![\"\"](\"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/GasBuddyLogo1-300x202.jpg\")
BOSTON — GasBuddy, the only smartphone app connecting more than 70 million drivers with the Perfect Pit Stop, has\u00a0 announced its latest survey findings on American motorists\u2019 fuel-purchasing habits, revealing that drivers are prone to overpaying by at least 20 cents per gallon at the
\npump1 due to factors such as laziness and procrastination.<\/p>\n
GasBuddy conducted the study to glean insights on how consumers decide where and when to stop for fuel, and explain how these decisions could be costing drivers.<\/p>\n
These are the five things drivers are doing that are costing them at the pump:<\/p>\n
1. Being Creatures of Habit<\/p>\n
Nearly 80 percent of respondents have a gas station they regularly go to. When choosing a regular station, almost 38 percent of drivers say it\u2019s because the station\u2019s location is convenient.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrivers are getting lazier, and going to the same station because it\u2019s convenient can cost you,\u201d said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. \u201cThe station two blocks away could be 20-40 cents per gallon lower in price, and while that\u2019s only a few dollars\u2019 difference per fill-up, it amounts to the hundreds of dollars per year you could be saving if you shop around.\u201d<\/p>\n
2. Running on Empty<\/p>\n
Only 19 percent of people decide to fill up when they see a station with a good price, with most (37 percent) waiting until they only have a quarter tank left of gas, while 28 percent wait until the gas light comes on. Even worse: over one-third (35 percent) of those surveyed have run out of gas.
\n\u201cIf you\u2019re waiting until the last second to get gas, there\u2019s a big chance you\u2019re going to panic and pull into the first station you see without checking a price and risk filling up at an expensive station,\u201d said DeHaan.
\n\u201cOur research shows that having enough fuel in your tank to shop around for the lowest price, especially in major metro areas like Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington D.C. could save you upwards of over
\n$60 per month.\u201d<\/p>\n
3. Choosing the Easy Route<\/p>\n
Consumers are paying for convenience by not planning ahead; 50 percent of respondents choose a gas station based on location, while 16 percent choose a station depending on ease of entrance.<\/p>\n
1 Average price spread at gas stations in the United States, GasBuddy pricing data.<\/p>\n
4. Paying with Plastic or Cash<\/p>\n
When it comes to drivers\u2019 payment preferences, 69 percent of people use a credit or debit card to purchase gasoline instead opting for cash.
\n\u201cThis is an interesting trend, because while stations do offer a cash discount, credit and debit cards now offer discounts on gasoline as well.\u201d said DeHaan. \u201cPaying with cash can be even less convenient when cards like Pay with GasBuddy can offer the same competitive discount that cash offers.<\/p>\n
Bottom line:
\nWhile cash is still a way to save, do your research to find out if you qualify for additional savings at the pump with a card instead of carrying cash.\u201d<\/p>\n
5. Mistaking Your Grades<\/p>\n
Gas prices have been inching up these past few months and in turn, consumers are filling up with regular instead of more expensive grades like mid-grade or premium fuel. Even so, 8 percent of consumers still
\nfill-up with premium and 5 percent with mid-grade.
\n\u201cTwo years ago, the average price for regular gasoline was $1.81 per gallon, almost 75 cents cheaper than today\u2019s average, so it\u2019s understandable that consumers today feel the pinch at the pump.\u201d says DeHaan. \u201cFor those who are still filling up with premium, It\u2019s important to note that you only have to use premium if your car manual says it\u2019s required, not if it\u2019s just recommended.\u201d<\/p>\n
About GasBuddy<\/p>\n
GasBuddy is a smartphone app connecting drivers with their Perfect Pit Stop. With 70 million downloads, GasBuddy is the leader in crowdsourced information to help drivers find the best gas prices, closest stations, friendliest service, cleanest restrooms, tastiest coffee and much more. GasBuddy is the leading source for the most accurate, real-time fuel prices at more than 140,000 gas stations in the U.S., Canada and Australia. The Company\u2019s B2B Retailer Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), known as GasBuddy
\nBusiness Pages, provides Fuel Marketers and Retailers their best opportunity to maintain their station information, manage their brand, and promote to their target consumer audience.<\/p>\n
For more information, visit www.gasbuddy.com or email press@gasbuddy.com .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BOSTON — GasBuddy, the only smartphone app connecting more than 70 million drivers with the Perfect Pit Stop, has\u00a0 announced its latest survey findings on American motorists\u2019 fuel-purchasing habits, revealing that drivers are prone to overpaying by at least 20 cents per gallon at the pump1 due to factors such […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":134864,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-state"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=140762"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":140763,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140762\/revisions\/140763"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/134864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=140762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=140762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=140762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}