Refuel carefully
The higher fuel prices are clearly reflected in the refueling behavior at the Dutch pump. Motorists fill the tank much less often to keep the bill affordable, ING concludes from data on debit card payments.
Motorists in the Netherlands pay 30 percent more for a liter of E10 than six months ago, but the total debit card turnover at Dutch filling stations rose much less rapidly, by only 15 percent. This indicates that motorists are driving away from gas stations with less full tanks, ING researchers write. The fact that the excise duty on fuel will be reduced from 1 April may also be a factor in this. Motorists are also likely to drive more often to cheaper gas stations, further away from the highway, in order to reduce transport costs.
The fact that households are still trying to save on their fuel costs is beneficial for the Dutch economy, according to ING, because they have something to spend on outings or visits to restaurants. If consumers spend almost all their money on fuel, this is detrimental to Dutch economic growth. Gasoline and diesel have to be imported, so most of the expenditure on them flows abroad, while less is left for domestic spending.
Incidentally, for some people it is undoubtedly a bitter necessity to stop refueling before the tank is actually full. High fuel prices bring more people into financial difficulties and cause an increase in ‘road drivers’. The phenomenon of ‘beaters’ also crops up more often. You can read more about this next weekend here on AutoWeek.nl.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl