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Almost every pump I've ever used in the UK can reach to the far side of my car, so I don't even think about which side to go anymore.

Lots of people do though, and many petrol stations have big signs to try to educate people that the hose will reach if your filler cap is on the other side of the car.

Of course, if you're driving a big van that's not going to work out (and lorries have their own pumps and their own problems), but most cars is fine.

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I see people doing this in UK and I don't understand - aren't you worried about scratching the paint? I'd rather reverse in front of the pump so I'm on the correct side than run the hose over my car if it had to rest on the bodywork.

I do it all the time and it's never scratched the paint of my (admittedly small) car. It makes it much more efficient to just drive up to any spare pump without worrying about the side.

You can just hold the hose and keep it of your car? It isn't too heavy so I don't see why this isn't an option.

I've done it myself a couple of times in foreign countries where there are only 1 or 2 pumps, never had to do it in my own country.

The Costco near me is the first petrol station I've been to in a long time that doesn't do this!

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