British drivers are still paying far more at the pump compared with before the outbreak of the Iran war as a new interactive map shows where prices are cheapest
Petrol prices are still high as motorists wait in vain for the Iran war ceasefire to be reflected at Britain’s pumps.
While the cost of filling your tank has now levelled off after several weeks of rapid increases, drivers are still shelling out 24p more for petrol and 46p for diesel compared with pre-war prices.
The price of standard unleaded across the country has hovered around the 157p a litre mark for the last five days, which means anyone filling up the average-sized family car for a Bank Holiday getaway this weekend will shell out over £86.
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And prices remain higher than they were on April 7 – when Donald Trump warned a ‘whole civilisation will die’ if Iran refused to agree to his demands.
The following day, Iran and the US announced a two-week ceasefire which has since been extended, but so far UK motorists have not seen any benefit from the halting of US and Israeli attacks on Tehran.
Check our interactive map
You can find the cheapest petrol prices in your area with our interactive map:
Fuel margins were already high before Iran war
Soaring fuel prices amid the conflict in the Middle East are being driven by the higher cost of oil rather than retailers increasing margins, an investigation has found.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the difference between the price retailers pay for fuel and the price they sell it at – known as fuel margins – have been “broadly unchanged” since the start of the war on February 28.
The watchdog did discover increased fuel margins in March “for a minority of retailers” and committed to investigate these. It also noted that fuel margins in March were close to or equal the average of 107p per litre seen last year, which shows they remain at “historically high levels” reflecting “ongoing concern about a lack of competitive pressure”.
Latest data shows the cheapest place in the United Kingdom to fill up your car with petrol is at a Circle K garage in Mallusk, near Belfast. According to the latest data supplied by retailers, a driver in an average family car could save up to £26 by filling up at this forecourt, compared to the most expensive petrol station.
The Circle K garage at 2 Mayfield Link, Mallusk is charging motorists 145.9p per litre, which means it would cost £94 to fill up an average 55 litre tank. This is based on a feed of live petrol prices which is published by the government.
Where are the cheapest petrol stations in the UK?
In England the cheapest petrol station is in Witton, Birmingham, where unleaded is 146.6p a litre.
Here are the cheapest places to fill your car with petrol in the United Kingdom:
- 145.9p – Circle K, 2 Mayfield Link, Mallusk, BT36 4AW
- 146.6p – Witton Road, Witton Road Service Station, B6 6PD
- 146.9p – Costco Wholesale, 30 Waterloo Road, Liverpool, Merseyside, L3 7HY
- 147.7p – Nicholl Auto365 Culmore Omagh, 53 Dromore Road, Omagh, BT78 5LN
- 147.9p – Texaco, Ballydown Filling Station, Banbridge, BT32 4JP
- 147.9p – Sainsbury’s, 5 Sprucefield Park, Lisburn, BT27 5UQ
- 147.9p – Sainsbury’s, Raglan Street, Wolverhampton, WV3 0ST
- 147.9p – Costco Wholesale, Barton Dock Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M41 7PP
- 147.9p – Sainsbury’s, Mount Road, Braintree, CM7 1XH
- 147.9p – Costco Wholesale, The Broadway, Oldham, Greater Manchester, OL9 8AU
Diesel significantly more expensive
UK drivers are currently paying an average of 157.3p per litre of petrol, while people who own diesel vehicles are forking out 189.8p on average.
The prices quoted are for standard grade petrol (E10) and for standard grade diesel (B7). The figures are supplied by the major retailers under a scheme operated by the government to ensure motorists are given a fair deal at the petrol pumps.
The prices quoted are those supplied by retailers as of Friday 1st May, 2026 at 4:45am.
Local authorities with cheapest prices
Motorists in Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland are paying significantly less for petrol than other parts of the UK. These are the local authorities with the cheapest prices for a litre of unleaded right now:
- Scottish Borders – 146.5p (10p below national average)
- Rossendale – 148.9p (7.6p below national average)
- Causeway Coast and Glens – 149.2p (7.3p below national average)
- Lisburn and Castlereagh – 149.4p (7.1p below national average)
- Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon – 149.9p (6.6p below national average)
- Belfast – 150p (6.5p below national average)
- Mid and East Antrim – 150.6p (5.9p below national average)
- Antrim and Newtownabbey – 150.9p (5.6p below national average)
- Ards and North Down – 150.9p (5.6p below national average)
- Redditch – 150.9p (5.6p below national average)
Regions with most expensive prices
The 10 local authorities with the most expensive average prices are:
- East Hertfordshire – 160.2p (3.7p above national average)
- Denbighshire – 160.4p (3.9p above national average)
- Harlow – 160.4p (3.9p above national average)
- Ashford – 160.5p (4p above national average)
- Maidstone – 160.8p (4.3p above national average)
- Cambridge – 160.9p (4.4p above national average)
- Test Valley – 161.1p (4.6p above national average)
- Breckland – 161.1p (4.6p above national average)
- East Staffordshire – 161.6p (5.1p above national average)
- Westminster – 162.1p (5.6p above national average)
