4 of the cheapest places to buy petrol and diesel in the UK right now
Average pump prices fell by less than a penny in August, ending two months of rises, new analysis by RAC Fuel Watch has found.
The average cost of a litre of unleaded petrol dropped by just 0.39p in the month, from 135.03p at the start to 134.64p on 31 August, with diesel down by 0.72p, from 142.92p to 142.2p at the end of the month.
Supermarket price reductions were similarly slight, with the average price of unleaded down 0.23p in August, from 131.49p to 131.26p, and diesel down 0.3p, from 139.11p to 138.81p.
Drivers can today expect to pay £74.05 on average to fill a family-sized 55-litre car, with those at supermarkets paying £72.19 – around £2 less a tank. The corresponding costs for a diesel car are £78.21 on average, and £76.35 at supermarkets.
Although oil prices, and therefore wholesale fuel prices, barely budged in August, the RAC believes drivers are still paying more than they should at the pumps.
This is a point echoed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which stated earlier in the summer that the margin on fuel remains high, and that ‘overall competition in the UK’s road fuel retail market remains weak.’ The relatively high prices drivers face are all the more frustrating given they are meant to be benefiting from a 5p-per-litre fuel duty cut.
Despite average fuel prices being higher than they perhaps ought to be, RAC analysis of forecourt data has uncovered some of the cheaper sites drivers can fill up:
Unleaded petrol (UK average 134.6p/litre)
- 126.7p – MFG Morrisons in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
- 126.9p – BP on Cottingham Road in Corby, Northants
- 126.9p – BP on Newton Road in Bovey Tracey, Devon
- 126.9p – BP on New Islington Road in Liverpool
Diesel (UK average 142.2p/litre)
- 131.9p – BP on Newton Road in Bovey Tracey, Devon
- 134.7p – MFG Morrisons on Amy Johnson Way in Blackpool, Lancs
- 134.7p – MFG Morrisons on Green Oaks Way in Widnes, Cheshire
- 134.9p – BP on New Islington Road in Liverpool
“While it’s good news that two months of rising fuel prices have come to an end, it’s disappointing that high retailer margins are preventing drivers from benefitting from lower prices,” said RAC Head of Policy Simon Williams.
“The Competition and Markets Authority’s latest report confirms that retailer margins are far higher than they were historically, and that competition remains weak. Our analysis of pricing data confirms the latter, with just a handful of forecourts appearing to compete heavily on price, with the exception of those in Northern Ireland, where drivers enjoy far cheaper fill-ups than in any other corner of the UK. This is no doubt a source of ongoing frustration for many of the nation’s motorists.”
