How to pay less for petrol and diesel in the UK right now

Diesel averages 199.2p a litre across UK forecourts today and E10 petrol 174.2p, according to FuelWise's latest figures from the government's Fuel Finder data. Both are slightly cheaper than a week ago, down 0.7p and 0.5p. But the bigger savings come from where you fill up and what you put in the tank: several of those choices are each worth 17p to 20p a litre.

Prices also vary widely. E10 ranges from 157.9p to 209.9p a litre at individual forecourts, and diesel from 174.9p to 234.9p. Current averages are on our petrol prices and diesel prices pages.

Avoid filling up on the motorway

On average, motorway forecourts are the dearest type of forecourt. E10 averages 191.3p a litre at the 148 motorway sites in our data, against 171.7p at supermarkets, a gap of 19.6p. For diesel the gap is 18.3p (214.7p against 196.4p).

On a 55-litre tank, the size the RAC uses for its comparisons, that is about £10.80 extra for petrol and £10 for diesel.

Supermarkets usually beat the big fuel brands

Supermarket forecourts average 171.7p for E10 and 196.4p for diesel, compared with 174.9p and 200.1p at other forecourts away from motorways. Among the big four supermarkets, Sainsbury's has the lowest averages (171.4p for E10, 195.9p for diesel), with Asda, Morrisons and Tesco close behind at about 172p for E10.

The three biggest brands by number of forecourts sit higher. Shell averages 176.9p for E10 and 201.7p for diesel, BP 176.7p and 201.6p, and Esso 175.1p and 200.3p. Jet (172.8p) and Texaco (172.9p) are close to supermarket levels for E10, and Maxol (166.4p) and Circle K (168.3p) lower still, from much smaller networks of 89 and 45 forecourts. Compare brands on our brands page.

Check whether you need E5 or premium diesel

E5 petrol averages 191.7p a litre, 17.5p more than E10. Premium diesel averages 218.5p, 19.3p more than standard diesel. On a 55-litre fill, that is roughly £9.60 and £10.60 extra each time.

If you are unsure whether your car needs premium fuel or can use E10, check the handbook. Prices are on our E5 and premium diesel pages.

Where you live makes a difference

Northern Ireland is the cheapest part of the UK for fuel. E10 averages 166.7p there and diesel 191.6p, both about 7.5p below the UK average. All five of the cheapest council areas for unleaded are in Northern Ireland, led by Ards and North Down and Belfast at 165.9p.

In Great Britain, the North East is cheapest, at 172.6p for E10 and 198.8p for diesel. The South East is the dearest region for petrol at 176.0p, while the South East and Scotland share the highest diesel average, 200.6p. The dearest council areas for unleaded, Uttlesford and West Berkshire, average about 182p, roughly 16p more than the cheapest. See the pages for Northern Ireland, the North East or any area.

Use the price data, and report errors

Under the Fuel Finder scheme, every petrol station in the UK must report price changes within 30 minutes, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The government estimated this would save households that own a car an average of £40 a year. If a pump price does not match the published one, you can report it to the government's service.

Prices move constantly, so checking pays: in the past seven days FuelWise recorded 10,630 price changes at 4,829 forecourts, 7,739 of them cuts.

Why prices are so high

Pump prices have risen sharply since the US-Iran conflict began at the end of February. The RAC says diesel hit a record average of 200.01p at the start of October, and by 9 October it had dipped to 199.90p, still 57.5p higher than on 28 February. Petrol was 42p higher, at 174.79p.

Diesel has been hit hardest. In its October Oil Market Report, the International Energy Agency said refined product exports from the Middle East were 1.9 million barrels a day in September, against 4.7 million before the war, while Ukrainian drone damage to Russian refineries has cut Russia's diesel output and exports. It said wholesale diesel benchmarks have eased from all-time highs above $200 a barrel in September but remain nearly double the price of crude, and it expects diesel supplies to stay tight well into 2027. The RAC's Simon Williams said on 2 October that the UK remains heavily reliant on imported diesel.

Crude has risen too. The same report, published on 14 October, said Brent crude futures had risen 13% since the start of September to around $107 a barrel, while an escalation in attacks on regional energy infrastructure and tanker traffic threatened the recovery in Middle East supply. The IEA also noted increased Houthi attacks in the region in October, and said delivered diesel prices in Europe and other importing regions could rise again in the coming weeks.

Governments are also releasing emergency oil stocks. On 15 October the IEA's Governing Board said about 330 million barrels had been released so far under the collective action agreed in March in response to the Strait of Hormuz crisis. It agreed to speed up the remaining releases of around 100 million barrels, including more than 20 million barrels of diesel as soon as possible.

What the Budget could change

Fuel duty is 52.95p a litre on both petrol and diesel, according to the House of Commons Library, after a 5p cut first made in March 2022. HMRC says that cut has been extended to 31 December. By default, duty will rise to 55.95p on 1 January 2027 and 57.95p on 1 March, but the government has said it will confirm final rates at the Budget on 28 October. The RAC says the government could extend and increase the cut or reduce VAT.

In the Commons Library's breakdown of 5 October prices, the average 174.9p litre of petrol included 53.0p of duty and 29.1p of VAT, and the 199.5p litre of diesel 53.0p of duty and 33.3p of VAT. Because duty is the same on both fuels, the Library says the price gap between them is down to differences in pre-tax prices.

What to do this week

• Fill up away from the motorway: against a supermarket, that saves about £10 on a 55-litre tank.
• Compare supermarkets and other forecourts near you on our live price map.
• Stick with E10 or standard diesel if your car is happy with it.
• Watch the Budget on 28 October for any change to fuel duty.