Now, you are probably going to say that it has never happened to you and never will but did you realize that there are apparently tens of thousands of drivers every year who unfortunately put the wrong type of fuel in their vehicles. Can you imagine the potential impact this may have on your taxi business if you were to make such a mistake and say put petrol in your diesel tank when filling up at a petrol station?

Not only would you be faced with the cost of having your engine drained at very least but it could mean that your taxi could be off the road for a day or two leading to the loss of much needed income.

It only takes you to loose concentration at the pump and remove the nozzle that puts petrol in your diesel fuelled taxi tank. It is an easy mistake to make and, as we have said above, an awful lot of motorists do exactly that every year.

If you do make such a mistake then hopefully you discover your error before turning your engine on as hopefully you will then only need to have your fuel tank drained and cleaned. Put your car in neutral, push it to somewhere safe on the petrol forecourt and seek help. Even the cost of this work could be anywhere from £120 to £1,000 – no small sum. However, if you are unfortunate enough to turn on you engine before realizing your error then you may have caused damage to parts of your engine and the repair costs could run into several thousand pounds.

You may like to check if your taxi insurance provides cover for misfuelling as standard or do they offer it as an optional extra. Also, check exactly what you are covered for i.e. is it just for the cost of draining and flushing out the fuel tank or does it also include cover for other repair work to your taxi. Is there a maximum amount that the insurer will pay out and is there an excess payable?

Alternatively, it may be possible to arrange a separate policy to cover misfuelling.

If you have breakdown cover then this may include cover to move your taxi to a place that can drain and flush out your fuel tank and carry out any repair work for you to get you back on the road as quickly as possible.