Petrol and diesel prices as oil hits six-month high before Budget

Oil has climbed to its highest price in almost six months, yet the average pump price in the UK is still drifting down. FuelWise's figures for 25 October 2026 show the typical litre of E10 petrol at 173.4p, 0.8p cheaper than a week ago, and standard diesel at 198.9p, down 0.3p. With the Budget due on Wednesday and the 5p fuel duty cut set to expire at the end of the year, here is what is moving prices and what you can do about it this week.

Where pump prices stand today

Across 7,008 forecourts reporting E10 prices, the UK average is 173.4p a litre and the median is 172.9p. Diesel averages 198.9p across 7,061 forecourts. Neither moved in the last 24 hours, and both are lower than seven days ago.

Retailers are still cutting more often than they raise. In the past week FuelWise recorded 7,910 price changes, of which 5,908 were cuts and 2,002 were rises – roughly three cuts for every rise. In the last 24 hours alone there were 476 cuts against 103 rises.

The falls are small, though. Diesel has come down by only 0.3p in a week, and at close to £2 a litre it remains far dearer than petrol. Super unleaded (E5) averages 191.1p and premium diesel 218.4p. You can follow daily movements on our petrol prices and diesel prices pages.

Why oil has jumped: attacks on Saudi Arabia

The main driver this week is the conflict around the Gulf. According to Reuters, Brent crude settled at $116.72 a barrel on Friday 23 October, up $3.55 (3.14%) on the day and its highest level since 29 April. Brent rose 6% over the week.

Reuters reported that the rise followed attacks by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on targets across Saudi Arabia, including energy infrastructure, and that Saudi Aramco ordered the evacuation of its headquarters in Dhahran on Thursday. Traders were also watching an oil spill from an unidentified tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and continued attacks on tankers near the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters cited a Washington-based think tank's data showing October has been the worst month for attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Strait.

Governments are trying to add supply. Reuters reported that the US Department of Energy authorised an emergency exchange of up to 400,000 barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and that Germany's stockpiling agency put diesel, heating oil and crude from its reserves out to tender – its first release since G7 countries agreed at the start of October to draw on reserves. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US could end the war with Iran quickly, Reuters reported, but suggested it might be better to let the conflict wind down gradually.

What that means at the pumps

Crude oil is the raw material for petrol and diesel and is priced in dollars, so a sustained rise in Brent tends to feed through to wholesale fuel costs. That is why the current run of small pump-price cuts may not last if oil stays near this week's levels. FuelWise's figures do not yet show any turn: the week's cuts outnumbered rises, and our latest weekly Price Pulse found petrol fell 0.5p and diesel 0.7p in the week to 18 October. We will report any change in direction as it shows up in the data, but we cannot say when or whether it will come.

The Budget and the fuel duty cut

The second thing to watch is Wednesday. GOV.UK confirms the Chancellor will present the Budget to Parliament on Wednesday 28 October 2026.

Fuel duty on petrol and diesel is currently 52.95p a litre, reflecting the temporary 5p cut first introduced in March 2022. The government's amended fuel duty rates extend that cut until 31 December 2026. Under the legislative default, duty would rise to 55.95p a litre from 1 January 2027 and to 57.95p from 1 March 2027. The same document says the government will confirm final rates at Budget 2026, so Wednesday's statement will settle what drivers pay in tax from January.

For a 55-litre tank, a 3p rise in duty works out at £1.65 before VAT. Nothing changes at the pump on Budget day itself unless the Chancellor announces an immediate change.

How to pay less this week

The national average hides wide gaps. These are the biggest ones in today's figures.

Avoid motorway forecourts where you can. Motorway services average 192.7p for E10 and 216.8p for diesel. Supermarket forecourts average 171.2p and 196.2p. That is a gap of about 21.5p a litre on petrol and 20.6p on diesel – around £11.80 on a 55-litre tank of E10.

Supermarkets still lead on price. Supermarket forecourts are on average 2.7p a litre cheaper than other non-motorway forecourts for E10 (173.9p) and 3.5p cheaper for diesel (199.7p). Among the big brands, Morrisons (171.3p), Sainsbury's (171.4p) and Asda (171.6p) have the lowest average E10 prices, and Sainsbury's (196.4p), Asda (196.5p) and Tesco (196.6p) lead on diesel. Shell (176.0p) and BP (175.8p) average the highest E10 prices among large brands. Compare them on our brands page.

Location matters. Northern Ireland is the cheapest UK region, with E10 at 165.6p and diesel at 190.9p, around 8p below the UK averages. Its council areas fill the top of our cheapest list, led by Causeway Coast and Glens at 164.8p. In Great Britain, the North East has the lowest average E10 at 171.6p, and it shares the biggest weekly fall for petrol (1p) with Northern Ireland. At the other end, West Berkshire has the highest council-area average for E10 at 183.1p.

Check before you set off. The cheapest E10 in the country today is 155.9p and the dearest is 209.9p. Prices change thousands of times a week, so a quick look at the live price map before a fill-up is the simplest way to avoid paying over the odds nearby.

Only buy premium fuel if your car needs it. E5 costs about 17.7p a litre more than E10 on average.

The bottom line

Pump prices are still edging lower, but the forces behind them have turned less friendly: Brent ended the week at its highest since April after attacks on Saudi Arabia, and Wednesday's Budget will decide what happens to fuel duty from January. Neither changes what you can do today – avoid motorways, favour cheaper brands and areas, and check prices before you fill up.