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With millions of people heading off on summer road trips, where you choose to fill up could make a bigger difference than you think.

 

According to Spain's Consumers and Users Organisation (OCU), drivers can save up to 15% on petrol and 16% on diesel simply by planning their fuel stops instead of pulling into the first motorway service station they see.

 

The consumer watchdog has analysed fuel prices along Spain's busiest routes and identified some of the best places to refuel.

 

For anyone travelling between Madrid and the Costa Blanca on the A-3, one of the cheapest places to stop is Petroprix in Novelda (Alicante). Other good-value options include Gasplay in La Roda (Albacete) and Apellan in Molina de Segura, in the Region of Murcia.

 

Drivers heading further south towards Andalucia on the A-4 are spoilt for choice, with competitive prices available along much of the route. The OCU highlights Ronda Norte in Seville as one of the cheapest places to buy petrol, while diesel drivers are recommended to fill up at Ballenoil in Jerez de la Frontera.

 

If you're travelling along the Mediterranean on the A-7, good-value fuel can be found at BonÀrea stations in Cambrils and L'Hospitalet de l'Infant, as well as Plenergy in Vilafranca del Penedès.

 

However, not every motorway offers the same value. The OCU warns that stretches of the A-1, particularly around the former AP-1 toll road, tend to have some of the highest average fuel prices in the country. Similar patterns can be found on sections of the A-2, where prices between Zaragoza and Tarragona are generally higher than elsewhere along the route.

 

 

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