A CAR expert has revealed a little-known tyre rule that could mean risking a £400 fine and six points on your licence.
Many drivers are feeling the strain from the rising cost of living, and might be tempted to delay filling up on fuel until absolutely necessary to prolong forking out for petrol.
However, one user took to X, formerly Twitter, to reveal how some motorist are being slapped with bank-breaking fines.
"You can be prosecuted for running out of petrol," they wrote.
"[One] driver's Volvo broke down in rush hour on the A3.
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"After criminal conviction, he got six points on his licence, a £440 fine, £100 costs, and a £176 victim surcharge."
It comes after the AA were called to over 10,000 breakdowns last year after motors ran out of fuel or electrical charge - many of which had to pull over on motorways or fast-moving roads.
Rule 97 of The Highway Code states: "Before setting off, you should ensure that you have sufficient fuel for your journey, especially if it includes motorway driving."
Edmund King, president of the AA, said: “There can be some genuine reasons for running out of fuel such as a faulty gauge or undetected fuel leak.
"On occasions cars may get stuck in jams for hours due to bad winter weather or miles of disruption leading to Channel ports which could result in running out of fuel.
"Hence we advise to always have at least one quarter of a tank of fuel. Likewise, some EV drivers might run low or out of charge if several chargers aren’t working.
“One would hope that police officers would be reasonable in those circumstances.
"But where drivers negligently run on fumes, leaving themselves and others in danger on the road, the weight of the law can be brought to bear on them.
"Don’t be a fuel gambler by running on fumes.
“Most of the out-of-fuel cases the AA sees are a result of driver misjudgement, and the police have the power to give a warning or a penalty if it is deemed to be careless driving or causes an obstruction.
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"If you are running low, you can use the AA route planner to find the closest and cheapest fuel."
However, fuel retailers will be legally required to share price changes within thirty minutes to help motorists find the cheapest petrol and diesel under new plans.
Don’t be a fuel gambler by running on fumes
Edmund King
Petrol stations must handover their pump costs to tech firms establishing a ‘Pumpwatch’ price comparison scheme which could save motorists 3p per litre on fuel, Ministers say.
Drivers will be able to access the lowest prices close to them through their sat-navs, mobile apps and online map.
Campaigner Howard Cox, the founder of FairFuelUK, hailed the move ensuring there is “no place to hide for supply chain bandits”.
He said: “A PumpWatch consumer pricing watchdog will roll out with teeth to protect UK’s millions of hard-pressed drivers from perennial profiteering by the fuel supply chain at the pumps.”
Figures show that the average price of petrol fell to 139.7p per litre on January 8 which is its lowest level since October 2021, mainly due to a fall in oil prices.
Twelve major retailers including the ‘Big Four’ supermarkets Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Asda had signed up to an interim voluntary scheme launched by the competition watchdog to share prices daily.
Ministers have now said the data-sharing scheme which is being consulted on will be a legal requirement.
