Fuel prices rise up to 6p a litre in four months
Tue, 11 Feb 2025
The price of petrol and diesel has risen for the fourth straight month, with petrol 5p a litre more expensive and diesel 6p dearer than the start of October.
Petrol prices rose 2p a litre alone in January, to a UK average of 139p. Diesel jumped even more, going up nearly 3p a litre to an average of 145.7p.
The RAC has calculated this means filling the average petrol car now costs £76.44, which is £2 more expensive than four months ago.
Diesel drivers now have to fork out over £80 to fill the average 55-litre tank, more than £3 up on the start of October.
What’s causing the price increases? A mid-January spike in the oil price. This took the cost of a barrel of oil to over $80 for a couple of days.
Add in a slight weakening of the pound, and the price of wholesale fuel duly went up.
"We hope this trend won’t continue," says RAC head of policy Simon Williams.
"While the price of oil can be notoriously volatile, there’s reason to think forecourt fuel prices may get cheaper in the coming months, as some analysts are predicting an average oil price nearer to $70 this year."
The best place to go for cheap fuel is one of the big four supermarkets. Unleaded there is 3.5p cheaper than the UK average, at 134p, and diesel is 4p cheaper at 141.6p
In contrast, the average price for petrol at a motorway service station is 161.9p, with diesel at 169.8p.
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