Hundreds of drivers left running on empty after low quality petrol damaged their fuel gauges will be in line for compensation. But some of those who were affected in November and December say they're not happy with the way fuel companies have handled the issue.

Fuel sold in Auckland has been linked to inaccurate fuel gauge readings, with motorists saying they ran out of petrol despite their dashboard showing a quarter tank left.

Z Energy, BP and Mobil have said they are investigating a fuel quality issue that affected petrol sold at some of its stations from mid-November through to December last year.

One West Auckland driver, who had used one of these stations, said he was forced to pull off the motorway because he felt his engine losing power unexpectedly, and found his fuel had run out.

ROBERT CHARLES/FAIRFAX NZ A fuel quality issue that affected petrol sold at some Auckland stations is believed to be caused by high sulphur content.

BP spokeswoman Leigh Taylor said the issue was caused by heightened levels of active sulphur in the fuel which interfered with some vehicle components.

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"As an industry we haven't seen anything like this before," she said.

Car-owners in the hundreds are waiting for compensation for low-quality petrol, leaving them with empty tanks.

Holden vehicles seemed worst affected, and most of the issues occurred in cars purchasing from Z Energy stations.

The issue included 91 and 95 octane fuels, and it was believed to be limited to Auckland.

However, a post on a community Facebook page for Muriwai and Waimauku residents suggested Mazdas and Toyotas were also affected.

The poster said her Mazda 6 ran out of petrol unexpectedly, and when a tow truck arrived, the driver said he had seen four similar situations in Mazdas and Toyotas recently.

Another commenter said her Holden Trax had the same issue. She had the fuel gauge changed and refilled at a Mobil, only to have the gauge fail for a second time.

One West Auckland Mazda driver was advised to spend $450 on a new fuel pump after his engine twice ran out of fuel despite it saying both times that he had a quarter-tank.

CHRISTINA PERSICO/STUFF Mobil is believed to have already been contacted by customers who suspect the fuel may have damaged their fuel gauge readings.

"I've never run out of petrol in my life, and this made twice, so [I thought] it was something with my fuel gauge."

Despite the repair, on January 15 the car began to lose power again – this time on the Auckland motorway.

"I became concerned driving on a motorway, because you're second-guessing when your vehicle might run out suddenly."

OLI SCARFF/GETTY BP stations in Auckland also sold the fuel suspected of causing false readings on fuel gauges.

With only 77,000km on a newly-installed engine, the man is now attempting to claim against the fuel companies.

He used Mobil stations on West Coast Rd, Z on Henderson Valley Rd, and Z on Green Bay, and BP on Te Atatu Rd, all in West Auckland, as well as a Mobil in Mt Eden.

"There's something weird about the car... the acceleration is not what it was six weeks ago."

DAVID WHITE/STUFF Z Energy has said it is investigating.

Taylor has warned effects may be delayed, depending on how regularly a vehicle is used.

"If they have not driven it or it's taken a while to drive it a reasonable distance then they may be experiencing issues more recently."

Anyone with concerns over the accuracy of their fuel reading should contact the provider they purchased from.

"We all have technical support teams who will be able to help and go through the process with the customer and do as much as we can to make sure they are compensated in the right way, if it is due to this issue," Taylor said.

Taylor did not know how many drivers had experienced issues to date.

"We are obviously conducting ongoing testing to make sure it's not an issue that's still in market. The fuel is not on the market anymore."

"The fuel sold met all the regulated specifications... that's something we are looking into going forward as well, as to how it's regulated in future," Taylor said.

A spokesman for Holden said at least 120 cars had been affected.