Petrol hits a six-month high with drivers paying £3 more to fill up than October

By ROB HULL, MOTORING EDITOR

Updated:

The cost to fill up with petrol has reached a six-month high as drivers are yet again being clobbered at the fuel pumps, new analysis shows.

The average price of a litre of unleaded at UK forecourts rose by 0.65p in February to 139.65p, according to the RAC.

It said motorists have come 'unfortunate casualties' of higher wholesale costs earlier in the year, driven by an increase in the price of oil, which climbed to $82 a barrel in mid-January.

Filling a family-sized petrol car now costs an average of £76.81, up almost £3 since the start of October when the price of petrol was 134.33p per litre.

The average price of a litre of diesel also went up by 0.73p last month to 146.48p - the highest it has been since late August.

The rise in wholesale costs was largely caused by greater demand in the northern hemisphere because of a cold snap, along with concerns about possible supply disruption ahead of the presidency changeover in the US, the motoring group said.

RAC fuel spokesperson Simon Williams said: 'It's disappointing to see pump prices up yet again in February, with drivers now facing some of the highest costs at forecourts since the end of last summer.

'Motorists were the unfortunate casualties of rising wholesale prices through January, not helped by global oil prices hitting the $82 a barrel mark in the middle of the month.

'But we hope better times are on the horizon. 

'With wholesale fuel costs falling throughout February, there's a good prospect petrol and diesel prices will come down this month as retailers buy fresh stock at lower prices.

'As always, it really does pay to shop around because pump prices at supermarket sites vary by as much as 13p a litre.'

The RAC said there could be 'some hope on the horizon' for the nation's drivers, with the wholesale cost of fuel dropping in February, which should be reflected by lower pump prices this month

The RAC said there could be 'some hope on the horizon' for the nation's drivers, with the wholesale cost of fuel dropping in February, which should be reflected by lower pump prices this month

The RAC's report calculated that supermarkets are currently charging drivers 2.3p less per litre of unleaded compared to the UK average (137.36p compared to 139.65p).

Supermarket retailers are also charging 2.6p less on average for every litre of diesel (143.91p compared to 146.48p). 

However, some sites are charging substantially less.

One supermarket close to Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-upon-Tyne has petrol priced at just 127.7p a litre - almost 17p per litre (12 per cent) less than the UK average.

Some enterprising independent forecourts are also charging significantly less – with one in Shropshire selling petrol at just 126.9p a litre and diesel at 135.9p. 

'Drivers able to use these cheaper forecourts will pay just £69.80 for a complete petrol fill-up, which is £7 less than the average UK cost,' the RAC said.

Looking at regional fuel pricing, drivers in Northern Ireland continue to pay the lowest prices to fill up. 

At the end of February, the average price of a litre of unleaded was just 132.9p – nearly 7p less than in the rest of the UK – with diesel at 138.9p, more than 6p less a litre.

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