Cheap fuel from the supermarket: Can I just fill up with vegetable oil?

Rapeseed oil from the supermarket is cheap. And finally, there is also biodiesel. So it makes sense to simply fill up with cheap vegetable oil. Does this work? And what is the legal situation?

Canola oil is much cheaper than diesel. Can it be poured into the tank just like biodiesel?

You’d better not think about that, for a variety of reasons. First of all, vegetable oil and biodiesel are completely different. Biodiesel is based on vegetable oils or animal fats. Nevertheless, it is a high-tech product of the chemical industry with corresponding properties. Most vegetable oils, on the other hand, are food.

Warranty is gone

For technical reasons alone, experts advise against filling up with vegetable oil. Because injection pumps, injection nozzles and other components of modern diesel engines are simply not designed to run on viscous salad oil. You can clog.

Ultimately, there is a risk of damage to the engine and fuel system, just like when you fill up with heating oil. Then the supposed cheap fuel is really expensive. Because the manufacturers do not give approval for driving with vegetable oil, there is therefore no guarantee in the event of damage.

If you fill up on salad oil, you evade taxes

It is different with some older diesel engines. At least in theory. It can have occasional starting issues, especially on colder days, and it smells like a chip shop. But the car drives.

However: Anyone who fills up with salad oil instead of diesel commits

Tax evasion. Because diesel is a fuel, cooking oil is a foodstuff. Of course, both are taxed differently. This is one of the reasons why vegetable oil has no place in the car’s tank.

However, there are actually pure vegetable oil fuels (PÖK or Pöl) that are not on the supermarket shelves. This is mostly rapeseed oil. However, they require modifications to be made to the vehicle (which is why it is most likely to be used on large machines) and are only available at very few petrol stations. And, with the exception of agriculture, they are taxed almost like any other fuel.