You can find the cheapest petrol prices near you by searching for your postcode in our interactive map
Petrol prices in the UK have now shot up by over 10p a litre since the start of the US-Iran war, according to the latest figures released this afternoon, showing no let-up in the alarming spike in the cost of fuel.
Retailer data published by the government reveals the average price a litre of unleaded petrol today passed the 140p mark – but the impact on fuel costs depends largely on which area of the UK you are filling up your car. In two areas of the country – Cherwell and Great Yarmouth – motorists are paying more than 12p a litre extra for a litre of unleaded compared with the price a week before the US and Israel started bombarding Iran.
Our interactive map shows the latest average price for a litre of unleaded petrol in every area of the UK reported by retailers on Thursday – and also how much it has increased since a week before the conflict began on February 28.
Here are the 20 local authority areas where prices have increased the most since the start of the war, including the latest average cost of E10 unleaded (excluding motorway service stations):
- Cherwell – 138.3p. Up 12.9p per litre
- Great Yarmouth – 138.7p. Up 12.3p per litre
- Hartlepool – 135.9p. Up 11.9p per litre
- Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon – 134.6p. Up 11.7p per litre
- Causeway Coast and Glens – 134.5p. Up 11.7p per litre
- Ribble Valley – 140.9p. Up 11.5p per litre
- Ceredigion – 137.6p. Up 11.4p per litre
- Fermanagh and Omagh – 134.7p. Up 11.4p per litre
- Lisburn and Castlereagh – 132.7p. Up 11.3p per litre
- Stevenage – 139.6p. Up 11.2p per litre
- Erewash – 137.7p. Up 11.0p per litre
- Rossendale – 134.9p. Up 11.0p per litre
- Mid and East Antrim – 134.9p. Up 10.8p per litre
- York – 136.4p. Up 10.7p per litre
- Dacorum – 138.6p. Up 10.6p per litre
- Belfast – 132.7p. Up 10.5p per litre
- Antrim and Newtownabbey – 134.7p. Up 10.5p per litre
- Hastings – 137.8p. Up 10.5p per litre
- Rotherham – 138.0p. Up 10.4p per litre
- Carmarthenshire – 139.7p. Up 10.4p per litre
Motorists in North Warwickshire face the highest prices at the pumps, with average prices just short of the 145p mark for E10 unleaded. In more than 130 local authority districts, the average price has gone over 140p.
The 20 most expensive areas to buy petrol are:
- North Warwickshire – 144.9p. Up 9.0p per litre
- Westminster – 144.1p. Up 6.5p per litre
- Breckland – 143.7p. Up 8.6p per litre
- Wyre Forest – 143.7p. Up 7.1p per litre
- Harlow – 143.6p. Up 7.8p per litre
- Fareham – 143.4p. Up 8.7p per litre
- Cheshire East – 143.2p. Up 8.9p per litre
- Cambridge – 143.2p. Up 6.5p per litre
- West Lancashire – 143.1p. Up 8.8p per litre
- Epping Forest – 143.1p. Up 8.2p per litre
- Sevenoaks – 142.9p. Up 8.3p per litre
- Rochford – 142.9p. Up 8.0p per litre
- Brentwood – 142.9p. Up 7.0p per litre
- Windsor and Maidenhead – 142.8p. Up 9.0p per litre
- North Hertfordshire – 142.8p. Up 7.0p per litre
- Wychavon – 142.7p. Up 9.6p per litre
- Tandridge – 142.6p. Up 7.0p per litre
- Ashford – 142.5p. Up 6.6p per litre
- Chichester – 142.4p. Up 8.0p per litre
- West Lothian – 142.4p. Up 8.0p per litre
The prices quoted were correct as of Thursday March 12, and the average price for E10 unleaded, excluding motorway service stations.
You can find the cheapest petrol prices near you by searching for your postcode in this interactive map:
It is estimated the US-Iran war is set to cost UK motorists £15m a day in extra fuel costs as prices continue to spike upwards at petrol forecourts around the country. The impact of the price hikes means that the average cost of all the fuel bought each day in the UK is already costing motorists £12.9m more than it did before the conflict began on 28 February, and that figure is set to pass £15m on current trends.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it has put fuel retailers “on notice” that it is stepping up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices in light of the Middle East conflict. The CMA’s executive director for markets, Juliette Enser, said: “Whilst price increases might be inevitable because of rising wholesale costs, it is important that those increases reflect genuine cost pressures. We will be closely scrutinising and reporting on what’s happening with fuel prices and call out any concerning behaviour.”
Among the major retailers, Asda Express is charging the highest average price for unleaded petrol. The firm, which operates Asda service stations rather than supermarket forecourts, has an average price of 142.9p per litre – which is 12.1p more than before the war. Esso, BP, Shell, Murco and Texaco are all charging motorists an average of over 140p a litre at their petrol stations.
Of the big four supermarkets, Tesco is charging the highest price at 138.2p a litre, slightly more than Morrisons (137.7p), Sainsbury’s (137.6p) and Asda (137.1p). A petrol industry trade group today pulled out of a meeting with Chancellor Rachel Reeves after accusing minister of using “inflammatory language” that has led to abuse against forecourt workers.
The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said executive director Gordon Balmer had been invited to take part in the Downing Street meeting with Ms Reeves and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband on fuel prices, set to take place later on Friday. But it said Mr Balmer had withdrawn over concerns that recent language being used by ministers was inciting abuse against fuel retail staff by members of the public.
The PRA said “following several days in which ministers have suggested that forecourts may be ‘price gouging’ and ‘ripping off’ the motorist”, it had looked to get assurances from Ms Reeves’s office that the meeting would be held in private, but that this was not provided. The PRA said it made the decision not to attend the meeting to “protect retail staff”.
On Thursday, the Competition and Markets Authority warned it was putting fuel retailers “on notice” of plans to step up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices in light of the Middle East uncertainty.
