Filling your car up with the wrong fuel can happen to anyone. It’s easily done – a small lapse in concentration is all it takes to fill your petrol engine up with diesel or vice versa. It can leave you in a bit of a difficult situation if you do manage to put the wrong fuel into your tank – here’s what you should do to rectify it.

The sooner you realise, the better. Once you switch your engine on, that’s when the damage is going to start happening. If you haven’t switched on the engine when you realise it will be a simple process of draining your tank, but you should call an expert to do it. They’ll be able to make sure that all of the fuel is removed so that you’re able to fill up with the correct one. If you need to move your car before they arrive, make sure you push it to save switching the engine on.

If you have switched on your engine before you realise your mistake, the consequences could be costly. Switching on the engine will begin to circulate the fuel and petrol in a diesel engine can cause damage to the pump. Diesel in a petrol engine is less common as the fuel nozzle is bigger but if it does happen, it can still cause damage. Contact a professional as soon as you can for advice on what you can do. It may be cheaper to replace the engine if damage is extensive.