Drivers are only just realising that Costco sells petrol – and it could save you 13p per litre

DRIVERS have spotted a bargain petrol price at a fuel filling station and they cannot believe their eyes at the price.

A savvy saver shared a photo which showed Costco UK petrol prices advertised at 149.9p per litre for unleaded and 171.9p per litre for diesel.

Costco is one of the world’s largest retailers, but you may not know it sells fuel as well as food and household items.

The American chain has 29 stores in the UK, and runs 19 petrol and diesel forecourts.

This lucky shopper found these incredibly cheap prices at the Reading filling station on October 18.

Using Government data, we found that the day before the national price per litre of unleaded was 162.81p and the 181.86p per litre of diesel.

This means Costco was shaving 12.91p per litre of petrol and 9.96p on diesel off the national price.

We had a look on PetrolPrices.com and on the same day the cheapest fuel within 5 miles of the centre of Reading was 162.9p per litre of unleaded at a nearby Shell garage – making the Costco price 13p cheaper per litre.

Sharing her find on Twitter the driver said: “First time using the new Costco, members only, fuel station...

“No, you did not misread that price per litre!”;

She was met with dozens of replies from others who couldn’t believe the price.

One said: “Oh my word, that is the best thing I have seen all day.”;

Another wrote: “Hmm, could make it worthwhile getting Costco ‘membership’ if I were to fill up there occasionally.”;

And he’s right anyone wanting to fill up on the cheap fuel from Costco faces a catch – you need to be a member.

Costco is a wholesaler where you can bulk buy for cheap, but you can’t just walk in from the street if you’re not signed up.

Becoming a member will set you back £26.40 a year if you’re a trader or £33.60 for everyone else.

Under her Tweet the motorist added: “Scan your card at the pump and away you go.

“Saved £10 on my usual fill-up, which is about 1/3 of the yearly membership cost at Costco with an exec membership card.”;

It’s important to remember that fuel prices differ from one day to the next and from one location to another.

We checked and found that today in Reading, the price for fuel is 151.9p per litre of unleaded petrol and 171.9 per litre of premium diesel. So the petrol price has already increased in just three days.

We also had a look at Costco’s 18 petrol station locations to find the cheapest fuel on offer today and in Birmingham you can fill up for just 148.9p per litre of petrol.

Although, each forecourt was still cheaper today than the national price for this week, ranging up to 155.7p at Stevenage.

We recommend always checking the cheapest petrol in your area before you head out to fill up.

How to find the cheapest petrol prices where you are

Petrol prices change regularly so it’s worth checking what prices are like near you.

Confused.com has a useful price checker where you can find your nearest cheapest petrol station.

Another option is the PetrolPrices app and website, which lets you check prices from more than 8,000 forecourts near you and using data provided by the public.

Of course you’ll want to factor in the distance if driving further to get a cheaper price and whether it’s worth it.

RAC has a mileage calculator which you can use to cost up a journey – don’t forget to do the return leg too.

Prices at places like Costco and supermarkets are not standard across the country and can vary by location.

Last week we reported that motorists had flocked to what they thought was the UK’s cheapest petrol station after prices dropped below 134p a litre after a major price glitch today

Sadly, it was a mistake and Sainsbury’s was forced to close the forecourt as drivers flocked to fill up with the heavily discounted fuel.