Wrong Fuel in Your Car? What to Do Now

If you haven't started the engine

If the engine hasn't been started, the wrong fuel may still be in the tank rather than moving through the fuel system. Keep it that way: leave the ignition off until whoever deals with the fuel says otherwise.

When you ask for a quote, say clearly that the engine hasn't been started, so the operator knows the car won't be driven onto the truck.

If you've started or driven it

If the engine has run, the wrong fuel may have reached the fuel lines, pump and injectors. Stop as soon as it's safe, switch off and don't restart the engine to see if it clears.

A car that has run on the wrong fuel may need to go to a garage or specialist to be checked. Tell us you've driven it, and whether it cut out, when you ask for a quote. If it won't start and you're not sure the fuel is the reason, the car won't start guide covers other possible causes.

Petrol in a diesel car

Diesel helps lubricate parts of a diesel fuel system. Petrol mixed into diesel can reduce that lubrication, so running the engine risks damage to the fuel pump and injectors. Leaving the engine off gives the best chance of limiting that.

Possible signs after driving with petrol in a diesel car:

• Knocking from the engine
• More exhaust smoke than usual
• Loss of power
• An engine warning light
• The engine cutting out or not restarting

Diesel in a petrol car

A petrol engine is designed to run on petrol. Diesel in a petrol car can cause misfiring, heavy exhaust smoke, the engine cutting out or a car that won't restart. Treat it like any wrong fuel: don't start the engine, and ask a misfuelling specialist or garage what to do next.

AdBlue in the fuel tank

Many diesel cars have a separate filler for AdBlue, a fluid used by the exhaust system to reduce emissions. It belongs in its own tank, not the fuel tank.

If AdBlue has gone into the fuel tank, don't start the car and treat it like wrong fuel. If diesel has gone into the AdBlue tank, that's a different problem with the same first step: don't start the car, and ask a garage or specialist before doing anything else.

Moving the car to a garage or specialist

A car with the wrong fuel in it can be moved without the engine running. The operator decides how to move it from what you tell us, so the details in your request matter.

• That it's a wrong fuel job, and which fuel went in.
• Whether the engine has been started, or the car driven.
• Whether it rolls and steers with the ignition off, and whether it's an automatic.
• Whether it's a hybrid. Many hybrid cars should be moved with their wheels off the ground; your handbook says which.
• Where it's going: the garage or specialist's name or postcode.

Tell us your preferred destination and check it can accept the car. Confirm any waiting, storage or onward move before booking. Ringing ahead also lets the garage or specialist know it's a wrong fuel job. See car recovery and towing.

Does insurance or breakdown cover include wrong fuel?

It depends on the policy. Some motor insurance and breakdown cover includes help after putting in the wrong fuel, and some excludes it or limits what it pays for. Check your policy documents, or ring the number in them, before booking anything. If your cover won't pay to move the car, you can request a recovery quote here with no membership.

How your quote works

Tell us where the car is, where it needs to go and what fuel went in. Snap assesses the job, checks prices and availability with suitable independent operators covering the area, and sends you one quote for the recovery: the total, with the booking fee and the operator's charge shown separately. Nothing is booked until you accept.

Your quote depends on the pickup and drop-off, the car's condition, access and operator availability. You see the total for your job before you accept. As an indicative range, a local tow up to 10 miles is typically £50 to £150, including the booking fee. Longer-distance recovery is quoted for the route and the vehicle. The garage or specialist prices the fuel work separately. The car recovery cost guide explains what changes a quote.

The quote is built on what you describe. If the car or the access turns out different, the price may change.

Paying for the job

• Your quote shows Snap's booking fee and the operator's charge separately.
• Once you accept, you pay the booking fee to Snap by bank transfer, using the details on your tracking page. You get a receipt for your booking fee.
• You pay the operator's charge to the operator when the job is done.
• We don't take card payments on this website or ask for your card details.
• Cancel within 15 minutes of confirming, or before an operator is assigned (whichever comes first), and the booking fee is refunded in full. See how paying works, and cancelling and refunds.

Wrong fuel questions

I put a small amount of petrol in my diesel car. Is it OK to drive?

Don't start it to find out. How much is too much depends on the car, so leave the engine off and ask a misfuelling specialist or garage before the car is driven. If the car needs moving, it can be recovered without the engine being started.

Can the fuel be drained where the car is?

Sometimes. Contact your breakdown provider or a misfuelling specialist and ask whether they can drain the fuel at the car. If the car needs moving to a garage or specialist instead, request a recovery quote.

I've already driven with the wrong fuel. What should I do?

Pull over as soon as it's safe, switch off and don't restart the engine. Contact a misfuelling specialist or garage about next steps. If the car needs moving, tell us you've driven it when you request a recovery quote.

Can the car go to a specialist rather than a garage?

Yes. You choose the drop-off. Give the specialist's name or postcode, and check they can take the car when it arrives.

How much does it cost to recover a car with the wrong fuel in it?

Your quote depends on the pickup and drop-off, access and whether the car rolls. As an indicative range, a local tow up to 10 miles is typically £50 to £150, including the booking fee. The fuel work is priced separately by whoever does it.

Related help

• Car recovery and towing to your chosen garage or specialist.
• What car recovery costs, and what changes a quote.
• Car won't start, when you're not sure the fuel is the reason.
• Car recovery areas across the UK.
• Car breakdown help and recovery guides.