Fuel Quality Monitoring

This Topic Includes
What happens if a fuel sample fails the test?
How can I make a complaint about my fuel?
Where can I get more information?

Fuel quality monitoring scheme

Under the national fuel quality monitoring scheme, the Measurement and Product Safety Service (MAPSS) [part of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs] organises testing of petrol and diesel samples to ensure oil companies are complying with the regulations, approximately 100 samples are tested each month.

Testing under the scheme concentrates on the fuel’s most critical properties, such as octane number, cetane index, benzene level, total aromatics and sulphur content.

Using a statistical sampling plan, the scheme takes account of the fuel’s previous ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ rate, the market share of each oil company and the volume of sales for each region.

Motorists fund the fuel quality monitoring scheme through the petroleum fuels monitoring levy. A small percentage of the levy, only 0.045 cents per litre, is used to fund the scheme.

Consumer law

Under the Consumer Guarantees Act, goods that are normally bought for personal use must be of an acceptable quality, fit for purpose, free of minor defects and be safe. These guarantees naturally apply to fuel.

The Fair Trading Act states that companies can’t misrepresent the qualities of a product they sell to you. So, for example, it’s illegal to sell petrol labelled as Premium Unleaded when it is really Unleaded 91. This legislation is enforced by the Commerce Commission.

What happens if a fuel sample fails the test?

Most fuel samples that are tested meet the quality regulations. Those few that don’t, generally fall outside the specifications by only an inconsequential amount.

When this happens, the oil company that supplied the fuel has to investigate why this happened (to prevent it from happening again) and take appropriate action depending on the circumstances, such as removing the fuel from sale. These findings and resulting actions are then communicated to MAPSS for appraisal.

How can I make a complaint about my fuel?

If you think there’s a problem with your fuel, contact the service station or oil company that sold it to you. They will investigate your complaint, possibly test the fuel involved and let you know the result.

Fuel samples may be tested for any of the properties specified in the regulations, depending on your complaint.