Diesel Fuel Prices - Vic Faulkner
Can anyone explain to me why diesel fuel is dearer than unleaded in UK. Diferential seems to be about 3p per litre. I work in Italy and have unleaded car there and diesel car in UK. Unfortunately the wrong way round. Lastt week Super unleaded cost 64 p per litre and diesel 56p per litre. Is the difference in UK due to Government taxes or distributors Shell etc ripping us off
RE: Diesel Fuel Prices - Dave N
See the note lower down under the same heading. UK government believes it be more environmentally un-friendly, therefore taxed higher.
RE: Diesel Fuel Prices - honestjohn
I don't know how many times I've explained this, but here I go again. There is a limit to the quantity of diesel and heating oil (same stuff) which can be refined from each barrel of crude. The rest has to be refined into gasoline, kerosene and LPG. Every winter, the demand for heating oil rises (and this winter there were no large stocks of it), so the elementary laws of supply and demand apply. As with any product in an uncontrolled market, as demand increases against a fixed supply, the price will naturally go up.

HJ
RE: Diesel Fuel Prices - Steve Osborn
Does this mean you could run a diesel on heating oil - it must be cheaper than diesel? What additives would you need?
RE: Diesel Fuel Prices - honestjohn
That would be illegal because you would be avoiding paying duty and woule be subject to the same heavy fines as applied for using farmer's red diesel in passenger cars. (C&E even have the power to confiscate a car found with red diese in its tank.) There has been a discussion about this in The Backroom. You'll find it if you scroll down the messages.

HJ