In September 2022, diesel prices ranged between ***** and ***** pence per liter across UK regions. Diesel fuel prices are generally highest in London and lowest in Northern Ireland. In early 2022, the Russia-Ukraine war and trader uncertainty pushed crude oil and consequently motor fuel prices to record highs. As a result, March 2022 saw the greatest ever monthly rise in fuel prices.

Diesel prices in the United Kingdom rose to more than *** pence per liter in early 2024. The March national average was ***** pence per liter, compared with a price of ***** pence per liter for diesel sold at supermarkets. Hypermarkets dominate motor fuel sales Hypermarkets such as Sainsbury's, Asda, and Tesco have the greatest market share of motor fuel sold in the UK. In 2023, roughly ** percent of all motor fuels were sold at hypermarkets. Diesel more expensive than regular gasoline Although gasoline and diesel are both refined petroleum products, their refining process differs, thus also impacting manufacturing and retail prices. Diesel sold in the UK is required to have an ultra-low sulfur content and also contain a biodiesel component of seven percent. The extra steps required in the production process make diesel a more expensive commodity than gasoline, which trades around ** pence lower.

Tariffs make up the greatest share of automotive diesel prices in the United Kingdom. As of May 2020, tariffs make ** percent of the total diesel price, at **** euros per liter. In the first half of 2020, average diesel prices in the United Kingdom had fallen significantly as the coronavirus pandemic put restrictions on travel.

On October 27, 2025, the price of ultra-low sulfur unleaded petrol (gasoline) in the United Kingdom averaged 134.4 pence per liter. This compared to 143.26 pence per liter for diesel. Diesel prices were consistently higher than petrol/gasoline prices throughout this period, although the margin varied. Reasons for such differences in pricing lie in the refining process and molecular makeup of the products, with diesel requiring more complex refining processes and being an overall heavier liquid. As motor fuel pricing in the UK is not regulated by a monitoring body, there may also be notable differences in prices between retailers and regions. Supermarkets provide lowest fuel prices in the UK In the UK, much of the motor fuel is sold through supermarkets. Large supermarkets, or hypermarkets, account for more than 40 percent of all motor fuel sales in the country. The reason for their popularity often lies in the fact that they offer lower average prices. In the last four years, regular petrol/gasoline sold at supermarkets was up to six pence per liter cheaper than the national average. How UK fuel prices compare to the rest of the world Tied as they are to crude oil prices, motor fuels are generally cheapest in major producing countries, such as Iran, Venezuela, and Russia. In Europe, costs of importing the raw or finished products, in addition to taxes and levies, may hike up pump prices significantly. The UK is often among the countries with the highest petrol/gasoline prices, alongside other large European car markets such as France and Germany.

Context

Fuel Prices are often reflective of the political and economic state of a country, BREXIT and COVID are major events that took place recently, so I thought why don't we look into the Fuel Prices of the UK so that we can derive some insights, this dataset is also a very good place to practice your exploratory data analytical skills as this is a very simple dataset

Content

It is a very simple dataset to both explore and understand the columns are themselves descriptive in nature the only abbreviaation that you must understand is ULSP = Ultra low sulpur unleaded petrol, ULSD = Ultra low sulphur diesel

Acknowledgements

SOURCE:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets

Inspiration

Just Explore the dataset, practice your skills using this really simple real world dataset

License

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Diesel fuel prices in Great Britain increased by ** euro cents in the period of consideration, despite some fluctuation. Between 2000 and 2020, figures peaked at **** euros in 2012. The lowest average diesel price was seen in 2003, at **** euros per liter. By 2020, diesel was sold by an average of **** euros per liter.

Gasoline Prices in the United Kingdom increased to 1.80 USD/Liter in November from 1.78 USD/Liter in October of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom Gasoline Prices - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Retail price of diesel fuel for private cars in the United Kingdom are estimated to continuously increase from 119.4 to 144.2 British pence per liter, respectively between 2020 and 2035.

Taxation account for ** percent of end consumer diesel prices in the United Kingdom. This is the highest taxation share compared to countries within the European Union. Diesel prices in the UK declined dramatically at the beginning of the year, as a result to mobility restrictions following the coronavirus pandemic.

Retail price of super unleaded fuel for private cars in the United Kingdom is estimated to continuously increase from 124.9 to 147.8 British pence per liter, respectively between 2020 and 2035.

Fuel wholesalers have come up against hugely volatile markets in recent years. The COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent travel restrictions and lockdowns led to a standstill in global transport activity, driving a sharp drop in fuel prices and sales in 2020. Air passenger numbers tanked by 73% in the EU in 2020, according to the European Commission, driving a sharp drop off in demand for jet fuel. OPEC+ manipulates world crude oil prices by adjusting production quotas and collaborating with other producers. OPEC+ worked to cut production in early 2021 to raise prices back to their pre-pandemic level, which gave fuel wholesalers a big boost. Then, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to a string of sanctions being placed on Russia by the EU and other Western nations, including the UK. Bans on Russian fuel exports drove prices and wholesalers’ revenue through the roof. For example, according to vehicle insurer RAC, the average price of unleaded in the UK shot up by 23.8% between 2021 and 2022. Over the five years through 2024, fuel wholesalers’ revenue is forecast to fall at a compound annual rate of 3.8% to reach €1.1 trillion, including an expected 5.8% tumble in 2024 as supply cuts push prices up. Rising levels of environmental awareness will encourage fuel wholesalers to stock a growing range of low-carbon fuel options like biofuels and hydrogen (when they become more financially viable) in the future. In many European countries, the push to decarbonise transport is accelerating, with electric vehicles gaining ground on petrol vehicles, having already surpassed the market share of diesel vehicles in terms of new car registrations. The long-term fall in investment in oil and gas will also push up prices. Over the five years through 2029, revenue is anticipated to fall at a compound annual rate of 1.3% to reach €1.2 trillion.

Unleaded 95 octane fuel (regular gasoline) prices have been consistently cheaper at supermarkets than fuel stations in the United Kingdom. In March 2024, the gap between both price averages was *** pence per liter, with supermarket prices standing at ***** pence per liter.

Over the five years through 2025-26, industry revenue is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 1.5% to £108.3 million. Growing revenue is mainly because of a weak base year, 2020-21, during COVID-19, when the industry saw a substantial drop in revenue as purchases of fuel cards fell. Fuel prices spiked in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, leading to rising demand for fuel cards. This led many consumers to seek discounts, benefitting the industry and propelling growth, supporting industry revenue. However, revenue took a hit in the two years through 2024-25 as fuel prices started to stabilise and business confidence recovered from cost-of-living lows following interest rate cuts and stabilising inflation. To navigate the challenges of reduced demand, providers enhanced their offerings with integrated payment solutions, subscription-based services, vehicle tracking and compliance management. By targeting smaller fleets and using digital platforms, companies like FLEETCOR aim to maintain revenue resilience by adapting to market needs and fostering customer loyalty.

Over 2025-26, industry revenue is expected to edge up by 0.3% as business confidence falls, encouraging downstream businesses to seek fuel card solutions. Global trade uncertainty because of volatile tariff policies, ongoing conflicts and rising business taxes in April 2025 (National Living Wage and National Insurance contributions) have all rocked business confidence. This has resulted in downstream markets turning to fuel cards for cost-saving benefits that help shield profit margin. To recover pre-pandemic profit margin, companies are focusing on innovation and diversification, like expanding networks to include electric vehicle charging points.

Over the five years through 2030-31, industry revenue is expected to expand at a compound annual rate of 1.9% to reach £118.7 million. The UK's fuel card industry will have to adapt to challenges from volatile fuel prices, geopolitical tensions and a continued shift towards electric vehicles by diversifying its offerings and innovating. Geopolitical tensions and uncertainty around extensions to fuel duty freezes in March 2026 create fuel price instability. The expansion in electric and hybrid vehicle registrations, propelled by sustainability goals, necessitates partnerships with renewable energy suppliers. As exemplified by BP's collaboration with Uber, strategic partnerships with mobility services will expand service offerings beyond fuel management, helping to future-proof the sector and tap into emerging markets like last-mile delivery and the gig economy.

The price for diesel fuel from supermarkets in the United Kingdom stood at 179.3 pence per liter in September 2022, which was around two pence lower than the UK average. It was the second consecutive month that prices had decreased, falling from a peak of 195.6 pence per liter in July 2022 - when crude oil prices (the most important determinant for motor fuel prices) reached 15-year highs. Northern Ireland is the UK region with the lowest diesel fuel prices. It was the only region which had diesel prices below 180 pence per liter in the month of September.

In the United Kingdom, the total taxation share in the end consumer price of unleaded 95 octane was ** percent in 2020. This was a slight decline compared to the previous three years, when taxation made up ** percent of the end price. The overall price of unleaded 95 octane in the UK plummeted earlier this year, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and mobility restrictions.

In September 2022, super unleaded fuel prices ranged between ***** and ***** pence per liter across UK regions. There was a very notable gap between super unleaded prices in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the country. Figures reached a peak in the summer of 2022 as crude oil benchmarks were carried to 15-year highs.