Which Petrol Is the Best in South Africa and Why It Matters

To discover the best fuel option for your vehicles, you must first understand the different fuel types, what they offer and how they affect your fleet.

Choosing the wrong one can lead to high costs, increased wear and tear and vehicle breakdowns, but with the help of this blog, a fleet management system, and Cartrack solutions, you can improve your fuel management skills and ensure your fleet operates at its peak.

Let’s get right to it.

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Understanding fuel: How it works and its categories explained

In order to operate bulldozers around the site, drive a scooter to deliver packages to customers or use equipment like sprayers for agriculture, you need fuel.

In vehicles, before the engine roars to life when you slide in the keys or press start, fuel combustion happens in a spark-ignited system. This is the process of pumping fuel from the tank through valves, filters, and fuel injectors to the combustion chamber. Power is generated by igniting fuel in the chamber through mixing it with air and sparking it with a spark plug. This combustion process releases energy in the form of expanding gases.

Now that we know how fuel works, let's dive into its functionalities and categories.

There are three world-renowned refineries of quality fuel: Sasol, Total, and Shell. These three provide the highest quality fuel that gets distributed to all petrol stations around the world, providing these different fuel types:

• Unleaded petrol 93
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• Unleaded petrol 95
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• Diesel 50ppm
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• Diesel 10ppm
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Here’s an explanation of the different fuel qualities:

Unleaded (ULP): This fuel type doesn’t contain any lead. The leaded fuel was said to cause environmental pollution when used, so unleaded, made in the 1970s, was created as the solution.

93 and 95: These are the octane ratings showing the amount of compression in the fuel. The higher the octane rate, the more efficiency and performance your vehicle can get out of it. Most vehicles can use either of these options, but it's highly suggested that high-performance modern vehicles use 95. Petrol above 91, like 93 or 95, is considered premium petrol; the lower the number dips from here, the more unclean it is, with 88–90 being midgrade and 87 being regular.

Diesel 10 ppm and diesel 50 ppm: These show the amount of sulphur that gets released when the fuel is used. The higher the amount, the less environmentally friendly it is, but keep in mind that the sulphur released is non-toxic unless changed into other chemical forms such as sulphur dioxide.

Don’t let the different types confuse you as to which option is the best for your fleet. Most vehicles either use one or the other, never both.

You can use your vehicle manual or a vehicle sticker that is near the fuel cap or fuel door for instructions on your vehicle’s approved and best petrol type to use. Consider the information as expert recommendations from your vehicle manufacturer.

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Which petrol is the best for my fleet?

After the brief explanation of the different types of fuel, their functions and characteristics, do you have a clearer understanding of which petrol type your fleet needs?

It all comes down to the specific needs of your vehicle as the fuel type can impact your vehicle’s performance, maintenance and operations.

Let’s explore the best options for you depending on the vehicle types you own.

1. Passenger vehicles
   (Sedans, hatchbacks and SUVs)
   ‍The vehicle types can use regular unleaded 91 – 93 petrol, one of the most available fuel types in South Africa. This fuel type benefits vehicles that are driven on an everyday basis as they provide a healthy balance between performance and fuel efficiency.
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2. High-performing modern vehicles
   (Luxury sedans, SUVs, sports cars)
   ‍For vehicles that need a bit of power in their fuel, premium unleaded 95 RON is recommended. This fuel type is designed for higher-performing vehicles as it provides better engine performance, reduced emissions and out-the-park fuel efficiency.
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3. Commercial vehicles
   (Trucks, buses, construction equipment)
   ‍Diesel is ideal for these vehicle types as, more often than not, they have diesel engines and require Diesel to run efficiently. Diesel fuel will provide the ideal torque and towing capacity that they need.
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Alternatively, you can ask your vehicle manufacturer, or the petrol attendant, read your vehicle manual, or look at the fuel sticker located near your fuel cap or fuel door for instructions on the type of petrol your vehicle is compatible with. Consider the information on the manual or sticker as expert recommendations from your vehicle manufacturer.

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The importance of fuel management in fleets

‍Most drivers don’t give much thought to the petrol type they purchase at a petrol station for their vehicles. You might know that your vehicle manufacturer recommends you only refill your truck with diesel, but do you know why exactly?

Filling up with the wrong fuel type can negatively impact the maintenance of your vehicle and affect your wallet, especially if you have to drain the tank in extreme situations like if diesel was poured into a petrol car or the other way around.

When it comes to running a fleet, fuel is one of the factors that take the biggest chunk out of a fleet budget, so extra care is taken in terms of choosing the type of fuel used, performance properties, fuel consumption rate, and overall fleet fuel costs. Falling short on monitoring your fuel could mean wear and tear issues, vehicle breakdowns due to a shortage of fuel, and vehicle downtime that costs the company.

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Enhance fuel management with Cartrack’s fleet management solutions

Cartrack, one of the most trusted companies for fleet management solutions and vehicle tracking technology, provides fleet managers with a set of smart tools and features that allow them to efficiently optimise fuel consumption, reduce costs, and improve operational efficiency.

Here are five key ways FMS can support fuel management:

1. Monitoring fuel consumption
   To accurately track fuel consumption rates, Cartrack offers CANBus for accurate fuel data and fuel sensors for accurate fuel level monitoring. These features inform you in real time of your fuel, with the sensors providing information on the fuel level in the tank.
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2. Driver behaviour analysis
   FMS can monitor drivers to assess fuel-efficient driving by tracking risky driving behaviours such as speeding, abrupt braking, harsh cornering and even idling with features like Driver Scorecards. Managers can use this information to gamify driver safety and improve driving skills through incentives and awards.
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3. Fleet reports
   Fleet management software can generate detailed, comprehensive reports that highlight fuel consumption, such as risk reports and trip reports. With this, managers can see fuel usage trends and make informed decisions, such as choosing different routes that burn less fuel or creating strategies to reduce fuel consumption, such as training.
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4. Geofence your vehicles
   Managers can use our geofencing feature to create a virtual border around select locations, such as their fleet’s preferred filling station or around high-risk zones where fuel or vehicle theft frequently occurs. Managers will receive alerts whenever their vehicles enter or exit these areas, allowing them to monitor their vehicles' locations and act swiftly to any events.
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5. Manage fuel costs and prevent fuel theft
   To fight against popular fuel theft methods such as fuel card fraud and fuel syphoning, Cartrack has Mifleet, a cost management software, as the solution. MiFleet provides managers with all their fleet cost insights, including accumulated speeding tickets, maintenance costs, and fuel transactions as well.

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This asks managers to manually approve fuel transactions to fact-check purchases and ensure no fuel theft occurs.

You can approve transactions in three ways with MiFleet.

• Confirm correlating location between vehicle location and the petrol station
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• Ensure the litres bought reflect in the vehicle’s tank
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• Ensure litres bought correlate with vehicle tank capacity
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If one of these factors does not align, you’ll have the option to confirm the transaction or flag it as high-risk.

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Maximise fuel efficiency with Cartrack

Protect your vehicles, improve operational efficiency, and ensure precise fuel monitoring all with Cartrack. Take control of your fleet’s fuel management today and contact us today.
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