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Canadians spent more than $54 billion on gasoline this year

GasBuddy studies, interprets Canadian driving habits
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According to data from GasBuddy that examined prices from Jan. 1 to Dec. 3, Canadians spent more than $54 billion on gasoline. (Black Press Media file photo)

Rick Stiebel

News Staff

Do other drivers a favour and don’t share this with your local purveyor of petroleum.

According to an in-depth study by GasBuddy, Tuesday was the cheapest day of the year in 2019 to buy gas in five of 10 provinces. Last Friday was the most expensive day to pull up to the pump in three provinces, and didn’t crack the least expensive mark in any of the provinces.

According to data from GasBuddy that examined prices from Jan. 1 to Dec. 3, Canadians spent more than $54 billion on gasoline this year.

“Canadian driving habits require filling up every week or so,” Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy said in a media release. “By buying gas on the cheapest day instead of the most expensive day of the week, Canadians can collectively bring down their expenses by timing their purchases to the lowest day of the week, a simple yet noticeable change in behaviour that can add up.”

READ ALSO: Behind the pump: Multiple factors causing high gas prices in B.C.

B.C. took the top spot for the highest average price in Canada at $132.4 cents a litre, while Alberta had the least expensive at $108.4 cents a litre.

Research shows that it pays to shop around because prices can vary by as much as 20 cents a litre in the same neighbourhood, DeHaan noted. Whatever price you pay, be mindful that fuel efficiency can drop by as much as 35 per cent when road conditions are hindered by snow, rain, salt and sand.

Avoiding speeding is another cost-saving tip to keep in mind. As your speed increases, your aerodynamic drag rises exponentially, resulting in a 15 per cent increase in consumption when comparing 100 km/h to 120 km/h.

GasBuddy’s mission is to help consumers avoid paying the full price. As the leading source for crowd-sourced, real-time fuel prices at more than 150,000 gas station convenience stores in Canada, the U.S. and Australia, it is used by millions of drivers every day to find gas stations based on fuel prices, locations, ratings and reviews.

For more detailed information on the price of gas in each province on any given day, drive over to gasbuddy.com/uploads/2019/12/Best-Day-of-the-Week-to-Buy-Gas-By-Province.

rick.stiebel@goldstreamgazette.com