Running costs
UK fuel prices
The national weekly average, published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and dated by the Monday the survey week begins.
161.61p
183.49p
£80.81
Checked on 31 August 2026.Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Weekly road fuel prices (as of 31 August 2026)
What is the average price of petrol in the UK?
161.61p a litre for unleaded and 183.49p for diesel, for the week commencing 31 August 2026. Both figures include fuel duty of 52.95p a litre and VAT at 20 per cent charged on top of it.
The average is national and covers every kind of retailer, so a supermarket forecourt in a competitive town is usually below it and a motorway service area is well above it.
What is in a litre of unleaded
| Part of the price | Pence a litre | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel duty | 52.95 | 33% |
| VAT at 20 per cent | 26.94 | 17% |
| Fuel, refining and retail | 81.73 | 51% |
The last twelve months
| Month | Unleaded | Diesel | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07 | 152.19 | 167.59 | 15.40 |
| 2026-06 | 155.30 | 176.44 | 21.14 |
| 2026-05 | 157.45 | 187.14 | 29.69 |
| 2026-04 | 156.86 | 189.99 | 33.13 |
| 2026-03 | 140.21 | 158.67 | 18.46 |
| 2026-02 | 131.60 | 141.12 | 9.52 |
| 2026-01 | 133.24 | 142.47 | 9.23 |
| 2025-12 | 136.34 | 145.72 | 9.38 |
| 2025-11 | 135.04 | 143.82 | 8.78 |
| 2025-10 | 134.66 | 142.77 | 8.11 |
| 2025-09 | 133.98 | 141.84 | 7.86 |
| 2025-08 | 134.22 | 142.18 | 7.96 |
Why the two prices moved apart
- Duty is identical on both, so nothing in the tax explains the gap.
- Between February and April 2026 the monthly average diesel price went from 141.12p to 189.99p a litre while unleaded went from 131.60p to 156.86p.
- A single blended fuel price would have been wrong for almost everybody during those months, which is why petrol and diesel are kept apart everywhere on this site.
- For a diesel driver the practical effect is that the fuel economy advantage of a diesel engine has been partly eaten by the price of the fuel itself.
Common questions
- How much of a litre of fuel is tax?
- Fuel duty is 52.95p a litre on both petrol and diesel, and VAT at 20 per cent is charged on top of the whole price including the duty. At today's petrol price that is roughly two thirds of the pump price before the fuel itself is paid for.
- Why is diesel more expensive than petrol?
- The duty is identical, so the gap is entirely wholesale. Diesel is refined and traded internationally in a tighter market than petrol, and European diesel supply has been repriced repeatedly since 2022, which is why the two prices have moved apart rather than together.
- How often are these figures published?
- Weekly, by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Each row is dated by the Monday the survey week begins, so it is a week commencing date and not a week ending one, which is a common misreading.
- Are supermarket prices lower than this average?
- Usually. The DESNZ figure is a national average across all retailers, so a supermarket forecourt in a competitive area is often several pence below it and a motorway service area is a long way above it.