Buy a car... and get free fuel!

Forget a free set of mats. The latest way for car makers to attract new buyers is by offering them the ultimate incentive – free fuel!

Faced with soaring prices at the pumps, Chrysler, Kia and Suzuki are resorting to these desperate measures to get US buyers through their showroom doors. Chrysler’s Let’s Refuel America campaign guarantees new owners will pay .99 – around £1.60 – a gallon for the first three years of ownership.

Suzuki, which is running a promotion called Free Gas for Summer, is offering buyers vouchers for complimentary fill-ups for three months. Kia is operating a similar scheme.

However, the firms are unlikely to use similar incentives in the UK, even though the price of a gallon of unleaded is still twice as much as it is in America. A spokeswoman for Chrysler UK confirmed: “It’s not something we’re looking at.”

Suzuki, which already offers one of the most fuel-efficient line-ups on the market, is also lukewarm about the idea of subsidising fuel costs for new buyers. A spokesman said: “The Splash diesel is already saving motorists up to £2,000 a year.” Only Kia offered a glimmer of hope. Although a spokeswoman told us that there were “no plans” for an American-style free fuel offer, the firm was looking closely at “fuel consumption incentives for the future”.