Millions of SUV owners in the UK are coming to the realisation that they might be paying £150.00, perhaps as much as £200.00, to fill up at the pumps over the coming weeks, if the price of fuel hits £2.00 a litre.

Costs are seemingly going up across the board in the UK, and contrary to what some will think, it began well before the conflict between Ukraine and Russia began. Some experts have been quite vocal that inflation could hit 8% within the next twelve months, and the impact of this could’ve been lessened with the government’s help.

However, with the £355 billion borrowed in response to the coronavirus, which is was the highest level of borrowing since World War II, it’s doubtful the government would agree willingly to add to what equates to a mountain of debt.

One area where people are currently being hit very hard is with the rising fuel costs, and although the country needs people to keep moving to generate business, the increased costs could make this nigh impossible. Compounding the problem is the introduction of E10 fuel which many drivers are finding offers a lower range per gallon of fuel. All this is resulting in a (less-than) perfect storm for British motorists.

The car leasing comparison website LeaseLoco has looked at the fuel tank capacities of some of the UK’s most popular large and mid-size SUVs.

The SUV market has exploded over the past decade – there are more than four million registered SUV owners in the UK.*

But as fuel prices rise almost daily, SUV owners – particularly larger 4x4s with tank capacities up to 100 litres – could see filling an empty tank cost as much as £200.

Two of the most popular large SUVs – the Land Rover Discovery (over 160,000 registered in the UK) and the Range Rover Sport (over 400,000 registered) – have fuel tank capacities of 89 litres and 86 litres, respectively.

If fuel does hit the £2 a litre mark in March, more than half a million Range Rover and Discovery owners will face a bill in excess of £170 every time they visit the petrol station.

While filling up an Audi Q7 with the largest fuel tank of any SUV at 100 litres will cost an eye-watering £200.

Even in the mid-size SUV market, which is one of the UK’s fastest-growing car markets, fuel tank capacities can be as large as 71 litres.

The Volvo XC60 (71 litres) and Audi Q5 (70 litres) will cost owners over £140 to fill the tank if fuel prices go up to £2 per litre and beyond.

The cost of filling up an empty tank up of some of the UK’s most popular large SUVs:

The cost of filling up an empty tank of some of the UK’s most popular mid-size SUVs:

John Wilmot, CEO of car leasing comparison website LeaseLoco, said, “For millions of SUV owners, the £2 a litre mark is going to see eye-popping costs every time they go to fill up. And while it’s miles per gallon, not fuel capacity, that matters, it’s still going to hurt watching the digital display ticking up well beyond £100.

“The SUV market has boomed over the past decade. But a prolonged period of exceptionally high petrol and diesel prices could well see many SUV owners – even 4×4 aficionados – deciding it’s time to trade in their gas-guzzlers for a smaller, more economical car or join the green revolution.”

*https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/motoring-issues/2020/how-many-cars-are-there-in-the-uk
SMMT data – 4,335,230 SUVs on UK roads (2020).

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