Hello and welcome to the second edition of our MotorMouth newsletter.

In the past month fuel prices throughout Australia have soared, with daily average fuel prices in most areas exceeding $1 a litre at some point. Worldwide, people have experienced record high petrol prices. In the UK prices reached over 80pence per litre, a number of international and domestic airlines have imposed a fuel surcharge on ticket prices because of the continuing rise in oil prices and in the United States, motorists faced with rising fuel prices have been going online in droves to search websites (similar to Australia's MotorMouth) to find the cheapest place to buy petrol.

So, why have fuel prices risen? How long might they remain so high? What we can do to save money on the cost of fuel?

Why are fuel prices so high at the moment?
Essentially our fuel prices are reflecting the sharp rise price of crude oil worldwide. Crude oil prices have reached US$42 a barrel, which is the peak price since 1990 during the Gulf War.

The rising demand for fuel (particularly from the rapidly developing nations, China and India) combined with a fear that oil supplies will not be able to keep up with the overall demand in the future are believed to be the major causes of the sharp increase in crude oil prices. There is also considerable apprehension that escalating violence in the Middle East will disrupt oil production and therefore result in even higher prices.

How long can we expect fuel prices to remain high?
There is huge speculation about how long fuel prices will stay high. Some analysts believe that the price of crude oil will fall back to the US$30 a barrel as unrest in the Middle East subsides. Others consider that oil prices will rise steadily for the next decade, simply because demand will be greater than supply.

In the short term, the general consensus is that Australian motorists can expect fuel prices to remain high. It normally takes two weeks for rises in crude oil prices to affect pump prices, so while crude oil remains above US$40 a barrel, the outlook for fuel prices will not be good for motorists.

What can we do to save money on our fuel bill?
I am sure many of you are familiar with our tips for saving money on your fuel bill. In fact, most of our fuel saving tips have been sent in by you, our readers. However, given that fuel prices look like they could be high for sometime yet, what better time to refresh our memories to ensure we are all getting the most out of our fuel dollar! Remember, if you have a fuel saving tip that you think should be added to our Top Tips, go to the Fuel Saving Tips section further on in the Newsletter and send it through. You could win a $25 fuel voucher for sharing your great tip.

MotorMouth's Top Ten Fuel Saving Tip

1. Register for free with MotorMouth (www.MotorMouth.com.au) and search for the cheapest fuel in your area.
2. When prices are lower, fill up your tank with as much fuel as you can possibly afford.
3. Don't wait until the fuel tank is empty before you buy petrol.
4. Don't carry unnecessary loads around in the car.
5. When sitting at a set of traffic lights or in traffic for an extended length of time, put your car into neutral or park.
6. Always try to accelerate gradually and steadily rather than putting the foot down hard, taking it off quickly and then having to brake to stop from running into the car in front.
7. Reduce your general driving speed and you will reduce your fuel consumption.
8. Clean air filters regularly.
9. Keep you car as aerodynamic as possible.
10. Service and tune your car at least once a year and also check your tyre pressures at least once a month.

There is a great deal of discussion about fuel prices in the media at the moment. To read more about fuel and crude oil prices, simply complete a search on your favourite search engine. Some of the overseas news articles are particularly interesting.

And finally, for those who haven't already signed up for their free daily fuel price emails, remember every user who does sign up for our free e-mails before the end of this month has the chance to win one of 2 fantastic $250 car or campervan hire vouchers from DriveNow.com.au. To learn more about the MotorMouth / DriveNow competition, click here. To receive your free emails, login to the MotorMouth website, click on Create Email and complete the short set up process. If you have already signed up, you can enter the competition from the link in each daily email.

Good luck with the DriveNow competition and please contact us if you have any questions or comments regarding MotorMouth and our money saving services.

Until next month...

Bernadette Murray
Marketing Manager - MotorMouth
bmurraymotormouth.com.au 

Damien Reid, our guest editor, with more fascinating news on the Fuel and Auto front.
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New Car Reviews proudly supplied by News Limited.
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The average, lowest and the highest prices for last month in each city were:

The price leading service stations for each city last month were:

Brisbane	Service Station United Address corner Hamilton Avenue and Sandgate Road Suburb Nundah Average Price for month 78.2
Sydney	Service Station Freedom Fuels Address Glossop Street Suburb St Marys Average Price for month 88.3
Melbourne	Service Station Coles Express Address corner Wellington Road and Napoleon Road Suburb Rowville Average Price for month 89.9
Adelaide	Service Station Southern Cross Address corner O.G. Road and Yaralin Avenue Suburb Klemzig Average Price for month 89.5
Perth	Service Station Coles Express Address corner Nicholson Road and Spencer Road Suburb Langford Average Price for month 88.7

MotorMouth is committed to helping Australian motorists get a better deal on fuel by providing them with free and easily accessible information on fuel prices.

Reproduction of the whole or part of this email constitutes an infringement of copyright. All information published in this email is intended to be used for your personal use only and can not be used for commercial use without the prior written consent of MotorMouth Pty Ltd. For data sales enquiries please contact salesmotormouth.com.au