Steady rise in supermarket fuel prices

May 29, 2018

Supermarkets raise fuel prices every day since the end of March

Prices have gone up every day since late March – the longest run in three and a half years

Supermarket fuel prices have risen every day since the end of March, with average prices at the big four retailers going up by more than eight pence per litre.

On 26 March, average supermarket fuel prices were 116.7p for a litre of petrol and 119.4p for diesel. They have increased to 124.7p and 127.7p respectively, according to RAC Fuel Watch data.

The weak pound and a rise in crude oil prices are to blame.

Average fuel prices across the board have risen by 8.5p - more than supermarket prices, although prices have not risen day in, day out like those of supermarket fuel. A litre of petrol is 128.3p per litre on average and diesel is 131.2p across the UK.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “This is the worst series of consecutive daily supermarket price rises we have seen since we began monitoring this three and a half years ago.”

These fuel prices put the UK 10th among EU member states for the price of fuel. The most expensive is the Netherlands, where drivers pay £1.47 per litre of petrol.

The UK’s VAT on fuel is the lowest among this top 10, while fuel duty is joint sixth highest among the 28 states measured, despite having been frozen for seven years between 2010 and 2017. The UK has the joint eighth lowest pre-tax and duty cost of fuel in the EU, according to RAC foundation data.

Williams warned that there are more increases to come. An increase of 1p per litre across the national average is expected in the coming weeks.