London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 21, 2026

Petrol cost hit new high every day for past month

Petrol cost hit new high every day for past month

Petrol prices have hit new record highs every day for the past month, according to motoring organisation the RAC.

The cost to fill a family car now stands at about £103 for petrol, and £106 for diesel, it said.

The war in Ukraine and moves to reduce dependence on Russian oil have helped drive up fuel prices, putting households under pressure as food and energy bills also soar.

The average petrol price is now 186.59p per litre, with diesel at 192.48p.

The RAC called on the government to cut fuel taxes to ease the cost burden on motorists, and to help lower the cost of living.

"New records in the average price of petrol have been set every day for the last month, with a litre rising 21p, which has added more than £11 to a tank," said RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams.

He said that RAC analysis of wholesale diesel prices indicates that diesel could hit "a previously unthinkable average of £2 a litre", and that "unfortunately, it has already crossed this threshold at motorway services".

However, rival motoring organisation the AA said wholesale fuel costs had been steady recently, while pump prices had been rising.

"Another penny on petrol is a surprise given that wholesale costs have been level if not lower since the Jubilee," said Luke Bosdet, the AA's spokesman on fuel prices.

He said if petrol continues to go up at the same rate heading into the weekend, "the government has yet another reason to call the retailers out".


He said that diesel may yet hit £2 per litre, but "why invite the fuel trade to speed up the pump price rises?"

"It's a volatile market, nothing is guaranteed until it happens," he added.

The Treasury cut the tax in March by 5p per litre in a bid to help motorists, and has asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate whether that cut is being passed on to motorists quickly enough.

The RAC called on the government to temporarily lower VAT on fuel, and make a further cut in fuel duty, saying the rise in VAT takings since March was now more than cancelling out the fuel duty cut.

So far the government has ruled out cutting VAT, saying higher receipts from fuel price increases will be largely offset by lower receipts from household spending less on other goods and services.

The government has put together a £37bn package to help families as energy, food and fuel bills soar.

More than eight million UK homes on benefits are set to receive £326 by the end of July, with a second payment of £324 in the autumn.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Twenty-Nine US States Take Meta to Trial Over Alleged Child Addiction on Instagram and Facebook
Former Scottish National Party Executive Peter Murrell Jailed for Five Years Over £400,000 Embezzlement
Moderna and Merck's Personalized Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Historic Late-Stage Melanoma Trial
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
Royal Navy to Accelerate DragonFire Laser Deployment Against Growing Drone Threat
Northern Ireland Approves Five Hundred Million Pound Belfast Harbour Expansion
Great British Railways Takes Full Control of Avanti West Coast as Rail Nationalisation Reaches Final Stage
UK AI Safety Institute Calls for Mandatory Security Audits of Advanced AI Models
Scotland Secures Three Billion Pounds for Floating Offshore Wind Hub in Aberdeen
Government Overrides Local Councils to Approve Green Belt Housing Across Southern England
UK and EU Move Toward Mutual Recognition of Food Standards to Ease Cross-Channel Trade
Government Plans Multibillion-Pound Private Healthcare Expansion to Cut NHS Surgical Backlogs
Bank of England Signals Faster Rate Cuts as Inflation Falls Below the Two Percent Target
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
Moderna Shares Surge After Positive Personalized Skin Cancer Trial Results
UK Markets Watch US National Debt Surpass Forty Trillion Dollars
UK Broadcasters Urge Government to Invest in Digital Participation and Broadband
CVC Capital Partners and Standard Life Launch Two Billion Pound Pension Risk Transfer Venture
UK Private Sector Productivity Growth Accelerates in Second Quarter
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Condemns Israeli E1 Settlement Tender
UK Watchdog Investigates Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School Over Hidden Fees
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Plan Move to Private Home Outside London
UK Retail Sentiment Improves as Summer Spending Boosts Consumer Confidence
UK Aid Cuts Draw Warnings From Charities Over Humanitarian Consequences
UK Financial Conduct Authority Issues Guidance for Motor Finance Redress Scheme
UK Met Office Launches Aviation Programme to Reduce Climate Impact of Persistent Contrails
Former UK Civil Service Chief Received Record 500,000 Pound Severance Payment
West Midlands to Bring Bus Network Under Public Franchising Model
UK Government Drops Plan to Relax Affordable Housing Requirements After Backlash
UK Reaffirms Military Support for Ukraine Despite Russian Hybrid Warfare Threats
UK Technology Sector Expands Nearly 8 Percent as Digital Industry Outpaces Wider Economy
UK Drought Threatens Harvests Across England and Wales as Food Inflation Risks Persist
UK Government Pledges 442 Million Pounds to End Rough Sleeping by Christmas
UK Government Signals Willingness to Reconsider Digital Services Tax Amid US Tariff Threats
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9 Percent as Energy Costs Threaten Economic Recovery
NHS Hospitals Cancel Surgeries as Extreme Heat Pushes Ward Temperatures Above 40 Degrees Celsius
UK Heatwave Forces Emergency Measures as Wildfire Risk, Hospital Disruption and Drought Intensify
A Sleepless Night on Wall Street: Nasdaq to Begin Nearly Round-the-Clock Trading
"The First in the World": 69-Year-Old Protested Artificial Intelligence—and Went to Jail
Ukraine's Ousted Defence Minister Calls for Wartime Presidential Election
UK Marks Ten Years of Night Tube as London Weekend Usage Exceeds Eighty-One Thousand Journeys a Night
Met Office Issues Thunderstorm Warnings Across Northern Ireland Over Flash-Flood Risk
Frasers Group Raises Stake in Hugo Boss to Nearly Forty-Eight Percent
Scottish Clyde Marine Pilots Prepare for Strike That Could Disrupt Glasgow and Greenock Shipping
×