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 3.1 pence per liter, with supermarket prices standing at 142.2 pence per liter.

On March 24, 2025, the price of ultra-low sulfur unleaded petrol (gasoline) in the United Kingdom averaged 135.61 pence per liter. This compared to 143.07 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.

This statistic shows the change in the price of gasoline per liter in selected countries for the period between June 2019 and June 2020. The price changes concern unleaded premium (95 RON) for France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and regular unleaded for Canada, Japan, and the United States (AKI 87). RON stands for Research Octane Number, while AKI means Anti-Knock Index. Both represent the most common octane rating in the countries shown. In June 2020, the gasoline price per liter in the U.S. was 23.4 percent lower than it was in June 2019.

Influences on gasoline prices

The price of gasoline is a frequently discussed issue, and is a part of almost everybody’s life in developed countries. Gasoline prices worldwide are dependent of a number of factors: crude oil prices, costs for processing and distribution, demand, strength of currencies, taxation, and availability. The most influential factor is the crude oil price. This price includes the costs for exploration, extraction, and transport. What the consumer pays in the end is also an issue of national oil pricing policy. Typical regions with high taxes on gasoline are European countries and Japan. Other countries keep consumer prices low by subsidizing the costs for gasoline. Among latter countries are the United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela, Egypt, Malaysia, Bolivia, and others. There are many other factors, however, which directly influence the price of gasoline. Wars, crises, and natural disasters in oil producing regions, for example, can obstruct the production and transportation, and thus cause higher crude oil prices. Last but not least, the end-consumer defines the price through his or her demand. A higher number of people driving cars means higher prices for gasoline, which is often the case in the summer months or holiday seasons.

Hong Kong had the highest prices for premium gasoline (95-RON) on February 10, 2025. That day, prices averaged 3.39 U.S. dollars per liter, which was notably more than in any other country. While oil-rich countries enjoy some of the lowest gasoline prices, drivers in big car markets such as Europe pay around two U.S. dollars per liter.

Tariffs make up the greatest share of automotive gasoline prices in the United Kingdom. As of May 2020, tariffs accounted for over 50 percent of the average gasoline price at 1.22 euros per liter. The breakdown of gasoline prices was similar to the breakdown of diesel prices in the UK during the same period.

Diesel prices in the United Kingdom rose to more than 150 pence per liter in early 2024. The March national average was 153.9 pence per liter, compared with a price of 151.3 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 43 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 10 pence lower.

Average price of unleaded gasoline (95 RON) in Great Britain fluctuated. Between 2000 and 2020, figures increased by 0.16 euros per liter, peaking at 1.67 euros per liter in 2012. Prices reached the lowest in 2003, at 1.10 euros per liter. The average price for unleaded gasoline amounted to 1.48 euros in 2020.

The average gas price in Great Britain in January 2025 was 123.02 British pence per therm. This was 50 pence higher than the same month the year prior and follows a trend of increasing gas prices. Energy prices in the UK Energy prices in the UK were exceptionally high in 2021-2022 due to an energy supply shortage as a result of lower pipeline supplies from Norway and Russia, as well as reduced LNG imports owing to greater purchases by customers in Asia. Multiple factors such as a lack of gas storage availability and the large share of gas in heating have exacerbated the supply issue in the UK. This led to multiple suppliers announcing bankruptcy, while an upped price cap threatened energy security of numerous households. The United Kingdom has some of the highest household electricity prices worldwide. How is gas used in the UK? According to a 2023 survey conducted by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 58 percent of respondents used gas as a heating method during the winter months. On average, household expenditure on energy from gas in the UK stood at some 24.9 billion British pounds in 2023.

This statistic shows the average price for gas oil (excluding VAT), in pence per liter, in the United Kingdom (UK) between December 2008 and December 2018. The year on year price of gas oil increased strongly between 2008 and 2011 after which it began to slightly decrease, most dramatically over 2014 and 2015 when gas oil prices declined to approximately 56% of the December 2013 price. In 2018, the gas oil price reached 53.29 pence per liter.

The average monthly price for natural gas in the United States amounted to 3.02 nominal U.S. dollars per million British thermal units (Btu) in December 2024. By contrast, natural gas prices in Europe were about four times higher than those in the U.S. Prices for Europe tend to be notably higher than those in the U.S. as the latter benefits from being a major hydrocarbon producer. Europe's import reliance European prices for natural gas rose most notable throughout the second half of 2021 and much of 2022, peaking at over 70 U.S. dollars per million Btu in August 2022. The sharp rise was due to supply chain issues and economic strain following the COVID-19 pandemic, which was further exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. As a result of the war, many countries began looking for alternative sources, and Russian pipeline gas imports to the European Union declined as a result. Meanwhile, LNG was a great beneficiary, with LNG demand in Europe rising by more than 60 percent between 2021 and 2023. How domestic natural gas production shapes prices As intimated, the United States’ position among the leaders of worldwide natural gas production is one of the main reasons for why prices for this commodity are so low across the country. In 2023, the U.S. produced more than one trillion cubic meters of natural gas, which allays domestic demand and allows for far lower purchasing prices.

In June 2020, the gasoline price per liter in the United States stood at 0.55 U.S. dollars, the cheapest among the selected eight countries. However, this is a considerable price change compared to June 2019, when figures were 23.4 percent higher. Italy recorded the highest fuel price of all countries listed here, at 1.56 U.S. dollars per liter. The prices concern unleaded premium (95 RON) for France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom and regular unleaded for Canada, Japan, and the United States (AKI 87). Liquid fuels demand decline following coronavirusFinal gasoline prices result from crude oil charges, processing and distribution costs, and taxes and underly supply and demand. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has reduced the demand for fuel and in turn impacted petroleum prices worldwide. The U.S. liquid fuels demand in the road sector is expected to have decreased to 8.7 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2020. As a result, U.S. monthly crude oil production dropped across all regions between March and August 2020. Diesel prices worldwideItaly also has the greatest tag on diesel prices among the above listed countries. As of that same month, the price for automotive diesel stood at 1.43 U.S. dollars per liter in the Southern European country. Diesel prices tend to be lower than gasoline prices, with the United Kingdom and the U.S. proving to be the exception.

The price of unleaded 95 octane fuel in the United Kingdom has increased significantly in 2022. In September 2022, prices reached 165.3 pence per liter. This was a decrease compared to three months prior when they had climbed to a new high. Unleaded 95 octane is the most commonly used fuel in the UK. Unlike super unleaded, which is mostly used in high performance vehicles, it is suitable for most petrol engines. It is also the cheapest fuel option, when compared to diesel fuel prices.Supermarket vs. UK averageWhen comparing prices, supermarkets are consistently the cheapest option when refueling. The gap between the two has varied, but in 2022 it has closed to just two pence per liter. In 2021, Tesco had the largest market share of motor fuel sold in the UK, at nearly 16 percent. The combined market share of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda amounted to 43.2 percent, which is unsurprising as supermarkets offer the cheapest prices. Petrol station numbersAlthough supermarkets have a large market share of the volume of petrol sold, it is major oil and gas companies that operate the greatest number of petrol stations. By the end of 2021, the British multinational oil and gas firm BP owned 1,218 sites across the country. The combined number of petrol stations of BP, Esso and Shell amounted to nearly 43 percent of all UK outlets. In comparison, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda operated less than 20 percent.

Despite fluctuating, the price of diesel fuel per liter in the Netherlands has seen an overall increase since the year 2000. In that year, the average price amounted to 85 euro cents per liter. By 2021 this had increased to 1.37 euros. In comparison, the price per liter of unleaded 95 octane fuel was 1.61 euros in the same year. TaxationThe average price for a liter of diesel before taxation in the Netherlands was 0.47 British pounds per liter in 2018. More than half of the total price was from taxes at 0.63 British pounds. This was one of the highest taxations on the fuel in the European Union, with only eight other countries paying more. Diesel sales fall The number of newly registered passenger diesel cars has seen a significant decline since 2015. In that year there were approximately 130 thousand registered in the Netherlands, but the following year this fell to just 72,356. In 2017 the number fell further and amounted to 72,267, signaling a shift away from this type of vehicle. By 2020, diesel cars predating 2005 will be banned from entering the A10 ring road area around the Dutch capital in a bid to curb air pollution, with a complete diesel ban scheduled for 2030.

In November 2024, the average premium unleaded petrol price in Ireland stood at 145 British pence per liter. This was some 13 pence lower than prices in the same month a year prior and due to lower crude oil prices, the greatest determinant for motor fuel prices.

In March 2024, average motor fuel prices in Scotland ranged between 144.9 and 161.2 pence per liter. Super unleaded was the most expensive option and noted the most pronounced price hike compared to the previous month. Prices in Scotland were generally lower than the UK average.

This statistic shows the average prices of diesel fuel in Romania from 2008 to 2021 in euros per liter. It outlines that the average price of diesel fuel peaked in 2014 at 1.36 euros per liter but decreased again in the following years to 1.01 euros per liter in 2021. A monthly evolution of the diesel prices in Romania provides with an even clearer overview of the situation. In other words, diesel prices peaked in October 2018 at 114 British pence per liter, and slowly started a decreasing trend, amounting to 94.6 British pence per liter by March 2021.

Oil industry

Romania is known for its substantial oil refinery capacity and was considered to be the most important European producer of oil in World War II. In 2019, OMV Petrom S.A. was the leading company in the oil industry in the country, with a turnover worth 19.8 billion Romanian lei and a net profit of more that 3.5 billion Romanian lei. At the same time, the company had approximately 13.3 thousand employees by 2018.

Natural gas

When it comes to natural gas reserves, in 2009 Romania ranked 30th among countries with proved reserves of natural gas and has a gas network of more than 42 thousand kilometers. In the middle of the 20th century, Romania was the first natural gas exporter in Europe, and starting with the late 70s, it began importing gas from the Soviet Union. As for natural gas consumption, it peaked in 2005 at 16.2 billion cubic meters, and later dropped to 10.9 billion cubic meters by 2019.

Diesel fuel prices in Great Britain increased by 20 euro cents in the period of consideration, despite some fluctuation. Between 2000 and 2020, figures peaked at 1.75 euros in 2012. The lowest average diesel price was seen in 2003, at 1.12 euros per liter. By 2020, diesel was sold by an average of 1.55 euros per liter.

Ireland has seen an overall increase in the price of diesel fuel since 2000, with prices amounting to 1.32 euros per liter in 2021. Between 2009 and 2012 prices sharply increased, peaking at 1.55 euros per liter in the latter year. The following four years experienced annual decreases in prices, however, since 2016 prices have been increasing again. Monthly diesel prices were highest in the fall of 2018, when they climbed to 124.9 British pence per liter and notably fell during the coronavirus pandemic in the spring of 2020. However, the recent Europe-wide energy supply shortage has had a huge impact on liquid fuel prices in the country, driving diesel prices past 120 pence per liter in the summer and fall months.Oil price slump 2020It is not just Ireland that has seen significant price decrease in the spring and summer of 2020. Lockdowns and reduced oil demand due to mobility restrictions have impacted the price of diesel globally. The cost per barrel of Brent crude oil declined by an average of 20 U.S. dollars per barrel in 2020 compared to 2019.Diesel cars the most popular in Ireland despite fall in salesDespite a decline in the overall number of diesel cars sold in Ireland, and a growth in electric car sales in recent years, diesel-powered passenger cars remain the most popular. In 2020, over 38,000 diesel cars were purchased by drivers in Ireland. However, the decrease in sales signals a shift away from this engine type.

In September 2022, the average super unleaded fuel price in the United Kingdom was 177.8 pence per liter. This was more than 20 pence lower than the peak of 200 pence per liter recorded in June and July 2022. Super unleaded is a premium gasoline and has been the most expensive motor fuel choice in almost every month. However, in some months of 2022, diesel prices had surged past super unleaded prices.

Diesel is among the most expensive motor fuels in Northern Ireland. In March 2024, diesel prices were nine pence higher than average prices for unleaded 95 octane fuel (regular gasoline). The previous month, diesel prices were even higher than those for super unleaded fuel, usually the most expensive option.

UK conventional fuel car sales in decline When looking at the fuel types of new cars registered in the UK, diesel has notably fallen out of favor. In 2018, nearly a third of all newly-registered passenger cars were powered by a diesel engine. By 2022, this figure had decreased to just five percent. Diesel's decline has largely come about due to greater popularity of alternative fuels, a shift in consumer preference that has also impacting petrol car sales. Today, battery electric and hybrid-electric vehicles account for roughly one third of car registrations. The plug-in electric vehicle fleet in Northern Ireland came stood at nearly 14,000 units as of 2022.

Supermarkets offer consistently lower fuel prices When comparing prices across UK retailers, supermarkets were found to offer motor fuel at prices that were on average three pence per liter cheaper than the UK average.