LONDON, May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- "Cheap fuel" and "cheap petrol" are both new entries in the top twenty most searched for financial terms on the internet this month according to leading search engine, Ask.com, as householders and motorists suffer the consequences of the spiralling cost of oil.

Results to the searches are pointing consumers to specialist sites giving advice on where to get the best deals for both domestic energy supplies at home and petrol on the garage forecourt.

Websites such as petrolprices.com use a postcode search and a comprehensive database of the nation's petrol stations to show where the best petrol deals can be found. On local London searches, for example, the site reveals differences of as much as 15p a litre in the price of unleaded fuel. A saving of more than GBP7 on filling the tank of an average family saloon.

According to Ask.com managing director Cesar Mascaraque, searches for the best buys on petrol and energy have risen by as much as one hundred and twenty percent in the past month.

"Search engines are the great barometers of public interest. The moment fuel prices began to rocket we recorded a massive spike in interest for any kind of advice to help keep costs down.

"And this is where the internet can really play its part in helping consumers. Sites like findcheappetrol.com and simplyswitch.com exist purely to point people in the direction of the best value deals available."

Other financial hotspots on Ask.com include searches for "debt consolidation" and "100% mortgages" - an indication that people are struggling to manage their finances generally.

And "Bankruptcy" has entered the top twenty most searched for financial terms for the first time in the internet search engine's history. Also appearing in the top twenty most searched for financial terms are searches relating to loans of all kinds and taxes, including "10p tax rate."

Top financial risers on Ask.com: 1) 100% mortgages 2) Cheap petrol 3) Road tax 4) Cheap fuel 5) Cheap gas 6) Petrol prices 7) Debt consolidation 8) Cheap electric 9) Fuel prices 10) Bankruptcy 11) Mortgage calculator 12) Best loans 13) Bad credit loans 14) Vehicle tax 15) Mortgage loan 16) 10p tax rate 17) Tax credits 18) No deposit mortgages 19) Tax allowances 20) Payday loans

About Ask.com:

A leading search engine on the Web, Ask.com combines world-class search technology with one-of-a-kind search tools to help people get what they are looking for faster. Ask.com sites include Ask.com U.S. (http://www.Ask.com), Ask.com Deutschland, Ask.com Span, Ask.com France, Ask.com Italia, Ask.com Japan, Ask.com Nederland and Ask.com UK. Additionally, Ask.com syndicates its search technology and advertising units to a network of affiliate partners. Ask.com is a division of IAC Search & Media, a wholly owned business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI).

Ask.com UK media contact: Anna Skerten, t. +44(0)20-7421-1652, m. +44(0)7990-634586, anna.skerten@ask.com