Higher risk stations. Fuel quality test results are in
On the fuel map on the UOKiK website and in the Yanosik navigation application, which uses the Office’s data, you can check whether your station sells fuel that meets the standards. And there are many abuses.
The Trade Inspection checks throughout the year whether fuels available on the Polish market meet the requirements. Fuel producers, wholesalers, storage companies and entrepreneurs running petrol stations are subject to inspections.
30% of samples did not meet the standards
– During the first fuel quality control in 2003, as many as 30 percent of the samples tested did not meet the requirements. Thanks to the actions taken, it was possible to remove many irregularities from the market. For several years, the percentage of irregularities has been below 4 percent. And although the number of all irregularities detected in 2023 increased compared to 2022, the quality of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) improved – all samples met the quality requirements – says the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, Tomasz Chróstny.
In 2023, the Trade Inspection examined the quality of unleaded petrol, diesel oil, LPG liquefied gas and light heating oil. We took 1,584 samples of liquid fuels (832 samples of petrol and 752 of diesel oil), 360 samples of LPG and 2 samples of light heating oil.
Different results in regions
During laboratory tests, specialists showed that 41 samples of liquid fuels (34 diesel oil, 7 petrol) did not meet the requirements, which is 2.59% of those tested. The percentage of questioned fuel samples in individual provinces was clearly different. During random inspections of petrol stations, we found the most irregularities in the following provinces: Wielkopolskie (5.75% of those tested), Podlaskie (4.76%), Małopolskie (3.81%) and Kujawsko-Pomorskie (3.64%).
In the case of inspections of entrepreneurs selected on the basis of, among others, information from drivers – in the Pomeranian Voivodeship (25%), Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (22.22%) and Lesser Poland Voivodeship (10%) – all irregularities concerned diesel fuel.
The inspectors did not question any sample of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Two samples of light fuel oil were also submitted for inspection and passed laboratory tests. The availability of this fuel in the offer is limited, and all samples tested in the years 2013-2022 met the quality requirements.
Fuel Control. Questionable Parameters
The regulations specify parameters influencing environmental pollution and the proper functioning of vehicles, also during different seasons of the year.
The irregularities detected in diesel fuel concerned the following parameters:
- oxidation stability – determines the resistance of diesel fuel to ageing; low resistance results in fuel clouding and the formation of resin deposits in the tank and fuel system, which can lead to, for example, clogging of fuel filters or contamination of injection valves,
- flash-point – too low may create a risk of oil vapor explosion when pouring from the dispenser,
- Water content – we found non-compliance in this respect in the case of 2 samples; the presence of water in the fuel is most often due to a leak in the tank and may lead to corrosion of the fuel system.
In petrol the following were questioned:
- vapor pressure – the parameter has a different value for summer and winter fuel; its value determines the ease of starting the engine at low temperatures, while at high temperatures it affects the tendency to form vapour locks,
- motor octane number – too low an octane number may cause engine knocking, which means improper combustion, causing loud and uneven engine operation and higher fuel consumption,
- volatility index – affects, among other things, the ease of starting the engine.