A review of fuel prices for September shows that the overall cost of filling up at the pump has increased again, for the second month in a row. The average price of unleaded hit 119.3 pence per litre in September, up by 2.7 pence from August’s prices. Meanwhile, diesel drivers saw a month-on-month increase of 2.6 pence per litre, taking the average September price to 120.0 pence. The increases mean that diesel is now at its highest level since April, which unleaded has not been this expensive since February.
Part of the reason is the cost of oil, which is at its highest price per barrel since July 2015. This has led to widespread increases in prices at the pumps, as manufacturers quickly reflect their increasing wholesale costs. As ever though, the regional picture around the UK varies greatly when it comes to fuel price.
The most expensive place to buy fuel
Diesel
For diesel drivers, the most expensive location to buy fuel was once again Tighnbruaich in Argyll & Bute. Prices there were a whopping 15.9 pence per litre above the national average. This was followed by Acharacle in Highland in second place, while in third place for September was Markfield in Leicestershire.
| Price | Location | County |
| 135.9 | Tighnbruaich | Argyll & Bute |
| 134.8 | Acharacle | Highland |
| 132.0 | Markfield | Leicestershire |
| 131.9 | Freshwater | Isle of Wight |
| 129.9 | Isle of Benbecula | Eilean Siar |
| 129.9 | Woolacombe | Devon |
| 128.8 | Seascale | Cumbria |
| 128.8 | Gretna | Dumfries & Galloway |
| 127.9 | Cowes | Isle of Wight |
| 127.8 | Lockerbie | Dumfries & Galloway |
Unleaded
As well as being the second most expensive for diesel, Acharacle was also the most expensive place in the UK to buy unleaded during September. From the list below, you can see that Scottish locations feature heavily in the list of most expensive locations, taking the top three spots. That’s in spite of Aberdeen’s position at the centre of North Sea offshore oil and gas industry. It’s worrying to consider what will happen to fuel prices over the longer term, as the UK enters its “final decade of production.”
| Price | Location | County |
| 134.5 | Acharacle | Highland |
| 132.9 | Tighnbruaich | Argyll & Bute |
| 131.1 | Gretna | Dumfries & Galloway |
| 129.9 | Freshwater | Isle of Wight |
| 129.4 | Markfield | Leicestershire |
| 129.1 | Lockerbie | Dumfries & Galloway |
| 128.9 | Isle of Benbecula | Eilean Siar |
| 128.9 | Woolacombe | Devon |
| 127.3 | Lymm | Warrington |
| 127.1 | Isle of Arran | North Ayrshire |
The cheapest place to buy fuel
Diesel
The cheapest place to buy diesel in September was Leigh in Greater Manchester, followed by Currie in the City of Edinburgh. Drivers around Manchester are experiencing a good spell on the cost of their fuel, with Dukinfield in third place on the list. August’s third place, Spennymoor in County Durham, fell to fifth this month, as drivers saw an increase in their local fuel costs.
| Price | Location | County |
| 114.6 | Leigh | Greater Manchester |
| 114.7 | Currie | Edinburgh, City of |
| 114.7 | Dukinfield | Greater Manchester |
| 114.7 | Tamworth | Staffordshire |
| 115.4 | Spennymoor | County Durham |
| 115.4 | Loanhead | Midlothian |
| 115.4 | Havant | Hampshire |
| 115.7 | Cromer | Norfolk |
| 116.1 | Penzance | Cornwall |
| 116.4 | Tilbury | Thurrock |
Unleaded
Leigh in Greater Manchester also topped the list for the cheapest unleaded price, giving drivers there double cause for celebration. Prices were well below the national average of 119.3 pence per litre, meaning a saving of 6.2 pence on every litre for drivers who filled up in Leigh. Currie was in second place for unleaded prices, as well as for diesel, while Penzance in Cornwall took third place. August’s cheapest unleaded price location, Dukinfield in Greater Manchester, fell to fourth place in September.
| Price | Location | County |
| 113.1 | Leigh | Greater Manchester |
| 113.5 | Currie | Edinburgh, City of |
| 113.6 | Penzance | Cornwall |
| 113.9 | Dukinfield | Greater Manchester |
| 114.1 | Tamworth | Staffordshire |
| 114.6 | Cwmbran | Torfaen |
| 114.7 | Limavady | County Londonderry |
| 114.9 | Sandown | Isle of Wight |
| 114.9 | Spennymoor | County Durham |
| 115.0 | Loanhead | Midlothian |
Good news ahead?
Industry experts believe there is good news ahead for the UK’s motorists, despite the near 10% rise in oil prices. A 4% rise in the value of the pound is offsetting some of the fuel price rises experienced in September. Furthermore, the RAC has projected a drop in wholesale prices over the coming weeks, which could be reflected by a drop of as much as 2 pence per litre in fuel prices. We live in hope!
Have you noticed the increase in fuel costs over the past month? Does pricier fuel mean you use your car less? Leave a comment to let us know.
I bought a Hybrid SUV last month (Petrol / Electric) KIA NIRO 1.6 ltr and I’m averaging around 51mpg compared to about 32mpg on my previous 1.6 ltr petrol car…. Way to go !!
My heavy Ford Galaxy 1.8 diesel is averaging 60mpg. Got 73mpg on a motorway run from Cornwall to Harrow 400ish miles. Beat that electric hybrid. It’s a con to shift more vehicles. How do you think the electricity is produced? Burning fossil fuels!
Re. my previous post… I should have stated 71mpg not 51mpg… Senior moment !
The electricity for my hybrid is generated during braking, when travelling downhill and driving carefully – not from the electric grid. True, fossil fuel is still being consumed but overall efficiency is greater than just petrol alone….
You were right first time me thinks.
LAST YEAR LIKE YOU i DROVE FROM NORTH CORNWALL TO HARROW IN A VW TRANSPORTER SHUTTLE LONG WHEEL BASE 2.0 LITRE DIESEL WITH 5 PEOPLE IN THE CAR AND LUGGAGE FILLING THE BACK END TO THE GILLS AND GOT 55MPG. DESPITE HAVING TO COPE WITH TRAFFIC IN THE BRISTOL AREA GOING TO GLASTONBURY. DIESELS ARE DEFINITELY BETTER THAN PETROL FOR LONG DISTANCE MOTORWAY WORK!!!
I live in the ‘wilds’ of Northamptonshire in a village with no bus service. I have a 70 mile commute every day and have to buy fuel on the A1. Prices vary from 119.7 to 122.9 for unleaded – no choice unless I do a 25 mile round trip to Tesco at the weekend…..JAM but not for long.
Last month diesel was £1.19 but I filled up on Wednesday at my local Morrisons at £1.16, maybe this is the start of the price drop. I have a Peugeot 207 and average 55 mpg…….brilliant motor!
I still think the fuel duty could be dropped as the oil companies are not making any kind of loss in the last ten years. We have all seen a rise in the cost of petrol and diesel, but only once has the cost gone down enough to satisfy the paying customers. Also there is the point of what we pay in vehicle licencing, this is at least £6billion per year and yet our roads are still in a state of disrepair.
I think the fuel duty should be reduced sorry, that’s what I was saying.
When we eventually leave the EU. Maybe we could revert to GALLON measures in place of Litres. This will show just how much forecourt differ in price – scary, very scary especially for those who are not aware there are 4.54 litres in a gallon.
I can’t see your point, if you can’t multiply the price difference by 4.5 then you are to young to drive. After all we have been using litres for how long now?
You are like my brother in law who won’t accept centigrade to be able to tell how hot it is and always converts to F.
No, certainly not too young to drive, too old perhaps to change the habits of 30 years of using imperial measures prior to metrication.
I agree, but I can’t see it happening in a hurry, Many people still like to measure their fuel consumption in mpg, but you need to be a mathematician to do it. Perhaps we could also revert to feet and inches, Last time I bought a sheet of plywood it was 500mm x 780mm, absolutely meaningless to me, whereas I can easily envisage 20 inches x 30 inches. We still use imperial measures for lots of things, pints of milk and beer, distances in miles, height in feet and inches, why not revert to a system that is more flexible, after all 10 can only be divided by 5 and 2, whereas 12 can be divided by 2, 3, 4, and 6.
After a year of driving electric, I definitely don’t miss filling up back when I had a scooter. The car is even cheaper than the scooter was to run. I recommend everyone takes a serious look at electric offerings either now or in the next year or so. You won’t regret it.
Have you checked the resale value of your electric car?
Your in for a big shock.
It’s on pcp so I’ll get a fresh one with double the range next year. I wouldn’t recommend anyone buy a 1st gen EV. 200 mile and above EVs we’re seeing now should hold their value as well as anything else out there.
I’ll keep doing pcp though because I like new car tech and I want a new one everyone couple of years.
PCP is a rip off. Wasting your money. Leasing is cheaper apparently, or just get a loan which is the better option because you own the car. Electric cars won’t become popular for years to come in my opinion.
whats the greatest distance you can go on one charge, no good if you go long distances. will keep to petrol thank you.
Unfortunately one gets to a point where you just have to use your car, unless you want to be just wasting time waiting for public transport with or without bus and train passes!J
Why don’t Morrisons charge the same at all their stores? There is a difference of 3.2p per litre at 2 of their stores near me.
same can be said of Tesco, there is usually a 3p/litre difference between Lewisham in SE London and Sidcup just a few short miles away.
I asked my local Tesco ( big store but not a Tesco Direct ) why I pay £116.9 a litre , but if I go 3 miles to the Direct it was £114.9.
Was told that the garage had to price their fuel cheaper than anyone else within a 2 mile radius . So they CAN control it .
Cheap fuel at Costco. 110.9 for unleaded today.
Really surprised at the information in this article on highest and lowest prices especially when Petrolprices.com is a good source of current prices.
Currently the cheapest place in the UK – surprisingly – is the Isle of Wight. With the recent opening of an Asda store & petrol there has been a price war going on and currently (6th Oct) unleaded & diesel are 108.7 – and has been for the past month.
I believe Asda Tamworth beats that at 106.7
Long way to go for a cheap tank of fuel.
Most expensive I saw recently was on the M5 in Somerset at 136.9 for petrol & 139.9 for diesel. Suffice to say I’d filled up before getting on the motorway for 116.7.
Yes I agree. I visit IOW a lot and filled up at one place which I thought was good value, only to find Morrisons a few miles up the road far cheaper and at 108.7p. Usually IOW isn’t cheap but it certainly is right now.
For some considerable time now, ever since fuel hit and maintained a price of three-figure proportions, I have failed to understand why it is invariably priced in tenths of one pence but, if this is part of the marketing ploy, I think that the law should stipulate that the full price should be shown in ‘same size’ digits – after all, we all accept that, for example, 115.9p is, basically, 116p!
Whilst .5 0f a penny only relates to 25p a tank full for most of us it is a difference.
maybe, but if rounded up it would increase, in most cases, by just 0.1p, or 5p for a 50 litre fill up as in your example, it does seem ridiculous that fuel is priced in tenths of a penny with prices well over a pound.
I am fortunate to be in the Republic of Ireland paying £1.09 a litre for diesel.
It has to be the aspect that as autumn approaches mpg decreases with the cooler start up and where diesel is concerned, fuel oil is required.
Thus diesel should go higher than petrol.
Supply and demand.
Regarding the perceived advantage of driving electric, in cost terms, are these drivers not aware of the fact that the government have yet to close the loophole whereby ‘fuel via the mains’ is not currently attracting fuel tax, just VAT at 5%! Be persuaded that this cannot last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We use our car as convenience and not enjoyment anymore. We’d go for random drives with our children bit has now dramatically reduced due to ridiculous increase in pump prices. When it goes down the pump prices drag their heels passing on to its customers…
Why are the oil companys getting away with these price rises ,when oil was at its highest $130-$140 a barrel i was paying roughly £.1.34 a litre now at $58 -$60 a barrel im paying already paying £1.24 alitre smacks of profitering to me
Oil prices were at their peak in 2008; at the same time a pound bought you nearly $2, petroleum products trade in $’s so now the crude price is in the 50’s but a pound is only worth $1.3, rough calcs using bbl/ltr conversion suggests about an 18p differential ish
I get my petrol ⛽ from Sainsbury’s Tamworth. 106.9
The major part of the price you pay at the pump is fuel duty and vat, the most iniquitous part of this is actually paying vat on fuel duty a tax on a tax the government could cut the price of fuel by a few pence a litre by removing this tax on tax but i think pigs will fly first, i have just relocated to Spain where the price of unleaded is between 1.16 & 1.23 euros a litre normal diesel is around 1.08 when you adjust these prices against the pound you can see how much more you are paying in the U.K,next time you vote ask your M.P where they stand on fuel duty reduction and tell them you are going to vote for a representative who does the threat of losing their job might succeed in bringing about change.
Just been to fill up with diesel at a price you checked on October 5, only to find it had gone up 2p in two days. I have also noticed a widening differential between unleaded and diesel in the past couple of weeks, with a difference of 5p a litre at some stations.
At the end of the day, the government will do naff all to help the motorist, on the contrary they are doing the opposite, especially with us diesel drivers, trying to force us off the roads. Motorist always have been, and always will be the sacred “Milch cow” that fills the coffers.
Diesel in Harrogate is 113.7 and unleaded 112.7, been at that level for ages at Asda.
I bought a Hybrid SUV last month (Petrol / Electric) KIA NIRO 1.6 ltr and I’m averaging around 51mpg compared to about 32mpg on my previous 1.6 ltr petrol car…. Way to go !!
My heavy Ford Galaxy 1.8 diesel is averaging 60mpg. Got 73mpg on a motorway run from Cornwall to Harrow 400ish miles. Beat that electric hybrid. It’s a con to shift more vehicles. How do you think the electricity is produced? Burning fossil fuels!
Re. my previous post… I should have stated 71mpg not 51mpg… Senior moment !
The electricity for my hybrid is generated during braking, when travelling downhill and driving carefully – not from the electric grid. True, fossil fuel is still being consumed but overall efficiency is greater than just petrol alone….
You were right first time me thinks.
LAST YEAR LIKE YOU i DROVE FROM NORTH CORNWALL TO HARROW IN A VW TRANSPORTER SHUTTLE LONG WHEEL BASE 2.0 LITRE DIESEL WITH 5 PEOPLE IN THE CAR AND LUGGAGE FILLING THE BACK END TO THE GILLS AND GOT 55MPG. DESPITE HAVING TO COPE WITH TRAFFIC IN THE BRISTOL AREA GOING TO GLASTONBURY. DIESELS ARE DEFINITELY BETTER THAN PETROL FOR LONG DISTANCE MOTORWAY WORK!!!
I live in the ‘wilds’ of Northamptonshire in a village with no bus service. I have a 70 mile commute every day and have to buy fuel on the A1. Prices vary from 119.7 to 122.9 for unleaded – no choice unless I do a 25 mile round trip to Tesco at the weekend…..JAM but not for long.
Last month diesel was £1.19 but I filled up on Wednesday at my local Morrisons at £1.16, maybe this is the start of the price drop. I have a Peugeot 207 and average 55 mpg…….brilliant motor!
I still think the fuel duty could be dropped as the oil companies are not making any kind of loss in the last ten years. We have all seen a rise in the cost of petrol and diesel, but only once has the cost gone down enough to satisfy the paying customers. Also there is the point of what we pay in vehicle licencing, this is at least £6billion per year and yet our roads are still in a state of disrepair.
I think the fuel duty should be reduced sorry, that’s what I was saying.
When we eventually leave the EU. Maybe we could revert to GALLON measures in place of Litres. This will show just how much forecourt differ in price – scary, very scary especially for those who are not aware there are 4.54 litres in a gallon.
I can’t see your point, if you can’t multiply the price difference by 4.5 then you are to young to drive. After all we have been using litres for how long now?
You are like my brother in law who won’t accept centigrade to be able to tell how hot it is and always converts to F.
No, certainly not too young to drive, too old perhaps to change the habits of 30 years of using imperial measures prior to metrication.
I agree, but I can’t see it happening in a hurry, Many people still like to measure their fuel consumption in mpg, but you need to be a mathematician to do it. Perhaps we could also revert to feet and inches, Last time I bought a sheet of plywood it was 500mm x 780mm, absolutely meaningless to me, whereas I can easily envisage 20 inches x 30 inches. We still use imperial measures for lots of things, pints of milk and beer, distances in miles, height in feet and inches, why not revert to a system that is more flexible, after all 10 can only be divided by 5 and 2, whereas 12 can be divided by 2, 3, 4, and 6.
After a year of driving electric, I definitely don’t miss filling up back when I had a scooter. The car is even cheaper than the scooter was to run. I recommend everyone takes a serious look at electric offerings either now or in the next year or so. You won’t regret it.
Have you checked the resale value of your electric car?
Your in for a big shock.
It’s on pcp so I’ll get a fresh one with double the range next year. I wouldn’t recommend anyone buy a 1st gen EV. 200 mile and above EVs we’re seeing now should hold their value as well as anything else out there.
I’ll keep doing pcp though because I like new car tech and I want a new one everyone couple of years.
PCP is a rip off. Wasting your money. Leasing is cheaper apparently, or just get a loan which is the better option because you own the car. Electric cars won’t become popular for years to come in my opinion.
whats the greatest distance you can go on one charge, no good if you go long distances. will keep to petrol thank you.
Unfortunately one gets to a point where you just have to use your car, unless you want to be just wasting time waiting for public transport with or without bus and train passes!J
Why don’t Morrisons charge the same at all their stores? There is a difference of 3.2p per litre at 2 of their stores near me.
same can be said of Tesco, there is usually a 3p/litre difference between Lewisham in SE London and Sidcup just a few short miles away.
I asked my local Tesco ( big store but not a Tesco Direct ) why I pay £116.9 a litre , but if I go 3 miles to the Direct it was £114.9.
Was told that the garage had to price their fuel cheaper than anyone else within a 2 mile radius . So they CAN control it .
Cheap fuel at Costco. 110.9 for unleaded today.
Really surprised at the information in this article on highest and lowest prices especially when Petrolprices.com is a good source of current prices.
Currently the cheapest place in the UK – surprisingly – is the Isle of Wight. With the recent opening of an Asda store & petrol there has been a price war going on and currently (6th Oct) unleaded & diesel are 108.7 – and has been for the past month.
I believe Asda Tamworth beats that at 106.7
Long way to go for a cheap tank of fuel.
Most expensive I saw recently was on the M5 in Somerset at 136.9 for petrol & 139.9 for diesel. Suffice to say I’d filled up before getting on the motorway for 116.7.
Yes I agree. I visit IOW a lot and filled up at one place which I thought was good value, only to find Morrisons a few miles up the road far cheaper and at 108.7p. Usually IOW isn’t cheap but it certainly is right now.
For some considerable time now, ever since fuel hit and maintained a price of three-figure proportions, I have failed to understand why it is invariably priced in tenths of one pence but, if this is part of the marketing ploy, I think that the law should stipulate that the full price should be shown in ‘same size’ digits – after all, we all accept that, for example, 115.9p is, basically, 116p!
Whilst .5 0f a penny only relates to 25p a tank full for most of us it is a difference.
maybe, but if rounded up it would increase, in most cases, by just 0.1p, or 5p for a 50 litre fill up as in your example, it does seem ridiculous that fuel is priced in tenths of a penny with prices well over a pound.
I am fortunate to be in the Republic of Ireland paying £1.09 a litre for diesel.
It has to be the aspect that as autumn approaches mpg decreases with the cooler start up and where diesel is concerned, fuel oil is required.
Thus diesel should go higher than petrol.
Supply and demand.
Regarding the perceived advantage of driving electric, in cost terms, are these drivers not aware of the fact that the government have yet to close the loophole whereby ‘fuel via the mains’ is not currently attracting fuel tax, just VAT at 5%! Be persuaded that this cannot last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We use our car as convenience and not enjoyment anymore. We’d go for random drives with our children bit has now dramatically reduced due to ridiculous increase in pump prices. When it goes down the pump prices drag their heels passing on to its customers…
Why are the oil companys getting away with these price rises ,when oil was at its highest $130-$140 a barrel i was paying roughly £.1.34 a litre now at $58 -$60 a barrel im paying already paying £1.24 alitre smacks of profitering to me
Oil prices were at their peak in 2008; at the same time a pound bought you nearly $2, petroleum products trade in $’s so now the crude price is in the 50’s but a pound is only worth $1.3, rough calcs using bbl/ltr conversion suggests about an 18p differential ish
I get my petrol ⛽ from Sainsbury’s Tamworth. 106.9
The major part of the price you pay at the pump is fuel duty and vat, the most iniquitous part of this is actually paying vat on fuel duty a tax on a tax the government could cut the price of fuel by a few pence a litre by removing this tax on tax but i think pigs will fly first, i have just relocated to Spain where the price of unleaded is between 1.16 & 1.23 euros a litre normal diesel is around 1.08 when you adjust these prices against the pound you can see how much more you are paying in the U.K,next time you vote ask your M.P where they stand on fuel duty reduction and tell them you are going to vote for a representative who does the threat of losing their job might succeed in bringing about change.
Just been to fill up with diesel at a price you checked on October 5, only to find it had gone up 2p in two days. I have also noticed a widening differential between unleaded and diesel in the past couple of weeks, with a difference of 5p a litre at some stations.
At the end of the day, the government will do naff all to help the motorist, on the contrary they are doing the opposite, especially with us diesel drivers, trying to force us off the roads. Motorist always have been, and always will be the sacred “Milch cow” that fills the coffers.
Diesel in Harrogate is 113.7 and unleaded 112.7, been at that level for ages at Asda.