How much is petrol in the UK?

Today's average petrol price

Across the 1,471 forecourts publishing a petrol price, the mean is 173.3p a litre and the median is 172.9p. The gap between those two figures matters: when the median sits below the mean, a minority of very expensive sites — typically motorway services and remote rural forecourts — are pulling the average up, and most drivers can beat it.

The practical point is the spread, not the average. The cheapest forecourt in Great Britain is charging 158.9p and the most expensive 203.0p. Choosing well on a single 55-litre fill is worth up to £24.25, and a driver who fills up fortnightly is looking at £631 a year.

Petrol and diesel compared

Forecourts in Great Britain sell three main grades. E10 is the standard unleaded petrol most petrol cars take, E5 is the premium grade, and B7 is standard diesel.

E5 super unleaded carries a premium over E10 because of the higher-octane blend and the lower volumes sold. Unless your car's handbook specifically requires it, standard E10 is fine for almost all petrol cars built since 2011. Our E10 vs E5 guide explains which one your car needs.

Prices by region

Regional differences are persistent rather than random. Northern England and the Central Belt of Scotland tend to run below the national average, while the South East, the South West peninsula, mid-Wales and the Highlands run above it.

Prices by retailer

Who operates the forecourt is usually a bigger factor than where it is.

Motorway service areas are the consistent outlier in the other direction — see our guide to motorway fuel prices for how much leaving the motorway actually saves.

Cheapest towns and cities for petrol

We track prices in 78 towns and cities across Great Britain. These currently have the lowest averages:

At the other end, Northampton (185.4p), Leicester (180.5p), Southampton (179.8p), Eastleigh (179.1p), Milton Keynes (178.9p) currently average the most for petrol among the towns we track.

Browse every town and city we cover →

What makes up the price of a litre

Roughly half of what you pay at the pump is tax. Fuel duty is a flat amount per litre regardless of the fuel's price, and VAT at 20% is charged on top of the pump price including that duty. The rest covers the wholesale cost of the product, delivery, and the retailer's margin.

That structure explains two things drivers notice. First, when wholesale prices fall, pump prices fall by less than you might expect, because the fixed duty element does not move. Second, retailer margin is the part that varies locally — which is exactly why two forecourts a mile apart can differ by 10p a litre, and why checking before you fill is worth real money.

Our guide to cutting your fuel bill covers the rest.