Fact check: Will you vehicle catch fire in summer if you fill petrol to maximum

New Delhi, Apr 09: With the summer scorching and the prices of fuel going up, there is a claim being made about how much petrol should be filled inside a vehicle.

Being attributed to the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, it is claimed that due to increase in temperature please do not fill petrol to the maximum limit of the tank. It will cause an explosion in the fuel tank. If you want petrol fill half tank and leave the rest for air, the viral claim also says.

Indian Oil has however clarified that it has not issued any such statement. Taking to Twitter, Indian Oil Corp Ltd said that Indian Oil would like to disown this statement.

"Automobile manufacturers design their vehicles considering all aspects of performance requirements, claims and ambient condition with built in safety factors. The maximum volume specified in the fuel tank for petrol/diesel vehicles is no exception. It is thereby perfectly safe to fill the fuel in vehicles up to the full (max) limit as specified by the manufacturer irrespective of winter or summer, the IOC also added.

Hence the claim being made in the social media that a vehicle will catch fire if the petrol is fully topped up is false.