If filling up has felt more painful than usual lately, you’re not imagining it. Petrol and diesel both reached record average prices in the UK during October, overtaking the previous highs set back in April 2012. It’s been a steady climb rather than a sudden spike: ten consecutive months of rises, with prices jumping nearly 8p a litre in October alone and around 30p over the past year.
By the end of October, the average litre of petrol was sitting at 144.35p, with diesel at 147.94p. In practical terms, that meant it cost around £4 more to fill a typical family petrol car at the end of the month than at the start, and about £4.50 more for a diesel tank. Compared with a year ago, RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams put the difference at roughly £16.50 for a full tank.
The main cause, according to the RAC, is rising global oil prices rather than anything UK-specific. Wholesale costs for both fuels went up through October, but retailers raised pump prices by more than that increase alone would suggest, prompting the RAC to call on fuel retailers to bring their margins back down to more typical pre-pandemic levels.
There is some genuinely useful detail here if you’re trying to keep costs down. The supermarkets remain your best bet for cheaper fuel. By the end of October, Asda had the cheapest average petrol price at 140.98p, with Sainsbury’s close behind. For diesel, Sainsbury’s edged ahead as the cheapest, at 144.37p, with Asda only marginally higher. Unsurprisingly, motorway services were the most expensive option by a wide margin, with average diesel there hitting an all-time high of 163.08p a litre. If you can wait until you’re off the motorway to fill up, it’s generally worth it.
There’s a regional angle too. Northern Ireland had the cheapest fuel in the UK at the end of October, while the South East of England was the most expensive, with a gap of a few pence per litre between the two depending on fuel type. If you’re planning a longer trip and have any flexibility about where you fill up, it can be worth keeping an eye on regional differences along your route.
Is there any relief on the horizon? Possibly. The RAC has suggested oil prices may have peaked for now, though a lot depends on decisions by oil producer group OPEC+ about supply levels. It’s not a given, but it’s a more hopeful note than the ten months of rises that preceded it.
In the meantime, the sensible moves are the familiar ones: compare prices using an app or a quick search before you fill up, favour supermarket forecourts over motorway services where you can, and keep your tyres properly inflated and your driving smooth, since both make a genuine difference to how far your fuel actually goes. If you’re due a change of car anyway, it’s also worth factoring real-world fuel efficiency into that decision rather than just the headline MPG figure, particularly if you do a lot of miles.