Do you buy cheap gas while renting a car?

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

If you have ever rented a car then you might definitely know what I am talking about. I am talking about the option in which the rental companies give you an option to buy cheap gas so that you don’t have to stop at the gas station. They will provide you with cheap gas option as compared to the market rate.

Recently I rented a car from Payless in Las Vegas for one day. I was also given the option of buying Cheap Gas from them which was $2.79 a gallon as compared to $3.05 in market. I thought what the harm is if I consume half tank, then that will cost me less if I buy it from them. When I returned the car they charged me $55.80 for the FULL TANK of CHEAP GAS. I was shocked. How come it came to $55.80 when I used only 1/8 of the tank?

Then I was told that the option lets you buy the full tank of gas with that rate no matter how much you consume and return the car with. THAT IS RIDICULOUS. I mean, logically, if I had bought that outside, it would have cost me less anyway, and then how come this option helps anyone. Let’s see one scenario:

Assumptions:

You use only 7/8 the tank. Full tank measures around 20 Gallon. Less than that, you are really James Bond 007.
You can’t return the empty tank anyway. If it is empty, you can’t bring it back to the location.

Option 1: (You select Cheap Gas Option from Rental Company)

Rate of Gas = $2.79 per gallon
Price Charged = $55.80 for full tank

Option 2: (You buy gas yourself)

Price of Gas = $3.05 per gallon
Tank to be filled = 7/8*20 (17.5 Gallon)
Price to be paid = $53.38 for 7/8 of tank; ($30.50 for ½ tank & $7.63 for 1/8 of tank)

So you basically have an option to save the money yourself. And if you look carefully, you are anyway paying more if you BUY CHEAP GAS from Rental Company. I don’t understand why such a thing even exists. If the rental companies are providing convenience by giving that option, then I think HOUSE ALWAYS WINS, because you are always paying more than the market rate.

By the way, this policy is same for all rental car companies.

Do you buy cheap gas? OR will you buy cheap gas from rental companies now?