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				Cost of Fuel in USA versus Europe
				Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:49 pm
				by Tom Hatfield
				I was just talking with someone about the cost of owning/operating a car in the UK.  She said fuel is $8 a gallon, and a license for the smallest available car is £2,000.  Is that true?  Licenses in the US are like $12 . . . which kind of explains why there are so many morons driving around, but still.
			 
			
					
				
				Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:05 am
				by beowuuf
				The license doens't cost that much (I don't believe) but it is the insurance premiums you need to pay to legally drive, espeically if you are a younger driver, that can cripple anyone driving.
			 
			
					
				
				Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:10 am
				by Trantor
				I'm not quite sure Tom, but it sounds alright. Getting a driver's license here in Germany requires lots of lessons in theory and practice and will cost about 2000 € I guess. Fuel is like 1.10 to 1.30 € right now per litre. Considering one gallon is about 4.5 litres, what you heard sounds very realistic.
			 
			
					
				
				Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:12 am
				by beowuuf
				Oh yes, driving lessons are also quite expensive too 

 
			
					
				
				Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:29 am
				by Parallax
				$8 a gallon is an exageration if we are to use Trantor's numbers. A gallon is 3.8L so with the euro at $1.30 it works out to $6.40 a gallon, which is about 2.5x what you'd pay in the US these days. Of course since you won't need your car to go everywhere (unlike here!) and your average european car gets much better mileage than your average american car, I wouldn't be surprised if the monthly gasoline budget for an average family on both sides of the ocean turned out about the same.
			 
			
					
				
				Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 3:48 pm
				by Lunever
				Yes, but Trantor is neglecting a small detail - Germans have a tendency of thinking that they have the most unfortunate cost for fuel in the world. Every time I'm going to UK by car I'm reminded unpleasantly that this is not true.
			 
			
					
				
				Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 5:09 pm
				by Trantor
				I wasn't necessarily neglecting that Lunever. I just assumed that the UK and Germany would have roughly equal prizes, at least compared to the US. In fact, I've heard that fuel prizes are even more expensive in the UK than here in Germany, but I suppose the difference is much smaller than the difference between either of those countries and the US.
			 
			
					
				
				Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:11 pm
				by Lunever
				Right, fuel is generally much more expensive anywhere in Europe than in the US. Yet, the differences within Europe are often subtle. For example I pay the same in UK as in Luxemburg - just in pence instead of in cent 

 
			
					
				
				Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:12 pm
				by Joramun
				Once I manage to create a fuel bomb in DM...
 Ok, I leave now.
 Ok, I leave now. 
			
					
				
				Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 1:58 am
				by Des
				An Imperial (British) gallon is 4.5 litres whereas as US gallon is 3.8 litres. Fuel in the UK costs about 90p per litre, so at $2 per GBP, a US gallon is just under $7 and an imperial gallon just over $8.
			 
			
					
				
				Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 2:05 am
				by MitchB1990
				$3.20 per gallon here. Cant even fill my tank with $20 anymore. It's really sad, that I don't have a job or any other source of income too 

.
 
			
					
				
				Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:33 am
				by Kain
				Back when I was driving a Neon (about 10 years ago) it cost me $10.00 to fill up and it lasted me about a week.
Now in a Caravan, $10.00 doesn't even give me a quarter tank and fuel costs me about $80.00/ week.
I think my next car will have a turbo diesel engine.
			 
			
					
				
				Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:50 am
				by cowsmanaut
				lessons here were about 200 bucks canadian. Gas jumped to 3 digits far to fast and has kept going.. perhaps we don't need to pay as much as those of you in the UK. However, for us it has been feeling a lot like we are being screwed.
http://www.vancouvergasprices.com/ 
			
					
				
				Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:22 pm
				by ian_scho
				I'm glad you split this from the 
Changing Man thread, guys.  I was getting quite emotional over the fuel prices...
 
			
					
				
				Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:04 pm
				by Gambit37
				I have no idea why it even started on that thread, it had nothing to do with it in any shape or form...
			 
			
					
				
				Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 11:49 pm
				by Des
				High fuel prices encourage more fuel efficient vehicles which must be good for the planet. I am of course a hipocryte as I drive an Alfa Romeo that only does 25MPG. Fortunately these days in Euroland you can get cars that are thrifty on fuel byt still go like hot snot. For example a diesel Seat Leon FR see 
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/R ... 549&page=2 - 47MPG but also 170 BHP and 0-60 in 8 seconds. I can live with that   

 
			
					
				
				Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:54 am
				by Tom Hatfield
				It was based on your mention of commuting to work and public transportation in general.
			 
			
					
				
				Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 10:36 am
				by Gambit37
				Oh!  
