There are certain pointless things we all do in our lives that we convince ourselves will make our day a little easier that actually make little to no difference at all. Some classic examples include setting three alarms even though we know we will snooze the first two and taking a packed lunch into work and going for a Greggs instead.
There is another thing to add to the list that many of us do every time we visit a petrol station that turns out to be a useless 'hack' and may actually be costing us more pennies instead of saving them, the Mirror reports. A post on social media caused an uproar after a Reddit user claimed holding the petrol nozzle up to get every last drop of fuel when filling up your car is completely pointless.
In response to a post about industry 'secrets', the unnamed author said: "Not really a secret, but the nozzle of a petrol pump is where the cut off for fuel is. Holding the hose up to 'get every drop' doesn’t do anything."
The revelation left many social media users feeling like 'morons' for not realising they were wasting their own time sooner. One person replied: "God I'm a moron."
Another commented: "Oh my god, I've only ever had an electric car so not something I've thought about but my partner does this - I'm going to tell them to stop p***ing about now."
The myth was further squashed by a fuel expert who said attempting to get the last few drops of fuel out of a petrol nozzle will only result in costing you more money for the tiny reward.
David James, Sales Director at Right Fuel Card said: "Pumps are able to detect air pressure and will stop when they can sense that the tank is full. Any fuel pump after that point will likely end up on the ground through an overflow tube, so those few extra clicks will likely just be costing you a few extra pennies for nothing."
The expert went on to share some top money saving tips on fuel.
He advised: "Check to see if your local supermarket is running a deal, and if so get your shopping first to get your money off or extra points vouchers.
"It's also worth looking out for deals with bank accounts. As well as getting a reward for switching, you can often get cashback for fuel purchases."
He also suggested filling up your car on colder days to get more fuel as he explained that 'fuel expands in warmer weather so less will fit in your tank'.
Finally, he added: "Don't let your tank regularly get too low or run dry as this will likely cause bigger, more expensive problems with your engine."
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