Wrong Fuel in a Caravan or Motorhome: What Every Traveller Needs to Know
If you’ve put the wrong fuel in your caravan towed vehicle, motorhome or campervan, do not start the engine and call a mobile fuel drain specialist. Roadside draining beats towing in almost every case, as larger tanks, heavier vehicles and holiday timing make misfuels harder to recover from.
Misfuelling a hatchback on the way to work is stressful. Misfuelling a six tonne motorhome three days into a two week trip with a caravan park booking waiting up the coast is a different kind of problem. The mistake is the same, but everything around it is bigger: the tank, the vehicle, the recovery logistics and the cost of getting it wrong twice.
Why Motorhomes and Tow Vehicles Get Misfuelled More Often
Day-to-day commuters are less likely to misfuel than travellers – and the reasons are the same. Many motorhomes and campervans are rented out and so the driver may not have fuelled the vehicle before and may not know without checking if it is petrol or diesel. There are plenty of borrowed or new-bought diesels out there, driven by people whose own car takes unleaded, and habit takes over at the bowser. Add an unfamiliar servo, a queue of holiday traffic behind you, kids in the cabin and a long day of driving and the conditions for grabbing the wrong nozzle are all there.
There’s also a size assumption that trips people up both ways. Drivers think everything big has to be diesel so diesel gets into petrol campervans. Diesel motorhome drivers choose the familiar petrol nozzle because it’s the nozzle they’ve used their whole lives.
Wrong Fuel Risks Unique to Caravans and Motorhomes
RV travel introduces fuel handling that ordinary car ownership never does, and each extra step is an extra chance for a mix up:
| Setup | Common misfuel |
| Diesel motorhome | Petrol from the smaller nozzle, often in a hire vehicle the driver has never fuelled before |
| Diesel tow vehicle | Petrol added out of habit by a driver who normally runs a petrol car |
| Petrol campervan | Diesel added on the assumption that anything this size must be a diesel |
| Jerry cans on board | Generator petrol poured into the vehicle tank, or vehicle diesel into petrol equipment |
| Dual fill stops | Vehicle, jerry cans and heater tank filled in one visit, with nozzles swapped mid job |
The jerry can scenario is worthy of special mention as it occurs away from the servo where nobody is thinking about fuel types at all. A camper with petrol for a generator and diesel for the vehicle has two like containers on board. They are often filled in a rush before departure. Choosing the wrong bowser nozzle is just as damaging as pouring the wrong one into the tank at a remote campsite and it is further from help.
The size of the tank also matters. Motorhome tanks are often 80 litres or more so a full misfuel means a lot of contaminated fuel to be removed and disposed of correctly. The bigger the tank, the more it pays to stop pumping the moment something feels wrong, rather than filling it to the brim.
What to Do After Misfuelling a Motorhome or Tow Vehicle
- Do not switch on the ignition, do not start the engine. Many modern vehicles have the ignition itself prime the fuel pump .
- If possible, leave the vehicle where it is. You can’t push a motorhome out of the pumps with a couple of helpful bystanders like you can a small car – and that’s okay. Report to the console operator what happened.
- Don’t un-hitch in a panic if you are towing. In most cases the van can be worked on with it attached and unhitching on a forecourt creates its own hazards.
- Call a mobile fuel recovery specialist, not a general tow service. Pulling a motorhome or a loaded car and caravan combo is expensive, slow and usually unnecessary.
- Record what you put in and how much. The job was the fuel type the litres on the pump display and if the engine ran.
If you are unsure of any of this at the time, the immediate steps to take at the bowser are the same for a motorhome as any vehicle: the key stays out, and the phone comes out instead.
Roadside Fuel Draining for Large Vehicles
The good news is that mobile draining works especially well for big vehicles, precisely because moving them is such a pain. A specialist arrives at the servo, campsite or roadside with sealed pumping equipment, drains the contaminated fuel from the tank, flushes the lines and filter and refills with correct fuel so the vehicle leaves under its own power.
It takes longer to do because it’s a bigger tank than a little car, but it’s the same process and what the draining process actually involves doesn’t change because the vehicle sleeps six.
Now compare this with the alternative. Motorhome tow needs a heavy vehicle tow truck. If you’re towing a car and caravan, you may have to take the van separately. The workshop at the other end will still have to do the same drain as the mobile technician would have done where the vehicle stood, except now there is a towing bill, a possible storage fee and a day or more of a paid holiday lost.
Hire Motorhomes and Misfuelling Responsibility
If the vehicle is rented, call the rental company after the specialist, not instead of. Almost all hire agreements treat misfuelling as driver error, so any excess reduction or damage cover you bought may not apply. In that conversation, the company will usually want the problem properly fixed and documented, and having a professional drain with an invoice and a written summary of the work protects you.
It’s also worth knowing before you rely on it that a standard roadside membership deals with misfuels differently to breakdowns, and why a membership callout usually ending in a tow matters twice as much when the thing being towed is your accommodation.
Mobile Motorhome Fuel Drain Across Newcastle and the Hunter
Wrong Fuel Help services motorhomes, campervans, tow vehicles and car and caravan combinations 24 hours a day throughout Newcastle, Port Stephens, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, the Central Coast and the broader Hunter region. Whether it’s a highway servo, a caravan park or the side of the road, we drain and flush on site and in most cases you can continue your trip the same day.
If you have just misfuelled do not put the key in, call 0432 553 905. Tell us the vehicle, the fuel that went in and roughly how many litres and we will give you an honest picture of the job before we head your way.
FAQ
Does a larger fuel tank cost more to drain?
The amount of contaminated fuel affects the time and the disposal involved so a 90 litre motorhome tank is a bigger job than a 45 litre hatchback tank. A specialist quotes the full job up front according to vehicle and how much fuel is involved so there are no surprises after the work is done.
Can a motorhome be drained at a caravan park or campsite?
Usually, yes. You can use mobile fuel recovery equipment effectively anywhere you can safely access the vehicle, including caravan parks, campgrounds and rest areas. Best to inform the park office that a technician is coming and to park the vehicle in a place that there is room to work along the filler side.
Does wrong fuel in the vehicle tank affect the caravan diesel heater?
Only if the heater pulls from the same tank. Many caravan diesel heaters have their own dedicated tank and are unaffected if a vehicle is misfuelled. When you call, mention that your heater is plumbed into the vehicle or motorhome main tank so the lines feeding it can be checked as part of the flush.
Who pays if I misfuel a hire motorhome?
In lease agreements, misfuelling is normally regarded as driver error and as such the cost will generally be borne by the driver rather than the company or its insurer. Check your rental agreement and any travel insurance policy. Keep the recovery invoice and report, as some travel insurance policies cover fuel mistakes to a limited extent.
