Petrol and diesel drivers can find a staggering 14p difference between supermarkets’ cheapest and most expensive prices, new data has found.
After three months of continually falling petrol and diesel prices, January marked an end to lower costs with the average price of unleaded staying at 140.5p per litre and 148.5p for diesel.
However, in Northern Ireland, where drivers benefit from an effective fuel price checker, petrol prices are 4.2 cheaper than the rest of the UK and 3.5p lower for diesel.
The RAC has called out fuel retailers, saying that drivers are still not being charged a fair price across the whole of the UK.
There is a 14p difference in price between the cheapest and most expensive fuel prices
GETTY
Some retailers are bucking the trend and selling fuel at a far lower rate, including Costco, which charges drivers ÂŁ1.30 for diesel and 139.6p for diesel, although this is only available to members.
Similarly, independent forecourt Grindley Brook in Whitchurch, Shropshire, is only charging 133.9p for petrol – nearly 7p less than the UK average, forcing nearby retailers to drop their prices.
On January 31, there was a 14p difference between the cheapest supermarket fuel and the most expensive.
Sainsbury’s in Oxford and Newport was selling unleaded petrol for 131.9p while Morrisons forecourts in Exeter and Ipswich were charging 145.9p for diesel.
Simon Williams, RAC fuel spokesperson, said it was “unfortunate” that January brought an end to three consecutive months of falling prices at the pumps.
He added: “It is still concerning to see that fuel remains considerably cheaper in Northern Ireland and that the supermarkets are charging wildly different prices for identical petrol and diesel at different locations around the UK.
“The data retailers are voluntarily providing to the Competition and Markets Authority has shed a whole new light on the pump price postcode lottery.
“It seems blatantly wrong to us that the very same petrol or diesel can vary in price by as much as 14p a litre, depending on where drivers are filling up.”
There are hopes that the dramatic differences in fuel prices will be addressed by the newly-announced fuel price checker – dubbed PumpWatch – when it is rolled out in the near future.
Retailers have been accused of failing to pass on savings to drivers at the pump, as seen by the 5p per litre fuel duty reduction in 2022, overcharging drivers by ÂŁ900million in the process, as highlighted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Simon Williams continued, saying: “The question is how soon such a body is realistically going to be established, especially with a General Election on the horizon.
“Despite the attacks on tankers in the Red Sea, the oil market appears relatively stable on the back of weaker global demand. Positively for drivers, analysts aren’t forecasting much short-term change from the current barrel price of $82 (£65).
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Costco petrol stations have frequently offered drivers cheaper prices than the national average
PA
“Interestingly, the recent rise in the price of a barrel has had the effect of squeezing bloated supermarket margins by around 3p a litre.
“This means drivers are now getting a slightly fairer deal when they fill up, but the big question is whether they will be content to operate at this level or whether they will look to get back to an average margin of around 10p, which is in stark contrast to the 3.5p they made on a litre in 2019.”