UK drivers 'suffer again' with diesel costs soaring and petrol 'overpriced by 7p a litre'
Petrol and diesel prices continue to rise, with further increases expected
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Petrol and diesel prices are continuing to rise, with new data finding that the average price of diesel rocketed by more than 8p per litre last month.
The price of petrol has also risen by 4.5p per litre, with experts warning that costs could increase further with the oil prices nearing $100 (£82.50).
The latest research from RAC Fuel Watch shows that the average price of diesel would set drivers back £1.63 per litre.
The 8.33p per litre jump in price marked the fifth biggest monthly rise since 2000, with unleaded rising to 157.01p a litre.
This is on top of the price rises seen in January when petrol went up by almost 7p and an increase in the price of diesel was seen by a further 8p.
diesel drivers with an average-sized car will face costs of £90 to fill their tank, while petrol motorists will fork out £86.
Simon Williams, fuel spokesperson for the RAC, said: “Drivers are sadly really starting to suffer again at the pumps with September seeing another 8p a litre added to the average price of diesel which comes hot on the tail of a similar increase in August.
“Petrol has also gone up 11p since the beginning of August so there’s little respite whichever fuel drivers use.
“Our analysis of RAC Fuel Watch wholesale and retail data shows that petrol is currently overpriced by around 7p a litre, although the price of diesel is likely to go up further still in the coming weeks.”
He added that it was “worrying” to see margins for retailers across the UK being higher for petrol than they should be.
This comes even after the “Big 4” supermarkets were slammed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for overcharging drivers by £900million in 2022.
He said that some supermarkets and retailers were starting to publish how much they sell fuel for, although wholesale price changes were not being fairly reflected on forecourts.
The RAC stated that the price rises were a result of the oil cartel OPEC+ restricting global supply of fuel, as well as the weaker value of sterling.
The last time oil was traded for over $100 a barrel was at the end of August 2022, just a month after Britain saw record-breaking fuel prices.
Simon Williams continued, saying: “The second recommendation from the CMA report was to set up a price monitoring body which this situation demonstrates the need for as some retailers are clearly inflating the price of petrol.
“The setting up of this body cannot come soon enough, as long as it has some form of teeth to keep retailers in line.”
This follows new data from carwow that suggests almost half of motorists have changed their driving habits in recent months in response to the rising fuel prices.
Drivers are being urged to also use fuel price checkers to ensure they are getting the best possible deal, with Asda now publishing its prices on a daily basis.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The price of petrol and diesel has been creeping up in recent years
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Other petrol and diesel price checking apps, like AA and PetrolPrices, can show the latest costs of filling stations in any particular area.
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