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With high fuel prices at the petrol stations, filling up with rapeseed oil seems to be the cheaper alternative. To find out whether this is a good idea, read this practical tip.
Filling up with rapeseed oil instead of diesel – does it work?
Since diesel is also made from oil, the idea of simply using rapeseed oil for refuelling instead seems obvious. After all, biodiesel is also made from the oily rape seeds.
- The answer to this consideration is: No, you cannot use rapeseed oil as a substitute for conventional fuel.
- Because rapeseed oil and diesel are fundamentally different substances: rapeseed oil is a food and diesel is a highly processed product of the chemical industry.
- Modern diesel engine components are designed for diesel, not rapeseed oil. Therefore, using plain oil would cause damage because it is too viscous.
- Engine damage will result in high costs, plus your vehicle will lose the manufacturer’s warranty.
- If you have an older diesel engine that could theoretically even run on rapeseed oil, filling up with vegetable oils is prohibited and is punishable as tax evasion.
Rape seed oil as fuel: Are there other alternatives?
In addition to rapeseed oil, there are other supposed fuel alternatives, but they are equally unsuitable for refuelling.
- Heating oil: Filling up with much cheaper heating oil as a substitute for diesel is also not a good idea. On the one hand, this is illegal in Germany for tax reasons, and on the other hand, heating oil also damages modern diesel engines and leads to expensive repair costs.
- Truck diesel: Truck diesel is also often cheaper than normal diesel and hardly differs. However, it is forbidden to fill diesel for trucks into a normal passenger car. In addition, the insurance company is not liable in the event of damage.
- Our tip: It is better to keep your hands off supposed alternatives to conventional fuel. One of the legal and easy ways to save money on petrol is to fill up at the right time.
