Asda is the UK’s favourite place to buy fuel, according to a new analysis that puts the major supermarket brands well ahead of dedicated petrol retailers.

Asda beat Sainsbury’s into second place by a whisker, with Morrisons third-favourite and Tesco a more distant fourth – but with the highest customer loyalty nonetheless. Research by Market Force Information questioned 3,900 UK drivers on their experiences at petrol station forecourts and averaged the data to rate each brand on a relative scale.

Key to the supermarkets’ popularity was price, says the study, with a 63 per cent price satisfaction rating for Asda compared to a meagre 15pc for BP. Some 78pc of drivers said is was important.

Shell emerged as the favourite among dedicated petrol retailers with a class victory for perceived fuel quality, ahead of Esso and then BP, putting all three fuel retailers ahead of all four supermarkets.

Cheryl Flink, chief strategy officer for Market Force Information, says: “The supermarket brands performed exceptionally well, with little differentiation in consumers’ minds between the top three.

“As pump prices start to creep back up, our research shows just how hard the traditional petrol retailers will have to fight to win back the hearts and minds of consumers.”

For more information visit http://www.marketforce.com/en-gb