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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Asking for petrol

101 replies

BabyfaceHen · 24/08/2020 21:59

I am driving a 'friend' (although not a proper friend, more someone I am in the same career with and we know of each other), but we message regularly,
We have a course on the same day next month and it's a 2 hour drive away. Around 105 miles.

I am driving as she feels too nervous to drive and i've said that's fine because it'll be cheaper for us both anyway as we can just half petrol.

However, how do people actually ask for petrol on the day? As many of my actual friends "forget" to give me petrol and I don't have the balls to ask.
Whereas this is quite a bit of a journey so I dont fancy paying all the petrol and money is tight atm.

Also, how much petrol would you ask for for a journey that is 2 hours and around 105 miles away? I dont want to ask for too much or too little

OP posts:
DollyDoneMore · 24/08/2020 23:04

Here’s what you say: “I’ve done the calculations. The petrol comes to about a tenner.”

Done.

sbhydrogen · 24/08/2020 23:05

I would fill up just before you pick her up, and then fill up again just before you drop her off and then share the cost that way.

Lollypop4 · 24/08/2020 23:10

Just go in straight with ' The fuel will cost x, are you still happy to pay half'

P0lO · 24/08/2020 23:12

journeyprice.co.uk/

Send her that and ask her to check your figures per car occupant are correct.

SandAndSea · 24/08/2020 23:19

Fill your tank up at the very start.
Go on your journey.
Fill it up again at the very end. (This is the bill to note!)
Ask her for half of the 2nd cost, plus half of any parking fees.

PhilCornwall1 · 24/08/2020 23:20

@BackforGood

Your petrol usage per mile will depend on all sorts of things - mostly the fuel efficiency of the car, but also how much you are in traffic, and various other bits. We have 2 cars and the fuel economy is very different (the bigger car being FAR more efficient than our smaller, but much older car). The most sensible thing is to do as several have suggested, start with a full tank, and fill up after you've got home - then you've got an accurate total. I would text her before (when you are arranging times / meeting place) and repeat to her what you've said about splitting costs (fuel, parking) so there is no misunderstanding.

I would also expect her to get the coffee in, as appreciation for not having to drive, and your offer to save her that 'stress', but also the expense of paying for herself.

I think the first reply you got was great :
I would fill up with her in the car at the start of the journey and say "I'm not sure how much petrol we're going to use- I've just filled up, £40, so we'll see how much is left at the end and then halve that, OK? It makes more sense than guessing, as I don't normally do long journeys. So much cheaper than the train eh!" It reminds her how ridiculous train fiars are, so actually, even if she paid ALL the petrol, she'd still be getting a good deal over trains and a taxi.

Alternatively you could say "chuck me a tenner, that'll cover it".

You'll be up all night doing a complex spreadsheet at this rate.

Felifox · 24/08/2020 23:23

I have a Renault (62 plate) so would reset the trip meter and the mpg calculator. Mine does about 52-55 mpg and petrol is around £5per gallon. So I think your £10 is about right.

redcarbluecar · 24/08/2020 23:24

@PhilCornwall1 blimey yeah, this is getting way overcomplicated! 😀

GisAFag · 24/08/2020 23:31

Work out cost, halve it, text her you OK with still paying half for petrol? Worked it to be x amount each. Happy for you to pay me on the day.

I'd rather know before how much and when to pay.

Bloody hell I gave a work friend £20 for her to drive 10 miles FFS I was proper ripped off if the cost others have posted for your 200 mile trip... What a bitch

RealityExistsInTheHumanMind · 24/08/2020 23:39

@PurpleDaisies

I wouldn’t ask on the day, I’d text in advance check she’s happy to split petrol. Then on the day you can look at what fraction of a tank you’ve used and take that proportion of what it costs you to fill up.

Google tells me it’s common for companies to pay 45p per mile for the first 100 miles so you could just ask for a fiver.

that would be £45 not £4.50 for 100 miles
RomaineCalm · 24/08/2020 23:49

For all of those posters quoting 45p/mile...

I can't imagine for a minute asking a friend or colleague for £45 to cover their share of a 200 mile journey.

Just pick an amount that you'd be happy as a contribution towards fuel. If you start trying to profit from this it'll never be forgotten at work "... can you believe that BabyfaceHen asked me for £40 towards the petrol when she was going to the same course anyway?..."

RealityExistsInTheHumanMind · 24/08/2020 23:52

I would ask her up front before the journey.

Even if you don't know how many miles you get to the gallon/litre you should have an idea of how much fuel you use each week and how many miles to the gallon you do.

You could say - at the least - I think it will cost between £20 and £30 so £15 should cover it and get it from her before you go. If you think that money is also tight for her then tell her you will fill up before you go and again when you get back and refund if it's less than £30.

She will either say £15 is fine, or yes the fill up system sounds fine depending on how she is off for money. Either way, your costs will be covered.

BarbaraofSeville · 25/08/2020 03:08

Christ, 20 quid for 200 miles?That's good

That's what I would get from work for putting petrol in my lease car, which is a 2 YO small estate car with a 1 litre engine. It's the HMRC rate for fuel only, which is what you're entitled to if you have a company car.

Rates vary according to fuel type and engine size and in my experience only fully cover the fuel for efficient driving and journeys that are mostly motorway/fast A road. Stop start round town goes nowhere near.

www.gov.uk/guidance/advisory-fuel-rates

For the OPs journey, I would expect it to cost between £20 and £40 in fuel depending on the type of car, the higher estimate if she has an old large engined large petrol car.

The suggestion to start with a full tank and fill up near the end to get the amount used is a good one. If I was the person getting a lift I would be happy to pay slightly more than half the fuel cost as the OP is doing me a favour by driving as she's going out of her way and getting a nervous driver out of having to use her car. Plus a reflection that cars cost a lot more than fuel to run. So if it was £24 in petrol for the trip, I'd offer £15. But even a tenner towards fuel is better than nothing and a fair contribution.

Nikori · 25/08/2020 03:16

Google the mileage of your car or check the manual and work out the cost and text her so she knows how much cash to prepare. Putting her on the spot may be awkward.

myusernamewastakenbyme · 25/08/2020 06:37

Im bemused by the amount of people trying to make the op feel bad for wanting some petrol money...because shes going there anyway....what bizarrre logic....i think i might get a train to London today and not pay the fare...because its going there anywayConfused

WhoWouldHaveThoughtThat · 25/08/2020 06:57

For a 200 mile journey I think splitting the petrol cost is fair.
I would fill the car the night before, do the journey, fill up again as close to where you drop her home and split the cost of that last 'fill-up'

ItsIslandTime · 25/08/2020 08:32

If I were the person getting the lift I wouldn't find it awkward or embarrassing to be told how much I owe.

myusernamewastakenbyme · 25/08/2020 09:27

@ItsIslandTime i'm the same....in fact i prefer to be told how much i owe rather than fudging around trying to work out what i should offer...I think there are people on here who don't think they should pay their way in life.

MyNameHasBeenTaken · 25/08/2020 09:34

What does your car insurance state about "business use"?
If you charge her for "petrol", you will be acting as a taxi.

You would be better off paying your own travel costs and accepting her kind offer of lunch and drinks etc throughout the day.

FloreanFortescue · 25/08/2020 09:57

I'd make sure the car is completely filled, do the journey and fill up to full again and half that.

FloreanFortescue · 25/08/2020 09:57

Halve

ExclamationPerfume · 25/08/2020 10:18

I wouldn't ask for anything as you would be driving there any way.

Whatruthinking · 25/08/2020 10:20

Hate to be a pain, but be careful about this. I recall looking into this years ago as we had a very interesting discussion at work about this. Something to do with taking payment for a journey, and the liability being YOURS ALONE if something were to happen during the journey? Like an accident or something?? Like you are accepting all liability as you have taken money for the journey? So I wouldn’t take money until we got home tbh....

Angelina82 · 25/08/2020 10:48

I’m skint but I wouldn’t ‘charge’ anything seeing as I’m driving there anyway. Equally I wouldn’t turn it down if she chucked me a tenner.

SoloMummy · 25/08/2020 14:54

@BabyfaceHen

Yes I will be collecting her and she's about 20 minutes away from the roundabout to get on the sliproad
Why can't she drive and park at a meeting point to avoid you going 40 minutes out of your way?