Why do fuel prices vary?

Fuel prices vary due to factors such as global oil prices, exchange rates, taxes, supply chain costs, and local competition. Prices can also fluctuate based on geopolitical events and seasonal demand.

E10 vs E5: What's the difference?

E10 petrol contains up to 10% renewable ethanol, while E5 contains up to 5%. E10 is considered more environmentally friendly but may not be suitable for some older vehicles due to material compatibility issues.

How do I find the cheapest fuel prices near me?

Use PetrolPrices.com to search for fuel stations near your location. You can filter by fuel type (unleaded, diesel, super unleaded, premium diesel), brand, and distance. Our platform shows real-time prices updated by our community of users.

How often are fuel prices updated?

Fuel prices on PetrolPrices.com are updated by our community of users in real-time. Prices are refreshed regularly, and you can see when each price was last updated on individual station pages.

PetrolPrices | Driving down the cost of motoring

Hydrogen Vehicle Numbers Set to Increase

Jul 28, 2022

The number of hydrogen vehicles in service globally could increase dramatically over the next five years. Currently, there are around 60,000 hydrogen vehicles on the read. According to a new study, this will increase to one million by the end of 2027.

The report by Juniper Research identified hydrogen vehicles as an increasingly viable alternative to battery electric vehicles (EVs). It found that the potential for enhanced range and rapid refuelling compared favourably with EVs, reducing customer anxieties around EV ownership.

Advantages of Hydrogen Vehicles over Electric Vehicles

The report identified several advantages hydrogen vehicles have over electric vehicles, including:

• Hydrogen can be pumped using the existing network of petrol stations.

• Hydrogen vehicles can achieve longer distances because they densely pack their energy storage.

• Filling up a hydrogen vehicle takes a few minutes compared to EVs, which can take several hours to charge.

The report says the limitations of EVs are highlighted by the existence of hybrid vehicles in many commercial sectors. Buses, trains, and trucks are widely available as diesel-electric hybrids; proving that based on current technology, EVs are not up to providing a mass transit solution.

Additionally, hydrogen is being touted as an alternative to EVs because EVs use large, heavy, expensive batteries that require rare earth metals such as cobalt, nickel, and lithium. As much as hydrogen requires platinum in production, it is needed only in production centres and far smaller quantities. Research on finding an alternative to platinum is also at an advanced stage.

Juniper Research defines hydrogen vehicles as vehicles that use hydrogen propulsion systems as their onboard fuel. The chemical energy of hydrogen and oxygen reacts with the fuel cell and converts the energy to electricity.

The number of hydrogen vehicles in service globally could increase dramatically over the next five years. Currently, there are around 60,000 hydrogen vehicles on the read. According to a new study, this will increase to one million by the end of 2027.

Hydrogen Vehicle Development

The report claims that several major vehicle manufacturers, including BMW and Audi, believe that a change in the political atmosphere could favour hydrogen vehicles over EVs. Both manufacturers are developing hydrogen fuel cell prototypes in addition to EVs as part of preparations to phase out fossil fuels.

Japanese carmakers Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and South Korea’s Hyundai were the only manufacturers developing and pushing for hydrogen fuel cell cars for years. Now China is expanding its hydrogen fuelling infrastructure, and the EU wants to build more hydrogen fuelling stations for commercial vehicles.

The research forecasts that the consumers will lead the hydrogen vehicles market, with consumer vehicles accounting for over 60% of hydrogen vehicles globally in 2027. The report identified the emerging development stage of many commercial vehicle types and the high average cost of hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles as critical factors limiting the market’s potential growth.

Research co-author Olivia Williams explained, “Manufacturers will need to make hydrogen vehicles more affordable to become viable for fleets, but increased range and suitability for heavy goods transport will ultimately drive growth and economies of scale.”

Additionally, the report identified the low availability of fuelling infrastructure as a critical challenge for broader adoption. Still, it highlighted heavy industry investment as key to reducing this concern over the next five years. The report recommends that infrastructure vendors provide ‘green’ hydrogen, produced using renewable energy sources, to best take advantage of environmental concerns driving the adoption of alternative fuels.

Consultation announced on banning sales of fossil-fuelled motorbikes and mopeds

Jul 20, 2022

Last week, the UK government marked the first anniversary of its transport decarbonisation plan by unveiling proposals to phase out the sale of new fossil-fuelled motorbikes and mopeds by 2035, or even earlier, for some vehicles.

The government is already committed to phasing out fossil fuel use across road transport, with sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans ending in 2030; all new cars, vans, and trucks of 26 tonnes and under being zero emission by 2035; with 2040 as a backstop for all new road vehicles.

In a consultation that ends on 21st September 2022, it has proposed ending sales of non-zero-emission L-category vehicle sales by 2035 and 2030 for other specified vehicles.

L-category vehicles are a classification of lightweight vehicles (PLVs) with two, three, or four wheels separated into seven groups. The groups are based on weight, power output, number of wheels, and seating layout. L-category vehicles include mopeds, motorcycles, motor tricycles, quad bikes, and quadricycles.

L-category vehicles make up around 3.3% of licensed vehicles in the UK and are responsible for just 0.4% of transport’s greenhouse gas emissions.

In her foreword to the consultation document, Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said: “Zero-emission L-category vehicles are now hitting the market in increasing numbers. These vehicles have a wide range of uses – whether that’s to bring deliveries to your door in minutes; to travel the open roads on longer leisure trips, or to open up a whole range of educational and employment opportunities to those in the most disadvantaged communities. I am determined to further develop the electric capability of the UK’s iconic motorcycle industry which will open up the opportunity for new skilled manufacturing jobs across the UK.

Consultation announced on banning sales of fossil-fuelled motorbikes and mopeds (2)

Concerns raised by motorcycle organisations

Despite promises of further funding from the government to help with the change, the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) has criticised the plans.

“The government has not considered the complexities of the L-Category sector in terms of what is and isn’t feasible when it comes to phasing out the other key segments of the market,” MCIA Chief Executive Tony Campbell said.

“The MCIA and its members will be continuing to push the case for why large capacity motorcycles need more time to phase out and are looking forward to fully engaging with the consultation process to ensure the best outcome for the industry”.

The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) was also concerned. NMC Executive Director Craig Carey-Clinch said: “The Government’s ambitions in this area are clearly running ahead of what may be reasonable to deliver. Successful transition in any field requires those affected to be content with changes proposed. In the case of zero emission motorcycles, particularly in the premium market segments, current product availability, price point, the current state of electric bike technology and rider acceptability, suggests that much more will need to happen before a reasonable target date for full zero-emission new production can be established.”

Gulf Oomph Rewards

Jul 20, 2022

Sponsored.

An award-winning loyalty scheme, Oomph would be one of the loyalty schemes available to drivers offering a points-based system.

What do I get for joining Gulf Oomph Rewards?

1 point for every litre of unleaded/diesel

2 points for every litre of Endurance Super Premium fuel

1 point for every £1 spent in-store

10 points for selected car washes

20 points for any Gulf branded lubricant

Oomph is a generous points collecting scheme, and allows customers to enter monthly prize draws to win top prizes. Previous competitions have included prizes such as F1 merchandise Bundles, Apple Tech Bundles, and family holidays all around the world. You can read about previous winners here.

Points can also be donated to your local sites chosen charity. So far Gulf has given away £110,000 to local groups and charities across the country. Previous winners can be found here.

Sign up here.

Smart Motorway Cameras Concerns

Jul 13, 2022

This week, a new stretch of smart motorway opened on the M4, running 15 miles from Junction 8/9 at Maidenhead to Junction 3 at Hayes, West London. National Highways said that the cones and barriers in place during the works that started in 2018 would be lifted by early morning on the 16th July. This is the final part of an £848 million upgrade to turn this busy stretch of the M4 into a smart motorway.

In an earlier article about smart motorways, we detailed initial concerns about possible preventable accidents that had led to a pause in the rollout whilst evidence was gathered to see if they are safe or not for drivers.

Stopped Vehicle Detection (SVD) Camera Failures

In the meantime, an internal report obtained via freedom of information has found that technology on smart motorways is failing to detect nearly four in ten broken-down vehicles within a time limit considered safe by senior transport managers.

The technology in question is Stopped Vehicle Detection (SVD). The report stated that SVD is flagging only 62 per cent of those stranded in live traffic within 20 seconds. According to the unpublished 2019 report obtained by the Daily Mail under the Freedom of Information Act, this is the time frame deemed acceptable by the roads agency National Highways. This is particularly concerning when vehicles break down on all-lane running (ALR) smart motorways with no hard shoulders, and stranded vehicles and their passengers risk being hit by other vehicles.

The study also found that a fifth of SVD alerts are wrong even though the target is that they are incorrect in no more than 15 per cent of cases. The errors highlighted included flagging breakdowns on the opposite carriageway to where they happened.

The Daily Mail reported Jack Cousens of the AA saying, “ …smart motorways were sold to the public by National Highways on the basis that if the worst happens, we will find you and keep you safe. Shockingly, drivers are sitting ducks for longer than they should be. These figures show the system is woefully inadequate.”

In its 2022 stocktake report the Highways Agency stated, “It should be noted that the impact of the measures we have delivered as part of the 2020 Action Plan, such as introducing more SVD and enabling increased enforcement of Red X signals, is not reflected in the latest safety data. It will not be possible to assess the impact of these measures until at least late 2023 when some of this data will start to be available.”

Tinkerbell is the most popular name for a first car in 2022

Jul 6, 2022

The first fuel station in the UK

Jun 30, 2022

The first roadside fuel station in the UK opened in November 1919 and was located just outside the village of Aldermaston in Berkshire. There is sadly no trace of this motoring landmark, and the site of the station is now a layby on the A4.

The Development of petrol stations in the UK and elsewhere

The Automobile Association (AA) ran the Aldermaston petrol station, one of several they opened in the 1920s. Before the opening of these stations, there were no specialist filling stations, and fuel was obtained in nine-litre cans from a number of different retail outlets. Pavement pumps were installed in some places in the years before 1919, but the AA led the way with the idea of selling fuel from dedicated roadside locations. Part of the rationale behind the AA’s venture into fuel locations was to sell benzole, a motor spirit derived from coal and tar seen as a patriotic alternative to petrol imported from communist Russia. The AA stations were not open to the general public, you had to be an AA member to use them, and they were a non-profit offering.

Other parts of the world had developed roadside stations well before the UK. The first record of a roadside petrol station anywhere in the world was in Wiesloch, Germany. Bertha Benz, the business partner and wife of the creator of the first internal combustion engine in a car, Karl Benz, refilled the tank of the first automobile on its maiden trip in 1888. In 1905 St Louis Missouri was the site of the first station in the USA. However, Reighard’s Gas Station in Altoona, Pennsylvania claims to be the oldest existing station in the US, dating from 1909.

The 1920s saw a significant increase in the number of petrol stations in the UK. By the end of the decade, there were over 28,000 petrol stations, with a peak of around 40,000 reached in 1967. Today there are 8,385 petrol stations in the UK, a significant drop in the number of stations but the locations are much larger, and they offer a far more extensive range of facilities.

What is the future of petrol stations?

RS Automotive in Takoma Park, Maryland, become the first petrol station in the USA to stop selling fossil fuels and replace its pumps with electric vehicle chargers. Many petrol stations in the UK have installed chargers, but none have taken the step of removing fuel pumps altogether. One hundred years on from the first roadside petrol station in the UK, we await the next phase of development in how we refuel our cars.

Future Classics: top five imported cars set to soar in value

Jun 22, 2022

Alpine A110S, 2019

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, 2018

Abarth 695 Biposto, 2014

Fiat 124 Spider, 2017

Edition 1 Mercedes, 2016

Alpine A110S, 2019

The beautiful Alpine A110S is a lightweight coupe characterised by high engine power, a focused chassis setup and refined design elements. The A110S was engineered to deliver sharp handling response and high-speed stability. The smart styling flourishes both inside and out, helping amplify the car’s purposeful nature and give it true potential to become a future classic.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, 2018

Alfa Romeo’s unexpected contribution to the shortlist of future classics is its latest model of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Built with many class-topping features, the premium compact SUV immediately set a new benchmark in its segment. With its design, performance and technology, Stelvio Quadrifoglio is officially the fastest SUV around the circuit, having registered a new record for its class on the iconic Nürburgring racetrack at 7 minutes 51.7 seconds.

Abarth 695 Biposto, 2014

The only road legal production car with an optional ‘dog ring gearbox’ is the Abarth 695 Biposto. The 695 Biposto is the most extreme version of the Abarth – essentially a Fiat 500 – with a 1.4 litre turbo engine. The car weighs just under a tonne at 997kg and accelerates from 0-62 in a remarkable 5.9 seconds.

Fiat 124 Spider, 2017

The 2017 version of the Fiat 124 Spider revives the original’s classic styling and typically Italian performance to a new generation. Paying homage to the original open-top 124 Spider that launched 50 years ago, the 2017 124 Spider delivers an authentic Italian roadster experience filled with driving excitement and technology, combined with a classic Italian design.

Edition 1 Mercedes, 2016

The special “Edition 1” model of the Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupé marks an extraordinary and powerful combination of exclusive design and equipment characterised and inspired by the aesthetics of future Mercedes-AMG racing coupés, which went on to compete in the popular DTM racing series in 2016.

¹ William Kikham, Director at Targa Florio Cars, John Graeme, Redline Specialist Cars, The Team at Cornerhouse Garage

Fuel Price Analysis: Jan 2021 to June 2022

Jun 14, 2022

The last few months have been a challenging time for motorists. At PetrolPrices, we analyse how prices have changed in the 18 months and look at how prices vary across regions in the UK.

Diesel & Unleaded PPL Price by Week since Jan 2021 (1)

Price Changes in the Last 18 months

Unleaded and Diesel Trend

In the first week of 2021, the average price for Unleaded was 117.19ppl. There was a steady increase through to early December when prices hit an average of 148.37ppl. Prices remained relatively stable until the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The next few weeks of turmoil saw a further increase to 170.38ppl towards the end of March, followed by a lull after the changes in duty. Sadly, since then, prices have continued their upward trend. Average prices are now at 187.93ppl, with a worrying expectation that there may be more increases to come.

Diesel tended to follow the trend of Unleaded’s steady increase up to the beginning of December, generally around 2ppl higher than Unleaded. The Russian invasion of Ukraine had a more significant impact on Diesel prices. The difference in the average price of Diesel was up to 7ppl higher than Unleaded. Diesel prices hit a new height of 191.21ppl in the last week, around 3.5ppl higher than Unleaded.

Regional Trends

The regional tables highlight and compare Unleaded and Diesel prices on 13th June 2021 and 2022. The most significant increase in Unleaded over the past year has been in Northern Ireland, where the increase is over 7ppl higher than in South West England.

Diesel price increases in most regions have been in the high 50s and just over 60ppl in the last year. The outlier once again is the South West, with an increase of 55.40ppl in the past 12 months.

This surge in the price of fuel has translated to spending around £25 more to fill your car. There are regional differences, but the cost of Unleaded and Diesel at the forecourt will cause challenges wherever you live.

Europe’s first Autonomous Petrol Station and Convenience Store

Jun 8, 2022

There are already a number of automatic unmanned petrol stations in the UK, with Gulf, Asda and a number of other brands leading the way. Autonomus fuel stations are more prevalent on the continent, so it isn’t surprising that the first autonomous petrol station and convenience store has opened in Portugal. The first-of-its-kind autonomous petrol station store from Galp is the first to use Sensei’s new “Plug & Play: Autonomous Pod” concept

Sensei is a leading provider of autonomous stores, and it has teamed up with Galp, one of the largest petrol station networks in the Iberian Peninsula. Galp has over 1480 locations and is a leading energy company in Iberia and Africa. Both companies have their headquarters in Lisbon.

Sensei has created a 323 square foot autonomous convenience store at one of Galp’s locations in Lisbon. The store offers non-perishable goods, food, snacks and beverages to customers. It includes a network of cameras mounted on the ceiling and sensors on shelves to detect the items shoppers pick or leave. The autonomous software creates and keeps track of each person’s virtual shopping bag and charges them automatically through an app.

The store is open to customers from 8am until midnight every day, with 24/7 access available shortly.

“We are so excited to launch this collaboration with Sensei for our customers. This new autonomous pod, which is mobile and street-facing, enables us to offer more for people walking by on the street or stopping at the station for food, enabling them to purchase with the ease and speed that only autonomous technology provides whilst avoiding the queues caused by fuel purchasers,” said Teresa

Abecasis, Executive Board Member and COO at Galp.

Recent research by Sensei shows that most British consumers (70%) want to have autonomous retail experience when they shop, and it will be interesting to see if the concept will make its way to the UK in the near future.

“We are also eager to capitalize on the data captured through Sensei which will help us make the store increasingly better by implementing a highly efficient restocking operation and offering the most attractive products for each specific location. For example; this fully autonomous store will allow for smaller gas stations in lower traffic locations to offer non-fuel products to customers through a profitable operation,” added Abecasis.

Sensei has several new collaborations on the horizon, including further autonomous convenience store launches at petrol stations.

Petrol, Diesel and EV price increases

Jun 1, 2022

Petrol and diesel prices are continuing to hit new highs as the cost of crude oil increased to over $118 per barrel, levels not seen since before 2009. This is further compounded by a weakening pound to US dollar exchange rate, currently down at $1.26 from $1.35 at the start of 2022. These two factors have seen prices, reported by PetrolPrices users, increase to over £.181 on average for diesel and £1.71 for unleaded in recent weeks.

Public EV Charging Price Increase

However, it isn’t just fossil fuel drivers that have been affected by energy price increases. In April, approximately 22 million energy customers saw a £693 increase in the price cap for those paying by direct debit and a £708 increase for those on prepayment meters. This increase is passed to consumers as increases in costs per kWh and standing charges. Rates will vary by supplier and region, but many users will be paying around 28-30p a kWh for their electricity. With Electric Vehicles (EVs) generally getting 3.5-4.5 miles per kW, this could cost EV owners around 8.5p a mile.

However, not all EV charging is done at home, and the charging networks haven’t been immune from increased energy costs. InstaVolt, a leading rapid charging network, has increased its price to 57p per kWh; in February 2021, this stood at just 35p. This is an increase of 63% in a little over a year, meaning that a vehicle doing 3.5 miles per kW that only charged on this network would have an energy cost of 16p a mile.

bp pulse has seen similar price increases, with guest users on their 50kW chargers paying 56p per kWh, up from 30p in January 2021. Osprey Charging has also increased its rates to 49p per kWh.

These increases in public charging costs have increased calls for the government to review the VAT rate on public charging; this currently sits at 20%, whereas domestic charging is subject to 5% VAT. Based on a 57p rate, changing the VAT rate would see a 7p decrease in the cost to public charging users.

The pricing discrepancy disproportionately affects those without off-road parking or access to a private charger. Companies such as Ubitricity, owned by oil and gas giant Shell, are looking to address on-street charging with their bollard and lamp post charging solutions. These typically charge at slow speeds, suitable for overnight charging, and with rates of 32p kWh are only slightly over the pricing cap rates.

It is possible to still charge for free; Pod point offers free charging at some supermarkets but do check parking restrictions and limits.

Do you drive for work?

The government has updated its advisory rates to reflect the increase in costs. For a 2 litre diesel, the advisory rate is now 20 pence per mile, up from 16p between March and May, and a 1.4-2.0 litre petrol at 17 pence, up from 15p.

However, if you drive an electric car, the rate remains at 5p per mile, which will leave many EV drivers potential out of pocket. As above, even users getting 4.5 miles per kW would be out of pocket if they are on the price cap.

For a full list of the rates, please visit Advisory fuel rates – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and see how you may be affected.

These energy price increases are a major factor in the increasing rate of inflation, which the Bank of England has predicted will hit 10% by the end of the year. Reducing travel and checking prices of petrol, diesel, and electricity will remain the best way to minimise your exposure to these increases.