Drivers have been issued a warning as the price of fuel continues to rise. According to new data from RAC's Fuel Watch, the price of petrol and diesel rose for the fourth month, adding 5p to the cost of unleaded petrol since October. Diesel is now 6p more expensive per litre than it was four months ago. The price of petrol rose by 2p over January to an average of 139p - up from the average of 136.9p at the start of the year. The cost of diesel rose by nearly 3p to 145.7p - up from 142.9p. This means filling up a 55-litre family petrol car is now more than £2 more expensive than it was four months ago when the average price was £74.25 compared to £76.44 now. Diesel is now more than £3 more expensive at £80.15 a tank compared to £76.70 before.
The RAC says the rises have been driven by a mid-month spike in the oil price, which saw the cost of a barrel shoot up above $80 for several days. This, alongside a slight weakening in the value of the pound - made wholesale fuel more expensive to buy. RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “It’s not been a good start to 2025 for drivers at the pumps with prices going up for the fourth month in a row. Sadly, filling up is now nearly £3 more expensive than it was at the start of October. We hope this trend won’t continue and that prices drop back down again. Much, of course, depends on global oil supply and demand. While the price of oil can be notoriously volatile, there’s reason to think forecourt fuel prices may get cheaper in the coming months as some analysts are predicting an average oil price nearer to $70 this year.”.
RAC Fuel Watch data also showed the average price of a litre of unleaded bought at one of the big four supermarkets rose by 1.6p a litre to 134p and diesel by almost 2p to 141.6p. Overall, supermarket-bought petrol is currently 3.5p cheaper than the UK average, while diesel is 4p lower. The average price of petrol at a motorway service station went up by 3.5p in January. Petrol is now 161.9p a litre, and diesel 169.83p.
Looking at prices around the UK, excluding motorway services, England has the most expensive unleaded at an average of 138.5p, closely followed by Wales at 137.3p and Scotland 136.9p, with Northern Ireland far cheaper at 133.1p. For diesel, England is again the dearest at 145.2p. Scotland and Wales are similar at 143.9p and 143.4p, respectively, while Northern Ireland is just below at 137.9p. Get our money-saving tips and top offers direct to your inbox with the Mirror Money newsletter.
