Petrol and diesel drivers issued urgent warning as fuel prices will 'start heading back up in 2025'

The data, from RAC Fuel Watch, does not predict any significant price changes in the future, although this could change in the new year.

Stuart Masson, Editorial Director at The Car Expert, noted that oil prices were "unusually low" in 2024, despite instability in the Middle East.

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There had been fears that the ongoing conflict between Israel, Lebanon and Iran could lead to regional instability and send oil prices spiralling, as seen with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but this was not the case.

Despite this, Masson highlighted that the crisis in the Middle East does not seem to be ending anytime soon, especially following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, which could lead to oil price changes in 2025.

He said: "Filling a typical 55-litre petrol car currently costs about £75, while diesel costs £78 – around £6 to £7 cheaper than last year.

"But we don’t expect that to last indefinitely, so customers should be planning for prices to start heading back up in 2025."

Even if prices rise in the coming months, drivers across the country will benefit from the Government's Fuel Finder scheme, which is set to launch by the end of 2025.

Further details about the Fuel Finder scheme was unveiled in the Autumn Budget where it said the new measures would "facilitate competition in the road fuels market, improve transparency and empower drivers to find the cheapest fuel prices".

It will require supermarkets and major retailers to report prices and the unavailability of fuel within 30 minutes of a change.

This will be collated and made available to drivers through sat navs, map apps and dedicated fuel finder apps. The Government intends to launch the scheme by the end of 2025.

According to Budget documents, the increased transparency of fuel prices will help to mitigate mitigating factors like the ever-changing price of oil and global instability.

Scenario modelling by the Government suggests that pump prices could fall by between one and six pence per litre as a result of the Fuel Finder scheme.

It follows recommendations from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) which reported that drivers continue to be overcharged at the pumps, despite measures like the 5p per litre fuel duty cut being introduced to prevent this from happening.

The CMA pointed to the Consumer Council's Fuel Price Checker as the gold standard of reducing costs for motorists. The website shows the cheapest average costs for petrol and diesel in towns and cities across Northern Ireland.

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Average prices across Northern Ireland are around 8p cheaper for both petrol and diesel compared to England, Scotland and Wales, at 130.6p for petrol and 135.4p for diesel.

Coleraine has the lowest average petrol price at just 127.2p, while diesel drivers can also see the best fuel savings at just 132.2p - more than 10p cheaper than the rest of the UK.