What the article ‘Fuel prices in Malta around average for EU countries’ (TMID, 2 September) doesn’t say is that Malta has the cheapest grade of fuels in the EU, rendering the fact that due to this, our fuels are very expensive when compared to other EU countries where their fuel is of optimum grade.

As proof of this, one can see/feel/experience the difference when going abroad with one’s own car. With our fuels, the car is very sluggish and often even smokey, but as soon as the car is re-fuelled with fuels found all over Europe, the huge difference in performance – quieter engine, no smoke, better consumption and less pollutants – is immediately noticed!

Another fact that is present on our own shores is the fact that the new Arriva buses, to keep with their promise of having cleaner engines, have had to import their own fuels to achieve this, as otherwise with our non-existing grade of fuel, this would never have been accomplished.

So please, stop telling us about fuel prices in Malta and where they stand and let us face facts... our prices are very expensive for the cheap quality of fuel we are getting in return!

We keep getting complaints of car emissions being too high, but as yet nobody dares address the problem at its root. If we need to reduce our emissions, we need to start having good quality fuels available at the pumps.

May I also take this opportunity to ask why LPG is still not available (unlike all of EU) to us motorists?

If we really want to reduce our emissions, and minimise the unnecessary taxation on our vehicles, then we should start by getting decent fuel at the pumps for our vehicles.

■ Andrew Hili

Buġibba