day visibility of demand and its understanding of the competitive landscape — provides a useful perspective on the wider market. On that basis, Fuel Fixer’s internal estimate is that the current number of misfuelling incidents in the UK is likely higher than the confirmed specialist job count, and may fall somewhere in the region of 80,000 to 130,000 incidents per year. This should be understood as an informed approximation rather than a measured or independently verified total.
Q: How many cases does Fuel Fixer handle each year?
A: Fuel Fixer handled approximately 28,500 cases per year in 2024 and 2025 — totalling 57,047 across the two years. This covers all fuel drain enquiries: wrong fuel, AdBlue contamination, water contamination, fuel collection, and other specialist needs. Of those cases, approximately 17,500 per year result in a completed job.
Q: What percentage of fuel drain callouts are for wrong fuel?
A: 86.7% of Fuel Fixer cases where a reason was recorded are for wrong fuel (misfuelling). AdBlue contamination accounts for a further 9.1%, with water contamination, fuel collection and other drain needs making up the remainder.
Q: How many fuel drain jobs does Fuel Fixer complete each year?
A: Fuel Fixer completes approximately 17,500 fuel drain jobs per year — more than any other provider in the UK. Our biggest competitor, The AA, states it completes approximately 16,000 per year (source: theaa.com/breakdown-cover/fuel-assist).
Fuel Fixer’s 98.4% completion rate on booked jobs — 34,842 of 35,417 booked jobs completed in 2024–2025 — reflects the reliability of the service
Q: What is the most commonly misfuelled car in the UK?
A: Based on Fuel Fixer’s data, the Nissan Qashqai is the most frequently misfuelled model — 1,459 cases across 2024 and 2025. The VW Golf (1,114), Vauxhall Astra (859) and Mercedes A-Class (744) follow. These figures reflect the popularity and fleet prevalence of these models rather than any inherent susceptibility to misfuelling.
Q: How quickly does Fuel Fixer arrive?
A: In 2025, Fuel Fixer’s median arrival time was 49.7 minutes — down from 52.3 minutes in 2024. 63.5% of jobs arrived within the hour, and 88.1% arrived within 90 minutes. Nearly 1 in 5 jobs arrived within 30 minutes. Response times continue to improve year on year as Fuel Fixer expands its network coverage.
Q: How much wrong fuel do most drivers put in?
A: The median wrong fuel volume is 20 litres — roughly a third of a standard 60-litre tank. More than half of all cases (54.2%) involve 20 litres or less, indicating most drivers catch the error partway through refuelling. Only 6.7% involve more than 50 litres.
Q: Do most drivers start the engine before calling for help?
A: Yes — 68.4% of Fuel Fixer’s wrong fuel callers had already started and moved the vehicle before calling. Of those, the median distance driven was 1.5 miles, and 93% had driven 10 miles or fewer. Most of these cases result in no lasting damage provided the drain is completed promptly.
Q: How long does a fuel drain take?
A: The median on-site time for a standard wrong fuel drain — from technician arrival to the vehicle being ready to drive — is 34.8 minutes, based on 25,744 wrong fuel jobs completed by Fuel Fixer in 2024 and 2025. The most common single job duration is 29 minutes. AdBlue contamination jobs take significantly longer, with a median of 73.6 minutes, reflecting the more involved treatment required. Combined with the median arrival time of 49.7 minutes, most customers are back on the road within 75–90 minutes of calling.
Q: Where in the UK are misfuels most common?
A: Based on Fuel Fixer’s postcode data from 49,534 cases in 2024 and 2025, the South East generates the most fuel drain cases — approximately 20.4% of the UK total, reflecting road network density and high fleet and hire car usage. The South West is second at 13.2%, followed by the North West (10.2%) and London (9.7%). At a local level, Crawley (RH10) is the busiest single postcode district in Fuel Fixer’s dataset.
SECTION 14 — DATA SOURCES AND METHODOLOGY
How the data on this page was compiled
Primary data — Fuel Fixer operational records
The primary dataset is Fuel Fixer’s job management system, covering 57,047 case records from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2025. Each record includes: enquiry date, enquiry time, lead source (marketing channel), vehicle make, vehicle model, vehicle fuel type, reason for drain, wrong fuel volume, good fuel volume, whether vehicle was driven, distance driven, price charged, booking status, job completion status, technician departure time, and technician arrival time.
Where possible, case-level statistics on vehicle type, reason for drain, misfuel volume, distance driven, seasonality and day-of-week use the full 57,047 record dataset as the base. Note are applied where this isn’t the case. Arrival time statistics are from completed jobs with valid departure and arrival times (29,485 records). Vehicle age statistics are from completed wrong fuel jobs with parseable UK registration plates (25,543 records).
External data sources
- SMMT Motorparc 2024 — smmt.co.uk, published April 2025
- SMMT new car registration data 2007–2025 — smmt.co.uk
- AA Fuel Assist — theaa.com/breakdown-cover/fuel-assist
- RAC press release, 1 September 2010 — media.rac.co.uk/rac-launches-specialist-misfuelling-patrols-2690270
- BIBA study, 10 May 2010 — original source of the 150,000 figure
- best-selling-cars.com — annual UK new car market analysis 2024 and 2025
- Fuel Fixer paid search campaign data — 2025 click-share for wrong fuel drain terms (40.8%)
Limitations and data disclaimer
The data on this page is published in good faith based on Fuel Fixer’s operational records and, where stated, third-party sources. The following limitations apply to all figures and estimates on this page.
Fuel Fixer’s dataset reflects customers who contacted Fuel Fixer directly as a specialist provider. It does not capture misfuel incidents resolved without professional assistance — including drivers who added correct fuel on top of the wrong fuel and drove on, cases resolved by a roadside garage or forecourt attendant, or incidents that did not result in any callout. The true frequency of misfuelling in the UK is therefore higher than any specialist provider’s data alone can show.
Where vehicle make, model or age distributions are presented, these describe the profile of Fuel Fixer’s own callouts and are not necessarily representative of all UK misfuels. Fleet and commercial vehicles are a factor in Fuel Fixer’s data relative to their share of the overall misfuel population, given the nature of Fuel Fixer’s customer base.
All UK market volume estimates — including the 80,000–130,000 annual misfuel range — are informed approximations based on the sources and methodology described above. They are not verified totals and should not be cited as definitive figures. No warranty is made as to their accuracy.
Third-party data cited on this page — including SMMT Motorparc figures, AA Fuel Assist volumes, BIBA study data and SMMT registration statistics — is reproduced in good faith from publicly available sources. Fuel Fixer accepts no responsibility for inaccuracies in third-party data or for changes to third-party figures after the date of publication shown on this page.
All data on this page is provided for informational and reference purposes only. Fuel Fixer Ltd makes no representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for any particular purpose of the data presented. Fuel Fixer Ltd accepts no liability for any loss, damage or consequence arising from reliance on any figure, estimate or statement on this page. Users of this data do so entirely at their own risk.
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