Petrol prices fall 0.8p in a week but diesel cuts stall before Budget

Petrol prices at UK forecourts fell again over the past week, but diesel is barely moving. The average price of E10 unleaded is 173.3p a litre, down 0.8p in seven days, according to FuelWise's figures from the government's Fuel Finder scheme. Diesel averages 198.9p, only 0.3p lower than a week ago.

That leaves the two fuels further apart, two days before the Budget on Wednesday 28 October. Brent crude oil also ended last week at its highest level since April. Here is how prices moved over the week, what is behind the numbers, and where drivers can still find the cheaper litres.

How pump prices moved this week

Across the UK, FuelWise's latest figures show:

• E10 petrol: 173.3p average, down 0.8p in a week and 1.2p in 30 days
• Diesel (B7): 198.9p average, down 0.3p in a week and 0.9p in 30 days
• Super unleaded (E5): 191.0p average, down 0.4p in a week and 2.9p in 30 days
• Premium diesel: 218.5p average, unchanged on the week and up 0.5p in 30 days

Prices were flat over the most recent day for all four fuels.

The week before was a little different. FuelWise's Price Pulse for the week to 18 October found petrol down 0.5p and diesel down 0.7p. Since then, petrol's weekly fall has picked up a little, while diesel's has slowed.

The gap between the two fuels is now about 25.6p a litre on average. On a 55-litre tank, that is about £95 for E10 at the average price and about £109 for diesel. See the diesel prices page and the petrol prices page for live figures near you.

Most price changes are still cuts

Forecourts are still cutting more often than raising. In the past seven days, FuelWise recorded 7,796 price changes across 3,762 forecourts. Of those, 6,059 were cuts and 1,737 were rises, so roughly three in four changes went down.

The last 24 hours looked much the same: 463 changes, of which 379 were cuts and 84 were rises. But the cuts are small. A run of half-penny or one-penny trims is enough to tip most changes towards cuts without making much difference to what drivers pay.

The world behind the prices: oil climbs on attacks in Saudi Arabia

The small pump cuts are happening while crude oil is getting more expensive. Brent crude futures settled at $116.72 a barrel on Friday 23 October, up $3.55 on the day and the highest close since 29 April, Reuters reported. Brent ended the week up 6%.

Reuters linked the rise to Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia, including on energy infrastructure. It also reported that Saudi Aramco had ordered the evacuation of its headquarters in Dhahran the day before. The same report said October has been the worst month for attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters, according to a Washington-based think tank that tracks maritime security incidents. It also reported that President Donald Trump said on Friday the US could end its war with Iran quickly, but that it might be better to let the conflict wind down gradually.

Governments are also drawing on emergency stocks. Reuters reported that the US Department of Energy authorised an emergency exchange of up to 400,000 barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve after a disruption at a Louisiana refinery. It said Germany's stockpiling agency had put out a tender to sell diesel, heating oil and crude from its strategic reserves, its first release since G7 countries agreed to do so at the start of October.

Oil eased when trading opened on Monday. Brent was down 93 cents at $115.79 a barrel in early Asian trade, according to Reuters, after Friday's jump.

For UK drivers, this matters because crude is the raw material for petrol and diesel. With Brent near six-month highs, it is not surprising that forecourt cuts have stayed small, even though most price changes are still downwards.

Why diesel is stuck near £2

Diesel has its own problem on top of crude. In its October Oil Market Report, the International Energy Agency said tight diesel supplies could last well into next year, Reuters reported. Stocks have been drawn down at a time of year when they usually build, and production is restricted ahead of peak winter demand.

The same report said diesel refining margins, the premium diesel fetches over crude oil, reached record highs of almost $95 a barrel in September. Reuters put this down to attacks linked to the Iran war, which reduced refining capacity.

That fits FuelWise's figures. Diesel's weekly fall of 0.3p is less than half of petrol's 0.8p. Premium diesel did not fall at all over the week.

Where prices are lowest

Every region of the UK saw both fuels fall over the week, but by different amounts.

Northern Ireland is the cheapest region by a wide margin: E10 averages 165.5p and diesel 190.8p. It also had the joint-biggest weekly fall in petrol, down 1p, along with London. The five cheapest council areas for unleaded are all in Northern Ireland, led by Causeway Coast and Glens at 164.8p.

In Great Britain, the North East is cheapest for petrol at 171.6p, down 0.9p on the week. Diesel there averages 198.2p, down 0.5p. Yorkshire and the Humber follows at 172.1p for E10.

The South East is the dearest region for both fuels, at 175.2p for E10 and 200.5p for diesel. Scotland (200.4p) and London (200.1p) also average above £2 a litre for diesel.

Supermarkets, brands and motorways

Supermarket forecourts are still cheaper on average: 171.1p for E10 and 196.1p for diesel. Other forecourts average 173.8p and 199.6p. That is a gap of about 2.7p a litre on petrol and 3.5p on diesel.

Among the big brands, Morrisons and Sainsbury's have the lowest average E10 price at 171.2p. Asda and Sainsbury's have the lowest diesel average at 196.4p. BP and Shell both average 175.8p for E10. Compare them on the brands page.

Motorway services remain much dearer. They average 192.7p for E10 and 216.8p for diesel, about 19p and 18p above the UK averages. Filling up before you join the motorway will usually cost less.

What the Budget could mean

The temporary 5p cut in fuel duty is due to end on 31 December 2026. A GOV.UK policy paper published in May shows duty on petrol and diesel at 52.95p a litre until then. Unless the rates change, it rises to 55.95p from 1 January 2027 and 57.95p from 1 March 2027. The paper says the government will confirm final rates at Budget 2026.

Motoring groups are lobbying ahead of Wednesday. The AA has asked the Chancellor to keep the 5p cut and add a further 5p. It says the extra cut would be worth about 6p a litre at the pump once VAT is included, if passed on in full.

What drivers can do now

• Check before you fill. Prices vary by area. West Berkshire has the highest council-area average for E10, at 182.9p, against 164.8p in Causeway Coast and Glens. The live map shows every forecourt near you.
• Use supermarkets where you can. They average around 3p a litre less than other forecourts on diesel.
• Avoid motorway forecourts unless you have no choice.
• Watch the Budget on Wednesday. The government will confirm fuel duty rates then.

Pump prices are still edging down, but slowly, and oil markets are volatile. Our price index tracks the daily UK averages.