Easily compare gas prices to get the lowest cost per litre.
The summer season means road trips. And for many families, day or weekend trips to nearby destinations are quick and cost-efficient ways to take a vacation. But with the recent spike in gas prices (as high as $1.51 per litre on the West Coast), travellers may feel a pinch when filling up at the pump.
But technology saves the day with a wealth of applications to help consumers find the less expensive ways to fill up your tank.
Gas Buddy
Of all the free apps, Gas Buddy is by far a fan favourite. With a version available for iPhone, Androids, most tablets and a web version, you can quickly access listings for the cheapest gas prices by city, province or zip code.
The website also makes it simple to compare gas prices across any major Canadian city or even average prices for each province.
One of the best features is that prices are available for regions in both the U.S. and Canada – so Canucks can take advantage when taking car trips across the border.
Gas Hog
For data junkies, download Gas Hog to your iPhone or iPod Touch for only $.99. This app tracks not only how much you’re paying at the pump, but also the fuel economy of your vehicle. Check out how many kilometres your car is getting per litre of fuel and how many kilometres your car gets per tank of gas.
In addition to providing great data to let you know how far your dollar is taking you, the app also offers suggestions for improving the vehicle’s fuel economy.
Calc-a-ride
Group trips can get a little sticky when it comes to calculating your fair share for gas. The Calc-a-ride app for Apple products takes all the guesswork out of calculating the gas you’ll need for any given car trip. Enter your starting city and destination city, the number of people on the trip and upload your car’s operating costs to get a breakdown of how much each rider owes for the journey.
The app also offers a Google Maps function that pinpoints known gas stations along your chosen route to make filling up that much more efficient.
Gas Price Canada
While this free app for Apple products doesn’t offer a station-by-station breakdown of gas prices, Gas Price Canada is great for tracking pricing trends. The app will let you know the average gas price for your city on that particular day.
Not sure when to fill up? Check with Gas Price Canada, which gives you a code green, or code red, indicating whether it’s an optimal time to fill up. Green means the average price will rise tomorrow, so it’s a good idea to get gas now. Red indicates you should wait as gas prices are dropping and it will likely be cheaper to fill your tank later – if you can hold out, that is.
Gas price Canada also offers a daily prediction, posted around 5 p.m. EST, of tomorrow’s expected fuel prices.
Gas Exchange
Fellow cross-border shoppers know sometimes it’s difficult to decipher whether you’re saving money on fuel in the U.S. or Canada. Gas Exchange is a $.99 iPhone app that helps you determine whether you’re getting a good deal across the border.
The app automatically downloads the latest exchange rates and converts litres to gallons and vice versa, giving you price comparisons for each country.