Motorists look online for cheap petrol

As motorists worry about the cost of fuel, searches online for ‘petrol prices’ have surged by 400 per cent.

According to web monitoring company Hitwise, the top destination for searches on ‘petrol prices’ is www.theaa.com which publishes its Fuel Price Reports: http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/fuel/

www.petrol-prices.co.uk, a service which texts registered users the cheapest price of petrol in their area each week, is also popular.

Hitwise also said that searches for ‘toyota prius’, Toyota’s petrol-electric hybrid car, have surged by more than 200 per cent in the last week as UK drivers sought out information on fuel-efficient cars.

However, the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) yesterday said petrol prices are expected to fall by next week, and that UK retail prices would return to pre-Katrina levels.