London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jan 28, 2026

Cost of living: Average price of filling family car with petrol set to exceed £100 for first time

Cost of living: Average price of filling family car with petrol set to exceed £100 for first time

It comes amid the government's continued concern that the 5p cut implemented by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in March is still not being reflected in pump prices at all filling stations.

The average cost of filling a typical family car is expected to exceed £100 in the largest daily price jump in 17 years.

A litre of petrol cost an average of 180.7p on Tuesday, according to data firm Experian Catalist, a rise of 2.2p compared with the previous day.

A similar increase is set to take the average cost of a full tank for a 55-litre family car to more than £100 for the first time.

The average cost for the day will be published on Thursday morning.

It comes amid the government's continued concern that the 5p cut implemented by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in March is still not being reflected in pump prices at all filling stations.

Downing Street indicated that fuel retailers failing to pass on the fuel duty cut could be named and shamed.

The prime minister's official spokesman said: "We are continuing to look at all possible options. Transparency may have an important role to play.

"It is important the public understand what actions each of the fuel retailers are taking and so we are considering what further options we can take in this area."

Some forecourts across the country are already selling petrol above £2 per litre, price comparison website PetrolPrices reported.

Highest petrol prices at BP sites


The highest price so far has been recorded as 202.9p at BP sites on the A1 near Sunderland, Tyne and Wear; the M4 near Chippenham, Wiltshire; and the M6 near Burton-in-Kendal, Cumbria.

Meanwhile, the most expensive forecourts on local roads are selling fuel at up to 196.9p per litre in Glasgow and near Stafford, Staffordshire.


Average diesel prices are also at a record high, hitting 186.6p on Tuesday, up 1.4p from Monday.

RAC fuel spokesperson Simon Williams said: "The average price of petrol endured its biggest daily jump in 17 years by going more than 2p (2.23p) a litre on Tuesday taking it to nearly 181p a litre (180.73p).

"Diesel increased by almost 1.5p to yet another record high at 186.57p. A full tank of unleaded has now shot up to £99.40, moving us ever closer to the milestone £100 petrol fill-up - an unfortunate landmark we may reach as soon as tomorrow."

Asda hikes petrol prices


"Asda hiked its average petrol price nearly 5p a litre in a single day, which is unheard of.

"These are unprecedented times in terms of the accelerating cost of forecourt fuel."

He warned that "we are still some way from the peak" as it will take several days for an unexpected fall in wholesale costs on Tuesday to be reflected in pump prices.

An Asda spokesman told Sky News: "The wholesale price of fuel has increased at an unprecedented rate, rising by over 9p per litre in the last week.

"Motorists trust us to provide the best value at the pumps and we will do all we can to minimise the impact of rising wholesale prices on our customers."

AA spokesman Luke Bosdet described Tuesday's more than 2p-a-litre leap in average UK petrol prices as a "huge shock".

"The government needs to act fast to rein in these excesses," he added.

"The example of fuel price transparency in Northern Ireland, where petrol and diesel two days ago averaged 6p a litre cheaper than the UK average, shows a way forward that will revive competition and can be implemented in a matter of weeks."

The Consumer Council of Northern Ireland monitors the country's fuel prices.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Starmer Seeks Economic Gains From China Visit While Navigating US Diplomatic Sensitivities
Starmer Says China Visit Will Deliver Economic Benefits as He Prepares to Meet Xi Jinping
UK Prime Minister Starmer Arrives in China to Bolster Trade and Warn Firms of Strategic Opportunities
Amazon to Cut 16,000 Corporate Jobs After Earlier 14,000 Reduction, Citing Streamlining and AI Investment
Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Powell Faces DOJ Criminal Investigation During 2026 Decision
Putin’s Four-Year Ukraine Invasion Cost: Russia’s Mass Casualty Attrition and the Donbas Security-Guarantee Tradeoff
Wall Street Bets on Strong US Growth and Currency Moves as Dollar Slips After Trump Comments
UK Prime Minister Traveled to China Using Temporary Phones and Laptops to Limit Espionage Risks
Google’s $68 Million Voice Assistant Settlement Exposes Incentives That Reward Over-Collection
Kim Kardashian Admits Faking Paparazzi Visit to Britney Spears for Fame in Early 2000s
UPS to Cut 30,000 More Jobs by 2026 Amid Shift to High-Margin Deliveries
France Plans to Replace Teams and Zoom Across Government With Homegrown Visio by 2027
Trump Removes Minneapolis Deportation Operation Commander After Fatal Shooting of Protester
Iran’s Elite Wealth Abroad and Sanctions Leakage: How Offshore Luxury Sustains Regime Resilience
U.S. Central Command Announces Regional Air Exercise as Iran Unveils Drone Carrier Footage
Four Arrested in Andhra Pradesh Over Alleged HIV-Contaminated Injection Attack on Doctor
Hot Drinks, Hidden Particles: How Disposable Cups Quietly Increase Microplastic Exposure
UK Banks Pledge £11 Billion Lending Package to Help Firms Expand Overseas
Suella Braverman Defects to Reform UK, Accusing Conservatives of Betrayal on Core Policies
Melania Trump Documentary Sees Limited Box Office Traction in UK Cinemas
Meta and EssilorLuxottica Ray-Ban Smart Glasses and the Non-Consensual Public Recording Economy
WhatsApp Develops New Meta AI Features to Enhance User Control
Germany Considers Gold Reserves Amidst Rising Tensions with the U.S.
Michael Schumacher Shows Significant Improvement in Health Status
Greenland’s NATO Stress Test: Coercion, Credibility, and the New Arctic Bargaining Game
Diego Garcia and the Chagos Dispute: When Decolonization Collides With Alliance Power
Trump Claims “Total” U.S. Access to Greenland as NATO Weighs Arctic Basing Rights and Deterrence
Air France and KLM Suspend Multiple Middle East Routes as Regional Tensions Disrupt Aviation
U.S. winter storm triggers 13,000-plus flight cancellations and 160,000 power outages
Poland delays euro adoption as Domański cites $1tn economy and zloty advantage
White House: Trump warns Canada of 100% tariff if Carney finalizes China trade deal
PLA opens CMC probe of Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli over Xi authority and discipline violations
ICE and DHS immigration raids in Minneapolis: the use-of-force accountability crisis in mass deportation enforcement
UK’s Starmer and Trump Agree on Urgent Need to Bolster Arctic Security
Starmer Breaks Diplomatic Restraint With Firm Rebuke of Trump, Seizing Chance to Advocate for Europe
UK Finance Minister Reeves to Join Starmer on China Visit to Bolster Trade and Economic Ties
Prince Harry Says Sacrifices of NATO Forces in Afghanistan Deserve ‘Respect’ After Trump Remarks
Barron Trump Emerges as Key Remote Witness in UK Assault and Rape Trial
Nigel Farage Attended Davos 2026 Using HP Trust Delegate Pass Linked to Sasan Ghandehari
Gold Jumps More Than 8% in a Week as the Dollar Slides Amid Greenland Tariff Dispute
BlackRock Executive Rick Rieder Emerges as Leading Contender to Succeed Jerome Powell as Fed Chair
Boston Dynamics Atlas humanoid robot and LG CLOiD home robot: the platform lock-in fight to control Physical AI
United States under President Donald Trump completes withdrawal from the World Health Organization: health sovereignty versus global outbreak early-warning access
FBI and U.S. prosecutors vs Ryan Wedding’s transnational cocaine-smuggling network: the fight over witness-killing and cross-border enforcement
Trump Administration’s Iran Military Buildup and Sanctions Campaign Puts Deterrence Credibility on the Line
Apple and OpenAI Chase Screenless AI Wearables as the Post-iPhone Interface Battle Heats Up
Tech Brief: AI Compute, Chips, and Platform Power Moves Driving Today’s Market Narrative
NATO’s Stress Test Under Trump: Alliance Credibility, Burden-Sharing, and the Fight Over Strategic Territory
OpenAI’s Money Problem: Explosive Growth, Even Faster Costs, and a Race to Stay Ahead
Trump Reverses Course and Criticises UK-Mauritius Chagos Islands Agreement
×