UK petrol and diesel prices have climbed for five consecutive months and are now at a six-month high, according to the RAC.
The breakdown firm says the average cost of a litre of unleaded at the end of February was 139.65p, and diesel 146.48p, highs not seen since September and August 2024 respectively.
The cost of filling an average family car with unleaded now stands at £76.81, with a diesel tank costing £80.56 to replenish.
The RAC says supermarkets are charging an average of 137.36p for a litre petrol and 143.91p for diesel, but highlights that some independent retailers are setting themselves out from the crowd with cheaper fuel. One Shropshire site, an Essar forecourt run by DA Roberts Fuels in Whitchurch, Shropshire, was offering unleaded at 126.9 pence per litre at the beginning of March, saving drivers around £7 per tank compared to the national average.
Northern Irish motorists, meanwhile, should find unleaded to be around 7p cheaper, and diesel 6p less, than the rest of the UK.
The RAC cites high oil prices, which hit $82 a barrel in January, as being partly to blame for the six-month high, but the company says wholesale prices fell in February, with these reductions soon being felt on the forecourt.
“Motorists were the unfortunate casualties of rising wholesale prices through January”, says Simon Williams, the RAC’s fuel spokesman, though he added:
“We hope better times are on the horizon. With wholesale fuel costs falling throughout February, there’s a good prospect petrol and diesel prices will come down this month as retailers buy fresh stock at lower prices.”
