Contaminated fuel

Contaminated fuel can cause serious damage to your car’s engine and could leave you with a hefty bill for repairs. To avoid it, you should buy your fuel from a reputable garage and be wary of a price that seems too good to be true.

There are two ways that fuel could be contaminated:

What you should do if you suspect your fuel has been contaminated

There is no regulatory body in place in Ireland for the regulation of fuel. If you suspect that your petrol or diesel may have been contaminated and want to get your fuel tested, you should consider getting it tested independently.

If you find out that you have bought contaminated fuel, you should contact the service station where you bought it. If your car is damaged, you may be able to claim damages under consumer law. If the garage refuses to help, you may want to consider taking legal action against them. Read more on how to complain.

You should also contact your insurance company. Many comprehensive policies cover damage from contaminated fuel, but claiming on this may result in losing your no-claims bonus. Make sure to check the terms of your policy.

Revenue has information on how to report selling of contaminated fuel to them. You may also wish to contact your local Garda station.