Out of fuel, the wrong fuel, or out of AdBlue? Help at the roadside.
If you have run out of fuel, put the wrong fuel in or run out of AdBlue, tell Recovru which and where you are. Operators nearby send one price each to bring 10 litres of the right fuel, drain and flush the wrong fuel, or top up your AdBlue. In the app, choose “Tell us what happened”, then “Fuel”; in the web app, “I’m not sure what’s wrong”, then “Fuel”.
Fuel and AdBlue
Operators nearby send one price each and you choose one. The price you choose is the total you pay, with any VAT the operator charges included. Your card is held when you accept and charged when the job is done. If no operator nearby quotes, nothing is held or charged. Cancelling can cost a charge once the operator has set off: see Cancellation and Refunds and the Cancellation Rates.
The Recovru app opens in your browser today; iPhone and Android apps are coming soon.
Recovru is not an emergency service. If you are in danger, call 999.
What happens when you ask for help
- Tell us where the vehicle is and whether it has run out, had the wrong fuel, or needs AdBlue. Asking is free and commits you to nothing.
- Operators nearby send one price each for the whole job, with the time they can reach you.
- Accept a price and the money is held, not taken. Follow your operator on the live map and message them in the app.
- When they arrive, you give them your 4-digit arrival code, which confirms they are the operator you booked. Once you are fuelled, drained or topped up, the job is done and your card is charged.
Out of fuel, the wrong fuel, or out of AdBlue
Fuel is not one of the service tiles in the app. Choose “Tell us what happened”, then “Fuel”: run out, the wrong fuel, or AdBlue. In the web app, choose “I’m not sure what’s wrong”, then “Fuel”. On a request that has already started, “Change” switches to it.
- Run out of fuel
- 10 litres of the right fuel brought to you, enough to reach a station. Petrol or diesel is read from your vehicle, or asked when the lookup does not say.
- The wrong fuel
- Petrol in a diesel, diesel in a petrol, or AdBlue in the diesel tank, drained and flushed where the vehicle stands if the engine has not run on it
- Out of AdBlue
- A top-up to get you moving. If the vehicle will not restart once switched off, a top-up alone may not clear it, and your operator may need to reset the system.
- A tow to fuel
- If you would rather be towed, a recovery can take the vehicle to the nearest open petrol station, found when you ask
If the engine has run on the wrong fuel
Draining a tank before the engine has run is usually a roadside job. Once the wrong fuel has gone through the engine it is usually a workshop job, so the app suggests recovery. If it was driven on it, do not start it again.
What the app asks about fuel
After where the vehicle is and how safe it is there, whether it has hit anything and which vehicle it is, the app asks about the one you choose:
- Run out: what happened?
- It cut out while you were driving, it will not start after being parked, or it is still running but nearly empty. It decides whether a diesel needs priming.
- Run out: does any of this apply?
- It has been cranked a lot trying to start it, so your operator brings a booster too; a capless filler, so they bring the funnel that opens it; a fuel gauge that may be wrong; or a hybrid.
- Wrong fuel: what went into the tank?
- Petrol into a diesel, diesel into a petrol, AdBlue into the diesel tank, or you are not sure.
- Wrong fuel: has the engine been started since?
- Not turned over at all, the key turned but it did not start, it ran for a moment, or it was driven on it. This is the question that decides the job, so be exact.
- AdBlue: what is the car telling you?
- A countdown of miles until it will not start, no restart once switched off, or just a warning light.
Have these ready
- Whether the vehicle takes petrol or diesel, if you know
- For the wrong fuel: exactly what went in, and whether the engine has run since
- For AdBlue: what the dashboard says
Staying safe while you wait
- If you have put the wrong fuel in, do not start the engine, and do not turn the key to see.
- If you are running out on a motorway, leave at the next exit or pull into a service area if you can. If you cannot, stop on the hard shoulder or in an emergency area, as far to the left as you can.
- On a motorway, leave by the side away from traffic and wait behind the barrier, not in the vehicle. If you cannot get out safely, stay in with your seat belt and hazard lights on and call 999.
- On any other road, get the vehicle off the road if you can, put your hazard lights on if it is in the way, and do not stand between it and oncoming traffic.
- A warning triangle goes at least 45 metres behind the vehicle on the same side of the road, but never on a motorway.
Who comes with the fuel
Your request goes to operators our staff have cleared for roadside work. Each is an independent business, checked before they can send you a single price:
- Identity
- Photo ID, matched to a live selfie
- Right to work
- Checked before their first job
- The business
- A company, or a sole trader on record. A VAT number is checked with HMRC and must match the business
- Screening
- Sanctions and politically exposed person lists
- Documents
- The insurance and licences each service needs, read by our staff
A clearance lasts only while the documents behind it are in date. Once one expires, that operator is not sent those requests.
For roadside work, the Operator Terms also ask for:
- Public liability insurance of at least £1 million
- Motor insurance for the vehicle they work from, with a class of use that covers the work
- Motor trade road risk cover if they drive or move your vehicle at all
- Professional indemnity cover
How the price for fuel works
Recovru does not set prices. Each operator names one price for the whole job as you described it, and that price is the total you pay: it includes their attendance and assessment fee and any VAT, so nothing is added at the end. The quote says “inc VAT” when the operator is VAT registered and “No VAT to pay” when they are not. Your invoice or receipt is in the operator's name, issued by Recovru as their agent, and shows the VAT when there is any. There is no booking fee and no card fee, and you can take any price or none.
Running out, the wrong fuel and AdBlue are different jobs with different prices, so say which it is. For the wrong fuel, whether the engine has run decides the job, and operators quote on your answer.
Accept a price and the money is held, not taken, until the job is done. If the job turns out different, nothing extra is done or charged until you approve a revised price in the app. You pay the attendance and assessment fee, VAT included, instead of the price only if your operator arrives and cannot do the job because what you told us was materially inaccurate, left out something important or was misleading; the Terms of Use cap it.
Cancelling is free until your operator sets off, and for two minutes after you accept whatever they have done. After that the Cancellation Rates show how any charge is worked out, you see the exact figure before you confirm, and you never pay more than that figure. If your operator cancels, you pay nothing.
Your contract for the job is with the operator, and Recovru collects the payment as their agent. How It Works and Cancellation and Refunds have the detail.
When it becomes a recovery
If the wrong fuel has run through the engine, the app suggests recovery before you send, because that is usually a workshop job. You can take the suggestion or keep your request.
If you would rather be towed than wait for fuel, ask for recovery and choose “Nearest petrol station” as the drop-off: the app finds the closest open forecourt. Recovery and Towing explains how a recovery works.
Questions
I put petrol in my diesel car. What now?
Do not start it. Ask for help with the wrong fuel and tell the app the engine has not been started: a drain and flush at the roadside usually fixes it. If it has run or been driven, the app suggests recovery.
How much fuel does the operator bring?
10 litres of the right fuel, enough to get you to a station. Petrol or diesel is read from your vehicle, or the app asks.
Can you help with AdBlue?
Yes. Choose “Out of AdBlue” under “Fuel” and tell the app whether there is a countdown or it will not restart. A top-up gets you moving, but a vehicle that will not restart may need its system resetting.
Can I be towed to a petrol station instead?
Yes. Ask for recovery and choose “Nearest petrol station” as the drop-off. The app finds the closest open forecourt when you ask.
Why is fuel not one of the service tiles?
It is part of breakdown help. In the app, choose “Tell us what happened”, then “Fuel”; in the web app, choose “I’m not sure what’s wrong”, then “Fuel”. Then pick run out, the wrong fuel or AdBlue.
This page was last updated on .
Get help now
Tell us where you are and what has happened, and operators nearby send you their prices. You do not need a plan to get help.